If you’ve spent any time with the Night Buddies books, you know Crosley. He is the bright red crocodile who lives under John’s bed, the one who grabs a belt full of gadgets and sneaks out into the Borough after lights-out to chase down whatever needs chasing. Crosely gets the cover. Crosely gets the glory. […]
You have the list. It came home on a photocopied sheet or landed in your inbox, and it is strangely specific. Not just a folder, but a red folder with prongs and no pockets. Not markers, but a particular count of a particular kind. You walk into the store with a plan and a cart, […]
Every summer, parents worry about the reading slide. Will their children lose ground on math? Will the writing get rusty? Will September arrive to find everything they learned last year quietly leaking out of their heads? It is a real thing, and it is the slide everybody already knows to watch for. But there is […]
Some of the most memorable friendships in children’s literature aren’t between two people, but between a child and an extraordinary animal. These loyal companions offer courage when life feels uncertain, spark unforgettable adventures, and remind young readers that friendship often comes in the most unexpected forms. In Night Buddies, Crosley is far more than a […]
The registration form is sitting open on your laptop. Fall soccer, dance, band, or the swim team, they have done for three years running. You mention it at dinner, expecting a shrug and a yes, and instead your child puts down their fork and says they do not want to do it again. And something […]
Somewhere around nine o’clock, you are going to regret this. The tent will be crooked. Someone will need to come inside to use the bathroom twice. A kid who has been begging for this all week will announce that the ground is too hard, the bugs are too loud, and can they please just sleep […]
Few things rattle a parent quite like catching their kid in a lie. Not a little one either, but a look-you-in-the-eye, completely made-up lie about something you already know the truth about. In that moment, it is hard not to spiral and think, if they can lie to me this easily, what else are they […]
There is a moment, right before the first big firework goes off, when an entire crowd goes quiet and tips their heads back at the same time. Kids and adults, all of them, staring up at the dark and waiting for something to happen. Then it does, and everybody makes the same sound. For something […]
Summer can be filled with small asks. Can I ride my bike to Jacob’s house? Can I stay home while you run to the store? Can I walk to the corner and back by myself? And so often a parent’s instinct is to say not yet. Maybe when you are older. Maybe next year. Summer […]
There is a very specific moment that every reading household knows. Your middle grader finishes a book they loved, closes it, and looks up with a mix of satisfaction and grief. Then comes the question: Do you have another one like that? It sounds simple. It is not. The trick is that kids almost never […]
The first few days of summer break have a honeymoon quality. Everyone is relaxed, the rules are loose, and if your middle grader spends a long morning glued to a screen, well, they earned it. They survived a whole school year. Then day four arrives, and the loose arrangement you never actually agreed to has […]
Most summer bucket lists are either too young or too vague. Blow bubbles. Have a picnic. Visit a museum. Middle graders need something with a little more edge to it. Something that feels like a real challenge, a real adventure, or at minimum a really good story to tell later. Here is a list built […]