What to Read After Catching Fire? For Kids, Maybe Not Divergent

As you may remember, I had only a niggling little worry about my 10 yo reading The Hunger Games.

With good intentions, I thought: I'll read it first, to make sure it's O.K. for him. Of course I didn't; I had three other books open at the time. He couldn't put the thing down, of course, then cruised through Catching Fire and was ready for Mockingjay by the time I gave in to that voice in my head, put down what I was reading, and got hooked.

Is Suzanne Collins' very awesome series too violent or scary for kids? Bah. Any book that can hook a tween that snugly has my vote for the Who-Cares-Let-em-Read Award.

So What about Divergent - OK for Kids? 

I'm not so sure Divergent is the answer. 

Disclosure: No, I haven't read it yet. (Want to provide a guest post about it? Awesome! Contact me here!!)

What I do know is that thanks to Suzanne Collins, my son and a handful of his friends have turned into my favorite kind of snobs. You probably know (and love) some of them - the ones who want to read the book before they see the movie, and who always, always judge the film by the story that inspired it. 

#LoveThoseGuys

Reluctant Readers Hungry for More?

If your tween or young teen is hungry for more after devouring The Hunger Games trilogy, the most obvious place to go next is another Suzanne Collins series. Gregor the Overlander hooked my boy before we were out of the library parking lot. 

#Score

Another option, that also has the power to hook young boys (and is not at all violent) is Matthew Cody's Powerless. Good news: Cody followed up with two more featuring the same team of super kids. 

Happy reading!!

RU Reading on Twitter? 

I am, and if you read my Twitter feed, you'll see my reading is all over the place. Feel free to read along or join the conversation there, or on my much quieter Facebook page. 

Catching Fire Spreads Reading Fever

Review by a 4th-grade guest blogger

Catching Fire  By Suzanne Collins

After the 74^th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Melark return home to District 12 but they are still afraid President Snow and others in the Capitol are thirsty for revenge.

Relationships Katniss had at home have changed forever. Gale doesn’t trust Katniss or Peeta, and none of them can go back to their old lives. Katniss wants to run away, but before she can the Capitol announces she and Peeta must return to the deadly ring for an unusual Quarter Quell. Before the games begin again, President Snow visits Katniss to threaten her personally. Then she learns she is the Mockingjay, the one who inspired other districts to start uprisings.

The Mockingjay Started a War

In the Quarter Quell, Katniss finds some of her enemies are working with her and Peeta. Near the end of the games, the mysterious District 13 rescues her, Finnick, and Beetee. When she wakes up, she finds out the war has broken out and District 12 was bombed to nothingness. Katniss the Mockingjay has started a war, but she doesn’t like what’s happening because of it.

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You too can offer a guest post on this blog! Contact me via comments or Twitter if you're interested. 

~Diane Stresing

Good Books Teach, Reach Far and Wide

Image from Smithsonian article on Lacks. 

My fourth-grader is fascinated, nearly to the point of obsession (which is totally normal for a fourth-grader) with Guinness World Records. Ask any librarian; the books are hot-hot-hot in the children's department.

I'll admit I've become a little jaded re: his litany of mosts, bests, firsts, tallests, etc, etc. When he started telling me about the oldest cells in the world, however, I snapped to attention.

I knew he was talking about Henrietta Lacks. And the cool thing is, he knew it too. He remembered my reaction when I read Rebecca Skloot's excellent report on Lacks' amazing, sometimes horrifying medical history. Lacks died in 1959. Her cells are still alive.

My son made a connection. Whether I can credit Guinness or Skloot is unclear. But the connection is undeniable.

My point, of course, is reading that reading is AWESOME. And if you haven't read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, you really should.