Girls' Books are Better!

This week's Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog Cruise topic is "Summer Reading for Girls". As I thought about what to write about, the thing that popped into my mind was . . . whenever people ask for recommendations for books for their boys, I am SOOO glad that I have girls!!  Now maybe it's because I *am* a girl (who read copious amounts as a child) or maybe it's because I *have* all girls, so I've never HAD to read "boy books", but it just seems to me like there are SO MANY great, classic, options for girls to read and . . . not so much for boys.

From the time I learned to read, I read every chance I got. Now I have girls. They love to read AND be read to, which I'm happy to accommodate, since it gives me an excuse to read great girl books, and re-read great books from my childhood. So, I decided to list a few of the girl books we've read, or plan to read, this summer, maybe, if you're not sure what book to read next, or what to recommend to your children, this will give you some ideas. *links to Amazon are affiliate links* Our current Read Alouds:   Tunnel of Gold by Susan K Marlow - this is most decidedly NOT a "just for girls" book! In fact, if one were to assign a gender, it would probably be a "boy book", however, we got the chance to review it (watch for the review coming in a couple weeks), and, having read other (girl books) from this author, we jumped at the chance, and yes, girls can read, and enjoy "boy books" too!  Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder - this is our current car read aloud (gotta love audio books!) and when we finish it, we plan to listen to the rest of the Little House Books. These were some of my FAVORITES as a girl, and Sassy and MiniMe enjoyed them a couple years ago, so we decided it was time to re-read them. Sassy is currently reading Caesar's Story. We purchased it, and the rest of the series from Williamsburg last time we were there. Sassy re-discovered the series when we unpacked the books, and so she's reading it again. MiniMe is reading On the Frontier with Mr. Audubon. After we read a short book about him for history, my aspiring artist wanted to learn more :)  We recently read, and LOVED the Lily Lapp books, you can read our review here. And did you notice, right now the first two books are only $2.99 for Kindle!!! What an awesome deal! Some other great books that would be wonderful reading for your girls this summer, and are free, or almost free on Kindle right now (most of these are always free, but *always* check the price before hitting that "buy" button, I can't predict when Amazon will change prices on things, and sometimes it happens quickly): Alice's Adventures in Wonderland The Bobbsey Twins - I loved the Bobbsey Twins as a girl, and have read several of the books to my girls, but, reading the reviews on Amazon, it sounds like some of the free Kindle versions are from an older edition than most of us probably read, so you might want to check the reviews, pre-read, or purchase the ones that show a picture of a (more modern) cover. The Secret Garden - we just recently read this as our bedtime read aloud. The girls LOVED it, and I enjoyed re-reading a book I loved as girl. I also loved other books by this author! The Boxcar Children ($0.99) - When I was 7, my mom found this at the library and told me she had read and loved this book when she was a girl. I took it home, and read it straight through in one afternoon! After that, I read every book in the series that our library had and loved them all, but the first book has always been my favorite! I read this to my girls a few years ago, and they loved it too. Then we started reading others in the series, and I was confused, some introduced elements of evolution, etc, that surprised me, in such old books. THEN I discovered something, someone decided to write new, additional, books. Now my girls know, if looking for these books at the library or a used book store, to look closer, to make sure it actually says the book was WRITTEN by Gertrude Chandler Warner, as long as it says that (and not "based on the books written by Gertrude Chandler Warner or something along those lines), they're excellent books! Five Little Peppers and How They Grew Anne of Green Gables ($0.99) - this is a great deal! 12 books, plus short stories and audiobooks and such! A Girl of the Limberlost - This is still on my list to read to my girls, but I enjoyed it, and others by the same author, as a girl. Little Women - and anything else by Louisa May Alcott. And finally, a few suggestions of great picture books for the littler girls in your life:  Jesse Bear What Will You Wear? - not just for girls, but one of Little Bit's favorite books :)  The Princess and the Kiss - This is an awesome book for helping little girls understand purity.  My girls have loved it since they were preschoolers, and at 10, they STILL like this even though they claim to be "too old" for picture books. Madeline - My older girls LOVED this when they were little. The Quiltmaker's Gift - We will be reading this book as a part of Little Bit's preschool curriculum in a few months so I've reluctantly managed to not introduce Little Bit to it yet.