BEST BABYSITTERS EVER

My daughter is at an age where she is reading Middle Grade literature and is always on the lookout for a good book to read. Middle Grade books are written for kids between 8 to 12 years old with content that is age appropriate for them which means these stories are void of profanity, gore, graphic violence and sexuality; though they may contain some romantic situations such as a crush or first kiss. Examples of Middle Grade reads are Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, the novel Wonder by R. J. Palacio, and the newest book my daughter has recently taken a liking to BEST BABYSITTERS EVER by Caroline Cala.

A FUNNY LOOK AT BABYSITTING

Once upon a time, a girl named Kristy Thomas had a great idea: to form The Baby-Sitters Club with her best friends. And now in BEST BABSITTERS EVER twelve-year-old Malia Twiggs has had a great idea too. Technically, she had Kristy’s idea. (And technically, little kids seem gross and annoying, but a paycheck is a paycheck). After a little convincing, Malia and her friends Dot and Bree start a babysitting club to earn funds for an epic birthday bash. But babysitting definitely isn’t what they thought it would be.

Three friends. No parents. Unlimited snacks. And, okay, occasionally watching other people’s children. What could possibly go wrong?

From the amount of giggling that my daughter has been doing while reading BEST BABYSITTERS EVER, obviously a lot of things do go wrong for the girls in their efforts to raise some easy cash. But these comedic situations and humorous moments are what make flipping through the pages of this book so entertaining for tweens like my own ten year old girl. She has been camping out in her bedroom play tent having a great time reading this book ever since getting her hands on it.

A PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE

For some dinner time conversation, I've been asking my daughter about what is going on in the book. So our whole family has been getting regular updates about BEST BABYSITTERS EVER as she has been making her way through the story. It is nice to witness how engaged my daughter has been talking about this book with us over meals at the dining room table. You can tell she has genuinely been enjoying reading BEST BABYSITTERS EVER.

From our dinner conversations, it seems as the author portrays an authentic depiction of tween aged girls friendship that makes the characters very relatable to my daughter. It seems as if this book also has a diverse cast of characters from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. BEST BABYSITTERS EVER also has themes that promote female entrepreneurship and provide lessons for kids on how to make and spend money responsibly.

In fact, my daughter has started coming up with her own business ideas to do with her friends since she started reading this book. Some of their ideas have included selling bags of popcorn to their classmates on days there are assemblies at school or glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces during dances, traveling around the neighborhood on snow days offering people shoveling sidewalks and driveways hot chocolate, and running a puppy daycare.  You have to admit these are some good ideas!

Based upon the excitement about reading this book has generated with my daughter plus how it has sparked her creativity and imagination, BEST BABYSITTERS EVER has earned A GEEK DADDY nod of approval.  You can find the book at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and a number of local independent bookstores by searching the Indiebound directory. The book is published by HMH Books for Young Readers and will be available to purchase beginning February 5, 2019.

A GEEK DADDY GIVEAWAY

Thanks to HMH Books ageekdaddy.com also is hosting a BEST BABYSITTERS EVER giveaway. One lucky randomly selected winner will receive a copy of Caroline Cala's debut Middle Grade novel BEST BABYSITTERS EVER + a $50 Visa gift card to let your young reader splurge on themselves – no babysitting job required! To be eligible to win just complete the entries in the rafflecopter form below before 11:59 pm ET on February 4, 2019. Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to be eligible to receive this prize pack. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A GUIDE TO MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS

For more great Middle Grade book ideas for girls and boys, check out the MIDDLE GRADE MANIA website. It is full of book suggestions, fun activities, and educational resources for tween reading. You can also follow HMH Books on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

MISFITS

We are always on the lookout for Middle Grade reading level books that my kids will enjoy.  The Middle Grade genre is focused on young readers in elementary school between the ages of eight and twelve years old.  The content of these stories are void of profanity, graphic violence and sexual situations with a focus on being age appropriate for this audience and normally features main characters about the same age as their readers who are dealing with life situations, solving mysteries or taking part in a fantastic adventure.

So my daughter was excited when we received an unexpected delivery at our doorstep promoting a brand new Middle Grade reading books series written with girls her age in mind by its author.  Sourcebooks sent us the first book in Jen Calonita's Royal Academy Rebels series, MISFITS, along with some princess themed goodies for her to enjoy.  This Middle Grade book series transports readers to the fantasyland of Enchantasia where all the princesses and princes of the kingdoms that make up this magical place are sent to a boarding school called the Royal Academy that serves as a training ground for the fairytale leaders of tomorrow.

MISFITS introduces Devin a young princess who is more interested in being a caretaker of injured woodland animals than one day becoming a queen.  She is a reluctant student as her parents send the girl off the Royal Academy to prepare her for living the life of royalty.  Things seem odd when the school's headmistress, a fairy godmother named Olivia, displays an obsession with preparing students to defend themselves against attacks from evil villains. When Devin asks if the students are going to learn how to actually rule a kingdom, Olivina becomes enraged. This sets Devin on the path to an unexpected adventure.

My daughter became hooked on this book right away when she first began flipping through its pages. She has taken the book to school to read everyday during her class's independent reading period and gives us progress reports on the story each night at dinner time.  Based upon her enthusiasm for reading this story, MISFITS: ROYAL ACADEMY REBELS, BOOK 1 gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval.

Click here to read an excerpt from MISFITS for yourself.  For more information about author Jen Calonita and her Royal Academy Rebels books, head over to jencalonitaonline.com. MISFITS: ROYAL ACADEMY REBELS, BOOK 1 is available to purchase from Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Target, and Walmart as well as other places books are sold.