Crooked Houses

This summer book giant Books-A-Million  is teaming up with author Mary Pope Osborne for a summer reading contest.  As a former fourth grade teacher and mother of two school age boys, I am a long time fan of Osborne's popular Magic Tree House series.  Osborne's characters, Jack and Annie, travel through time to witness history.  The stories are so well written and entertaining, the children have no idea they are also getting a lesson in history!

As for the contest, children can get a free Magic Tree House tote for reading six books.  The winner of an essay contest will win a Crooked House.  If you aren't familiar with the Crooked House playhouses for children, they are exactly what they sound like.  The houses have been featured on Jon and Kate Plus Eight and Extreme Home Makeover.

Anything that makes a child pick up a book is a good thing.  Teachers refer to a student's loss of skills over summer vacation as "summer slide".  Research has shown that a child who reads over summer vacation can prevent the dreaded summer slide.  Challenge your child to read every day so she can start school ready to learn something new instead of needing to re-learn last year's material.  The Magic Tree House series is an easy sell to most kids...even in the summer.