A bookworm's breakfast -- 16

There have been some pretty glum faces around the breakfast table the past two mornings; no one seems to be very keen on the idea of being back at school after Christmas holidays. Will, who is up early every morning and never has a lack of energy, was moping around yesterday complaining of being tired at 7 am, and when I went to try and rouse Noah from sleep, he just kept repeating the word "No" in a painful tone, as if attempting to avoid the inevitable.  I can't blame them for their reluctance to get back into the routine; with two weeks of free days to fill with whatever activities their curious minds could think up, the boys were living a pretty sweet life for awhile.  I keep reminding them that if they didn't go back to school, eventually they would grow tired of all that unscheduled time, but they don't seem to believe me (and so we've already started the countdown to March Break!)

At some point every day over the holidays, the boys could be found lying around in comfortable places with their minds caught up in good books. Today I thought I'd share a few titles that Noah and Will really enjoyed these past couple of weeks, because several people have mentioned recently that they really appreciate the children's book recommendations feature here on Pocketfuls. I have not read any of the books listed below myself, so I'm basing these recommendations on the bit of research I've done on each one, and the enthusiastic testimonials of an 11 year old and an almost-9 year old. :)  (Simply click on the book titles to read more information about the stories contained within.)

Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley

 

Brotherband Chronicles -- Book 1: The Outcasts by John Flanagan



 

 

 Ungifted by Gordon Korman

 

 

How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel by Cressida Cowell

 

 

I Funny:  A Middle School Story by James Patterson

 

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:  The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

 







 



I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore  (*This book and the two others that follow it in the series are more suited to mature readers due to their content.)

 



 

Guinness World Records 2013

 

 

 

I am at the point now as a parent where it is physically impossible for me to keep up with reading all of the books my two boys are reading to know what they are about, but it is still very important to me that the content of the books they're choosing is appropriate for their ages (even though they may both possess the skills required to read books intended for more mature audiences).  If you haven't heard of it before, I highly recommend the common sense media site.  On it you can find useful information about and reviews on a wide variety of books, movies, tv shows, websites, games, and music, along with age recommendations, so that you can make informed media choices for your family.  The site has been useful to us in finding new options when we've run out of books to read, too!

Due to popular demand, I plan on writing A bookworm's breakfast posts a little more often again in 2013 to help others who are looking for good book recommendations for their children.  I hope you'll tell us what your children read and enjoy, too, in the comments section below.  Got any other ideas for posts you'd like to see on Pocketfuls?  I'd love to hear your suggestions!  Leave me a comment or send me an email message at lisa.pocketfuls@gmail.com and I will do my best to accommodate your requests.