OOH - I Went to BookPeople - Here's some interesting reading!

Yesterday I went downtown to the district office to sign my official contract -- woo hoo! It just so happens to be right across the street from Whole Foods and Bookpeople - two of my faves - so I had to make a day of it, of course.

It is amazing how I can lose track of time in a bookstore. I began with the chapter books...I picked up a few of Gary Paulsen's (see earlier posts on him) that were signed by him when he was here in Austin. I know that it makes the book seem more special that way, and sure enough, the second Matt opened it when he came home he exclaimed, "Wow! That is so cool mom! They are really signed by him!" And then he immediately ran off to begin reading.

He ran off with Lawn Boy and Lawn Boy Returns. I also picked up another with a girl character - unusual for Paulsen, as he points out in the forward - Molly McGuinty has a Really Good Day. I started it last night. It is well written, and off beat. It would be a good read for 3-5th grade girls.

I also picked up another book, sort of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid vein, but much more to read...Justin Case: School, Drool, and other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail. It looks really good, and again, if you can't get your boy to step up to the next level after "Diary" -- this would be a great transition book.

For girls again: Front Page Face-off by Jo Wittemore. I have not read it, nor am I familiar with the author, but this is how I selected it: It was a signed copy, which means BookPeople has brought her for an author signing (a good indication) and I read the back of the book and a few pages to get a feel for the writing. As I was reading, I put myself in the mind of a fifth grade girl I know, C, who is on the fence about reading, primarily because she hasn't found a ton of material that she loves. She did fall into 11 Birthdays, but I want to keep her going, so I was looking with her in mind.

Oh, and for her as well, there is a facinating book called Fairest of All by Serena Valentino...it's the backstory for the Wicked Queen in Snow White's fairy tale...the first half explains her demise (she was originally good) and the second half shows how that all plays out through the fairy tale. Well written - I like the slant on it.

Finally, I got some easier readers -- very cute series by Lucy Nolan called Down Girl and Sit. It is about the adventures of two dogs, aptly named "Down girl" and "Sit." Ben picked them up last night and was laughing hard. It has Manageable short chapters and supportive illustrations...it is told from the dog's point of view, which will add fun, but will need some explaining at first. I like them because they are a step above the "Henry and Mudge" level, yet not as long as "Judy Moody" -- great transition books for kids in first and second grade to harder chapter books.

So there you have it...I could also run down all the great fresh foods I picked up at Whole Foods after that, but that would just make you drool on your keyboard...not the best thing.

Go buy some of these -- get your kids to give some feedback!