Fridays Featuring Flintridge: Find Your Child’s Next Favorite Book Here!

An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your Kids
to Become Passionate Page Turners

Welcome to an exciting new feature we’ll be offering every other Friday at Good Reads With Ronna, Fridays Featuring Flintridge. This insider’s look at great books for kids and teens is brought to us by professional children’s book buyer, Catherine Linka. She’ll present her recommended reads in themes and today’s theme is a rather dreamy one. Read more about Catherine below and see her suggestions for this summer. We’re sure you’ll soon understand why we value her opinions and why we’re so delighted she’s on board!

About Catherine

Catherine Linka is the Children’s and Teen Book Buyer for the Flintridge Bookstore in Southern California. She has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and blogs about writing at ThroughtheTollbooth.com.  Catherine also leads two groups of young book reviewers, elementary school and teens. Her book recommendations are books she respects and those her young reviewers loved.

Raising an Enthusiastic Reader –a message from Catherine Linka

– You want your child to grow up to be successful and independent and you know that being a good reader is crucial for their success.

– There are two parts to being a good reader. First, a child has to learn the technical skills of “decoding” text–of learning the relationship between letters, sounds, and the meaning of words.

– Second, a child has to want to read–to be excited about it, and to find it satisfying. Unless a child is motivated to read, they won’t advance. 

– Decoding is the job of your child’s teacher. But your job is better–to build your child’s love of reading.

– The books I picked for this blog are ones that kids I work with loved. These are books they held up and said, “This is the best book I’ve ever read.” I hope your child will find a book they love.

RECOMMENDED READING STARTS HERE! 

Books for Dreamy Girls who love to sit in the shade with a book for company. 

JUNONIA by Kevin Henkes ($6.99, Harper Collins Children’s Books)

Now in paperback, this lovely story of a girl who goes to Florida every year with her family only to find that this year, things are different. A perfect book to reassure a child that things change, but change can be OK. (8+)

THE SECRET TREE by Natalie Sandiford ($16.99, Scholastic Press)

This reminded me of BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE. Set in a woodsy neighborhood, everyone writes their secrets on slips of paper and leaves them in a hollow tree, hoping their pain will be absolved. Two friends do what they can to help their neighbors heal. (9+)

REMARKABLE by Elizabeth Foley ($16.99, Dial Books For Young Readers)

The book for little girls who don’t see themselves as special, but who hunger to be. In this story, Jane is the only child in the town of Remarkable who is plain and unremarkable. But Jane becomes the hero when three unpleasant characters come to down. The fifth and sixth graders in my Advance Readers club LOVED this book. (8+)

THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND by Catherynne M.Valente ($6.99, Macmillan/Square Fish)

Think ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Sophisticated, gorgeous, playful and ironic language and a perfect read aloud for 10+. Now in paperback. Sequel is coming.

KAT, INCORRIGIBLE   ($6.99, Atheneum Books For Young Readers)

Fun and funny fantasy set in England in the 1800s. Kat doesn’t want her older sisters to have to get married,
so she uses magic to mess up her stepmother’s plans. A little flavor of Jane Austen. Very sweet. Now in paperback. 10+.

SPARROW ROAD by Sheila O’Connor ($6.99, Penguin)

Now in paperback. A sensitive portrait of a 12 year old girl trying to figure herself out over a summer when her mother goes
to work at an artist colony. A tender, beautiful story. (10+)

Please visit the Flintridge Bookstore today to pick up your copy of these great books, buy gifts, enjoy their extension selection of other great reads  and relax over a great cup of coffee.  Also visit the website at www.flintridgebooks.com to keep up-to-date with story times author events and other exciting special events.