Sweet Book To Keep Your Kids Reading This Summer

By FREYA HOOPER (Star Patcher)

Today, I have a lovely chapter books for kids who are making the jump from chapter books with big type and lots of pictures to something with a little more substance. It is also a wonderful book for kids who want a well constructed story that is very manageable for a summer day. The story is well developed, the characters are charming and the mystery will keep them guessing!

Don’t forget to visit my website at www.onegreatbook.com so that you won’t miss a book which features a story with a cute dog named Mo. How can any canine-loving kid resist?

Title: Honey

Author: Sarah Weeks

Target: Grade 3-5

Series: No

What this book is about:
Melody is a 10-year-old girl who lives with her father, a widower. When she sees him getting distracted and humming “You Are My Sunshine,” she suspects there may be love in the air. This is confirmed by the neighbor girl Teeny who overhears something at the local salon. As Melody and her best friend Nick track down her father’s love interest, Mo, the dog at the salon has been dreaming of a girl he should meet. Could it just be that Mo and Melody have something in common, and could it involve a hole in Melody’s heart that has been there since the death of her mother?

Why I love this book:
This book is absolutely wonderful. The moment I put it down after reading, I knew I had to hand it to my daughter, who devoured it with just as much enthusiasm as I had. Of course, the fun is in the mystery. Just who is Melody’s dad in love with? A series of misunderstandings leads Melody to the wrong conclusion which just adds to the puzzle. And of course, I cannot forget the lovable Mo. Put a cute dog in the mix and my daughter has no choice but to fall in love with a book.

Now the mystery will be obvious to any adult reading the book. But for kids, this is a wonderful book to help with their recognizing the clues in the story and predicting an ending. My daughter was delighted as she adjusted her predictions throughout the story to see her final forecast come true.

Who this book is for:
This is a wonderful book for kids who are moving past early chapter books. At 150 pages of bigger type, this book is not intimidating and the characters are so well developed for a book this size. Pie was the author’s early book and if your kids enjoyed that one, this one will be equally well received.

Final thoughts:
I really liked all the 101 nail polish names that Melody had to come up with for the salon. They are listed in the back of the book!

Previous column from Freya: Fun Summer Read For Your Young Kids

I am a mom of three with a passion for literature! No matter what book series our kids devour, as they come to an end, we as parents ask the inevitable question - what is next? I am ever on the job, trying to answer that question. I try to do it with a variety of books. Some are silly, some true to life, some pure fantasy, but in the end I hope they make my children love words, explore new ideas, and laugh!