Summer Reading Usborne Style - a novel idea

Today I'm continuing on with the last installment of my Usborne summer reading picks. Thanks so much for joining in! I thought I better get these wrapped up as it's August already and I see all the posts about back to school on your lovely blogs starting to pop up! I'm going to try to cling to these last few weeks of summer here for awhile if I can.

Ages 10 & up

For me this is a great age for enjoying a good novel read. I'm sure many of your children are participating in summer reading through your schools or libraries, so I'd like to end this little series highlighting a few of the great book series that Usborne and Kane Miller Publishing have to offer. Be sure to check out these wonderful juvenile reads. I'm actually a huge fan of juvenile fiction and hope to highlight some more of these great books and series that I grew up reading and am discovering new.

Here's my five favorite juvenile fiction/non-fiction series that Usborne/Kane Miller books carry-

I love the Usborne Classics retold series. I've shared before that I think it's never to early to start reading classic stories to your little ones, in a post I did on the picture book series of Little House of the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My two are preschoolers so I'm busy snatching up picture books that fit this criteria and eyeing many of the early readers series from Usborne and someday will be filling our shelves with and encouraging my two to read these wonderful adapted versions of some of my most loved classic reads. Retold by various authors other titles include Tom Sawyer, A Tale of Two Cities and Moby Dick.


Authors Adele Geras, Linda Newbery and Ann Turnbull collaborated in this unique series where they all write about one very special house and the extraordinary young women who have lived there throughout history. Other titles in this series include: Cecily's Portrait, Polly's March and Josie Under Fire.


If you're looking for a great non-fiction read you should check out the Usborne True Stories series which includes a collection of thrilling adventure stories all based on actual life events. Others titles in this series by various authors include: Crime and Detection, True Stories of D-Day, True Escape Stories, The First World War, Ghosts, Heroes, Pirates, True Stories of The Second World War, Spies, Survival, The Blitz, and War Stories.


The Jack Russell Dog Detective series by Darrell Odgers and Sally Odgers is a series brought to us from Australia by Kane Miller Publishing. Best read in order this is a great series for anyone who enjoys a good mystery and of course a dog lover. There are currently 11 titles in all.

Conspiracy 365 by Gabrielle Lord is one of Usborne/Kane Millers new best selling series. If action adventure is your type of a read then you will enjoy this series. Started in January 2010 with an idea of a subscription read that you would receive a new book each month this series has taken off. While it is now August these books are still available to purchase or if you're lucky your library may have gotten on board with several subscriptions. Best read in order of course come join in the adventure with Callum Ordmund as he fights for his survival and to uncover the truth surrounding his father's mysterious death.


As always if you would like to order any of these books or have any questions regarding Usborne books and Kane Miller please contact me.