PINK SMOOTHIE'S BOOKS TOP 5

Books Top 5 - March 2019

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The following list contains new and years-old book releases, so that those that are starting to read can become bookworms, step by step.

You will find my monthly recommendations for Growing, Tween, and Teen Readers here!  

​Advanced readers can also choose their pick, because reading a book that is old also has its advantages.  Books come with infinite knowledge, remember that!

Growing Readers, 6-8 years old

1. Safari Friends (Lily Lemon Blossom), by Barbara Miller. Its release date was March 9th, 2013 and has 36 pages.


“Come along with Lily Lemon Blossom on her amazing journey and see what she and her two brave companions, teddy and bunny are up to on their thrilling safari adventure.”– Goodreads.

2. The Sneezing Christmas Tree, by Aaron Kerr. Its release date was December 4th, 2011 and has 40 pages.

“A story to read with your family in an hour.

A message to learn and live for a lifetime.

When Alice and Tommy welcome a Christmas tree, Emily, into their home, she seems like a perfectly ordinary tree. That is, until the sneezing starts. They soon discover there is far more to Emily than they ever imagined. But everything changes when Alice realizes they may have made a terrible mistake.

The entire family will enjoy this story and its timeless message of the love of Jesus and the unique purpose for which each of us is made.

The Sneezing Christmas Tree is a story you'll return to and cherish year after year.” – Goodreads.

2.  Anastasia Again! (Anastasia Krupnik #2) by Lois Lowry. Its release date was October 22nd, 2007 and has 160 pages.

“Twelve-year-old Anastasia Krupnik is convinced that her family's move to the suburbs will be the beginning of the end. How can she possibly accept split-level houses with matching furniture, or mothers whose biggest worry is ring around collar? But her new home brings many surprises, not to mention a cute boy who lives down the street. Is it possible that suburbia has more to offer than Anastasia had expected?” – Goodreads


3.  Best Friend Wars by Melany Marks. Its release date was March 26th, 2013 and has 170 pages.

“Nicole, Sara, and Nina aren’t the only kids at Jefferson Middle School with friendship drama. When new girl, Zoey Jones, comes between Summer and her best friend, Lacy—the war is on! 

Friends’ crushes are used to crush, rumors are spread, and secrets are revealed ... because this is war!” – Goodreads.

4.  Pippy’s Wish, by Maddie Ryan. Its release date was January 12th, 2013 and has 51 pages.


“Angel-in-Training Pippy is quirky, mischievous, lovable and enchanting. She can't wait to graduate, earn her wings and become a cool teen Angel.

Although she sometimes makes mistakes, her ingenuity and humor usually gets out her out of trouble.

Except this time, it's gotten her INTO trouble.

Big trouble.

Can Pippy solve this one on her own?

Pippy's Wish is a fun, inspirational read for all ages.

Pippy's Wish also includes a few of Pippy's Favorite Recipes: 

- Tangerine Angel Cupcakes with Sweet Cloud Frosting
- Purple Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
- Pippy's Super Cool Mac' N Cheese with Apple Slices & Potato Chips
- Pippy's Flying Angel Punch ” – Goodreads.

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Tween, 9-12 years old

1.  As Brave As You, by Jason Reynolds. Its release date was January 1st, 2011 and has 224 pages.

“When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires—literally.

Genie’s summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia—in the COUNTRY! The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. Thunderstruck and—being a curious kid—Genie peppers Grandpop with questions about how he covers it so well (besides wearing way cool Ray-Bans).

How does he match his clothes? Know where to walk? Cook with a gas stove? Pour a glass of sweet tea without spilling it? Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he’s ever known, but he starts to notice that his grandfather never leaves the house—as in NEVER. And when he finds the secret room that Grandpop is always disappearing into—a room so full of songbirds and plants that it’s almost as if it’s been pulled inside-out—he begins to wonder if his grandfather is really so brave after all.

Then Ernie lets him down in the bravery department. It’s his fourteenth birthday, and, Grandpop says to become a man, you have to learn how to shoot a gun. Genie thinks that is AWESOME until he realizes Ernie has no interest in learning how to shoot. None. Nada. Dumbfounded by Ernie’s reluctance, Genie is left to wonder—is bravery and becoming a man only about proving something, or is it just as important to own up to what you won’t do?” – Goodreads. 

2.  The Lemonade Crime (Lemonade War #2), by Jacqueline Davies. Its release date was January 1st, 2001 and has 160 pages. 

“Following the laws of our legal system, Evan and Jessie’s fourth grade class concocts a courtroom on the playground, putting Scott Spencer, alleged thief, on trial. They create a legitimate courtroom—with a judge, witnesses, a jury of their peers—and surprising consequences. 

As she explores the difficulties of fairness, Jacqueline Davies once again reveals how good she is at understanding the complex emotions of children this age.” – Goodreads. 

3.  Meet Rebecca (American Girls: Rebecca #1), by Jacqueline Dembar Greene. It was published on July 1st, 2009 and has 78 pages. 

“Rebecca Rubin longs to be the center of attention, but it's not easy in a family of five children! When mysterious cousin Max, the actor, tells her the secret to pleasing an audience, Rebecca can hardly wait to try it out. Then she learns that her young cousin Ana and her family are in danger--they must escape Russia and come to America. Rebecca decides to raise money for their passage by putting on a show right in her New York City neighborhood-until her disapproving grandmother steps in. Unexpectedly, Rebecca finds another way to earn money. But she knows that for her plan to work, she'll have to keep it a secret.” – Goodreads. 

4.  Matchmaker, by Kate Houser. Its release date was November 29th, 2013 and has 83 pages. 

“It was just after Olivia’s tenth birthday, after a fabulous birthday trip to Disney World, that her parents broke the news to her that shattered her world. They were getting divorced. Olivia had not seen it coming. Worse yet, her dad tells her he will be moving farther away to live in a different town. 

As time passes, Olivia adjusts to her parent’s divorce and to spending time with her dad on weekends. Then something happens. Her visits to her dad become more of a challenge and Olivia tries to figure out how to deal with it. 

Meanwhile, Olivia’s mom starts dating again and after a few disastrous dates, she meets someone that she really likes. However, Olivia thinks she has found the perfect man for her mom. She’s so convinced that she plays a role she never thought she would- a matchmaker! 

Will Olivia succeed in her role as a matchmaker, or will her mom continue dating the man she has met? And how will Olivia deal with the problem at her dad’s place? ” – Goodreads. 

5.  Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins #1), by PL Travers. It was first published in 1938, and its renewed version was published in June 1st, 2006. It has 209 pages. 

“By P.L. Travers, the author featured in the major motion picture, Saving Mr. Banks. From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed.

It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!” – Goodreads.

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Teen, 13+ years old

1.  Little Women (Little Women #1), by Louisa May Alcott. It was first published on September 30th, 1868 and has 449 pages.

“Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.”– Goodreads.

2.  The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander. It was published on March 18th, 2014 and it has 240 pages.

“With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.

Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.” – Goodreads.

3. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine. It was published in April 15th, 2010 and has 235 pages.

“In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful. Kathryn Erskine has written a must-read gem, one of the most moving novels of the year.” – Goodreads.

4. Before We Were Free, by Julia Alvarez. It was published on January 1st, 2004 and has 192 pages.

“I wonder what it would be like to be free? Not to need wings because you don’t have to fly away from your country?

Anita de la Torre is a twelve-year-old girl living in the Dominican Republic in 1960. Most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared, Papi has been getting mysterious phone calls about butterflies and someone named Mr. Smith, and the secret police have started terrorizing her family for their suspected opposition to the country’s dictator. While Anita deals with a frightening series of events, she also struggles with her adolescence and her own personal fight to be free.” – Goodreads.

5.  The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. It was first published in 1978, and then published again in April 12th, 2004.

“A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, one thing's for sure: Sam Westing may be dead... but that won't stop him from playing one last game!” – Goodreads.

©2019
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Pink Smoothie!​

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