CHARLESTON, S.C. - No one knows books and gives better recommendations than librarians. That's one of our favorite things to do, and we spend a lot of time researching and reading new books and old ones to keep our recommendations fresh.
With our branches closed to the public, having those conversations is a lot more difficult. But it's not impossible! And that's why CCPL's librarians have been digging through our digital resources to build list upon list of digital recommendations.
This week's book list heads right into the Labor Day weekend, a time when people head to the beach, the mountains, or somewhere in between for a long weekend of fun and relaxation. That's why Emily Stowell, one of our great children's librarians at the Main Library, put together this book list.
"Travel and seeing new places is one of my favorite things to do when I'm not working," she said. "But the reason that I love my job is that books can do the same thing - virtually!"
Let's jump into this list of books that will transport you off the couch and out of the house!
Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman
A perfect read-aloud picture book by the Newbery Medal-winning and New York Times bestselling author of American Gods and Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman, and illustrated in bold colors by Divya Srinivasan.
A talking tiger is the only one who may be able to get a princess to speak in this beautiful picture book set in a mythic India.
This stunning picture book will transport readers to another time and place and will delight parents and children alike. "Full of Gaiman's wit and whimsy, this one is great for reading aloud (and looks pretty lovely on the shelf as well). Gorgeous, with lush illustrations by Divya Srinivasan."
Islandborn by Junot Diaz
Every kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else.
Hers was a school of faraway places.
So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola's imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island. As she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: "Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you."
Gloriously illustrated and lyrically written, Islandborn is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination's boundless ability to connect us—to our families, to our past and to ourselves.
Maisy Goes on Vacation by Lucy Cousins
Maisy’s packing her bags and setting off on a fun vacation in a story that’s perfect for young children making a trip away from home.
How exciting! Maisy has put her sun hat, pajamas, toothbrush, and camera into a bag, and she’s off to the train station with Panda and Cyril. They’re headed for the seashore, but getting there is only half the fun. Coloring and snacks help pass the time on the ride to the beach, where Maisy can’t wait to swim, collect seashells, build sandcastles, and lots more. At nighttime it feels special to go to bed in a hotel—knowing that tomorrow another vacation day awaits!
Pete the Cat’s Family Road Trip by James Dean
Pete the Cat and his family go on a cross-country adventure in this Level 1 I Can Read tale from New York Times bestselling creators Kimberly and James Dean! This I Can Read book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 5 to 7 who are ready to read independently. It's a fun way to keep your child engaged and as a supplement for activity books for children.
Pete the Cat and his family are ready explore all the many wonderful American landmarks on their fun family road trip! They visit many famous sights, including Niagara Falls, New Orleans, Savannah, and more.
Of course, no true road trip is complete without a flat tire! But the Cat family isn't going to let a small setback get in the way of fun...
Pete the Cat's Family Road Trip is a Level I Can Read book, complete with original illustrations from the creators of Pete the Cat, Kimberly and James Dean, and is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.
Pete the Cat’s Train Trip by James Dean
New York Times bestselling author and artist James Dean brings young readers along on a groovy train ride with Pete the Cat!
Pete can't wait to visit Grandma, especially because he gets to take a train ride to see her! The conductor gives Pete a tour of the train, and Pete gets to see the engine and honk the horn. Pete even makes new friends and plays games on board. What a cool ride!
Pete the Cat's Train Trip is a My First I Can Read Book, which means it's perfect for shared reading with a child. Fans of Pete the Cat will delight as Pete takes the grooviest train trip in this hilarious I Can Read adventure.
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
The classic novel about Paddington—who's now a major movie star!
Paddington Bear had traveled all the way from Peru when the Browns first met him in Paddington Station. Since then, their lives have never been quite the same . . . for ordinary things become extraordinary when a bear called Paddington is involved.
First published in 1958, A Bear Called Paddington is the first novel by Michael Bond, chronicling the adventures of this lovable bear. Paddington has charmed readers for generations with his earnest good intentions and humorous misadventures. This brand-new edition of the classic novel contains the original text by Michael Bond and illustrations by Peggy Fortnum.
Aloha-ha-ha (Junie b. Jones #9) by Barbara Park
Barbara Park's New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, is a classroom favorite and has been keeping kids laughing--and reading--for more than twenty years. Over 60 million copies in print and now with a bright new look for a new generation!
Meet the World's Funniest First Grader--Junie B. Jones! Junie B. and her family are going on a vacation to Hawaii! And ha! Mr. Scary is giving Junie a real, actual camera to keep a photo journal of her trip! But taking good vacation pictures is not always easy. 'Cause what if there is an unfortunate inner tube incident at the swimming pool? (And, oh my! Let's not even mention what happens if a tropical bird gets tangled in your hair!) Will Junie B.'s vacation end up picture-perfect? Or will her trip to Hawaii be aloha-horrible?
Amelia Bedelia Road Trip (Amelia Bedelia Chapter Book #3) by Herman Parish
Amelia Bedelia, America's favorite housekeeper, had a childhood full of surprises, mischief, and hilarious misunderstandings. In this illustrated chapter book adventure, just right for fans of Judy Moody and Ivy + Bean, young Amelia Bedelia piles into the family car and takes a road trip with her family. This is the third book in the Amelia Bedelia chapter book series and is just right for newly independent readers ready for a more challenging vocabulary and books with chapters.
Amelia Bedelia takes everything literally and that leads to all kinds of silly misunderstandings. Tripping over roads may not be your idea of fun, but for Amelia Bedelia a road trip is a true adventure! The best-selling and beloved housekeeper has been making readers laugh for more than fifty years. Amelia Bedelia has a warm and positive attitude and she has fun with language, vocabulary, and idioms. The Amelia Bedelia chapter books feature short, easy-to-read chapters, illustrations throughout, and Amelia Bedelia's can-do spirit. This is the third book in the chapter book series featuring the childhood of America's favorite housekeeper. The first book was called Amelia Bedelia Means Business and the second book was Amelia Bedelia Unleashed--and you don't have to read them in series order to enjoy them.
The Magic Treehouse (series) by Mary Pope Osborne → Libby ebooks
The first Magic Tree House book was published in 1992 — introducing the world to Jack and Annie, a brother and sister who discover a magical tree house filled with books. In Dinosaurs Before Dark, the tree house takes them on their first journey, an adventure in prehistoric times. Since then, the magic tree house has whisked Jack and Annie — and lucky readers! — on many more adventures through time to different places around the world.
Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventure (series) by Jeff Brown
Flat Stanley is taking over the world, one city at a time! In this very first installment in the renowned Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures chapter book series, Stanley Lambchop and his family visit one of America’s most famous monuments, Mount Rushmore!
Ever since Stanley Lambchop was flattened by a bulletin board, every trip is an adventure!
The whole Lambchop family is off to see Mount Rushmore. But when Flat Stanley and his brother, Arthur, team up with a scrappy cowgirl named Calamity Jasper, their vacation turns into the Wild West experience of a lifetime. Pretty soon, they find themselves in a real tight spot—even for a flat boy like Stanley!
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya
One boy's search for his father leads him to Puerto Rico in this moving middle grade novel, for fans of Ghost and See You in the Cosmos.
Marcus Vega is six feet tall, 180 pounds, and the owner of a premature mustache. When you look like this and you're only in the eighth grade, you're both a threat and a target.
After a fight at school leaves Marcus facing suspension, Marcus's mom decides it's time for a change of environment. She takes Marcus and his younger brother to Puerto Rico to spend a week with relatives they don't remember or have never met. But Marcus can't focus knowing that his father—who walked out of their lives ten years ago—is somewhere on the island.
So begins Marcus's incredible journey, a series of misadventures that take him all over Puerto Rico in search of his elusive namesake. Marcus doesn't know if he'll ever find his father, but what he ultimately discovers changes his life. And he even learns a bit of Spanish along the way.
Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a timely middle-grade road-trip story through landmarks of the Civil Rights movement and the map they lay for contemporary race relations.
How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma:
Grab a Suitcase: Prepacked from the big spring break trip that got CANCELLED.
Fasten Your Seatbelt: G'ma's never conventional, so this trip won't be either.
Use the Green Book: G'ma's most treasured possession. It holds history, memories, and most important, the way home.
What Not to Bring:
A Cell Phone: Avoid contact with Dad at all costs. Even when G'ma starts acting stranger than usual.
Set against the backdrop of the segregation history of the American South, take a trip with this New York Times bestseller and an eleven-year-old boy who is about to discover that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem—his G'ma included.
Treasure Hunters (series) by James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein, and Mark Shulman
From #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson comes a brilliantly original adventure series, jam-packed with action, humor, and heart!
The Kidd siblings have grown up diving down to shipwrecks and traveling the world, helping their famous parents recover everything from swords to gold doubloons from the bottom of the ocean. But after their parents disappear on the job, the kids are suddenly thrust into the biggest treasure hunt of their lives. They'll have to work together to defeat dangerous pirates and dodge the hot pursuit of an evil treasure hunting rival, all while following cryptic clues to unravel the mystery of what really happened to their parents-and find out if they're still alive.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Conceived by a shy British don on a golden afternoon to entertain ten-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass have delighted generations of readers in more than eighty languages. "The clue to the enduring fascination and greatness of the Alice books," writes A. S. Byatt in her Introduction, "lies in language. It is play, and word-play, and its endless intriguing puzzles continue to reveal themselves long after we have ceased to be children."
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
Fans of The Magician's Elephant, Savvy, and Roald Dahl will fall in love with Circus Mirandus, which celebrates the power of seeing magic in the world.
Do you believe in magic? Micah Tuttle does.
Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn't approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.
The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.
City Spies by James Ponti
In this thrilling new series that Stuart Gibbs called "a must-read," Edgar Award winner James Ponti brings together five kids from all over the world and transforms them into real-life spies—perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls.
Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.
Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they're not attending the local boarding school, they're honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can't.
Before she knows what she's doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school's computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain...all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.
No one said saving the world was easy...