Every day in the library, we meet young readers who just can’t get enough of Rick Riordan. The author’s exciting blend of reality and mythology has exploded in popularity, with kids clamoring for books in his Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, as well as his Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus series. Riordan superfans who are hungry for more fantastical action and adventure may want to give these books a try:

The Underland Chronicles / Suzanne Collins

The Sea of Trolls trilogy / Nancy Farmer

The Pandora series / Carolyn Hennesy

Children of the Lamp series / Philip Kerr

Skulduggery Pleasant series / Derek Landy

Savvy / Ingrid Law

Gods of Manhattan series / Scott Mebus

Fablehaven series / Brandon Mull

Septimus Heap series / Angie Sage

Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series / Michael Scott

Dusssie / Nancy Springer

Cronus Chronicles series / Anne Ursu

The Olympians graphic novel series / George O'Connor

Treasuries of Mythology / Donna Jo Napoli

Here at the library, we’re busy preparing for our annual Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme? PAWS to Read! You can’t sign up for the program until Saturday, but you *can* spark the Summer Reading spirit by getting your paws on some of our favorite animal books at the library:

Nonfiction

// Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons // The Incredible Life of Balto // Stay: The True Story of Ten Dogs // Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog who Became Best Friends // Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of the Earth's Strangest Animals // Who has These Feet? // Wild Animal Neighbors: Sharing our Urban World //

Early Readers

 

// Cat the Cat, Who is That? // Pig Wig // Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover // Zelda and Ivy: The Big Picture //

Moving Up

 

// Bad Kitty: School Daze // Battle Bunny // Catwings // Lulu and the Dog from the Sea //

Chapter Books

 

// Because of Winn Dixie // The Familiars // Highway Cats // Moominvalley in November // Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH // The One and Only Ivan // Stick Dog // The Wind in the Willows //

Picture Books

 

// Baby Bear Sees Blue // The Best Pet of All // City Dog, Country Frog // Count the Monkeys // The Long, Long Line // Mr. Tiger Goes Wild // Please Take me for a Walk // Read to Tiger // Who Sank the Boat? //

Next time you’re in the children’s area of your library, keep an eye out for the Moving Up and Series Paperback books. These are special sections where you can find beginning chapter books for kids who have graduated out of early readers. Books here typically feature wide margins, short chapters, lots of illustrations, and vocabulary appropriate for 2^nd – 4^th graders. Super popular books in these sections include Captain Underpants, Mercy Watson, Bad Kitty, My Father’s Dragon, Geronimo Stilton, and the Magic Tree House series – some of which are excellent read-alouds for younger kids! We children’s librarians also recommend the following Moving Up books:

Anna Hibiscus series / Atinuke; illus. Lauren Tobia

Calvin Coconut series / Graham Salisbury; illus. Jacqueline Rogers

Catwings series / Ursula K. Le Guin; illus. S.D. Schindler

Chews Your Destiny / Rhode Montijo

Encyclopedia Brown series / Donald J. Sobol

The Friendship / Mildred D. Taylor; illus. Max Ginsburg

The Knights' Tales series / Gerald Morris; illus. Aaron Renier

Little Horse / Betsy Byars; illus. David McPhail

Lulu series / Hilary McKay; illus. Priscilla Lamont

Rickshaw girl / Mitali Perkins; illus. Jamie Hogan

The Stories Julian Tells / Ann Cameron; illus. Ann Strugnell

Zapato Power series / Jacqueline Jules; illus. Miguel Benítez

 

If you're seeking children's books that honor and celebrate African-American history, Oakland Public Library has what you need! The following staff recommendations are perfect to share with your kiddos year-round, and especially in observance of African-American History Month. We hope you enjoy our suggestions; let us know in the comments if we missed any of your favorites!

Picture Books

Charlie Parker played be bop /  Chris Raschka

The Hallelujah Flight / Phil Bildner; illus. by John Holyfield

Henry's Freedom Box / Ellen Levine; illus. by Kadir Nelson

My people / Langston Hughes; photos by Charles R. Smith Jr.

The Other Side / Jacqueline Woodson; illus. by Earl B. Lewis

Rap a Tap Tap / Leo and Diane Dillon

We March / Shane W. Evans

 

Fiction

Bud, not Buddy / Christopher Paul Curtis

Jefferson's Sons: A Founding Father's Secret Children / Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The Lions of Little Rock / Kristin Levine

One Crazy Summer / Rita Williams-Garcia

 

Nonfiction

 

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice / Phillip Hoose

Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles: America's First Black Paratroopers / Tanya Lee Stone

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave / Laban Carrick Hill; illus. by Bryan Collier

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men who Changed America / Andrea Davis Pinkney; illus. by Brian Pinkney

March: Book One / John Lewis; co-written by Andrew Aydin; art by Nate Powell

Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker / Kathryn Lasky; illus. by Nneka Bennett

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball / Kadir Nelson

When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson / Pam Muñoz Ryan; illus. by Brian Selznick

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman / Kathleen Krull; illus. by David Diaz

Have you ever seen a book trailer? They’re just like previews that we see at the movies, only they’re advertising upcoming books! Publishers have been putting more energy into creating exciting and enticing trailers for their books, in the hopes that watching these videos online will encourage people to go out and read the whole story.

If you or your kiddos are ever in need of new inspiration for what to read next, book trailers are an excellent way to go! Check out these trailers to see if any capture your family’s interest.

Chapter Books

Picture Books

Nonfiction and Graphic Novels

Want more? Check out this blog and this pinterest page; they both present awesome children’s book trailers as they’re published. Interested in making a book trailer of your own? Here are many fine examples of student-made book trailers. Enjoy!

Kids are off school and the holiday season is drawing to a close. Tis the season for digging into a great all-ages read-aloud! Cuddle up with your kiddos, try some of these favorites, and tell us in the comments about the beloved books in your family:

Picture Books

Anansi and the moss-covered rock / retold by Eric A. Kimmel; illus. by Janet Stevens

Sylvester and the magic pebble / by William Steig

The true story of the 3 little pigs / by A. Wolf; as told to Jon Scieszka; illus. by Lane Smith

Moving Up

 

 

 

Look in the “new” area of your local library to find these and other fresh, excellent books for kids. Let us know in the comments if we missed any of your faves!

Picture Books

Bully / Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Count the Monkeys / Mac Barnett; illus. by Kevin Cornell

The Day the Crayons Quit / by Drew Daywalt; illus. by Oliver Jeffers

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild / Peter Brown

Niño Wrestles the World / Yuyi Morales

Open This Little Book / by Jesse Klausmeier; illus. by Suzy Lee

Early Readers and Moving Up

A Big Guy Took My Ball! / by Mo Willems

Chews Your Destiny / Rhode Montijo

The Meanest Birthday Girl / Josh Schneider

Squirrel's Fun Day / Lisa Moser; illus. by Valeri Gorbachev

Chapter Books

 

About Average / Andrew Clements; illus. by Mark Elliott

Al Capone Does My Homework / Gennifer Choldenko

Better Nate Than Ever / Tim Federle

The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett / Tom Angleberger

Nonfiction

Locomotive / Brian Floca

When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop / Laban Hill; illus. by Theodore Taylor III

Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron / Mary Losure; illus. by Timothy Ering

Most kids love a good scare, and Halloween is the perfect time to give it to them. Find these spooky stories at a library near you, and let us know in the comments if we missed any of your favorites!

Slightly Spooky (for younger kids):

Truly Frightening (for older readers):

Can you believe that the first Harry Potter book is now celebrating its 15th anniversary of publication in the U.S.? Go ahead and celebrate by reading the whole groundbreaking series! Or, if you're craving something similarly awesome, check out the first book in another excellent fantasy series:

                    

               

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Half Magic by Edward Eager

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Magyk by Angie Sage

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Leguin

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

So far, Jeff Kinney has released seven volumes of his phenomenally popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid books – a series that I have seen 2nd to 7th grade students enthusiastically devour. Want more illustrated chapter books? Try handing these to young readers hooked by Greg Heffley’s comic missteps:

                  

Angleberger, Tom. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda series.

Morse, Scott. Magic Pickle series.

Moss, Marissa. Amelia’s Notebook series.

Peirce, Lincoln. Big Nate series.

Russell, Rachel. Dork Diaries series.

Scieszka, Jon. Spaceheadz series.

Vernon, Ursula. Dragonbreath series.

Do you have recommendations too? Post ‘em in the comments!