My Daughter Freshman Year

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Books My Daughter Read in her Freshman Year of High School

The Summer I Turned Pretty For a list of books in this series click here.

The Rosie Project For a list of books in this series click here.

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Someone Like You

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight

The Agency: A Spy in the House  For a list of books in this series click here.

Jackpot

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

I See London, I See France

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

Red, White & Royal Blue

Geekerella For a list of books in this series click here.

 

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My Son in 7th Grade

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My Son in 7th Grade

A Monster Calls

Caraval For a list of books in this series click here.

I Am Number Four For a list of books in The Lorien Legacies series click here.

Lionboy For a list of books in this series click here.

Drowned Cities the second book if the Ship Breaker Series.

The Novice For a list of books in The Summoner Series click here.

Tesla’s Attic series

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe For a list of books in the series click here.

Scythe For a list of books in this series click here.

The Tower of Nero 5th book in the series of Trials of Apollo

The Wizards of Once For complete list of books in The Wizards of Once series click here.

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

When Stars Are Scattered

Six of Crows For the sequel click here.

Shadow and Bone For a list of books in The Grisha Trilogy click here.

The Silver Eyes for a list of books in Five Night At Freddy’s click here.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky For the list of books in this trilogy click here.

Now Entering Addamsville

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass

Nation

Enclave For a list of books in The Razorland Trilogy click here.

Dragon Hoops

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler

The Chosen For a list of books in The Contender Series click here.

Zero Day

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer

A Wish in the Dark

Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children

Bamboo People

King of Scars

Primer

Black Wings Beating For a list of books in The Skybound Saga click here.

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B

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My Daughter in 8th Grade

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Books My Daughter Read in 8th Grade

The Apothecary  She read the first one over the summer and wanted to read the other books in the series. For a list of books in this series click here.

Glass Sword (Red Queen series)

Eleanor & Park

Mark of the Thief For a list of books in this series click here.

A Short History of the Girl Next Door

Guts

King’s Cage (the 3rd book in the Red Queen series)

New Kid

Speak

The Sun Is Also a Star

Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity

Love & Gelato

Zen and the Art of Faking It

Sadie

Just Listen

Fangirl

Partials For a list of books in this series click here.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer For a list of books in this series click here.

Passion on Park Avenue For a list of books in this series click here.

The Selection For a list of books in this series click here.

Intercepted For a list of books in The Playbook series click here.

Looking for Alaska

 

 

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My Son in 6th Grade

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Books My Son Read in 6th Grade

Chomp

Flush

Knife’s Edge Book 2

Space Boy Volume 4

Magyk  For a list of books in this series click here.

The Outcasts For a list of books in The Brotherband Chronicles Series click here.

Best Friends

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Notes From The Midnight Driver

Skink–No Surrender

Zen and the Art of Faking It

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Falling Over Sideways


The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade

Airborn For a list of books in this series click here.

Save Me a Seat

The Scorpio Races

Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus

Leviathan  For a list of books in The Leviathan Trilogy click here.

Tiger  For a list of books in The Five Ancestors series click here.

The Rithmatist

Lincoln’s Grave Robbers

The Way of the Warrior For a list of books in The Young Samurai series click here.

Mark of the Thief For a list of books in this series click here.

Murder Most Unladylike

Arsenic For Tea: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery

First Class Murder: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery

Greetings from Witness Protection!

Airman

The Glass Sentence   For a list of books in this series click here.

Woods Runner

Small Spaces For a list of books in this series click here.

Watership Down For another book in this series click here.

The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street

The Golden Compass For a list of books in His Dark Materials series click here.

No More Dead Dogs

Mustaches for Maddie

Tesla’s Attic For a list of books in The Accelerati Trilogy click here.

Ship Breaker For a sequel, click here.

Touching Spirit Bear For books in this series click here.

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 For a list of books in this series click here.

The Eye of Minds For a list of books in The Mortality Doctrine click here.

 

 

 

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How to Play

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I always find it easier to watch a video “how to play” a game instead of reading the rules. I usually read the rules afterwards anyway but when I teach the kids in our board game club, I often choose to play a video instead of doing all the explaining.

Here you can find videos in which you will learn how to play a certain game. Just click on the name of the game.

Above and Below

Castles of Mad King Ludwig (or here)

Codenames

Colt Express (or here)

Coup

Dominion

Dungeon Roll

Five Tribes

Flash Point Fire Rescue (Also watch: experienced version)

Imhotep (also here with my favorite group)

Istanbul

Jaipur

Kodama

Lanterns

Legends of Andor

Lords of Waterdeep (or also here)

Lost Cities (the board game)

Machi Koro

Mice and Mystics

Modern Art

Mysterium (also here)

Near and Far

Photosynthesis

Puerto Rico

Samurai Spirit

Scythe (correction here)

7 Wonders (or also here)

Sheriff of Nottingham

Small World

Splendor

Stone Age

Ticket to Ride

Tsuro

Stuffed Fables

7 Wonders Duel

Terra Mystica(or here)

The Castles of Burgundy

Tokaido

 

 

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My Son in 5th Grade

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Books My Son Read in 5th Grade

The Lost Hero For a list of books in The Heroes of Olympus series click here. He read the whole series in one breath and loved it.
the lost hero

The Wednesday Wars
the wednesday wars

The Alcatraz Escape  For a list of books in The Book Scavenger series click here.
the alcatraz escape

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret For a list of books in this series click here.
explorer academy

The Blackthorn Key For a list of books in this series, click here. Both my kids loved the first book of the series they read over the summer and were eager to read the rest of this series. My son was actually very disappointed when he realized he read the last one.
The Blackthorn Key

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective For a list of books in this series click here.
encyclopedia brown

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
the boy in the striped pajamas

Spy School For a list of books in this series click here. My daughter read it in  4th grade. My son in 5th.
spy school

The False Prince For a list of books in order in the Ascendance Trilogy click here.
the false prince

The Quest Begins For a list of books in the Seekers series click here. Companion series to this one: Return to the Wild series.
the quest begins

The Trials of Apollo For a list of books in this series click here.
The Trials of Apollo

Scat
scat

Hoot My daughter read it over the summer before entering 5th grade.
hoot

Bunnicula For a list of books in this series click here.

Legend Recommended for ages 12 and up (probably because of some romance) My daughter had it with her on vacation so he picked it up and finished quickly. He said he could do without the romance but enjoyed it very much. For a list of books in this series click here.

The House With a Clock In Its Walls For a list of books in the Lewis Barnavelt series click here. (horror)
the house with a clock

Awkward For a list of books in the Berrybrook Middle School click here.

Real Friends

Oddly Normal

The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans!   For a list of books in this series, click here.

Nimona (graphic novel)
nimona

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie  For a sequel, click here.

After Ever After

The Rithmatist

Nicholas

Fish in a Tree

El Deafo

Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon

Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II

Compass South

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant For a list of books in this series click here.

The Last Musketeer For a list of books in this series, click here.

How Mirka Got Her Sword For a list of books in this series click here.

Bera the One-Headed Troll

The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Macbeth For a list of books in this series click here.

The Time Museum

Suee and the Shadow

Pashmina

Nightlights

Jane, the Fox, and Me

The Dam Keeper

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Wolf Brother For a list of books in The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series click here.

City of Orphans

Skulduggery Pleasant For a list of books in this series click here.

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Mr. Lemoncello’s All-Star Breakout Game

He did not really love the following two books and did not want to get the other books in these series.

Brainwashed: Crime Travelers

Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869

The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel

Johnny Tremain
Johnny Tremain

The Dumbest Idea Ever!

The Magic Misfits

The Screaming Staircase For a list of books in the Lockwood & Co. series click here. He loved this one.
the screaming staircase

Dragon Pearl

Loot For a sequel click here.

Ungifted  For a list of books in this series click here.

The Testing For a list of books in this series click here.

The House of the Scorpion For a list of books in this series click here.

The Unteachables

Restart

Magyk My son loved the whole series. But I want to warn you that some people were disappointed in the lack of originality compared to Harry Potter and other fantasy books. You can find more reviews and a list of books in this series here.
magyk

Ender’s Game (The Ender Quintet) For a list of books in this series click here.

The Apothecary For a list of books in this series click here.

Lion Down (FunJungle)

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

 

Books We Read Together or Listened to

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow  

We also listened to the sequel and are eagerly waiting for the last book.

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor)

Maniac Magee
maniac magee

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

Long Way Down

 

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My Daughter in 7th Grade

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Books My Daughter Read in 7th Grade

As always, I advise you to refer to the previous years categories because many books are great for kids of different ages. Check good reads for 6th graders and what my daughter read last year, etc.

Cinder For a list of books in The Lunar Chronicles series click here.
cinder

Ruby Red For a list of books in The Ruby Red Trilogy click here.
ruby red

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret For a list of books in this series click here.
explorer academy

Positively Izzy

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants  For a list of books in this series click here.

Fever 1793

The Blackthorn Key For a list of books in this series, click here. She read the first book in the series over the summer and was eager to read the sequels.
The Blackthorn Key

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
red scarf girl

Mockingbird

The Winner’s Curse For a list of books in this trilogy click here.
The Winners Curse

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
the boy in the striped pajamas

Uglies For a list of books in this series click here.

The Hired Girl
The Hired Girl

Legend For a list of books in this series click here.
legend

Nimona (graphic novel)
nimona

Compass South For a list of books in the series click here.

Girl Online
Girl Online

When Dimple Met Rishi

We Are All Made of Molecules

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before For a list of books in this series click here.

Children of Blood and Bone

Pashmina

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Supergifted

Ender’s Game (The Ender Quintet) For a list of books in this series click here.

The Apothecary For a list of books in this series click here.

Lion Down (FunJungle)

Children of Blood and Bone For a list of books in the series Legacy of Orisha click here.

Ender’s Game The Ender Quintet (for a list of books click here)
enders game

Shadow and Bone For a list of books in this trilogy click here.

Six of Crows Check out the sequel here. You can read it before you read Shadow and Bone (trilogy) although it contains some spoilers. Generally, most people liked Six of Crows better than Shadow and Bone but both are very good. Some people read just Six of Crows.
Six of Crows

Stargirl
stargirl

 

Books We Read Together or Listened to

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor)

Maniac Magee
maniac magee

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

Long Way Down

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TED-Ed (Lessons Worth Sharing)

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TED-Ed (Lessons Worth Sharing) is a website that is great for educational purposes. You can find riddles, short educational videos, etc.

Can you solve the wizard standoff riddle?
Can you solve the buried treasure riddle?

Can you solve the frog riddle?
Can you solve the temple riddle?
Can you solve the dark coin riddle?
Can you solve the seven planets riddle?
Can you solve the fish riddle?
Can you solve the locker riddle?
Can you solve the airplane riddle?
Can you solve the three gods riddle?

Can you solve the river crossing riddle?
Can you solve the virus riddle?
Can you solve the pirate riddle?
Can you solve the prisoner boxes riddle?
Can you solve “Einstein’s Riddle”?
Can you solve the prisoner hat riddle?
Can you solve the egg drop riddle?
Can you solve the control room riddle?
Can you solve the passcode riddle?
Can you solve the bridge riddle?
Can you solve the rebel supplies riddle?
Can you solve the Leonardo da Vinci riddle?
Can you solve the false positive riddle?
Can you solve the penniless pilgrim riddle?
Can you solve the giant cat army riddle?

 

There are are other websites that list interesting videos for kids.

The Kid Should See This

 

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TED for Kids

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I am sure you have all heard of TED and watched TED talks in the past. My husband and I love them. I have also watched some talks with my kids because I found them appropriate for her age, and she enjoyed them.

That gave me an idea of looking up more talks that are suitable for kids. I will be listing them here in this post.

Talks to watch with kids

25 TED Talks You Should Show Your Kids

6 TED Talks to Share With Your Kids This Summer

13 Must-Watch TED Talks to Spark Student Discussions

10 Inspiring TED Talks for Students

Talks by brilliant kids and teens

Peer Student Motivation: 3 TED Talks to Start the School Year

20 Incredible TED Talks You Should Show Your High School Students

 

The more time I spend subbing in schools and among kids and young people, the more danger I see in screen time and social media. I would like to help kids realize how bad and addictive these are, how they can hurt their well being and that by limiting their time on their phones and other screens they can be much happier.  It is a fight (especially because of peer pressure); I can see that with my 12-year-old daughter but I am on a quest now.  I would like to share these awesome talks with you to watch with your kids and start a discussion about how you can change your lives.

Quit social media
Why our screens make us less happy?
Connected, but alone

 

For older kids:

The art of being yourself
Go with your gut feeling

 

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Games for 4 Players

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This list contains games that play best with 4, sometimes 5 players.

Magic Labyrinth (my kids are slowly growing out of this one but it is an awesome game)
The Magic labyrinth

Qwirkle
quirkle

 

 

 

 

Ticket to Ride (2-5 players, best with 4, 30-60 min)
Ticket to ride

7 Wonders  (3-7, best with 4 or 5 players, 30 min)
7 wonders

Splendor (up to 4 players, 30 min)
Splendor

Tokaido (2-5 players, best with 4, 45 min)
tokaido

Love Letter (20 min)
Love Letter

Istanbul (2-5 players, best with 4, 40-60 min)
Istanbul

Lords of WaterDeep (2-5, best with 3-4 players, 60 – 120 min)
lords of waterdeep

Coup (3-6 players, best with 5 players, 15 min). You can also buy the expansion (Coup Reformation) of the game, which lets you play with up to 10 people.
coup

Catan (3-4 players, best with 4, 60-120 min)
settlersofcatan

If you have younger kids, the junior version (Catan Jr.) is excellent. It plays in about 30 min.

Zooloretto (3-5 players, best with 4, 45 min)
Zooloretto

Chateau Roquefort or under the title we own it: Burg Appenzell (2-4 players, 30 min)
Chateau Roquefort

San Juan (2-4 players, best with 3, 45 – 60 min)
san juan

Machi Koro (2-4, best with 4 players, 30 min)
machi Koro

Camel Up  (3-8 players, best with 4-5, 30 min)
camel up

Five Tribes (2-4 players, 40 – 80 min)
five tribes

Sheriff of Nottingham (3-5, best with 5 players, 60 min)
sheriff

Colt Express (3-6 players, best with 5-6, 40 min)
colt express

Small World (3-5 players, best with 4, 40-80 min)
small world

El Dorado (2-4 players, 30-60 min)
el dorado

Karuba (2-4 players, best with 4, 30 – 40 min)

Jamaica (3-6 players, best with 6, 30-60 min)
jamaica

Imhotep (2-4 players, 40 min)
imhotep

Stone Age (2-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)
stone age

Peloponnes Card Game (2-5 players, 25-40 min)
peloponnes

Cockroach Poker (3-6 players, best with 4-5 players, 20-30 min)
Cockroach Poker

 Coup (3-6 players, best with 5 players, 15 min). You can also buy the extension (Coup Reformation) of the game, which lets you play with up to 10 people.
coup

Citadels (up to 7 players, best with 5, 20-60 min) — new, cheaper version here.
citadels

Doodle Dice (2-6 players, best with 4, relaxed and laid-back game, when you want to chat)
doodle dice

Blokus
index

 

 

King of Tokyo (3-6 players, best with 4-5, 30 min)
king of tokyo

Beasty Bar (2-4 players, 20-30 min)
beasty bar

Lost Cities (2-4 players, 30-60 min)
Lost cities

Bohnanza (3-7 players, best with 5, 45 min)
bohnanza

Clue (3-6, best with 4-5 players, 45 min)
clue

Tsuro: The Game of the Path (2-8 players, best with 4 or 6, 20 min) My daughter dislikes this game for some reason but it provides a nice, quiet break from heavier games.
tsuro

Rummikub (60 min)
rummikub

Dominion (up to 4, best with 3 players, 30 min)
dominion

Rat-A-Tat-Cat  (2-6 players, best with 4, 10-15 min)

rat a tat cat

Loot (3-4, or 6,8 players, 30 min)
Loot

Port Royal (2-5, best 3-4 players, 20-50 min)
port royal

Kanagawa (2-4 players, best with 4, 45 min)
kanagawa

Guillotine (2-5 players, best with 4, 30 min)
Guillotine

Johari (2-4 players, 60-90 min)
johari

Sushi Go! (2-5 players, best with 4, 15 min)
sushi go

Gubs (2-6 players, best with 3-4, 20-30 min)
gubs

Five Crowns (3-7 players, best with 4, 30 min)
five crowns

The Wizard  (3-6 players, best 4-5, 45 min)
wizard

 Grandpa Beck’s Cover Your Assets (3-6, best 4-5 players, 30 min)
Cover your assets

Codenames (teams, 4-8+, best with 6 or 8)
Codenames

Taboo (4-10 players, best with 6 or 8 players)
Taboo

Spyfall (4-8 players, best with 6, 20 min)
spyfall

Grandpa Beck’s Skull King (3-6, best 4-6 players, 30 min)
skull king

Exploding Kittens (3-5, best 4-5 players, 15 min)
exploding kittens

Tales Of The Arabian Nights (2-4 players, best with 3 players, 120 min)
tales of arabian nights

Modern Art (3-5, best 4-5 players, 45 min)
modern art

Century Spice Road (2-5, best 3-4 players, 30-45 min)
century spice road

Century Golem (2-5, best 3-4 players, 30-45 min)

Legends of Andor (1-4, best with 4 players, 60-90 min)
legends of andor

 Azul (2-4, best with 2 players, 30-45 min)

azul

 Survive (2-4 players, best with 4, 45-60 min)
survive

Samurai (2-4 players, best with 3, 30-60 min)
samurai

 Battle Sheep (2-4 players, best with 4, 15 min)
battle sheep

Mafia City (3-5 players, best with 4, 60 min)
mafia city

Terra Mystica (2-5, best with 4, 30 min per player, so about 120 min for 4 players)
terra mystica

Lanterns (2-4 players, best with 4, 30 min)

lanterns

Scythe (1-5 players, best with 4, 90-120 min)
scythe game

Castles of Mad King Ludwig (2-4 players, best with 4, 90 min)
castles of mad ludwig

Near and Far (2-4, best 3 players, 60-120 min)
near and far

Above and Below (2-4 players, best with 3, 90 min)

Photosynthesis (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 -60 min)

New York 1901 (2-4 players, best with 4, 30-60 min)

Biblios (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 min)
biblios

Samurai Spirit (1-7 players, 30 minutes)

Eight-minute Empire Legends (1-4 players, best with 4, 18 – 32 min)

Mint Works (1 – 4 players, no difference, plays well with all numbers, 10-20 min)

Timeline Diversity (2-8 players, best with 4 players, 15 min)

Werewords (4-10 players, best with 6 – 7 players, 10 min)

Latice (2 – 4 players, 10-30 min)

Jungle Speed (3-8, best with 5-6 players, 10 min or more). We also have the expansion with more cards.

Welcome to the Dungeon (2-4 players, best with 3, 30 min)
welcome to the dungeon

Architects of the West Kingdom (1 – 5 players, best with 4, 60-80 min)

The Quacks of Quedlinburg (2-4 players, best with 4, 45 min)

Cartographers (1 to 9 players, best with 3-4, 30-45 min)

Ohanami (1-4 players, best with 3, 20 min)

Cascadia (1-4 players, best with 2-3, 30-45 min)

Stella – Dixit (3-6 players, best 4-5, 30 min)

Sagrada (1-4 players, best with 2, 30 – 45 min)

The Crew (3-5 players, best with 4, 20 min)

Calico (1-4 players, best with 2, 30-45 min)

Mystic Market (2-4 players, best with 3-4, 30-45 min)

Silver (2-4 players, best with 2 and 4, 30-60 min)

Res Arcana (2-4 players, best with 2, 30 – 60 min)

Gloom (2- 4 players, best with 4, 60 min)

Charterstone (1-6 players, best with 6, 45-75 min)
charterstone

Rise of Augustus (2-6 players, best with 3-4, 30 min)

rise of augustus

Descent Journeys in the Dark (2-5 players, best with 5, 120 min)
descent

 

On My Wish List

Alhambra (2-5 players, best with 3, 45-60 min) or you can get a big box with all the extensions on Amazon here. After watching a few videos, I would go for the big box with all expansions. The best expansion is #2 but it is not available separately anymore. You will get all expansions in the Big Box.
alhambra

Takenoko (2-4 players, best with 3, 45 min)
takenoko

Pulsar 2849 (2-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)
pulsar

 

Roll for the Galaxy (2-5, best 3-4 players, 45 min)
roll for the galaxy

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