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Saturday, April 6, 2013

Book Clubs: We Want Your Recommendations

Tell us what you're reading right now using this nifty form on Patch!

As part of our ongoing Patch Reads program, we are actively seeking input from you on what you are reading right now. Fill out this form and tell us what you and your book clubs are reading and why. Then we'll share it with others so that we can all benefit from your book club recommendations. 

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Classic Books to Share with Your Children for Valentine's Day

From Charlotte's Web to Where the Wild Things Are, share these classic books with your children and encourage their love for reading.

“Where’s Pa Going with that Axe?” The Enduring Quality of Children’s Classics By Anita Silvey Courtesy of James Patterson's Read Kiddo Read Foundation The opening line of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web— “Where’s Pa going with that axe?”—has now been read by adults to eager young listeners for more than 60 years. Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day have been picked up with enthusiasm for more than 50 years. For 75 years, parents have shared The Hobbit, and this year Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are turns 50. These books and others like them (Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Virginia Lee Burton’s Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables) bring …

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Preview This Winter's Hottest Books

Bestselling authors Sue Grafton, Jodi Picoult and more are releasing books this winter.

It might be chilly out, but book publishing is red hot right now. Several favorite bestselling authors are releasing books early in 2013. What are some of the most anticipated?

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The Best Gift I Ever Got Was a Book, and That Book Was _____

ReadKiddoRead asked authors, athletes and celebrities to share their favorite books.

[Editor's note: The following information is courtesy of the ReadKiddoRead Foundation.] Are you giving books to your kids as gifts? Which ones are you picking out for friends and family? ReadKiddoRead asked authors, athletes and celebrities to finish this sentence: The Best Gift I Ever Got Was a Book, and That Book Was _____. Pick up some of these favorites for the kids in your life, or browse through ReadKiddoRead.com for books that are sure to please any young person this holiday season. Mark Teixeira  The best gift I ever got was a book; it was The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris.  The book is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, given to me by my friend and high school principal, Barry Fitzpatrick. While I can't single out any …

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The 2012 Holiday Book List

Books make great holiday gifts. Give your loved ones these books as stocking stuffers this holiday season.

When you give a child or a teen a book, you are creating a memory that will last a lifetime. What’s more, reading offers so many options. Are you trying to find a book for an early reader? Choose a picture book or a Great Beginner Read from the list below. Does your grandchild love nonfiction? Take a look at the Great Family Reads section. Has your niece read every book known to man? There are some brand new books on this list that she may not have seen yet. Do you struggle to find just the right book to entice your child to read? These selections are sure kid-pleasers that will meet any interest. The ReadKiddoRead holiday gift list has something for everyone: realistic fiction, science fiction, and nonfiction; animal stories, mythology …

Presenting the Tailgate Book Club

Make the most of pre-game time and halftime by reading and talking about these great books!

Are you enjoying the football and basketball seasons? Kids across the country sure are! You can be an ALL-STAR parent without missing even one of the season’s big games! And we don’t just mean you’ll be playing and watching and cheering, but you’ll be reading the best books about sports out there. PatchReads and ReadKiddoRead want to get you and your kids talking about some great sports books with the Tailgate Book Club. Follow these steps to make the most of pre-game time, halftime, and all the days in between. Step 1: Pick a book each week based on the ReadKiddoRead Tailgate Book Club List, and have all your friends and their kids read it before game day. Step 2: Gather everyone together for the game. During half-time, put the TV on mute…

Monday, October 22, 2012

Kids Not Reading Enough? Patch Has Tips from Author James Patterson

Bestselling author James Patterson gives tips on making your child an avid reader. Plus, here's a great reading list for the fall to get you started.

At Patch we're always trying to pull together into one place all of the best local resources on every topic, including books and reading. We have the good fortune to be working with a best-selling author James Patterson in this endeavor, and we'll be continually sharing his reading list selections for every age here on Patch. Plus, we'll showcase reading lists from our local librarians, bookstores, and you—our readers. But here, an open letter to moms and dads of reluctant readers from James Patterson. Dear Moms and Dads, I’ve had the good fortune to meet hundreds of teachers and librarians around the country. They always wow me with their tips and tricks to get kids into reading. I thought it was time to get these great ideas out in the …

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Ramp Up for Back-to-School with Bedtime Math

With the new school year upon us, help get your kids’ brains working again with this fun, free daily email newsletter.

Students of Melrose Public Schools go back to school on Aug. 28, which means it’s time for an abundance of expensive school supplies, backpacks full of complicated text books and dreaded questions about math homework. With back-to-school stresses piling up, Laura Overdeck wants to let children and parents in on a little secret: math can be fun. Really.  Overdeck is on a mission to change the way Americans think about math — especially given that math anxiety has been tracked in kids as young as age 5. This is what inspired her to create Bedtime Math, a nonprofit that sends out a daily email with a math problem tailored to “wee ones,” little and big kids.  Overdeck is a Westfield native who now lives in Short Hills, NJ. She is an …

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