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Give the Gift of Reading this Father’s Day
Don’t forget to wish Dad a Happy Father’s Day this Sunday, June 20th. If you’re still stumped for a last-minute gift, consider making and online donation to First Book in honor of your dad or whomever you choose. After making a donation you can send him an e-card to remind Dad how special he is.

Big Universe: Read, Create and Share Children’s Books Online
This site is a great resource for reading, writing and learning. The site offers book suggestions, reading quizzes, and even the opportunity for kids to create their own children’s books. Parents and educators can even help kids share their creations with other students using the site’s virtual bookshelves.

Magic Tree House Series Goes Digital
Now fans of Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House Series can cherish them forever as e-books. All forty-three titles have been converted to digital versions. Random House is now proud to offer this classic children’s book series in print, audio and digital.

4th Cheerios New Author Contest
Have you ever dreamed of seeing your ideas in print? Through Cheerios’ Spoonfuls of Stories New Author Contest aspiring authors have the chance to submit their children’s books in the hopes of being selected as the winner. The winning story gets published and packaged in Cheerios boxes and released for purchase as well.

More Tips from Reading Rockets to Curb Summer Learning Loss
Keeping kids engaged in learning activities over the summer can be a challenge. Here are some more great ideas to keep kids interested and having fun while they learn. From planting a garden and neighborhood book clubs to interactive websites and writing activities, this list is sure to keep your child busy during the summer months.

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So, maybe it's just girl detective week here at Biblio File. (Well, probably not, as I think I'm out of girl detective books.)

Anyway, I was going to say some other things not book related, but they all sound cool in my head and then really dumb when typed out. Ah well.

Today's song is one of my favorites. Erin McKeown's Float

Anyway, regular readers may well be aware that Kirsten Miller's Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City was one of my favorite books last year. (And, I'd like to give a huge shout out to Ms. Miller, who read my blog and my plea for a t-shirt and hooked me up.)

Well, Miller has completely outdone herself with Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb.

Not to completely take myself back to 3rd grade, but I feel I need point out one of the main lessons of this book:

Secrets secrets are no fun
Secrets secrets hurt someone

You'd think that, after what happened last time, the girls would know that they have to be honest and open with each other. You'd think they know they have to trust each other.

But, because of some very big, explosive secrets, everyone assumes Oona has gone over to the dark side and won't give her the benefit of the doubt. And something's wrong with Kiki, but she's not telling.

But who has time to worry? Giant squirrels are mugging innocent New Yorkers, there's a hungry ghost on the loose, the Irregulars keep finding kidnapped Taiwanese children, and psychologists are just weird. And, on top of it all, Ananka's grounded and about to sent off to boarding school.

There are some very bad things going down in New York, and there's only one band of renegade girl scouts up to the job. But they might just have to save themselves first.

This is even better than the first (who thought that was possible?!) The stakes are higher, the twists are um... twistier... the secrets are bigger, deeper, and will keep you guessing. Plus, it has a hungry ghost, and you know how much I love hungry ghosts. If I had to have one complaint, I was surprised Ananka didn't already know about hungry ghosts. She knows everything! Especially about ghosts!

Now, when I finished the last one, I said that couldn't tell if it was a series, but I hoped it was. The last sentence of this one? Definitely another book coming, and now I really, really can't wait. And my buddy icon hasn't changed.

But, if you haven't read Kiki Strike yet, get thee to a library or book store. Get both books now. Check out the website. (I can't wait until the store is up!) You'll thank me.

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These guys are awesome. Secret codes! Daring missions! Dazzling escapes! And awesome spy gear!

These are awesome adventure stories. And they're 100% true.

Thomas B. Allen makes James Bond look lame next to these guys.

Who are these awesome super spies? George Washington and Harriet Tubman. Seriously. Allen manages to take some aspects of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars that kids normally don't get to hear about. These guys are not boring. These guys are cool.


And the books (George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War and Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War) are even cooler--not only are there secret messages in the gutters for you to decode, there are appendixes, end notes, bibliographies and further reading.

End notes! With in-text numbers to reference them. End notes! In a juvie nonfiction book. Be still my fluttering, dorky heart.

Also, the font? It looks all old-time-y letter pressed but is still easy to read. Great illustrations and fun covers. Washington has this cocky smirk-- very hot a la Stephen Colbert. And Harriet Tubman's there, looking like she's leaning on a broom. Oh wait, no, that's a rifle. Don't mess with her.

I mean, I always knew these guys did cool things. There's a reason we still talk about them. I didn't quite appreciate how much they kicked ass.

I highly recommend for everyone.

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