My nine year old niece “Anastasia” (her self-chosen pseudonym) has both the honour and the responsibility of reading and reviewing books that come my way which are geared to kids in her age bracket. Here she shares a few of her recent favourites:
Non-Favourite Part: I did not like when the mouse friend is trapped! It was scary!
Age group: I think this book is for 7 to 11 year olds.
(This Mom’s note: Who doesn’t love Lois Lowry? Sure, she’s written some classics, but when I was a kid I devoured her Anastasia series. I bought them with my own money and read them over and over. They rank right up there for me with The Babysitters’ Club, Nancy Drew Files, and Sweet Valley High.)
World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky
World Without Fish is abook that inspired me to help stop overfishing and pollution as much as I could. It gives a detailed look at what could happen if we stop caring for our planet. I recommend this book for kids 10 and up. If you care about our planet, then World Without Fish is perfect for you!
From the publisher: Written by a master storyteller, World Without Fish connects all the dots—biology, economics, evolution, politics, climate, history, culture, food, and nutrition—in a way that kids can really understand.
World Without Fish tells kids exactly what they can do: Find out where those fish sticks come from. Tell your parents what’s good to buy, and what’s not. Ask the waiter if the fish on the menu is line-caught. And follow simple rules: Use less plastic, and never eat endangered fish like bluefin tuna.
Trouble at the Zoo and Rescue! (Bindi Wildlife Adventures)
(These titles are from a new series based on the fictional adventures of Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin.)
Says Anastasia: “Trouble at the Zoo” teaches us that sometimes what you want isn’t best for everyone. A teenage boy tries to steal a Komodo dragon from the zoo! However Bindi catches him and uses her parrot to retrieve it. Zac realizes that he would npot be able to care for the Komodo dragon and apologizes. This book is for kids aged 7-8.
In “Rescue!”, Bindi goes to Africa and discovers tha the place she is staying is where tourists hunt big game! It teaches us that you shouldn’t be dishonest, and the person who owned the park was caught. This book is also for 7 and 8 year olds.
Rebecca’s Rashness (Book 7 in the series called “The Sisters Eight”) by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
I think that is great to have your neice get involved on your blog! She must love the fact that she is helping her aunt and it allows for her to feel that her opinion matters which I am sure is an amazing feeling for a 9 year old! Also, it is probably increasing her love for reading as she looks for future books to critique! What an awesome idea! My daughter is 7 and I bet she would love some of these suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
Krista S.