I’ve got an attitude.  Yesiree, Bob.  (Only one? my husband retorts. )

It’s an I-can-do-it attitude.  It probably started around the terrible twos, that age when kids want to do things for themselves.  That can-do attitude stuck to me through the years like a cocklebur clings to a sock.

That’s probably why I enjoyed The Summer of Hammers and Angels by Shannon Wiersbitzky.

Delia, the main character, has that can-do attitude.  She has spunk.  She has initiative.  She has drive.  What a delightful character.

Delia lives with her mother in a ramshackle home.  An inspector visits their home and threatens to condemn it unless repairs are made — and there’s a long list of them.  Before they could do anything, a bolt of lightening strikes the home injuring Delia’s mother who is rushed to the hospital in a coma.  As Delia’s mother lays in the hospital, Delia feels time ticking by.  They have only 19 days before the inspector returns.  Delia’s can-do attitude kicks in and she tackles the repairs with the help of her best friend, Mae — and with Tommy’s help, someone who Delia considers scum between her toes.

This book is for middle readers.  If you have grandchildren in this age bracket, I recommend this as a good summer read for them — the characters are beliveable and the what-is-she-going-to-do-now plot sucks readers in.  You keep reading because you want to know how in the world Delia is going to make all of those repairs — especially fixing the blackened hole in the roof left by the lightening.

The author sprinkels expressive phrases throughout the book.  Novel and fresh phrases that enchanted my reading.  Phrases like ‘hot and humid enough to make a toothpick wilt’ and ‘honeysuckle smells warm, like fresh buttered buiscuts’ and sunflowers that ‘started scarlet in the center and then faded to butter.’  (I wish my writing was like hers and not the drab oatmeal brown crud that plops out of my fingers onto the page.)

So, grab your middle-grade grandchildren.  Snuggle together on your comfy couch and read the book outloud to them.  This memory-making activity would last a long time for your grandchildren.

Two thumbs up on this book, Shannon!  Can’t wait to read your next one!

(I went to a conference in Philadelphia the end of June.  A few days before the conference, my husband and I visited several places in Pennsylvania — Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Hershey, Lancaster.  Come to find out, Shannon lives in that area.  Had I known that, I would have dropped by to say hello.  It’s always fun to meet authors in person. Maybe next time . . .)

Because I enjoyed reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, I decided that I would read First Boy.  And over all, I enjoyed this book more than The Wednesday Wars.

Cooper Jewett is the main character.  He lives with his grandparents because his parents died in a car crash shortly after he was born.  Then, his grandfather passes away (his grandmother had passed away earlier) leaving Cooper an orphan.  An orphan responsible for a New Hampshire dairy farm.

A local politician wants Cooper’s help on the campaign trail.  The Senator believes that Cooper can help him become the next president of the United States. Then there are suspicious black sedans lurking around.  Then his small barn burns down.  Cooper struggles to do his homework and do all of the chores on the farm.

Theft, kidnapping, and car chases.  And the President of the United States wants to talk with him. Suspense abounds in this book.  It is a definite page-turner-I-gotta-know-what-happens kind of book.

I only have one complaint about the book.  Some of the emotions that the author attributes to the fourteen-year-old main character seem to be rather juvenile.  Emotions that seem to be more normal for a nine or ten-year-old boy. But, I think this would not be something that a young person would think while reading the book.

Recommend this book to your grandchildren that are in the sixth grade — or above.  I think know that they will enjoy reading it.

I just finished a great Newbery Honor Book called Wednesday Wars.  It’s by Gary Schmidt.

While his Catholic and Jewish classmates attend their religious instruction, Holling Hoodhood (who is the main character of the book and is the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade class) is stuck staying with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, on Wednesday afternoons.  And because Mrs. Baker is forced to stay at school because of this one lone student, Holling is positive she hates his guts.  His belief is reinforced when she makes him read Shakespeare.

The author deftly weaves in writing about the angst of growing up, the turbulent 1960s, the Vietnam war, and the timeless wisdom of Shakespeare into a tale of a likable kid in his seventh grade year at school.  Holling gets into many predicaments (being late to the New York Yankee’s baseball game, getting hit by a school bus, being a slow runner) and Mrs. Baker comes flying in like a super hero to solve all of his problems.  Well, most of them. (Mmmmm. . . none of my school teachers were involved in my life — or any other student for that matter — like Mrs. Baker is involved in Holling’s life . . .)

This book will keep your grandchildren engrossed — even if they might happen to be girls and even if the book is about a boy.  It will even hold grandma’s attention if she reads it.  (It kept me happily occupied while riding to and fro on public transportation.)

I only have one beef about the book.  And that’s the incident with the rats and the cream puffs.  The delaying of the eating of the cream puffs seemed too contrived to me.  While the thread of the rat incidences runs through the tapestry of this story, this one thread seems to be flawed.  But did it stop me from reading?  Not in the least!  I instantly forgave the author (well, I forgave him after thinking about it for three minutes) and continued reading.

This would be a good book to give as a birthday present to a grandchild.  Or, you can have a ‘virtual’ book club with your grandchildren and read this book.

If you are in a book club yourself, this would be a fun book to discuss with adults — and especially discuss the use of Shakespeare’s words and themes in the story. (Using the phrase ‘pied ninnies’ sure wants to roll off my tongue lately . . .)

Wednesday Wars.  Try it.  You’ll like it.

(And I’ll give a big Symphony creamy-milk-chocolate-almond-and-toffee-bits one-half pound bar to the first reader who can tell me what the last two sentences refer to.)

One day, an elementary school teacher started saying, “Humpty Dumpty sat on a _______.” She paused, looking expectantly to her students, waiting for them to fill in the missing word. After a long pause, a little girl timidly said, “A chair?”

How sad it is that we are losing the tradition of handing down nursery rhymes from one generation to the next! Nursery rhymes provide rich opportunities for children to hear the rhythm of spoken language, to hear ‘short stories’, and to be introduced into the wonderful world of reading.

It has been said that reading is to the mind as exercise is to the body.  (Boy howdy! Then my brain is svelte and comely!)  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says that literacy “enables individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.”

I like the part where it says ‘develop their knowledge and potential.”  As a mother and grandmother, that opportunity resonates with me and makes me want to read, read, read to my children and grandchildren.

Research shows that we should continue reading aloud to children even after they can read themselves.  When our children were in junior high, they thought that they were too grown up for bedtime stories.  Plus, their evenings were so full of activities and homework, it was hard to find family reading time. But, I didn’t want to let go of that special reading time together.  So, I read to them while they ate breakfast.  I found that they (and my husband!) lingered longer over their meal so they could hear ‘what happened next!’

Research also claims that children need to hear a thousand stories before they can begin to learn to read.  Grandparents can relieve parents from some of that burden by reading, reading, and reading to their grandchildren! So, make sure you take every opportunity to read to your grandchildren.

I recently learned how readers are 300% more likely than non-readers to visit museums, attend plays or concerts, and create artworks of their own.  They are also more likely to volunteer, exercise, play sports, attend sporting events, or do outdoor activities.  What a wide impact reading has!  (And you thought that reading to your grandchildren just helped them develop a love of reading!)

I have two reading ideas to share with you.  First, create a reading center in your home.  We all know how expensive books are.  Get cheaper books at thrift stores or used bookstores or even your local library that might occasionally sell books for a small fee. Have Grandpa build some shelves for your books.  Buy some child sized chairs — banana chairs or bean bag chairs — or have big over-sized pillows and make it an inviting reading place.

You could allow your grandchildren to ‘check out’ a book that interests them — making sure that they return it to your lending library.  Or, you could even let them keep the book (these cheap books from the thrift store).

Second, sponsor a read-a-thon.  Get lots of pillows, wear your pajamas, and have cozy blankets to lay on or wrap up in to give it a festive flair.

A read-a-thon could be tricky for really young grandchildren.  Maybe the read-a-thon only lasts for half an hour where Grandma reads nursery rhymes, fairy tales, or other age appropriate books.  And then end it with a pizza party or simply cookies and milk.

If your grandchildren can read, they can bring their favorite book (a short one) and read it to everybody. Or they could read one of the books from your book collection. Or, have everybody read silently for half an hour then take a break for 5 minutes and then read for another half an hour.  You’ll have to adjust the amount of reading time to the age level of your grandchildren.

There are many, many fine books that you can share with your grandchildren. Here are some of my favorites that have crossed my path recently.

Books for young children:

• the Llama, Llama series
• the Olivia series
• the Scaredy Squirrel series
• The Incredible Book Eating Boy
• the Flat Stanley series
• Duck on a Bile
• No David and David Goes to School
• Too Many Toys
  

For middle aged readers:

• The Ranger’s Apprentice
• The Pictures of Hollis Woods
• Walk Two Moons
• Holes
• The Whipping Boy
• Mississippi Trial
  
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
  

For young adult readers:

• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau (love, love, love this book and ditto for the next one!)
  
• The Eyre Affair (but you need to read Jane Eyre first to really appreciate this book)
• The Thirteenth Tale
• The Life of Pi
• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing
• The Book Thief
• Goodnight, Mister Tom
  

What are some of your favorite books to read to your grandchildren?  What fun reading activities have you done with them?

This post is part of a blog carnival on About.com:Grandparents. Check it out.  There are TONS of great information and links to follow!