Category Archives: Ages 08 – 10

Draw A Picture, Get What You Draw

“Monster” series by Lewis Trondheim

Graphic Novel

  1. Monster Christmas
  2. Monster Mess
  3. Monster Dinosaur
  4. Monster Turkey

Whimsical children’s graphic novels about a not-very-scary monster.

Recommended age: 6 – 8; 8 – 10; 10 – 12

Petey and Jean draw a monster who comes to life.   Petey and Jean have several adventures with their monster Kriss.   In Monster Christmas¸ the family and their monster go on a vacation at Christmas time and save Santa Claus. In Monster Mess¸ we read how Kriss was created.  In Monster Dinosaur¸ a dinosaur from a drawing comes to life and is destroying the city.

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He Should Have Let the Scarf Go

Abel’s Island by William Steig

An original story about a mouse who is washed away in a hurricane and stranded on an isolated island.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12; 12 – 14.

Abelard foolishly rushes out to save his wife’s scarf during a hurricane and gets blown away.  After being caught in a rushing stream, he finally comes to land on an island in the middle of a river, far from all other civilized small animals.   On the island, he manages to survive, feed himself, and protect himself from predators while he waits to be rescued.

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Never Trust a Chicken

“J.J. Tully Mystery” series by Doreen Cronin

  1. The Trouble with Chickens
  2. The Legend of Diamond Lil
  3. The Chicken Squad
  4. The Case of the Weird Blue Chicken (Chicken Squad)

Chapter Books (for 8 – 10 year olds).

Fun, silly stories about an overly self-important guard dog and some chicks who are too smart for their own good.

Recommended age: 6 – 8; 8 – 10; 10 – 12.

In the first book, Trouble¸ J.J. is outsmarted by the evil housedog, Vince.   But good wins out in the end and Vince is caught in his own trap.  In Diamond Lil¸ J.J. finds an opossum raiding the dog house.   Then he finds beautiful Diamond Lil who has moved in next door.   But things are more complicated than they seem. In The Chicken Squad¸ Tail the squirrel comes in with the story of a great flying danger.   The chicks decide it is a UFO come to steal their mother.  In the end, J.J. needs to come and rescue them.    In the Weird Blue Chicken, the chicks solve a mystery for a blue jay, but everything is not what it seems.

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Act Fast to Save Our Junk Food

Fat Men from Space by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

Quirky and lots of fun.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12

In this fun spoof of the alien invasion genre, William’s new filling reacts with another filling in his mouth to become a radio receiver.  He thinks this is a lot of fun until he starts receiving transmissions between aliens about to invade the earth.  But these aliens aren’t the mundane green, many-armed, bulgy-eyed, aliens with antennae – they’re Fat Men from Space in plaid sport jackets, knitted neckties, and horn-rimmed glasses (who bear a striking resemblance to the author/illustrator) and they are intent on consuming all the junk food on the planet (Oh horrible, horrible, most horrible…).

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Cavemen Can Learn Kung-Fu Too!

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk – Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by George Beard

A Graphic Novel

A fun and somewhat goofy caveman story.

Recommended age: 6 – 8; 8 – 10; 10 – 12

Summary of Plot: Ook and Gluk are driving the evil cave chief Grasshopper — I mean, Goppernopper — crazy.  However, one day Gophersniffer — I mean Goppernopper — discovers his descendant, an evil business man from the future who has come back into Goppernopper’s time.   The cave chief goes into the future with his descendant and comes back with a mechanical dinosaur to punish Ook and Gluk, enslave his people, and ruin the world.   However, Ook and Gluk escape into the future where they learn Kung-Fu and come back to defeat the Goppernoppers and save their people and the world.

 

It’s Hard to Make a Fast Buck These Days

Eddie, Incorporated by Phyllis Naylor

Fun light reading about a boy who wants to start a business.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12

Eddie’s family are all making money and in business.   Eddie wants to start his own business, but things just don’t work out.  And then, when everything does seem to be working out, he comes face-to-face with “Herman the Terrible” — a two-year-old terror.

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What is a Boy to Do?

“Bobby” Series by Lisa Yee

  1. Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally)
  2. Bobby the Brave (Sometimes)

Fun stories about a fourth-grade boy.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12.

In the first book, Bobby is in fourth grade and has always been friends with Holly.   She has always been his friend, but, now, she is becoming (gasp) a girl – wearing dresses and painting her nails and hanging around with Jillian — who is no friend of Bobby’s!   What is he going to do?  In the second book, Bobby deals with having a famous football father when he is no good at football.

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The Odd Couple: Bird and Squirrel — plus a Hungry Cat.

Bird & Squirrel by James Burks

Graphic Novel

A very funny story about a timid squirrel and a carefree bird being chased by a hungry and angry cat.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Bird is footloose and carefree, staying late up north because he is having so much fun.   Squirrel is busy getting ready for winter and trying to get Bird to leave him alone.   When Squirrel sacrifices his winter food supply to save bird from getting eaten by the Cat, Squirrel decides to try to go south with Bird rather than risk starvation in the north.   But, an uptight fearful Squirrel, a foolish carefree Bird, and an angry hungry cat make for some fun reading.

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Camp Whatsitooya is under Siege!

Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies by Andrea Beaty

A fun parody of alien attack/fear-based type movies.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Kevin and Joules are spending the week at Camp Whatsitooya while their parents compete at the International SPAMathon Dessert competition.   Unknown to Kevin and Joules, fierce Fluffy Bunnies — refugees from a far-away planet — have landed in the woods nearby and intend to take over the world and eat everyone.

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Whoo’s up for Owlish Fun?

Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat

A very funny story of a boy who had two owls as pets.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12; 12 – 14; 14 – 16; 16 – 18; Adult

Farley decided that he wanted to get an owl for a pet.   He unexpectedly gets two — with hilarious results.  Spraying skunks, bullies, cats, dogs running, crows getting outsmarted — the list goes on and on.

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