Brainstorm 211: 25 Picture Book Reading Ideas for the ICS Bingo Reading Challenge

Last week I introduced the ICS Bingo Reading Challenge. I mentioned that we’d be sharing more reading ideas for those who want to participate or those who just want reading ideas. This week, Elementary librarian Sarah Foit shares 25 reading ideas for picture book readers. Click on the title for summaries and reviews about each book.

Nonfiction Graphic Novel

The Invention Hunters Discover How Electricity Works by Korwin Briggs
Learn the basics of electricity with goofy characters.

Mystery Book

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick & David Serlin
The cutest detective around uses his observation skills to solve cases.

Fantasy Book

Once upon a Goat by Dan Richards, ill. by Eric Barclay
A King and Queen learn about the importance of word choice when wishing in this fractured fairy tale.

Time-Slip Book

A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins, ill. by Sophie Blackall
Make a blackberry fool dessert with families in 1710, 1810, 1910, and 2010.

Survival Story

The Call of the Wolves by Jim Murphy, ill. by Mark Alan Weatherby
Travel with an Arctic wolf pack.

Animal Story

The Secret Life of the Skunk by Laurence Pringle, ill. by Kate Garchinsky
One year in the life of a skunk.

Science Fiction

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood, ill. by Meg Hunt
Cinderella, featuring a girl mechanic in space, and a twist ending.

Historical Fiction

The Hundred-Year Barn by Patricia MacLachlan, ill. by Kenard Pak
The story of a 100 year old barn and the family who built and used it.

Love Story

Miss Spider's Wedding by David Kirk
Miss Spider has found the love of her life, but her friends think she should marry someone more dashing.

Funny Book

Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh, ill. by Scott Campbell
A humorous look at why skulls are great.

Dystopia Book

The Numberlys by William Joyce & Christina Ellis
Life is bleak and gray in the Numberlys world until they make an amazing discovery.

Mythological-Based Fiction

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
Little Star can’t wait for the big mooncake she made with mother to cool down before she eats it and sneaks bites.

Fiction Graphic Novel

Wake up, Crabby! by Jonathan Fenske
4 little humorous adventures/misadventures with Crab and Plankton.

Thriller/Suspense Book

Circle by Mac Barnett, ill. by Jon Klassen
After hide-n-seek gone awry, Circle must rescue Triangle from the dark behind the waterfall.

Nonfiction History

Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler
8 siblings and their mother turn a shack in the woods into a home during the Great Depression.

Fantasy Book

Fairy Science by Ashley Spires
A fairy is trying to prove the usefulness of the scientific method to her fellow fairies.

Nonfiction Science

Fungus is among Us! by Joy Keller, ill. by Erica Salcedo
A little girl learns about how fungus is everywhere in various forms.

Mystery Book

Follow Me around the Garden by Camille Garoche
Luna can’t figure out why the garden is so quiet today.

Time-Travel Book

The Discovery of Anime and Manga by Phil Amara & Oliver Chin, ill. by Juan Calle, translated by Hiroko Amara
Two kids are transported through time by a red panda to learn about the history of anime and manga.

Sports Story

SumoKitty by David Biedrzycki
When the cat who lives with the sumo wrestlers gets kicked out for being too lazy to chase mice, can he redeem himself?

Fairytale Rewrite

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back up Again by Dan Santat
Humpty Dumpty deals with recovering from trauma.

Contemporary Fiction

All the Animals Where I Live by Philip C. Stead
The author shares how many animals live around his new country home.

Science Fiction

If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen
Jack describes his ideal school in rhyming text.

Biography, Autobiography, or Memoir

Just like Beverly: a Biography of Beverly Cleary by Vicki Conrad, ill. by David Hohn
A picture book biography of the beloved children’s author, Beverly Cleary.

Foodie Story

What's Your Favorite Food? by Eric Carle & Friends
Eric Carle and other children’s book authors/illustrators share their favorite foods with readers.

Brainstorm 210: Bingo Reading Challenge

Sorry, readers. It has taken a while to find a new groove with this whole online schooling thing. I think I'm finally there, so the Brainstorm is back on to it's regular weekly schedule.

Are you looking for something to do? Maybe something that will both grow and challenge you? Maybe something you can do with others? Well, I have a Bingo Reading Challenge for you that you can do alone, as a family, with friends, with your book club, etc. It can be used for just beginning readers devouring picture books all the way up to adult readers who refuse to touch anything under 600 pages. I made this for our school, but anyone can join in.

Click here for a downloadable/printable version.

If you need some ideas of what to read to fill in those bingo squares, Elementary librarian, Ms Sarah Foit, and I will be sharing 25 reading ideas with you the next couple of weeks to help you. I’m starting today with 25 ideas for a middle grade reader. Click on the title of the book for a full summary and review. And remember, many books can fit in multiple categories! I might put the Sandwiches book in my Nonfiction Graphic Novel box while another reader might put it in the Foodie Story box.

If you finish 5 in a row, multiple 5 in a rows, or even a whole bingo card we'd love to see what you chose to read. You can share it on social media with the hashtag #icsbingoreadingchallenge

25 Reading Ideas for Middle Grade

Nonfiction Graphic Novel

Sandwiches! More Than You’ve Ever Want to Know about Making and Eating America’s Favorite Food by Alison Deering, ill. by Bob Lentz
Part infographic, part cook book. Sure to make you hungry.

Mystery Book

Framed! (Framed!, #1) by James Ponti
Match wits with a boy recruited to help the FBI solve art crimes.

Fantasy Book

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix
A princess, the castle dogs, and other unexpected friends must get help to get her sister’s boyfriend less froggy and deal with her evil step-stepfather. (Psst, don't let the cover fool you. It's not a "girly" book.)

Time-Slip Book

Skylark and Wallcreeper by Anne O’Brien Carelli
Stories of a girl in WWII France, and a girl in New York during Hurricane Sandy intertwine.

Survival Story

Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
After soldiers attack people in her Tibetan village that are part of the resistance, including her parents, Tash sets out with two yaks and her best friend Sam to get help from the Dalai Lama.

Animal Story

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt
Two raccoons must awake the Sugar Man to help save their swamp as danger creeps in.

Science Fiction

A Problematic Paradox (Nikola Kross, #1) by Eliot Sappingfield
After her father is kidnapped by aliens, Nikola is swept away to a very secret, very odd boarding school.

Historical Fiction

Sunny Side Up (Sunny, #1) by Jennifer L. Holm, ill. by Matthew Holm
Sunny has to survive a whole summer staying with her Grandfather in his retirement community in Florida.

Love Story

Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
In a small town in New England there are lonely hearts that need friendship, a centuries-old curse that needs breaking, misunderstandings that need clearing up, owls that need saving, a rash of thefts that needs stopping, a graffiti artist whose motives need examining, and a family that needs reuniting

Funny Book

The Ministry of S.U.I.T.s (Ministry of SUITs, #1) by Paul Gamble
An exceptionally curious boy finds himself recruited to be a secret agent by the Ministry of Strange Unusual and Impossible Things.

Dystopia Book

Sky Jumpers (Sky Jumpers, #1) by Peggy Eddleman
In a post-WWIII world, bandits invade a small town and a girl who knows a secret way out of the city must risk everything to get help.

Mythological-based Fiction

Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet, #1) by Roshani Chokshi
Aru may have kind of released the Sleeper and now if she doesn’t catch him again time is going to end.

Fiction Graphic Novel

Star Scouts (Star Scouts, #1) by Mike Lawrence
Avani was having trouble fitting in with the Flower Scouts troop in her new city, but when she is accidentally picked up by a Star Scout and transported to an intergalactic station, she may have just found the scout troop of her dreams.

Thriller/Suspense Book

The Van Gogh Deception by Deron Hicks
A boy is found all by himself in a museum with no memory of who he is or how he got there. And someone is chasing him.

Nonfiction History

Blizzard!: the Storm That Changed America by Jim Murphy
An account of the Blizzard of 1888 that snuck up on just about everyone in New England, and forever changed how cities are managed.

Fantasy Book

Dealing with Dragons (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1) by Patricia C. Wrede
A princess who’d rather practice sword play and organize a library than do embroidery, a busy dragon who could use an assistant, and some conniving wizards who’d rather the land be dragon-free.

Nonfiction Science

Chasing Cheetahs: the Race to Save Africa’s Fastest Cat by Sy Montgomery, photos by Nic Bishop
Travel to Namibia, visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund's African headquarters and learn about the variety of programs the CCF has instituted to rescue cheetahs, reintroduce them to the wild, prevent their deaths, and increase their numbers.

Mystery Book

Belly Up (FunJungle, #1) by Stuart Gibbs
Everyone thinks the hippo at the zoo where Teddy Fitzroy’s parents work died of natural causes but he smells foul play.

Time-Travel Book

Ben Franklin’s in My Bathroom (History Pals, #1) by Candace Fleming, ill. by Mark Fearing
Nolan is going crazy after Ben Franklin shows up in his house and then takes off trying to see all his inventions around town.

Sports Story

Run with Me: the Story of a U.S. Olympic Champion by Sanya Richards-Ross
Sanya Richards-Ross shares how she became an Olympic runner and lessons she’s learned about life and faith along the way.

Fairytale Rewrite

Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde
The misadventures of a princess who tried to help a bewitched boy and finds herself an enchanted frog.

Contemporary Fiction

Mascot by Antony John
Noah Savino isn’t happy with his life after the accident that killed his dad and landed him in a wheelchair. His mom is dating again, his physical therapist is a drill sergeant, and he's now become the "wheelchair kid" at school. But is it really all bad?

Science Fiction

Sanity & Tallulah (Sanity & Tallulah, #1) by Molly Brooks
Sanity and Tallulah are best friends. They do everything together on their space station. They watch shows together, go to school together, and get in trouble for using their smarts to create a bioengineered three-headed cat named Princess Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds together. When their kitten escapes and wiring on the space station starts to go haywire at the same time, they have to work together to find their precious kitten before the space station staff does or it will be curtains for Princess Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds.


Biography, Autobiography, or Memoir

Short & Skinny by Mark Tatulli
A graphic novel autobiography of the author's middle school years when he felt insecure about his body shape and stature, but found confidence through making a movie spoof of the newly released Star Wars.

Foodie Story

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer
Foster, a kid who dreams of being on the Food Network and has the kitchen skills to make it, struggles with reading and finds help and friends in unexpected places.