Not Just Candy! Fun Surprises for Your Halloween Treat Bowl

Not Just Candy! Fun Surprises for Your Halloween Treat Bowl

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I love to have a few non candy items in my Halloween Trick or Treat bowl for kids to choose from. It's great for kids that can't have candy but it is also nice for everyone. Kids get some much candy in the month the October having a small toy or fun item is a good alternative. As a mom I also don't need more junk, so I decided to make a list of things that I think would be great options to include and do not add to the plastic junk piles.


Crocheted Halloween Mini Figures - I like to make the mini ghosts, eyeballs, and mini candy corns from this pattern because they are quick to make and fit the halloween theme.  A Menagerie of Stitches has a lot of fun patterns for mini makes as well and it could be easy and fun to add a few non halloween crocheted items to the trick or treat bowl.

Friendship Bracelets - It was the year of the eras tour when I thought about making friendship bracelets with the song Haunted as my inspiration. While Taylor Swift inspired friendship bracelets are fun, you could also use letter beads and seed beads to make a variety of Halloween inspired friendship bracelets to add to your trick or treat bowl.

Award Ribbons - These award ribbons feel so nostalgic to me and could be such fun surprise to hand out to your favorite Halloween visitors. In this tutorial I show you how to make the award ribbons and you could have a few on hand to give out to the cutest costume you see, the best group costume, the spookiest costume, etc. 

Temporary Tattoos - Generally getting temporary tattoos is fun for kids and they are generally easy to remove with baby oil or olive oil so they can be a very temporary thing if need be. These cozy fall themed tattoos are really cute as well as these Halloween themed tattoos. 

Stickers - You can get large packs of stickers and they are pretty inexpensive. I love to give my kids stickers as prizes and they love to have a collection of stickers. Harry Potter Stickers, Holographic Stickers, Woodland Animal Stickers or Halloween Stickers would all be good options for your trick or treat bowl.

Glow In the Dark Mystery Mini Figurines - My kids love to collect all the small animals because they are so cute. They glow in the dark as well. I like that they can keep their collection in a small container plus they are inexpensive and make a great prize.

Glow Sticks - This one is great because Halloween is at night so using a glow stick on the one night you get to stay out late and roam the streets is fun.

Textured Stickers - I love these long textured stickers. My kids like to put them on their school binders, folders, or on the side of their bed. If they feel anxious they can just trace their finger along the texture back and forth. There is a huge variety of colors and patterns so you can find whatever your kids like. These silicone strip stickers are also really nice and the texture is even more pronounced.

Glitter Gel Pens - As a kid and as an adult I love getting new pens. These glitter gel pens come in a huge variety of colors and are a huge hit for my kids. They use them to draw pictures or write in their journal. Pens are fun and functional and would make a great surprise for a trick or treat bowl.

There you go. Let me know in the comments if you have any great ideas of non candy items to hand out on Halloween.

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Mallory Hazel
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DIY Halloween Scene with Construction Paper | A Fun Halloween Craft for Kids

DIY Halloween Scene with Construction Paper | A Fun Halloween Craft for Kids

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I love making holiday plans each year that center around creativity with my kids. I truly believe that everyone should have spaces to be creative and that creating art worthy of display is for everyone. This year for Halloween I went into our paper stash and decided to make a Halloween scene out of simple shapes. It's a great project because it is easy to adjust shapes and plan things out before you glue them on. All it takes is some paper, scissors and glue. It's a quick craft that you can do while watching a Halloween movie or listening to some spooky music or an audiobook like The Witches. After you are finished you can display your spooky scenes on the wall as Halloween decorations. 


For my project I ended up choosing 7 colors I wanted to use so that it felt cohesive. I really love this card stock paper because it has so many colors in it and it's really nice quality. After choosing my background paper I took the other paper and decided what colors I wanted to be the main haunted house colors. I started cutting out large squares and rectangles, leaving them a bit oversized knowing I could overlap papers a bit or cut them smaller. After making the main house I started cutting out the details, using the scrap paper for the smallest details. After I had a good idea of what I wanted for the final scene I started glueing everything on that background paper from the back pieces forward. Then I added some fun details like the moon, bats, ghost, cat, and pumpkins. And it was as easy as that.

I hope this can inspire you to be creative this spooky season on your own or with your kids!

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Mallory Hazel
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DIY Halloween Award Ribbons | Give Out Some Spooky Bragging Rights

DIY Halloween Award Ribbons | Give Out Some Spooky Bragging Rights

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I love making these super cute award ribbons. They are so easy and quick to make and they are such a nice hand-made touch to add to a celebration. Today I'm going to give you a tutorial of how to make these award ribbons yourself for any Halloween gathering you might be hosting or to hand out on Halloween night to trick-or-treaters. Let's get into it!


Supplies
Felt - You can get individual colors of felt at any local craft store but I really like these variety color pack because they give you lots of good colors that go well together.

Letter Beads - I like to have black and white and colored letter beads. These packs are super nice because they separate out the letters so they are easy to find.

Sequins and Small Beads for Decorating - I like to get a big variety pack of sequins and I have a collection of seed beads that I sometimes use for decorating as well.

Embroidery Thread & Needle - Needed to sew some details on these ribbons. I like to just get a big variety pack of embroidery thread so I can get a lot of good colors that are inexpensive but give me an ample supply of colors so I can color match easily to any project. These needles are good for hand sewing.

Ribbons - I love having a bit ribbon collection to make these ribbons. A variety of colors, textures and patterns are perfect for this project. I like to collect different ribbon packs along the way but here are a few good starter packs to get a good base. 
Classic Pastel Pack | Sheer Ribbons | Polka Dots | Gingham | Glitter Ribbon

Sewing Clips & Fabric Scissors- These sewing clips help to hold your fabric and pattern together while you are cutting it out. I love this pack because it is cheap and comes with a lot of extras so I have have a few handy in all of my crafting areas and you can use them for a variety of sewing and craft projects. Having a good pair of scissors you use only for fabric is also really helpful so the cuts on the felt are nice and sharp.

Spooky and Fun Phrase List - A Quick Brainstorm of Potential Phrases

A good phrase is important for the middle of your award ribbon, here are a few ideas to get your creativity going.
Spooktacular
Cutest Costume
Most Bewitching
Spookiest Costume
Best Group Costume | Best Couples Costume
Spookiest Spirit
Master of Mischief
Fang-tastic
Boo-tiful
Eerie-sistable
Killing It!
Howl of Fame
Gourd Job!
Skelly's Choice

Food Awards
Chili Champion
Chili CookOff Champion
Best Spooky Snack
Most Bewitching Dish
 

1 | The first thing you need to do is cut out four pieces of felt, two circles and two ribbon pieces. I like to trace the shapes on card stock first. For the circles I simply used a ramekin and small candle to trace two circles because they were the size I wanted. The ribbons are long rectangles with just a sharp diagonal cut on one end. Once I cut out the card stock paper I use a sewing clip to clip each piece onto the felt and just cut along the edge. This helps keep all of my pieces consistent.

2 | Take the smaller circle and some embroidery thread and sew a consistent dashed line around the edge. Then you are going to sew on the letter beads with your chosen phrase onto the middle of the small circle. I like to lay out the letters before I sew them on to make sure they are centered. I also like to sew the full word on and then go back through two or three letters at a time to really secure the letter beads on.

3 | Now it's time to decorate with sequins and/or seed beads. At this point I split the embroidery thread to 2 strings so it is not as noticeable. I like to sew sequins on all around to add more color and a bit of sparkle to the award.

4 | Now take the larger circle and do a blanket stitch around the edge. The start and finish can be little messy so I always glue the ribbon part over that section.


5 | Now I choose a few additional ribbons to put on the bottom and cut them a little longer than what you need.

6 | It's time to glue it all together. I really love the Hoto Glue Gun because you can charge it so you don't' have to be near an outlet or deal with a cord. I start by glueing the felt ribbons to the front of the large circle, then glue on the ribbons to the felt ribbons, then glue the small circle to the top. 

7 | At this point I make sure all the ribbons are cute at a sharp diagonal for a clean looking finish.

8 | Now you know how to make ribbons so you can make more!



Want more ideas to make your spooky season great? Check out the following blog posts.
Super Simple Candy Corn Crocheted Scrunchie
My Favorite Halloween Picture Books for Kids

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Mallory Hazel
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DIY Punch Card Habit System & Bingo Cards | A Nostalgic, Reward-Based Way to Stay Motivated

DIY Punch Card Habit System & Bingo Cards | A Nostalgic, Reward-Based Way to Stay Motivated

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Goals can take you new places, help you create something beautiful, or achieve a dream. Maybe it's the beginning of a new year or a new month or a new season and you have some goals you want to achieve. Or maybe you want to set some goals with your kids. I've tried out a few different systems for setting goals to make it more fun. Some of our favorite ways to set goals is to make Punch Cards and Bingo Cards. Let's talk about how we can make setting goals fun.

DIY Punch Cards

These are just like the reward cards you might get at a local shop when it was the 90's or 2000's. One of my favorites was Great Harvest Bread, I think you had to purchase 10 loafs of bread to get one free loaf. You'd go in, purchase your bread and then hand the card to an employee who would punch one spot. After ten loafs you could redeem your card for a free loaf of bread. It's an amazing system that works for both the customer and the business. You keep buying bread but then you get rewarded and that feels good. This system is just like that but for your goals.

What you need is some 3x5 note cards or some card stock cut into small rectangles. You can get watercolors or markers to add color. A few really nice pens will help so your goals are nice and clear. And a hole punch for when you achieve a goal.

You can begin by brainstorming some goals you have and the time frame you want to complete them in. For example one thing I wanted to do was complete 6 crochet projects this year. Take a 3x5 notecard or small rectangle made of card stock and write the goals on the card. Draw a small simple something that can be where you will punch for each goals, as you can see I drew 6 "balls of yarn." After I made a few cards I laminated them as kind of a bonus to keep them nice for the whole year. You can make however many cards you want and maybe include a card with a fun design for the cover. Punch a hole in the top corner and used a ring to hold them all together if you want to keep them organized.  I used a small command hook to hang them in a place I could easily access them.


Can we pause here so I can give some advice and say what I would do differently next time. As you can see my hole punch did not reach the middle of the card, so next time I either need to make my cards smaller so a hole punch can fit anywhere on the card, or I need to write my goal in the middle of the card and put all the drawings where I will keep track on the edges of the card. 

For my family when someone completed a full card we let them choose something off of our "Celebration of Achievement" chart. Some examples might be choose a park to play at for the kids or choose a treat. I'll brainstorm a whole list of possibilities at the end of this post. 

Pros of the Punch Card Goals | It is very fun and nostalgic. Our cards are colorful and organized on the wall. Everyone gets to create something for themselves so it can be catered to the individual. There is something satisfying about having an action to do when completing your goal, even if it as simple as a small hole punch. We've done some fun things together as individuals this year and as a family because we are trying to accomplish our goals.

Cons of the Punch Card Goals | Sometimes we forget to punch the card and then it's hard to remember how many we need to do to catch up. I think I made some goals too big, a punch card system feels like it works best if the goals are a bit smaller - maybe you could break down some bigger goals into more bite sized chunks. Like any goals I write down sometimes as the year goes by I realized I don't really want to do the things I thought I wanted to do but then I feel like a failure for not completing all my goals. This might be more a me problem though and I should probably change my mindset to simply allowing myself to recognize something I thought would be fun and cool is not a priority in my life and that's okay, it just taught me something about myself.

Overall I think punch cards are a super fun way to set goals and would definitely recommend giving it a try once or twice.

Bingo Card Goals

I actually really love Bingo card goals and have made them multiple years for family goals and also made them for summer goals as well. What you need is a piece of card stock, black markers and some really nice pens so the goals are clear. I also like to decorate mine with fun stickers but you could also leave it blank or decorate it however you like. 

So what I do is uses a ruler to draw a five by five grid first in light pencil. My main square is 7.5 inches by 7.5 inches and all of the small boxes are 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. After I am happy with my grid I use a ruler and black marker to trace the lines so the bingo card is very visible. Then I title the bingo card and decorate it.

Now it's time to fill in the bingo card with goals. For our summer goals I just wrote a big list of things that could be fun to do during the summer and then filled up all the squares with the ideas. 

For our family bingo cards we made to set goals for the coming year the year. We have 4 people in our family so each person takes a column to set individual goals. The fifth column we put our family goals in. It's worked well because it can give us each individual space to set a goal also have some family goals. Then it takes the whole family to work together to get a bingo.

Bingo Card Pros | If you hang it somewhere in your house that you are a lot, you are reminded of the goals daily. It's fun to work together. It's easy to mark off goals. It takes away some of the pressure since the goal is not to do everything but rather to do enough things that you can achieve a bingo. It is easy for everyone to participate in. It's doesn't take a whole lot of work to make.

Bingo Card Cons | Sometimes the goals you write in January just aren't as fun when you are looking at it in August, but for me that's just kind of a long term goal making con in general. 

Bingo cards have been a big hit in my family and honestly are a great way for me to organize my brain and really write down the things I want to do.

Goals Brainstorm

It sometimes feels tough to come up with goals I am just going to write a big list of ideas, maybe some you want to use, maybe some spark your imagination. If you have any good ideas to add feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Explore
-Visit a New Park
-Visit a Museum 
-Visit a Local Historical Site
-Visit a National Park
-Explore a New Hiking Trail
-Watch a Sunrise
-Watch a Sunset
-Visit a Botanical Garden
-Visit a Farmer's Market
-Take a Spontaneous Day Trip
-Go Stargazing

Food
-Learn to make different types of Sourdough
-Make homemade Pasta
-Make a batch of Homemade Jam
-Try a new Bread Recipe (Bagels, Croissants, English Muffin, Crumpets, Biscuits)
-Bake a Pie from Scratch
-Make a meal from another Country
-Make Homemade Ice Cream
-Make Homemade Donuts
-Make a "Secret" Family Recipe
-Make a Restaurant "Copycat" Meal
-Make a 3 Course Meal

Crafting & Creative
-Crochet something from Start to Finish
-Finish an Embroidery Project
-Make a Homemade Candle
-Paint and Picture
-Try Pottery
-Watercolor a Nature Scene
-Create an Oil Pastel Piece of Art
-Find a Sewing Project to Complete
-Take 50 Photographs
-Make a Scrapbook Page
-Write a Poem

Home
-Paint a piece of Furniture
-Start a small Garden
-Plant something from Seed
-Create a Gallery Wall
-Organize a "Problem Area"
-Print and Frame 5 Family Photos
-Plant a Tree

Reading
-Read a book set in another country
-Read a book of Poetry
-Read a Classic
-Read a book recommended by a child
-Read a book recommended by someone from an Independent Bookstore
-Read a book recommended by a Librarian
-Read a book from a Used Books Store or Charity/ Donation Store
-Read a book Published before 1950
-Read a book over 500 pages
-Judge a Book By It's Cover- Buy and Read a Book because it is Beautiful
-Attend or Create a Book Club
-Visit a library you've never been to

To Do With Kids
-Bowling
-Mini Golf
-Have a Movie Marathon
-Build a Blanket Fort
-Have a "Yes Day"
-Have a Homemade Pizza Night
-Make a Family Campfire with S'mores
-Make a Time Capsule
-Recreate an Old Family Photo

A Few Little Fun Things
-Send 5 Handwritten Cards
-Buy Flowers/ Make a Bouquet
-Have Coffee at a Local Coffee Shop You've Never Been To
-Explore Local Shops in a Small Town
-Make a Music Playlist and Go for a Long Drive (During the Fall)
-Have a Fancy Dinner- Dress Up, Candlelight, Table Setting
-Watch a movie you Loved as a Kid
-Stop Somewhere You've Always Walked/Driven Past
-Wear and Outfit You Love to Go Out
-Phone a Friend Just to Catch Up
-Learn 10 Phrases in Another Language
-Complete a 1000+ Piece Puzzle

Celebration of Achievement Brainstorm

My kids love to ask but what happens when we get a bingo, or complete a punch card. They haven't quite learned that the satisfaction of completing a goal is part of the reward. The other part of the reward is what you learned to do or created or experienced when you completed the goal. But we all love a third reward, and in my house you get to choose something to do to celebrate your achievement. It's nice that we can all do something together to honor and acknowledge the cools things we have done. And for my kids (and myself tbh) it's nice to be able to pick something you really want to do. So here is a big brainstorm list of things you could do to celebrate the achievement of your goals.

Kids Rewards
-Candy Bar
-Ice Cream
-Pick a Homemade Dessert
-Choose a Favorite Drink
-Get a Donut
-Choose a Small Toy Prize
-Choose a Sticker Prize
-Pick a Book
-Stay Up 30 Minutes Later
-Pick a Movie for Family Movie Night
-Skip a Chore
-One-on-One Date With Mom or Dad
-Pick a Playground to Play At
-Visit the Pet Store to Look at the Animals
-Have a Picnic
-Go to a Movie
-Build a Fort for a Movie Night at Home
-Sibling Sleepover

Adult Rewards
-Buy Yourself Flowers
-Get Your Favorite Coffee
-Get a Bath Bomb for a Luxurious Bath
-Buy a New Book
-Get a Pastry from a Bakery
-Get a New Magazine
-Order Take-Out
-Go to Lunch With a Friend
-Give Yourself 1 Hour of Uninterrupted Time to Yourself
-Take a Class or Workshop
-Upgrade Something You Use Everyday
-Buy a New Plant
-Buy a New Article of Clothing

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A Parent's Guide to the Best Graphic Novels for Elementary Kids (Ages 6-12)

A Parent's Guide to the Best Graphic Novels for Elementary Kids (Ages 6-12)

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Graphic Novels are a huge hit in our house. It seems like they are getting more popular overall since there are amazing new books coming out every year. Today I want to share some of the most read and re-read Graphic Novels in our household.


(Ages 9-13)
These stories are the cutest coming of age books. It follows Lia who leaves her home in Romania for Canada, and has to navigate a new school, a new language, and new changes in her body, namely her period. I feel like this book is incredibly relatable and perfect for anyone going through all the changes that come with growing up. Seeing Lia navigate friendships and school work and her changing body can be really helpful to feel like you are not alone. I love these books and my kids have as well.


(Ages 8-12)
This book follows a group of kids who enter a contest and their prize is an overnight adventure in the coolest library in the world. The kids have to solve clues and figure out puzzles so they can escape. This book is so fun for kids and ignites their imagination. 


Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable
(Ages 8-12)
This five book series follows Katie who has to find a way to spend her summer and ends up being a Catsitter for 217 cats! While she is wrangling cats she is also trying to solve the mystery of a notorious villain on the loose and keeping up with her friendships. This story is full of humor and my cat loving kids have absolutely loved the whole series. 


(Ages 6-9)
The perfect starter series for kids just getting into graphic novels. This book follows Karen, who is Kristy's (from the original baby sitters club) younger step-sister. This book takes us back to Stoneybrook where Karen gets into all sorts of adventures with her friends. This series currently has 12 books with 3 more on the way, so there are plenty of fun adventures for avid readers. 


My kids are obsessed with The Warrior Cats a series that follows for clans of wild cats as they learn to survive the elements and the other clans. My kids absolutely get lost in the Warrior Cat world and love to bring it into their imaginative play when they are not reading. My kids have read and re-read these books so many times, it's definitely a most loved book series in our library.

(Ages 8-12)
Both of these books put modern spins on some beautiful classics. They are both an imaging of the stories of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women if they were happing in the modern era. My kids love these books and I love that it helps to introduce them to books that have been loved for generations.

(Ages 8-12)
While the Warrior Cats world is a little bit confusing and overwhelming to me at times, I think I am correct in saying that these Warrior cat graphic novels are not part of the main series, rather they are side stories of the cats you will find in the main series books. However it all works, my kids love these books and have read them multiple times. If you have ever read an amazing series and want to know about all the side characters, you will understand why my kids are pretty obsessed with getting to know all the cats stories outside of the main series.

(Ages 8-12)
If your kids love dragons and adventure and fulfilling destiny, these books are perfect. These books are an adaption of the chapter books, so its perfect for kids who are maybe overwhelmed by reading or struggle with reading in any way. The picture help to conceptualize what is going on and you can read through it faster. My kids love these series and these graphic novels are so fun for them to read.


(Ages 9-12)
My oldest is pretty much obsessed with any book by Stuart Gibbs, he is definitely a favorite author in our household, and she is just as obsessed with these graphic novels as well. Spy school follows Ben who knows he wants to be a spy and gets a chance to work in espionage. Space Case and the Moon Base Alpha books follow Dashiell who lives on the Space Station and must solve mysteries as things unfold. Whether your kids like to solve mysteries on earth or in space, these graphic novels are perfect for you.


(Ages 8-12)
Anzu has just made a challenging move during Obon, and while feeling the frustration of being the new girl she happens to follow a dog into underworld and must find a way out before Obon is over. This book is truly unique story and I especially love the way it opens the world to other cultures and ways of life. I love being able to give my kids a chance to engage with other worldviews and I really enjoyed this book. The next book in the series is coming out next spring and I'm excited for it.


Creaky Acres by Calista Brill & Nilah Magruder
(Ages 9-12)
This book follows Nora who has to make a big move to a very new place and must learn to adjust to new friends, a new place and a new barn for horseback riding. This book is about learning to make new friends and be in a new place. My horse loving girl loved this book.


This book is written for kids to help them become more media literate. In a world where anything can be posted and shared at the speed of light our kids are going to be confronted with all sorts of information, and figuring out what is real is seriously becoming more challenging every day. This book gives them tools to sort through all sorts of information to know what is real and what is not. While this book is written for kids I'd love to send it to everyone I know because the information is super relevant to the world we live in. 

There you go, an extensive list of graphic novels we love! But I know there is even more, what books would you add?

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Mallory Hazel
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The Best Book Series for Kids Ages 9–15 | Perfect for Kids Who Love to Get Lost in a Series

The Best Book Series for Kids Ages 9–15 | Perfect for Kids Who Love to Get Lost in a Series

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My kids are voracious readers. It can be difficult for me to keep up with getting enough books for them to read, which is why I love finding a book series. Luckily there are plenty of amazing book series out there with more coming out all the time. I wanted to compile my very favorite book series to inspire others. So if you have a super reader or just need some book series to get your kids interested in reading, this is the list for you!

If you want to find all of these books in one place you can check out my Series Book List on my Amazon Storefront.

This six book series is top tier in our household. I found this series years ago and accidentally picked up the third book of the series first to read aloud. It was a great story, but I felt like some of the background and characters could have been expanded upon a little bit more. Lucky for me when I finished the book I realized I had started on the third book and could get the backstory I so craved by just reading the first two books. My husband and daughter started reading the first book together at bedtime, and they both absolutely loved it. I believe the series is complete at this point and all I've heard is rave reviews from my husband who loved reading it to my daughter and my daughter who has read through the series multiple times at this point.  She loves that it is a very imaginative story and would love to be a book wanderer and travel through stories.


This book is a great cast of unique characters who use their interesting talents and knowledge to get through sticky situations. This is a great book if your kids like puzzles and using logic to move through the mysteries these characters encounter. My daughter especially loves the characters and how they worked together.


The Neverfear just came out and my daughter finished it in one day. She loves the witty characters and the magical and mythical creatures they encounter. She says the books are filled with humor and adventure. It must be a good series because she loves to talk about it and share the books with her friends who love it as well!

The Prophecy Begins (First Series) ||| The New Prophecy (Second Series) 
The Power of Three (Third Series) ||| Omen of the Stars (Fourth Series) 
A Vision of Shadows (Fifth Series) ||| The Broken Code (Sixth Series) ||| A Starless Clan (Seventh Series) Changing Skies (Eighth Series 4 of 6 books with two more to come) ||| The Warrior Cats Ultimate Guide

I didn't know about The Warrior Cats so I didn't know how our lives would change when I got my daughter her first book in the very expansive series. Since that day we have had 2 Warrior Cat themed birthday parties and she was invited to someone else's Warrior Cat themed birthday. We have a Warrior den outside the kids love to play in. We have warrior cat stuffs, and warrior cat toys. Both of my girls love it and it has helped them create such imaginative play together. My daughter says it is a great book for people who love cats as it takes you on an adventure through the different clans and lives of the Warrior Cats.


My husband and daughter read this series together and they both enjoyed it. My daughter says it has a really good storyline and it is really long so there is a lot of great character development. This book was made into a series by AppleTV so if you enjoy the book you can see it brought to life, or vice versa you could watch the series first and then check out the books.

The City of Ember series feels like a hidden gem series to me. The book follows two kids who live in an underground city, but when the electricity starts to fail and the lights flicker out, they must discover where they are, why they are there in the first place and a way out. It is a mystery and adventure books and honestly a book I would love to see make a comeback and get the recognition it deserves.

Wings of Fire is an 18 Book Series with potential for more to come. It follows dragons who come from different tribes. My daughter loves all of different dragons and says the characters are easy to relate to and she loves to imagine herself as one of the characters in this mythical land. This book feels immersive in the same way many great series do. When you read it you like to wonder which dragon tribe you would fit into the best. There are heroes and villains. There are impossible tasks to accomplish. And there is always more of the world to discover and immerse yourself into.

The Land of stories follows twins who happen upon a magical world separate from their own ordinary lives. In this magical place they come upon characters they know from fairy tales, but the characters are different in one way or another. In this foreign world they must complete various tasks across the magical land to complete their quest. I have great memories of listening to the audiobook with my kids while we worked on a puzzle over the course of a few days and honestly we were all enchanted and immersed into the stories. My daughter went on to read all the books in the series and enjoyed them as well!

My daughter loves the Percy Jackson series because she really enjoys the mythology you learn from it and loves being immersed in a big adventure. As a bonus it has also recently been turned into a Disney+ series that seems to be well done.

I loved reading the first book with my daughter and she has enjoyed the sequels as well. This book follow a robot who is washed up on an island and how it integrates into the wild world. My daughter loves that it is an emotional book that teaches you about relationships, working together, and needing each other. It has also recently been made into a movie which I also enjoyed.

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti
I read the Sherlock Society along with nine 5th graders for a local library challenge and I think we all really liked the book. It was definitely one of the favorite books I read and many of the kids were anxious to get the second book to read. The third book just came out but we have high hopes it's just as good. It follows four kids and their enabling grandfather as they try to solve mysteries. Like most mysteries the mystery they are trying to solve leads to even more mysteries. It a good book about working as a team and doing the right thing, even when it is difficult.

Framed! A Crime Fighting Collection by James Ponti  
Framed! ||| Vanished! ||| Trapped!
After reading the Sherlock Society my daughter wanted to read more books by James Ponti, so when we found this other series we had no doubt it would be great. My daughter says it's another great mystery with funny characters. She pointed out that she enjoys the way James Ponti books start from the end, with the dilemma or problem and then you go back in time to find out how they got into the mess they are in before the book resolves.

 Max in the House of Spies ||| Max in the Land of Lies
This book is a historical fiction book set during WWII. It follows Max who is a Jewish boy living in Germany who is sent away from home during WWII through the Kindertransport. He lives with relatives who are engaged in a spy network that Max gets to be a part of. It is a well written book and keeps you engaged in the story. My daughter especially loved the character Berg and Stein who bring some cometic relief to this story set in time and place that can feel a bit heavy.

The FunJungle Series by Stuart Gibbs
Belly Up ||| Poached ||| Big Game ||| Panda-monium ||| Lion Down ||| Tyrannosaurus Wrecks ||| Bear Bottom ||| Whale Done ||| All Ears ||| Ape Escape
The FunJungle series is a favorite of my daughters and whenever a new book comes out she is anxious to read them. They are mystery books but also contain lots of humor and fun. In the books you can explore different animals and the places they might come from. The books also teach about endangered animals. Overall it education wrapped up in a fun fictional story kids will love.

Spy School Series by Stuart Gibbs
Spy School ||| Spy Camp ||| Evil Spy School ||| Spy Ski School ||| Spy School Secret Service ||| Spy School Goes South ||| Spy School British Invasion ||| Spy School Revolution ||| Spy School at Sea ||| Spy School Project X ||| Spy School Goes North ||| Spy School Goes Wild ||| Spy School Blackout  ||| Spy School Goes East (To Be Released October 2026)
Spy school is very popular in our house and my daughter likes it because she gets to pretend to be a spy as she immerses herself in each story. With 14 spy stories in a variety of locations and with different themes, your kids will be entertained for a long time.

Do you have any book series your kids love? We are always looking for something new!

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Mallory Hazel
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