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
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.
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 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)
Mark of the Thief For a list of books in this series click here.
A Short History of the Girl Next Door
King’s Cage (the 3rd book in the Red Queen series)
Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity
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.
Sharing is good karma:
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.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Notes From The Midnight Driver
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade
Airborn For a list of books in this series click here.
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 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.
Arsenic For Tea: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery
First Class Murder: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery
Greetings from Witness Protection!
The Glass Sentence For a list of books in this series click here.
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.
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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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.
Castles of Mad King Ludwig (or here)
Colt Express (or here)
Flash Point Fire Rescue (Also watch: experienced version)
Imhotep (also here with my favorite group)
Lords of Waterdeep (or also here)
Lost Cities (the board game)
Terra Mystica(or here)
Sharing is good karma:
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 Alcatraz Escape For a list of books in The Book Scavenger series click here.
Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret For a list of books in this series click here.
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.
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective For a list of books in this series click here.
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.
The False Prince For a list of books in order in the Ascendance Trilogy click here.
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 Trials of Apollo For a list of books in this series click here.
Hoot My daughter read it over the summer before entering 5th grade.
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)
Awkward For a list of books in the Berrybrook Middle School click here.
The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans! For a list of books in this series, click here.
Nimona (graphic novel)
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie For a sequel, click here.
Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon
Projekt 1065: A Novel of World War II
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.
The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Macbeth For a list of books in this series click here.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Wolf Brother For a list of books in The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series click here.
Skulduggery Pleasant For a list of books in this series click here.
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.
Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869
The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel
The Screaming Staircase For a list of books in the Lockwood & Co. series click here. He loved this one.
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.
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.
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.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
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)
I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives
Sharing is good karma:
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.
Ruby Red For a list of books in The Ruby Red Trilogy click here.
Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret For a list of books in this series click here.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants For a list of books in this series click here.
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.
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
The Winner’s Curse For a list of books in this trilogy click here.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Uglies For a list of books in this series click here.
Legend For a list of books in this series click here.
Nimona (graphic novel)
Compass South For a list of books in the series click here.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before For a list of books in this series click here.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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.
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)
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.
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor)
I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives
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.
Sharing is good karma:
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.
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.
For older kids:
Sharing is good karma:
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)
Ticket to Ride (2-5 players, best with 4, 30-60 min)
7 Wonders (3-7, best with 4 or 5 players, 30 min)
Splendor (up to 4 players, 30 min)
Tokaido (2-5 players, best with 4, 45 min)
Love Letter (20 min)
Istanbul (2-5 players, best with 4, 40-60 min)
Lords of WaterDeep (2-5, best with 3-4 players, 60 – 120 min)
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.
Catan (3-4 players, best with 4, 60-120 min)
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)
Chateau Roquefort or under the title we own it: Burg Appenzell (2-4 players, 30 min)
San Juan (2-4 players, best with 3, 45 – 60 min)
Machi Koro (2-4, best with 4 players, 30 min)
Camel Up (3-8 players, best with 4-5, 30 min)
Five Tribes (2-4 players, 40 – 80 min)
Sheriff of Nottingham (3-5, best with 5 players, 60 min)
Colt Express (3-6 players, best with 5-6, 40 min)
Small World (3-5 players, best with 4, 40-80 min)
El Dorado (2-4 players, 30-60 min)
Karuba (2-4 players, best with 4, 30 – 40 min)
Jamaica (3-6 players, best with 6, 30-60 min)
Imhotep (2-4 players, 40 min)
Stone Age (2-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)
Peloponnes Card Game (2-5 players, 25-40 min)
Cockroach Poker (3-6 players, best with 4-5 players, 20-30 min)
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.
Citadels (up to 7 players, best with 5, 20-60 min) — new, cheaper version here.
Doodle Dice (2-6 players, best with 4, relaxed and laid-back game, when you want to chat)
King of Tokyo (3-6 players, best with 4-5, 30 min)
Beasty Bar (2-4 players, 20-30 min)
Lost Cities (2-4 players, 30-60 min)
Bohnanza (3-7 players, best with 5, 45 min)
Clue (3-6, best with 4-5 players, 45 min)
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.
Rummikub (60 min)
Dominion (up to 4, best with 3 players, 30 min)
Rat-A-Tat-Cat (2-6 players, best with 4, 10-15 min)
Loot (3-4, or 6,8 players, 30 min)
Port Royal (2-5, best 3-4 players, 20-50 min)
Kanagawa (2-4 players, best with 4, 45 min)
Guillotine (2-5 players, best with 4, 30 min)
Johari (2-4 players, 60-90 min)
Sushi Go! (2-5 players, best with 4, 15 min)
Gubs (2-6 players, best with 3-4, 20-30 min)
Five Crowns (3-7 players, best with 4, 30 min)
The Wizard (3-6 players, best 4-5, 45 min)
Grandpa Beck’s Cover Your Assets (3-6, best 4-5 players, 30 min)
Codenames (teams, 4-8+, best with 6 or 8)
Taboo (4-10 players, best with 6 or 8 players)
Spyfall (4-8 players, best with 6, 20 min)
Grandpa Beck’s Skull King (3-6, best 4-6 players, 30 min)
Exploding Kittens (3-5, best 4-5 players, 15 min)
Tales Of The Arabian Nights (2-4 players, best with 3 players, 120 min)
Modern Art (3-5, best 4-5 players, 45 min)
Century Spice Road (2-5, best 3-4 players, 30-45 min)
Century Golem (2-5, best 3-4 players, 30-45 min)
Legends of Andor (1-4, best with 4 players, 60-90 min)
Azul (2-4, best with 2 players, 30-45 min)
Survive (2-4 players, best with 4, 45-60 min)
Samurai (2-4 players, best with 3, 30-60 min)
Battle Sheep (2-4 players, best with 4, 15 min)
Mafia City (3-5 players, best with 4, 60 min)
Terra Mystica (2-5, best with 4, 30 min per player, so about 120 min for 4 players)
Lanterns (2-4 players, best with 4, 30 min)
Scythe (1-5 players, best with 4, 90-120 min)
Castles of Mad King Ludwig (2-4 players, best with 4, 90 min)
Near and Far (2-4, best 3 players, 60-120 min)
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)
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)
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.
Takenoko (2-4 players, best with 3, 45 min)
Charterstone (1-6 players, best with 6, 45-75 min)
Rise of Augustus (2-6 players, best with 3-4, 30 min)
Pulsar 2849 (2-4 players, best with 4, 60-90 min)
Descent Journeys in the Dark (2-5 players, best with 5, 120 min)
Roll for the Galaxy (2-5, best 3-4 players, 45 min)
