My mom-goal this year is teaching my two sons to:

• never lie;

• do one kind thing to a fellow human every day; and

• appreciate girls.

Some truly awesome books are helping me with the last item. Here’s my 3 favorites – for your boys’ and girls’ enjoyment!

1. Charlie Thorne (Stuart Gibbs series, 10-16 yrs)

Charlie is a 12yo genius and daredevil. In complicated plots mixing history with fiction, she outsmarts grown-ups, performs near-death physical feats, and gives us science / history / fine arts lessons.

Be warned though – Charlie Thorne spells “addiction”; my 6^th grader has been reading late into the night and waking up before dawn to keep going. (Charlie is life goals for us both…).

2. Dory Fantasmagory (Abby Hanlon series, 6-9 yrs)

When your 6-9yo son declares he can’t be friends with girls because they’re boring / girly / unimaginative, introduce him to Dory Fantasmagory. I haven’t fallen in love with a character faster than with Dory – she’s absolutely adorable and completely outrageous; stubborn to tears yet kind to no limit; infuriating and endlessly endearing. Just look at that adorable face on the cover!

However, another warning: revisiting the Dory series for my 8yo usually translates to him doing something brilliant and hair-raisingly rascally… So…

3. Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll! by Tonya Bolden (3-6 yrs)

And to help you introduce a real-life gal superhero – visit this love letter to the godmother of rock ‘n’ roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Rock, Rosetta, Rock!… is joyful, informative, visually pleasing. My boys have enjoyed learning about this phenomenally talented woman who beat the odds and shone in a male-dominated industry not that long ago. Rock, Rosetta, Rock!

An added bonus: guaranteed party in the house when you dance to Rosetta’s tunes together!

Happy National Sons Day if you’re celebrating – and happy reading to everyone!

Let me know if you enjoyed the books 😀 and talk soon!