Make a Splash @ the Library

We made our weekly trek to the library two Wednesdays ago, but did not go last week. It’s been a little crazy and heading up to the library just didn’t fit in the schedule. I’m sure the girls missed some cool trinket, but then again, maybe not. We had more chapter books from the previous week and are still enjoying those, so our week off was well timed.

In browsing the stacks, I discovered the Dragon Slayers’ Academy series by Kate McMullen. As has been my practice this summer, I scoured the shelf looking for twins. I found a couple, including The Ghost of Sir Herbert Dungeonstone #12 and Double Dragon Trouble #15 (Dragon Slayers’ Academy). I took both to the girls, only Catherine brought home one. There is a Gaelic fairy tale that the girls tried to read together, but then gave up on … I can’t remember the name, I can’t find my cheat sheet, and even running through the 398 section of the online catalog comes up empty.

What I have discovered in watching the girls is that covers matter, but not as much as the “feel” of the inside. If they don’t see super-short chapters and lots of white space, the book is returned to the shelf. I’ve had a little more luck with the Magic Tree House books, in part, because they come recommended. I should add that being part of a series – new or familiar – doesn’t guarantee interest, either. They don’t really seem to notice if it is “1 of” or if there are other books with the same characters.

Overall, it’s a 50-50 guess on whether/not the girls will like something I think would interest them. Here’s what the girls brought home last week …

Bury the Dead: Tombs, Corpses, Mummies, Skeletons, & Rituals by Christopher Sloan ~ I’m surprised this is filed in the Juvenile section, but it is! Interestingly enough it was enticing at the library, but has sat untouched since coming home.

Dragon of the Red Dawn ( Magic Tree House # 37, A Merlin Mission) by Mary Pope Osborne ~ We are about halfway done with this peer-recommended book.

Eli by Bill Peet ~ Catherine’s friend has a brother by this name, and she thought the lion on the cover was cool looking.

The Ghost of Sir Herbert Dungeonstone #12 (Dragon Slayers’ Academy) by Kate McMullen ~ This looks like a great series, with plenty of humor to keep them reading.

Louder, Lili by Gennifer Choldenko ~ I picked this one because it looked like a cute story.

Night of the Ninjas (Magic Tree House, No. 5) by Mary Pope Osborne ~ This is also a peer recommendation. Catherine devoured it, asking to stay up a couple of nights to keep reading.

Stay tuned for this week. I still haven’t decided whether or not I’m taking the girls or just the books. With swimming behind us, our families are heading of in different directions for vacations. By the time we reassemble, school will be starting, and we’d be cutting it close with due dates and such … we’ll see.