Wonder
Author: R.J. Palacio Review by EssentialMom (for 9-13 year olds) A heart-breaking, uplifting, and amazing story about a boy with several facial deformities who faces going to school for the first time...
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View ArticleThe Apothecary
Author: Maile Meloy Review by tbfarm, age 9 This book is about a young girl about 13 who moves to London to get away from the government watch list which her parents are on. She then meets a boy about...
View ArticleThe Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Mars
Author(s): Hena Khan, David Borgenicht, and Robert Zubrin Review by slsstorm268, age 12 This book is very unique, much like the Choose Your Own Adventure books. You are sent on a mission to Mars and...
View ArticleRed Kayak
Author: Priscilla Cummings Review by: EssentialMom (for ages 12+) For more mature readers, this story about a thirteen year old’s experiences with death, loss, and “doing the right thing” — it brings...
View ArticleWonder
Author: R.J. Palacio Review by tbfarm, age 9 This book is about a child named August Pullman. He has a few facial deformities and has never been to school. But this year thats all going to change. His...
View ArticleThe Percy Jackson Series
Author: Rick Riordan Review by Essentialmom (for ages 7+) We LOVED this series — the writing was engaging, quick and interesting. The story pulls you in and you can’t wait to get to the next book the...
View ArticleMagic Tree House Series
Author: Mary Pope Osborne Review by Essentialmom (for ages 6+) This is the perfect first experience with chapter books for kids — either read them out-loud to younger kids or, for children who are...
View ArticleThe Lemonade War
Author: Jacqueline Davies Review by Essentialmom (for ages 8+) An interesting take on sibling rivalry and summer boredom. Two siblings set out to create a lemonade stand and enter into a competition...
View ArticleThe Boxcar Children
Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner and L. Kate Deal Review by Essentialmom (for ages 6+) A classic book set that continues to resonate with children today. Four orphaned siblings run away and live...
View ArticleHank the Cowdog Series
Author: John R. Erickson Review by Essentialmom (for ages 5+) Hank, a lovable but goofy ranch dog, is the narrator in these tales of adventure. Hank “polices” the farm and talks about the ways in...
View ArticleThe Other Wes Moore
Author: Wes Moore Review by Essentialmom (for ages 12+) This is a very intense book which we read in our mother-son book club. It is best read in discussion and I would say that it is ages 12+ but...
View ArticleJeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Author: Wendy Mass Review by Essentialmom (for ages 11+) A beautiful book about a boy’s quest for ‘the meaning of life’ as he approaches his thirteenth birthday. His deceased father has left him a...
View ArticleThe Gollywhopper Games
Author: Jody Feldman Review by Essentialmom (for ages 9+) Gil Goodson’s father has been accused of stealing from the Golly Toy and Game Company and it is up to Gil to both prove his innocence and to...
View ArticleThe Missing Series
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix Review by Essentialmom (for ages 10+) A new take on a historical time travel series leads a group of kids to find where they come from and where they are going and...
View ArticleSmall as an Elephant
Author: Jennifer Richard Jacobson Review by Essentialmom (for ages 12+) A serious story about a boy who, while camping in Maine, is abandoned by his mother, who has a mental illness. The story is...
View ArticleThe Fourth Stall
Author: Chris Rylander Review by Essentialmom An interesting twist on the topic of bullying — you cheer for Mac and Vince who are a modern day mafia — but one that takes care of people’s problems....
View ArticleBystander
Author: James Preller Review by Essentialmom (for ages 12+) For the kid who is neither the bully or the victim, the question is “what do you do” — do you stand and watch, quietly walk away, or stand up...
View ArticlePopulazzi
Author: Elise Allen Review by Essentialmom (for ages 14+) Cara’s moving to a new school for high school and she and her best friends make a pact to figure out how to become one of “those girls” at the...
View ArticleCracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam
Author: Cynthia Kadohata Review by Essentialmom (ages 10+) A significantly emotional retelling of a boy who joins the army during the Vietnam War and his role as a dog-handler — told from the...
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