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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

Reading Suggestions for Kids and Young Adults

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We’re heading into the holiday season and we have an eclectic sampling of books to keep your kids entertained. Whether your family will be celebrating/not celebrating Thanksgiving, Indigenous Peoples Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, or the New Year, our kids will be looking for a new normal. Take this time and share the joy of reading.

Where are You, Polar Bear? By DK – Journey with your little-ones through a frozen world to find Polar Bear. Discover a whole host of incredible Arctic animals, including foxes, reindeers, and narwhals as you search for the elusive Polar Bear. For Baby - age 3

ABC’s of Kindness by Samantha Berger – From A to Z, kids interact with each other and perform acts of kindness. Readers will see how these acts of kindness affect the people involved and learn the importance of being kind to others. For ages 2-5

Where Do Diggers Celebrate Christmas? By Brianna Caplan Sayres – How do diggers, forklifts, dump trucks, and Zambonis celebrate Christmas? Sayres has created a magical world where every child’s favorite vehicles decorate and celebrate the holiday season. For ages 3-7

Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama by Selina Alko – Celebrate the holidays with Sadie and her blended family. For ages 5-8

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson – an empowering and encouraging book to remind us that it’s okay to look different from everyone else and just be yourself. For ages 5-8

History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner – What are the myths surrounding the arrival of the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving? Messner sets the record straight about the New World. For all ages

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg – Claudia and her little brother run away to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City and find themselves in the middle of a mystery about one of the museum’s latest acquisitions. For ages 8-12.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes – This 1945 Newbery Honor book is just as relevant today as it was when it was written. Wanda wears the same faded dress to school each day and when her classmates tease her. she claims to have 100 dresses at home. When Wanda is pulled out of school one day, her classmate Maddie finds the courage to stand up for Wanda. It’s a great lesson about kindness, accepting people for who they are and not what they have, and standing up to bullying. For ages 8-12

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren - Kids will love the exciting adventures and tall tales about this free-spirited girl, her wacky pets, and her loyal friends. For ages 8-12

The Hero Next Door an anthology by assorted authors – not all heroes wear capes or fly. Kids will read about the courage of some real-life heroes and maybe discover their own ability to be a hero. For ages 8-12

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour – When 18-year-old Mila ages out of foster care, she accepts a job at a remote farm in Northern California, helping care for a small community of foster kids. Nina must confront her past to help these kids and herself move forward. For ages 12 and up

Obviously by Akilah Hughes – Hughes is a writer, comedian, and YouTuber residing in Brooklyn, NY. She shares her experiences growing up with teens to help them find acceptance and a path forward. For ages 13 & up.

Reading Suggestions for Adults

Author Page: Where to Find Your Next Great Read