Thea Stilton and the Mystery in Paris

At this rate, kiddo just might read the entirety of this series by the end of the year. This was one of the shorter books, but the mystery was fun (if a bit obvious). Kiddo is getting really emotionally invested in these characters which is charming to see. ​I like that there are insets and pages set aside to tell historical and cultural facts.

Ma chère grand-mère est une sorcière
Tracey Corderoy (Authot), Joe Berger (Illustrations)

The last time we visit the library and loaded up on books, the kiddo picked this one. Now, she's learning a lot of languages but, aside from snippets from Fancy Nancy, French is not one of them. For whatever reason, she keeps asking me to read this book. While I can stumble through the pronunciation, my page-by-page translation skills need work. I can handle about 75% of the vocabulary, but some words have me stumped. Fairly certain she loves this one because she likes seeing me puzzled. That said, it's a really cute story about letting people be who they are.

The Secret of the Crystal Fairies
Thea Stilton

Our kiddo's school year is wrapping up and she is still adoring this series. She loves it so much that we grabbed this title from the local public library because she had to return her school library copy. As with most of the books in the series, the plot is WILD. These fantasy, special series versions are even crazier, but the kiddo loves following along and the lessons of friendship and perseverance are good ones. I must admit that the illustrations are always lovely.

Gran on a Fan
Kevin Bolger (author), Ben Hodson (illustrator)

Kiddo has been loving the easy phonics based readers she grabbed from the library. This is a particular favorite. She giggles with glee at the antics. She's reading this one more than I am. At this point, she probably has it memorized, but the repetition is great for growing her confidence in reading.

​Mei's Wild Ride

Kiddo has had a red panda stuffy since birth. I believe that's the only reason why she plucked this book from the library shelf. But, since then, she's been enthralled that there is a character that shares her name. The story is cute but the subtle ideas behind the plot are definitely over her head.

The Secret Invention
Thea Stilton

Our kiddo is still adoring the books in the series. Lately, she's wanted the ones set at Mouseford Academy. These lean more mystery/high school drama. There's one character who is set up to be the bad guy in every book. I don't love that the set-up is forcing girl characters into "mean girl" role. Kiddo, however, seems to be taking away that the best thing to do is be kind, which I do like.

Sometimes People March
Tessa Allen

Our kiddo has been really into joining the weekly neighborhood protest. When I saw this book online, I knew I had to grab it from our library. It is a wonderful summary of all the reasons people protest. It uses examples from the past and the present. This is a phenomenal story.

Why? A Conversation About Race
Taye Diggs (author) , Shane W. Evans (illustrator)

Kiddo has gotten in to these "talking" books that read the story to her with sound cues for when to turn the page. While I love reading with her, these books give her a chance to practice her reading independence. She picked out this book on her own and has "read" it a lot. It's led to us having some interesting conversations about skin color on our walks to school. It's books like that this which remind me of the power of reading.

Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography
Wendy Loggia  (author), Elisa Chavarri  (illustrator)

Our kiddo is a big Taylor Swift fan. For Christmas, she got an Eras Tour costume, play microphone, and this book. If you know Golden Books, this is a classic rendition. There are lovely, colorful drawings to accompany a simply told story.

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
Mark Pett (author and illustrator), Gary Rubinstein (author)

I picked up this book from the library because our kiddo is on a "perfect" streak. As an oldest child, elder millennial daughter, she inherited it from me. But, I don't want her to get anxiety over it. This book is a good introduction to learn that mistakes are okay. We can laugh at ourselves and learn when things go wrong. I liked the use of humor in this one. 

The Treasure Seekers
Thea Stilton

The kiddo is now allowed to check out one book a week from her school library. For the past three weeks, she's come home with longer chapter books from the Thea Stilton series. While I don't love the mixed use of fonts in the text, the stories are great. I love that kiddo is getting used to us reading a few chapters a night to her. There are just enough illustrations to keep her interested in what's happening.