Free Kids Book Journal Page to Print and Save

I'm all about getting kids to read. (*See my bookmarks printable here) Here's another FREE printable for you to use to encourage your children to read books and write about them. 

Print this page out, have the kiddos fill in the info and store the sheets in a special binder. Children can use regular store-bought binders, that they've decorated with all sorts of cool craft supplies. What a great activity for the whole family to enjoy!

Instructions:

Click the photo to enlarge in a new window. Save to your computer and then print from there. Super simple! 

*This collage sheet is for your own personal use. Please do not sell or redistribute it in any manner.

The Witch with The Glitch by Adam Maxwell is Quirky, Funny and Great Fun for Kids

Are you looking for a funny, quirky chapter book for your youngster? Well I've found one that might be just the thing your kiddo would love to read. The great thing? It's currently FREE on Amazon!

The Witch with The Glitch centers on three friends - Ivy, Oswald and Nina - who help out in a bookstore owned by Nina’s aunt and uncle. The friends cut corners when tidying up so they have plenty of time to go on adventures. In this particular adventure they meet a witch who lives in a gingerbread house and turns the trio into a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire. They must find the mysterious Izzy before midnight or they’ll remain little monsters forever.

This was a quirky, humorous children’s chapter book. It’s only 69 pages, but the author includes a great deal of action-packed adventure for young readers. There’s a nod to Dracula, Hansel and Gretel and even Ghost Busters that may or may not go over a youngster’s head. The author inserts some personal commentary here and there throughout the book that some readers might find distracting, but I felt it went along with the book’s quirkiness.

As a book lover, I appreciated the idea of a group of friends working in a bookstore and getting caught up in book-related adventures. This is certainly a unique and unusual children’s book that I think is worth reading!

5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton

Classic Children's Novel "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett Book Review - Mother/Daughter Book Club Choice

If you've read The Secret Garden as a child I'd suggest revisiting it as an adult. It's packed with lovely life lessons and encouraging messages for both children and adults. It'd be a wonderful book choice for a Mother/Daughter Book Club!

This book is a well-loved classic, written in 1909. I read it while in elementary school and when I saw there was a one-day free promotion in progress, I decided to grab the eBook copy. Re-reading The Secret Garden as an adult certainly gave me a better perspective on the book’s message.

Mary Lennox is a sour, angry ten-year-old child who lives in India and spends her days alone and left to her own devices. Mary is a pale, thin and plain child who is so disagreeable that the family’s house servants have little to do with her. Even her socialite mother has little time for Mary, as she leaves her in the care of a string of Ayahs (nannies). When she’s orphaned after a cholera outbreak, Mary is sent to Yorkshire, England to live in a sprawling mansion with an uncle she’s never met. Once there, she makes friends with a friendly housemaid, Martha, her brother, Dickon, and then accidentally stumbles on her cousin – a purported invalid and equally disagreeable ten-year-old boy named Colin. The unlikely group of friends embark on a magical and life-changing journey.

There are several lovely, positive and powerful messages contained in The Secret Garden. The most important message being that we all have the ability to choose to be either happy and upbeat or angry and sad. As the children cultivate and revive the secret garden, they are also cultivating and reviving a brand new and happier feeling of well being within themselves. As they begin working together toward their mutual goal of developing the garden, they realize how important companionship is for their health and growth.

There are definite “religious”, spiritual and magical undertones going on in this book. It’s been reported that the author’s interest in metaphysics and the New Thought movement were likely the reason for this. Whatever the motivation, I thoroughly enjoyed the magical elements in The Secret Garden. I would highly recommend The Secret Garden for children and adults!

5 of 5 Stars, review by Susan Barton and originally posted to eBook Review Gal.