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Life After Potter -- and More Great Summer Reading

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KID MYSTERIES
Break out the magnifying glasses. This summer, "Nancy Drew" arrives in movie theaters and, when it does, expect a fresh surge of interest in kid sleuthing. Would-be young detectives can check out these summer reads.

Nancy Drew and The Clue Crew, by Carolyn Keene; Aladdin Paperbacks
Chapter Book Series; Ages 6-9
These illustrated new tales update the ever-popular Nancy Drew series, taking the girl detective -- and a set of spunky friends -- to solve mysteries big and small. The latest title in the series, "Lights, Camera ... Cats!" sends the Clue Crew to the troubled set of a Hollywood film set starring the town's most famous cat.

The Wright 3, by Blue Balliett; Scholastic Press
Chapter Book, 352 pages; Ages 9-12 (Read aloud to child, 6 and up)
What is art? It might seem a big question for kids to ponder, but Blue Balliett has a way of making kids consider the notion while engaged in a fast-paced mystery. In this sequel to "Chasing Vermeer," kid detectives Calder and Petra are joined by Tommy, a friend of Calder's who'd moved away and returns. Set in Chicago amongst Frank Lloyd Wright's famous architecture, the trio must piece together a mystery that could save Wright's landmark Robie House.

Half Moon Investigations, by Eoin Colfer; Miramax Books
Chapter Book, 304 pages; Ages 9-12 (Read aloud to child, 6 and up)
Fletcher Moon may be short. And he's certainly not the most popular 12-year-old in his Irish town. Still, he's got no problem showing off his badge, certifying him a "graduate" of an online private detective academy in Washington, D.C. Half Moon, as Fletcher's called -- has solved several tough cases at Saint Jerome's Elementary and Middle School. Kids know to call on him in a jam. But when grade-school diva April Devereux commissions Fletcher to find a lock of a pop star's hair that she claims was stolen by the Sharkeys, a notorious crime family, everything goes wrong. Fletcher goes on the run, and his only on-the-lam ally is one of the Sharkey kids.

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Life After Potter -- and More Great Summer Reading

ArizonaWriter
August 20, 2009

Awesome list! My 7-year-old son (a precocioius reader if there ever was one) and I are almost done with "Half-Blood Prince" right now so we'll have to delve into some of these others soon!

--Arizona Writer, http://arizonawriter.blogspot.com

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mommy2mandn
mommy2mandn says:
July 27, 2007

Hello. I'm mommy2mandn. I'm 35 years old. I'm a Harry Potteraholic....

I really enjoyed the last book, but I'm taking the end of the series much harder than anyone else in my family. The deaths scattered throught the book (no spoilers here, don't worry) affected me deeply, but my daughter was able to dismiss them with the comment, "it is a fiction book. I can't change what the author decided to do" even though one of her untouchable favorites died.

I'm thrilled to know now, though, that JKR has said she'll write an encyclopedia. Even though we won't have more adventures to share, at least we'll know more about how everyone ended up and what they ended up doing.

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Ritabeckman
Ritabeckman says:
July 27, 2007

I am a 32 year old mother of 2, who works full time and goes to law school part time- yet I found the time to visit my beloved Harry, Ron and Hermione. I loved every min. of the most recent book with all the twists and turns that J.K. is known for. It was a great excape from reading about Contracts and Mergers.

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