Craftypenguinfamily

I am obsessed with books and reading! Every night I read to all 3 of my boys before bedtime. With trying to hold their interest and the different ages, it can be a challenge. Together we made a list of our favorite read aloud books. These are also books that I enjoyed reading as well, and my boys were begging for “just one more chapter! Please?”

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling is one of my favorite books as a kid, and reading again as an adult does not disappoint! A story of a wizard boy entering into a new world, my boys were captivated on every word. This book has action, adventure, humor, and friendship. My youngest at 6 years old would get bored at some parts, but overall it was a book they loved. The books get a little darker and scarier as they continue in the series, so make sure you are aware of this.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl was approved by my kids when I showed them the title. They were instantly curious about a chocolate factory! The book was written in 1964, so although it is funny and creative, I did have to slightly edit as I was reading. The Oompa Loompa’s songs were exhausting at 8pm when the words are made up and I honestly would tend to skip parts of the songs. (They sometimes go on for pages!) Overall, we all loved this book. It made my kids imagine what kinds of candy they could create if they were working in the chocolate factory.

Timmy Failure is by Stephan Pastis and features a boy who is hoping to become the world’s greatest detective. His side kick is a polar bear named Total. He misses some very obvious clues in all his cases, which made my boys laugh so hard! This is a chapter book, with pictures every couple pages. There are more books in the series if you love it.

I Survived is a book series by Lauren Tarshis. My boys were hooked on these historical fiction books that always have a kid as the main character. The author researches very well, which comes across in each book. I don’t think you can go wrong with any book in the series. (some of our favorites were: I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916, and I Survived the Descruction of Pompeii). Get ready for lots of questions though. My kids were very curious about why events happened and at the end of the book, the author tells a little more about what life was like in that time period. These books are a very good introduction to historical events put in a way so kids can understand.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is a hilarious book that even I couldn’t wait to read every night! It’s about a kid named Greg and his family and friendships. Everything seems to happen to Greg and he gets into very interesting situations. There are pictures throughout the book and short chapters. My youngest enjoyed it, but being 6 years old some things went over his head. There are times when Greg is not very kind to his best friend, so we would have to pause and talk about what it means to be a friend. Overall, I highly recommend for a read aloud! This book will have the entire family laughing.

Holes by Louis Sachar is a 1998 book I remember reading as a kid. It was just as good reading it again! My boys loved the adventure of this book, the storylines, and the characters. Stanley is a 14 year old boy who gets into trouble and sent to Camp Green Lake. The camp is a correctional facility for boys located in a desert in Texas. Stanley’s family believes that all the men in his family are cursed. The author weaves storylines and characters so brilliantly. We all loved this book!

The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey is a story about the classic bad guys: Wolf, Shark, Snake, and Piranha. They are bad guys who are trying to turn into good guys. This book has a lot of action and humor. We loved the characters and looked forward to reading this every night. There were pictures to keep my youngest entertained. Highly recommend!

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a 1993 book about a boy named Jonas. His world is one of sameness and people in his community do not experience pain, do not see color, and do not even chose their occupation or spouse. Everything is chosen for them. When Jonas turns 12 he is chosen to be the Receiver of memories in the community. This title comes with high status and responsibility, but Jonas learns he has to hold memories of joy as well as suffering and sorrow. This book brought up a lot of questions from my kids. It was too deep for my youngest (6), but my older 2 boys were intrigued with a world that was so different than others. A good book to appreciate your life and the small things to be grateful for: like freedom and individuality.

I hope this list gives you some ideas for books to read together with your kids!
Happy reading!