Books I’m buying for kids this year

I’m sure it’s no surprise to hear that a good portion of the gifts I buy each year are books. This year I’m buying for two specific groups of kids – the just turned 10 to almost 11-year-old girls, and the fairly newly independently reading boys. I thought I’d share a couple of the titles I’ve picked out for them.

For 10ish yr old girls:

– The Audition by Maddie Ziegler
My daughter has been watching Dance Moms and is going to love this:
Twelve-year-old Harper McCoy has danced practically since she could walk, and she is making her mark as one of the top dancers at her studio. Until her parents drop the bombshell: they are moving to Florida, which means she’ll have to say good-bye to her friends, her classmates — and her beloved dance team.
When Harper arrives at her new studio, she realizes the competition in Florida will be fierce. And it doesn’t help that her new team — the DanceStarz — have danced together forever and aren’t exactly welcoming …
When disaster strikes right before a competition, the DanceStarz will have to work together to impress the judges, and they might just discover what friendship and teamwork are all about!

– Cluedunnit: 5-Minute Mystery Puzzles for Kids
Cluedle or Murdle Jnr would be a good choice too – something to keep those problem-solving brain cells going over summer:
Calling all super sleuths – Detective E. Z. Case needs your help! So grab your pencil, put on your thinking cap, and get ready to solve these mini mystery puzzles.
There’s a crime spree in town and Detective E.Z. Case needs a clever young assistant to help him nab the culprits – but only the cleverest kids need apply! Can you put your sleuthing skills to the test and work out whodunnit – and why?
Who stole the trendy trainers from the clothes shop?
Where is the notorious cat burglar hiding out?
How did the art thief smuggle a priceless painting out of the museum?
There are 60 mysteries to solve, ranging from easy-peasy to diabolically difficult. From logic problems, number puzzles, mazes, maps and more, you’ll need all your wits about you to catch the culprits. If you’re up to the challenge, grab a pencil, put on your detective hat and start puzzling!

– The Babysitters Club: Claudia and the New Girl by Anne M Martin & Gabriela Epstein
The Babysitters Club is always a hit. My daughter loves these graphic novel editions, and I feel like they’ve done a great job at updating the stories to make them feel contemporary while still keeping their original vibe.
Claudia has always been the most creative kid in her class… until Ashley Wyeth comes along. Ashley’s really different: She wears hippie clothes and has multiple earrings, and she’s the most fantastic artist Claudia has ever met.
Ashley says Claudia is a great artist, too, but thinks she’s wasting her artistic talent with The Baby-sitters Club. When Claudia starts spending more time with Ashley and missing BSC meetings, it becomes clear that Claudia has to make a decision — one of them has to go!

– The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby
Every 10yr old I know who has picked up a Lottie Brooks book has been instantly obsessed -I really don’t think you can go wrong with this series for 9-11 year olds:
Lottie Brooks is back for spring term at secondary school and ready to face anything. No more trying to impress mean girl Amber. And absolutely no more being nicknamed Cucumber Girl.
A lead role in the spring musical gives Lottie a chance to dazzle her mega-crush Daniel with her talent as a singing crab but it’s not all singing and dancing at Kingswood High. Lottie’s friendship with Molly and Jess seems to be falling apart no matter how hard she tries to keep her BFFs together.
Is Lottie on track for another epic friendship fail?

For newly independent readers:

– Worst Week Ever: Monday by Eva Amores & Matt Cosgrove
The final book in this hilarious series has just come out. The stories are funny and silly and supported by fab illustrations.
Justin Chase is having the WORST WEEK EVER!
His Mum has just married a vampire.
His Dad is driving a giant toilet on wheels.
His cat has probably been abducted by aliens.
A psychotic bully is making his first day at a new school miserable.
And right now, he’s hanging off the edge of a 10-metre-high diving tower in front of his entire class wearing nothing but rapidly disappearing crocheted swimmers!

– Ronaldo Rules and Messi Rules by Simon Mugford and Dan Green
There are a bunch of titles in this Football Superstars series and they are probably the most borrowed books in every primary school library in Australia.
Football Superstars is a series aimed at building a love of reading from a young age, with fun cartoons, inspirational stories, a simple narrative style and a cast of characters chipping in with quotes, jokes and comments.

– Kev & Trev: Snot Funny Sea Stories by Kylie Howarth
I think this style of graphic novel is just perfect for hooking new readers – the stories are silly and funny, and the illustrations are fun too:
Join Kev and Trev’s epic deep-sea adventure – full of kraken laughs and comic commocean! Dodge flying coconut cannonballs, outrun ghost pirates, escape big sharks, pig sharks, and a punch-throwing pelican, all while hunting for mysterious merpugs and the missing emergency boat snacks!Water you waiting for? Jump on board Kev and Trev’s popcorn powered houseboat … and cross-your-claws it doesn’t sink!

Let me know if you’ve got any of these on your gifting list too – or if you have other recommendations for great books to give to kids.

xo Bron
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