This post is brought to you by HarperCollins Children’s Books. All opinions are 100% mine.
Reading has always been important in our household. Whether I am reading myself or reading to my children, it’s always a nice way to relax and let your imagination soar. Summer is the perfect time to make reading a habit in your home if you don’t already. I like to set aside a quiet reading time for my older children, while my younger children are napping in the afternoons. This allows me sometime to read myself and it’s a nice break in the day for all of us.
One thing I have noticed as my children have gotten older, is their interests in the types of books they like to read. They all have completely different interests…and that’s good! I love that they get excited to find books that interest them.
Last week, I was fortunate enough to receive one of HarperCollins Children’s Books– The Thickety to review with my children. From the moment I opened the box, my older kiddos were excited about it. The hard covered book features a mysterious looking cover that draws you in and the edges of the pages look rough and worn like an old book. I remember being told as a child to never judge a book by it’s cover, but the covers of books and their style always enticed me anyways!
The Thickety by J.A. White is described on the book sleeve like so:
“When Kara Westfall was five years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft. Years later, Kara and her little brother, Taff, are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic . . . except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island. It has many names, this place. Sometimes it is called the Dark Wood, or Sordyr’s Realm. But mostly it’s called the Thickety.
The villagers live in fear of the Thickety and the terrible creatures that live there. But when an unusual bird lures Kara into the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book with unspeakable powers. A book that might have belonged to her mother. And that is just the beginning of the story.”
This book sounded and looked pretty interesting, so my daughter who is 11 and my son who is 8 and I started reading this outside (because it was such a beautiful day) and then later got comfy on a chair in the living room to continue reading more after dinner.
This creative book keeps you on the edge of your seat and you find yourself anxiously awaiting every turn of the page. Although this book is recommended for children 10 and older, I think it may be more suitable for ages 12 and older. It’s very well written and descriptive, but is also a little on the dark side, and very intense at times. It did however really hold my children’s attention. After a few chapters, I did only continue on reading with my oldest. It is a little creepy and can be scary at times and I didn’t want anyone to have any bad dreams.
My oldest and I found this to be a a really good read, and if your middle school or high school aged child likes to read about mystery, magic, and unknown creatures, I am sure they will enjoy this book as well!
What have you and your children been busy reading this summer?
