KidLit BookDare August 2013

Wow. Just wow. I am blown away by the great response to the first ever KidLit BookDare reading challenge. Thank you to everyone who participated. That said, August is here, which means a whole new set of BookDares. Not familiar with the BookDare? Here’s a quick review:

  1. Visit the blog each month for the 4 themes
  2. Read a book for each theme
  3. Talk about your books in the comments or on twitter (#BookDare)
  4. Get entered to win the prize
  5. Read a bonus book or 4
  6. Post your bonus titles for additional entries
  7. Read more books

Let’s get to the themes!

August’s Themes

Here are the four themes for August. You can read any type (e.g., Picture Book, Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, etc.) of kidlit book you want for each theme. This month’s prize will be a copy of The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman (@DeborahFreedman). I loved this book. It was my adventure/trip book for the July BookDare.

  1. The Royal Baby was born on my son’s birthday. Read a book featuring a prince or princess.
  2. August is Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month. Read a book where a character wears glasses.
  3. August 4-10 is Assistance Dog Week. Read a book featuring a canine.
  4. August 4 is National Friendship day. Read a book about unlikely friends.

And here are your August bonus themes:

  1. The Little League World Series is in August. Read a book that has baseball in it.
  2. August 18 is Serendipity Day. Close your eyes and grab a book at random from your to read pile.
  3. August 24th is Pluto Demoted Day. Read a book about space or aliens.
  4. August means summer is ending. Read a book with a Blue cover.

Don’t forget to come back and post your books here in the comments. Happy reading!

21 Comments

  1. Vicky Van on August 1, 2013 at 9:34 am

    I’m up for the Dare again! I would love to win a copy of The Story of Fish and Snail.
    Thanks for doing an August Dare.
    Off to read..

    • Adam on August 2, 2013 at 7:30 am

      Glad you’re back. Enjoy your reading. -A

  2. Tammy Langeberg on August 1, 2013 at 9:55 am

    The August theme is full of awesomeness! I look forward to the challenge. Thanks for thinking of this. I figured there would be monkeys in this one…aren’t monkeys being let loose this month? I am sure we will see monkeys soon. 8(:)

    • Adam on August 2, 2013 at 7:34 am

      Hi Tammy:
      Yes, the monkeys go free on the 27th of this month. I did consider a monkey theme, but I want the book dare to be its own thing and not me selling myself. Although, I will be using it to highlight other people’s books. Especially awesome ones like THE STORY OF FISH AND SNAIL. So, that’s why no monkey theme this month.
      A-

  3. Vicky Van on August 1, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    Read first book – The Truth of Me by Patricia MacLachlan. This is my book about a canine. If you haven’t read it,you must. A very special, heart warming book about a boy, his grandmother and animals.A wonderful book.

  4. Vicky Van on August 2, 2013 at 8:22 am

    Read 2nd book – Puss Jekyll Cat Hyde by J. Dunbar for the blue cover theme.

  5. Vicky Van on August 3, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    Read 3rd book- Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park. Great book on baseball in the ’50’s and so much more.

    • Adam on August 3, 2013 at 3:26 pm

      Wow. I need to get reading. I’m feeling like a slacker.

  6. Vicky Van on August 7, 2013 at 8:23 am

    Read The Secret Lives of Princesses by P. Lechermeier for my book about a prince/princess.

  7. Vicky Van on August 10, 2013 at 8:56 am

    Read YA Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown for my unlikely friends category.

  8. Vicky Van on August 12, 2013 at 8:53 am

    Read Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood for the category for one who wears glasses.

  9. Vicky Van on August 13, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    Read Zoom by Istvan Banyai for book on space.

  10. Vicky Van on August 16, 2013 at 9:27 am

    Read The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher.for my random choice. This completes my 2nd Book Dare. Yay. This was fun to do. Thanks for doing this.

  11. Caroline on August 17, 2013 at 11:21 pm

    Loving these Book Dares!

    Here are our books for the August dare:

    Book about prince/princesses – THE PRINCESS KNIGHT by Cornelia Funke
    Book with a character wearing glasses – AND THEN IT’S SPRING by Julie Fogliano (LOVE this book)
    Book featuring a dog – A PUPPY FOR KEVIN by Liesbet Slegers
    Book about unlikely friends – BOGART AND VINNIE by Audrey Vernick

    Bonus books:

    Book with baseball in it – QUACKY BASEBALL by Peter Abrahams
    Random book from the pile – RAIN! By Linda Ashman
    Book about space/aliens – LITTLE REX, BIG BROTHER by Ruth Symes
    Book with a blue cover – FROG IN SPACE by Tedd Arnold

    I’ve tweeted a quick review of each one, too.

    Thanks for the inspiration to check out lots of new (to us) books!

    • Caroline on August 17, 2013 at 11:26 pm

      Oops, I typed two titles wrong above! Just switch the last two titles. FROG IN SPACE is obviously for the “space” theme and LITTLE REX, BIG BROTHER is for the “blue cover” book. Sorry about that! #TiredMommaBrain

  12. Ashley on August 25, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    All finished with my August reads!
    1. Prince/princess – The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
    2. Character with glasses – NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
    3. Featuring a dog – Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle by Major Brian Dennis
    4. Unlikely friendship – Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery

    Bonus Books:
    1. Book with baseball – Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen by Marissa Moss
    2. Random book from pile – 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill
    3. Book with space/aliens – Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
    4. Blue cover – Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

    • Adam on August 26, 2013 at 10:18 pm

      Woohoo! Congrats Ashley. Great books. The boys and I love The Paper Bag Princess. Such a great story.

  13. Kelly @muellerspace on August 31, 2013 at 4:30 pm

    Okay, here are the books I read!
    1. Princeless #1: Save Yourself by Whitley (about a girl who doesn’t want to wait for a prince to rescue her from her tower)
    2. The Boy Who Loved Math by Heiligman (about Paul Erdos who wore glasses)
    3. The Reader by Hest (really cute about a girl who brings her dog to the top of a snowy hill to read)
    4. Monkey and Robot by Catalonotto – I thought an animal and a robot would make an unlikely pair of friends.

    Bonus:
    2. Snowbots by Reynolds (another robot book, could pair with Boy + Bot)
    3. And then there were eight by Salas (poems about planets)
    4. Psst by Rex

    Apparently I should have saved my baseball book from last month for this month! Ah well. Read a bunch I otherwise wouldn’t have, so thanks Adam!

  14. Joanne Roberts on August 31, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    Almost forgot to post my reads:
    1. The Magic World, by E. Nesbit (short stories, not all princesses) and Swan Lake with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman (my hero!)
    2. I’m working my way back through the Harry Potter series on audiobook by Jim Dale. The most amazing recordings ever! For this month: HP and the Order of the Phoenix.
    3. The Incredible Detectives by Don and Joan Caufield. Old-fashioned and dated, but great art by Kiyo Komoda.
    4.Roxie and the Hooligans, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and more great art by Alexandra Boiger.
    Bonus random: The Assassins of Rome (Roman Mystreries Series) by Caroline Lawrence. Outstanding author!
    Bonus blue: Reread At the Sign of the Star by Katherine Sturtevant (since I just bought the sequel, A True and Faithful Narrative) Great covers by Kelly Murphy.

    Enjoyed them all.
    ‘Hope your August reads were as good!

  15. Melissa Guerrette on August 31, 2013 at 10:22 pm

    1. Read a book featuring a prince or princess – The Glitter Trap (Oh My Godmother) by Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson [A big character wants the lead in Cinderella, the school musical, and the main character assumes the role of fairy godmother…close enough?]
    2. Read a book where a character wears glasses –
    3. Read a book featuring a canine – The Truth About Me, by Patricia MacLachlan
    4. Read a book about unlikely friends – Nugget & Fang, by Tammi Sauer and Michael Slack

    5. Read a book that has baseball in it – Edward’s Eyes, by Patricia MacLachlan
    6. Close your eyes and grab a book at random from your to read pile – Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume
    7. Read a book about space or aliens – The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot – Margaret McNamara and Mark Fearing
    8. Read a book with a Blue cover – The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, by Kathi Appelt

  16. Adam on September 4, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    Thank you to everyone who joined in the August BookDare. Our book winner for this month is Vicky Van! Vicky, please shoot me an email through the contact form, http://www.adamlehrhaupt.com/contact_adam_lehrhaupt/, with your mailing details and I’ll get your copy of THE STORY OF FISH AND SNAIL on its way. Congrats to everyone who finished. I’m I can’t wait to see what your September books are.

    Adam

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