Good Children's Books.... Besides Harry Potter

I'm so sorry about not having my Thursday Thirteen. When I was in the middle of posting it yesterday something got on our computer. It is a horrible virus that messes up your computer, but also has a pop-up stating "Your computer is at risk" then asked for about $50 to buy this virus scanner. So.... we have been bam-boozled and today we are going to go get the computer fixed. We can't really use it because every time we are on the internet uh...well..... an "Adult" website keeps popping up.....with VIDEO......yea... nice. So, Again sorry about not having my Thursday Thirteen up. I am going to go ahead and post one of my old ones. Thanks and sorry.

I love reading books, but I have not always felt that way. There were literally times where I remember my mom sending me to my bedroom and not letting me go out to play until I finshed reading a few chapters from a book she had checked out for me. I remember still to this day sitting in my chair swiveling around and around trying to think of a lie…umm I mean…reason…as to why I didn't need to read my chapters that day. I would even remind my mom that I still hadn’t finished some chores just to put off reading a little while longer. After a while of my mom forcing me to sit down and read I started realizing that these books weren’t half bad.

Soon my mom was getting calls from my teachers informing her that I wasn’t paying attention in classes and that I was reading my books instead of following along with the class. I thought I was pretty clever actually, I recall moving everything in my desk back enough so I could fit my book on my lap and still keep it hiden in the desk. I would then put homework on top of the desk and so it would look like I was doing work, but really I was reading my books.

On my path from being a book dodger to a literary lover I have found many good books and hopefully these will inspire other kids to read. So, if your child hates to read, here are some books that will hopefully get that literary ball rolling. And if your child already loves reading I hope to help feed that hunger! Here are a few I have treasured...


Island of the Blue Dolphin – by Scott O’Dell
A story of a young girl alone on an island where she spends years foraging for herself, fighting off wild animals, finding food, and trying to find a way home. An inspiring and gripping tale…now that I think of it…it reminds me of a sweet little girl version of “Lost”…but a happy “Lost”.



The Dollhouse Murders – by Betty Ren Wright
The main girl Amy discovers a beautiful old-fashioned dollhouse in her forgotten attic, she is completely unaware that the dollhouse holds a deadly, forgotten secret about the past, and it seems that the dolls want Amy to learn a deadly truth. This may sound too dark, but it was a classic with me and my sister.



Maniac Magee – by Jerry Spinelli
12-year-old Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee, is an orphan who lives with his bizarre Uncle and Aunt. He is a good athlete , but can’t stand where he is anymore and runs very fast on railroad tracks which one day brings him to a town. He soon discovers this town has some racial tension. The town is divided between the blacks and whites on different ends of the town. Maniac Magee soon finds himself bouncing between each part of town unknowingly changing the lives of everyone in it. This was a number one favorite of my husband.



The Farthest Away Mountain – by Lynne Reid Banks
In a village nestled in a mountain valley, lived a girl named Darkin. She wants three things more than anything else: to visit the farthest-away mountain, to meet a gargoyle, and to marry a prince. Everyone in her village thinks she's crazy, especially since no one has ever been to the farthest-away mountain. But one day she hears the mountain calling her. Darkin sets off on a journey that will change her life, and the lives of others, forever. Dakin is now trying to save her village as she fights the magic that seems to be controlling the mountain for the last 200 years.


Chocolate Fever – by Robert Kimmel Smith
Henry loves chocolate so much, it practically runs through his veins. Chocolate cake, chocolate cereal, chocolate syrup, chocolate milk, and chocolate cookies—and that’s just breakfast! Still, it comes as a bit of a shock when he suddenly breaks out in chocolate spots and is diagnosed with . . . Chocolate Fever. And, rather than be poked and prodded by doctors, Henry runs away, starting the adventure of a lifetime.



The Fairy Rebel – by Lynne Reid Banks
A Fairy Queen in the forest forbids fairies from using their magic power on humans. But after a fairy named Tiki accidentally meets Jan, a woman who is desperate for a baby daughter, she finds it impossible to resist fulfilling her wish. Now up against the dark and vicious power of evil, this fairy must face the Queen’s fury with frightening and possibly fatal results. This was one that my sister Melanie read over and over again.



The Phantom Tollbooth – by Norton Juster
Milo is a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked "Which," Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the "impossible" mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom.


My Teacher is an Alien – Bruce Coville
Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face -- and realizes that "Mr. Smith" is really an alien!
At first no one will believe her except Peter Thompson, the class brain. When Peter and Susan discover Mr. Smith's horrible plans for their classmates, they know they have to act fast. Only they can get rid of their extraterrestrial visitor -- and save the rest of the sixth-grade class from a fate worse than math tests!
(Bruce Coville has many more in this series called “My Teacher Fried My Brain” “My Teacher Flunk the Planet” and many more.)


Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: A Magic Shop Book – by Bruce Coville
Jeremy Thatcher thought the multicolored rock he bought from Mr. Elives' magic shop was just some sort of marble. Instead the "rock" ends up being a dragon's egg that Jeremy must hatch and raise. His new fire-breathing pet Tiamet proves quite a handful, especially when Jeremy discovers only he can see and hear her -- even when Tiamet grows into a giant, beautiful creature of myth. (this is another book that has other in its series)


Sideways Stories from Wayside School - by Louis Sachar. (My personal favorite)
Wayside School was supposed to be built with thirty classrooms one on top of the other...thirty stories tall! That may be why all kinds of funny things happen at Wayside School...especially on the thirteenth floor. You'll meet Mrs. Gorf, the meanest teacher of all, terrible Todd, who always gets sent home early, and John who can read only upside down--along with all the other kids in the crazy mix-up school that came out sideways. But you'll never guess the truth about Sammy, the new kid...or what's in store for Wayside School on Halloween! Enjoy each chapter as a new level in the school.



What are some of your favorite childrens' books and your favorite authors?