Finding the Next Must-Read Book for Your Child

What happens when your child reaches the end of a favorite series, only to find out that the next book doesn’t come out for another six months? There are several solutions for getting a kid excited about new books, whether they are in a series or not.

Choose something from your childhood days. Your child may laugh at why you thought the Babysitter’s Club was such a good series or why you thought Encyclopedia Brown was so clever (and why he only charged ten cents an hour for his fee), but suggesting a book that you enjoyed at that age and then talking about it is a way to share your childhood and connect with a child. Your child may tease you forever for the story being totally unbelievable or corny, but after rereading it, you probably will agree with them.

Look at the Junior Book Finder on the library’s website. Choose a category and find book recommendations. Because there are so many different categories, at least one of them will strike a chord with a young reader. Categories include: books set in the past, funny books, books with dragons (and books with about every other type of monster), animals and books under a hundred pages. If you read a really good book that fits into one of the categories and it isn’t on the Book Finder, tell us and we can add it. We are adding more and more books every week, so keep checking back. The Book Finder is at www. http://lmlibrary.org/kids/jfbookfinder/finder.asp

Check out more than you need. Sometimes a book just isn’t all that great. If it’s all that your child has and you only go to the library once a week, then they are going to be bored, and dread the twenty minutes every night spent reading before going to bed. Check out a few books instead of just one, so that it can be abandoned it if it isn’t any good.

Check out a book sight unseen. Some people really believe that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Want the chance to see whether or not it will work? At the library, we have books for children that are covered in paper. All the information that you get about the book is the recommended age level and a few key words. For example, one of the books on my desk right now is for kids in grades two to five with three hints: 1) kung fu, worms and chocolate-covered scorpions; 2) a shrinking kid; and 3) funny. Kids can only take the book out of the wrapping after they check it out. Who doesn’t like unwrapping a present?

Get a recommendation from a librarian. I don’t know when the last time was that I read a book that wasn’t either a kid’s book or a young adult book. I also spend a lot of time talking to kids about books. If you want a recommendation, just ask! Just be prepared to carry home more books than you planned on checking out. If your child is looking for a book set in the 1960s, I’d recommend The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. Want a dark book? Then you should read Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. Unless, you wanted a funny dark book… Then check out A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. Want a book about ADHD? The Joey Pigza series by Jack Gantos is phenomenal. If you come in wanting “a good book”, I’ll either recommend Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez or Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Chances are pretty good that the Liberal Memorial Library has a book for every child.