TWO MAGICAL SHORT NOVELS

All first chapter books are not the same. Yes, a young child who reads super early can read the words but some have a sophistication and plot layers that may make these better for a child who comes to reading a bit late but will delight in the inferences and subtleties and character richness. Two series do this exquisitely well and add a fantastical element that doesn’t match the here-and-now developmental understandings of younger children. I adore both of these series and the new titles are wonderful additions. Find them at bookshop.org. POLLY DIAMOND AND THE TOPSY-TURVY DAY has Polly creating classroom magic as they welcome a shared pet (https://bookshop.org/a/84346/9781452184685) and in CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU (https://bookshop.org/a/84346/9780593615980) Dory, her siblings and the wacky cast of fantastical characters join in the experience of Dory’s mum going to work as Dory experiments with being a teenager.