Reading on the Snow Drift

If you're packing for vacation--and we hope that you are--you've probably managed to sneak a book or two into your carry-on or suitcase. It's the time of year, after all, for a little more sunshine and a lot more heat. Before you head off to some sunnier shores or the family timeshare, take a moment to consider what you're taking with ya.

Recently, Josie Leavitt over at Publisher's Weekly, noticed a double standing in vacation reading. Many parents are picking up "potato chip" reads for their own beach bags, but filling their kids' backpacks with books just outside their reach. Why are adults allowed a tough-reading break, but kids are driven to push themselves even further than school is? It's called a vacation. Doesn't everyone deserve one from every facet of the hustle and bustle of daily life?

So why not allow our younger readers some time to read excellent books with the daring and adventurous and likable characters? If you're feeling like the vacation reader in your home could use some exciting variation at a level that's right up their alley, we have some great choices right here at Scarletta!



The Mighty Quinn

Quinn Andrews-Lee feels anything but mighty, and faces a dismal school year. His little sister outshines him athletically and socially, and he yearns for a service award his peers disdain. Not to mention charismatic bigot Matt Barker's goal in life is to torment Quinn and lure his friends to the dark side. When Quinn reports an act of vandalism, he finds himself accused of injuring Matt. Neally Standwell, a free-spirited new kid in Quinn's class, helps Quinn deduce who hurt Matt, but Matt would probably die—and would definitely lie—before admitting the truth.
Through events both comical and poignant, Quinn and Neally solve the mystery just as everything seems to go wrong and manage to thwart a bully without becoming one in turn. And at the end of the day, the fabled ability to belch the entire alphabet might very possibly trump any award ever presented at Turner Creek School.

Ghost Detectors: Let the Specter Detecting Begin

Malcom and Dandy are best friends. But these two boys aren’t your average ten-year-olds. When the boys get their hands on an Ecto-Handheld-Automatic-Heat-Sensitive-Laser-Enhanced Specter Detector, their adventures as Ghost Detectors begin. In this first volume of three stories, Malcom and Dandy thwart a practical-joking poltergeist, rid the Miller house of a ghost, and get to the bottom of some unusual paranormal activity in their elementary school. It may sound strange, but it’s just the everyday work of a Ghost Detector!

Readers will love the humorous detective adventures, and learn a number of ghost-detecting tips!

And if you're just itching for a perfect book for the beach this spring, we have just the title for you!

The Shark Whisperer (May 2014)

After his most klutzy move ever, falling into a pool of sharks, things for Tristan Hunt begin to look up. Tristan is invited to an ocean-themed summer camp in the Florida Keys where he discovers that he and the other young teens there have very special and rare talents when it comes to the ocean. After the camp receives a distress call from ocean animals, Tristan and his new friends get pulled into a daring rescue in the Bahamas. With the help of sharks, dolphins, a quick-escape artist octopus, and some seabird bombers, the campers must use their young talents in an attempt to outwit an evil shark-finning, reef-blasting billionaire.

And don't forget, booksellers, to nominate The Shark Whisperer for the Sumer 2014 IndieNext Kid's List! Use our favorite hashtags #indienext and #indiebookseller to make your choices heard on social media!

Meanwhile, we'll be reading our favorite Scarletta titles on the beach (a snowdrift) in our bathing suits (snowpants, hat, and gloves) and soaking up the sun (gray sky with tons of snowfall).