If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I love kids’ books, and I love planning fun educational things to do with them. Sometimes, though, my kids need to read books that are, well, … not my favorites. I’m finding this to happen more often as they get older –… Continue reading LitWits – Review
Tag: literature
Book Club Leads to Cooking Club: “Secrets & Scones” by Laurel Remington
We started My Big Helper’s book club seven years ago, and it’s still going strong – and it’s growing a bit this year, thanks to a fantastic middle-grade book by Laurel Remington. When I first read Secrets and Scones last school year, I knew it would make a perfect book club read. With themes of… Continue reading Book Club Leads to Cooking Club: “Secrets & Scones” by Laurel Remington
NEW! A Breakout Learning Experience for “Mr. Lemoncello’s All-Star Breakout Game”
Chris Grabenstein released his new Lemoncello book – Mr. Lemoncello’s All-Star Breakout Game – and I couldn’t wait to read it. Hello, it’s a Lemoncello! Grabenstein continues the fun in the fourth installment of this wacky but educational series. Mr. Lemoncello has created a new Fictionasium behind the shelves in his library, and he’s set… Continue reading NEW! A Breakout Learning Experience for “Mr. Lemoncello’s All-Star Breakout Game”
Book Club, Art Edition: “The Frame-Up”
As soon as I began reading The Frame-Up, I knew it had to be on this year’s book club reading list. The premise of living artwork was too fun not to explore further! There’s one important rule at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery—don’t let anyone know the paintings are alive. Mona Dunn, forever frozen at thirteen… Continue reading Book Club, Art Edition: “The Frame-Up”
Poetry & Short Stories with Memoria Press – Review
My Little Man was slated to study some classical literature this semester, so we were excited for the opportunity to review the Poetry and Short Stories: American Literature Set from Memoria Press. This set comes with a student workbook, a book full of short stories and poetry, and a teacher’s guide. At first glance, our… Continue reading Poetry & Short Stories with Memoria Press – Review
Book Club, Hiking Edition: “The Honest Truth”
Just like in Dan Gemeinhart’s debut book The Honest Truth, the weather wasn’t cooperative for this month’s book club. With loads of rain, the rivers ran high, and we had to change plans often, which diminished the size of our group – but not the adventurous spirit with which we enjoyed this book. Mark from The Honest… Continue reading Book Club, Hiking Edition: “The Honest Truth”
Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Absolutely Truly” & a Wounded Warrior Project
This month the girls’ book club read a story I absolutely loved: Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick. It’s a sweet story about a girl whose family has been through some really hard things, and the sailing isn’t all smooth yet. The main character, a girl named Truly, remains positive and respectful despite the hard stuff. … Continue reading Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Absolutely Truly” & a Wounded Warrior Project
Escape the Library with Mr. Lemoncello: An Escape Room Challenge
A few years ago, we were introduced to Mr. Lemoncello in Chris Grabenstein’s book Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. At the time, I had never heard of an escape room, though the book screams for someone to recreate the game from the story. When we chose this book for book club, we had a blast creating… Continue reading Escape the Library with Mr. Lemoncello: An Escape Room Challenge
NEW! Bring “The Ambrose Deception” to Life with a Scavenger Hunt in Raleigh, NC!
Earlier this month, our book clubs read Emily Ecton’s The Ambrose Deception and we staged a real-life scavenger hunt all over the center of Durham. I tried to recreate the fun from the book by starting our hunt at a coffee shop that also offers doughnuts and other fare, and the kids were paired with drivers, smartphones,… Continue reading NEW! Bring “The Ambrose Deception” to Life with a Scavenger Hunt in Raleigh, NC!
An Heirloom Audio Production of St. Bartholomew’s Eve – Review
We love listening to stories as a family, and so we were excited to receive Heirloom Audio Productions’ newest product for review: St. Bartholomew’s Eve. It’s about a time in history about which we were all completely clueless: the persecution of the Huguenots in France in 1567. I knew that the Catholic and Protestant churches… Continue reading An Heirloom Audio Production of St. Bartholomew’s Eve – Review