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Hey Kids! 6 Books Worth Your Lemonade and Babysitting Loot
It’s no coincidence that, the very week Starbucks raised its prices and your grandmotherly babysitter left on a Caribbean cruise, a lemonade stand popped up next door, and a homemade babysitting flyer was nestled under the doormat on your front stoop this morning.
This is the season for young entrepreneurs across the country. Perhaps your child is one of these opportunistic squirts canvassing the neighborhood, or maybe you’re the fortunate neighbor who has traded in late-afternoon caffeine for tart, ice-cold refreshment at just a $1 a cup, or hired a recent grammar school graduate to spend a couple of midday hours with your tot.
Joyful, industrious, and responsible—these are the hallmarks of our newest wage-earning generation. They’re setting fair prices for their goods and services, and they’re accepting your money and pats on the head with good-natured smiles. Most of the money is padding piggy banks, but some of it will, inevitably, go toward what decade-old kids love best—entertainment. If you have a (small) small-business owner in your home, or if you know one, I urge you to share this list with them so that they can make an informed decision at our bookstore. While summertime boredom smells a lot like lemons to me, these kids made lemonade and then sold it. Now it’s time you help them put their Country Time to work.
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Theodore Boone: The Fugitive, by John Grisham
We waited 2 years for the 5th installment of John Grisham’s thrilling Theodore Boone series. Thank you, John, for the opportunity for our nails to regrow before we return to chewing them! A modern-day Nancy Drew, Theo Boone is a nosy kid lawyer and amateur detective, and in the first 4 books of the series, he’s tackled a murder mystery, a kidnapping, been framed for a crime he was entirely innocent of, and exposed political corruption in a high-stakes environmental case. The Fugitive brings Theo face-to-face with an enemy that should still be behind bars. It’s time for justice, but can he handle the pressure when everything is on the line?
Ratscalibur, by Josh Lieb
Seventh grade is a peak time for physical and social metamorphosis for most of us, but even these extreme changes pale in comparison to Joey’s experience—when he is suddenly transformed from gawky adolescent to 3” tall rodent. What follows is a riveting epic adventure, because Joey has accidentally unlocked the sword Ratscalibur, and is now responsible for saving the rodent kingdom. Where fantasy, humor, bravery (and Lord of the Rings fans) unite, you will find yourself deeply entrenched in the richly drawn world of Ratscalibur.
Ms. Rapscott’s Girls, by Elise Primavera
Headmistress Ms. Rapscott has started the world’s only school for the children of exceptionally busy parents. She has two unusual assistants—welsh corgis with clipboards—and her dormitories and classrooms occupy the upper reaches of a charmingly decrepit lighthouse. Utilizing unexpected modes of transportation, 5 girls have arrived, dazed and disoriented, for the school year, which they expect to be like every other boarding school at which they’ve already floundered. However, from the very first day, it’s clear that Ms. Rapscott’s curriculum—which includes things like birthday cake for breakfast, and magical lessons that teach bravery and reason—is as singular as Ms. Rapscott herself. Is it possible that this unusual woman—and her lessons that don’t often fit inside the classroom—will change the way these special girls see the world?
The Island of Dr. Libris, by Chris Grabenstein
What’s a kid to do when he’s stuck in a musty lakeside cabin with only an eccentric old man for company? Billy Gillfoyle is 12 and very, very bored. It’s not long before he finds himself seeking out daily entertainment in the dusty study filled with centuries-old stories of adventure and enchantment. One by one – from Robin Hood to Hercules – Billy devours all the books. But when he replaces them on the shelves, he can hear weird sounds — lapping waves, the whisper of arrows in flight, and the ringing of metal on metal. Is he simply going crazy, or are the stories coming to life? You won’t be able to put this triumph of imagination, mystery, and legend down!
Appleblossom the Possum, by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Appleblossom is the youngest of a slew of siblings who all adore their firm-but-gentle mama, who has taught them all to never be seen during the day, and to play dead in order to steer clear of dogs, humans, and cars. They’re a close-knit opossum family, so when Appleblossom falls down the chimney and instantly becomes a potential pet to the little girl living inside, her protective older brothers and father hatch a rescue mission. Living outside of her family and natural habitat is challenging at first for shy Appleblossom, but the distance enables her to discover a strength and fierce intelligence that might just help her find her way back home.
Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures (Pip Bartlett #1), by Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce
To most of us, a conversation with a unicorn or a griffin would be challenge; since we are, for the most part, profoundly un-magical, we would likely feel a considerable urge to impress with exaggerations or white lies. Pip, however, is fluent in the language of all magical creatures, and can gab with fanciful animals of all ilk. So when she is sent to visit Aunt Emma—a veterinarian specializing in fantastic creatures—it seems like things couldn’t get any better. Luckily for readers, however, this is the exact point at which things stop getting better and, in fact, significantly worse. Pip befriends highly-allergic Tomas and her situation heats up demonstrably when fuzzles (creatures who burst into flame when upset) start coming around with more frequency. Pip is a quirky heroine we can’t wait to read about in many stories to come.
What summer reads are your little entrepreneurs excited about?