Fun Read-Aloud Books for the Whole Family

When everyone is together at home, it might be difficult to squeeze in a quick read with so many distractions around you. So how about reading together with your family? Carole Barrowman, our resident book reviewer, joins us with her picks for ages 6-12 that will be fun for the whole family to read aloud together! For more information on Carole, visit CaroleBarrowman.com. And see below for her picks! The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein - A cabin in the woods in the summer. A secret library in the cabin in the woods in the summer. An island where characters from books come alive from the secret library in the cabin in the woods in the summer. This wonderful adventure story is perfect for a family with a range of ages because the characters who jump out of the books are from lots of recent popular books that others in the family may have read before (Holes etc.). Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling - Aven’s parents take a job running a rough around-the-edges Western theme park in Arizona where Aven and her new friend, Connor, discover a hidden room with secrets and a mystery to solve. Aven is a unique, inspiring, firecracker of a character with a great sense of humor. Aven was born without arms and she “picks her nose with her toes!” The honesty and humor in this book are wonderful and Aven is awesome. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman - This story is an adaptation of a Norse myth. Odd is 12 years old and lives in Norway. His name means “tip of a blade.” He’s smart and adventurous and only he can save Aasgard (Thor’s hometown) from the Frost Giants. Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo - Any of Kate DiCamillo’s books are family friendly and wonderful read alouds, but this one is my particular favorite. Flora’s a sassy “natural born cynic” who reads comics and Ulysses is a talking squirrel who writes poetry. Right?! You already want to know more. The book has illustrations and comic panels and regular chapters so it’s wonderfully interactive when it’s read aloud.