Destination: the center of the earth
Beneath the ground you walk on lies exactly what? Dirt, rocks, and fossils? Maybe a long-forgotten toy? How about rare gold coins worth millions of dollars or a parchment containing the secrets of the universe? Careful, you’re stepping on it!
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Sym Wates is a fourteen-year-old who is fascinated with Antarctica until her uncle takes her there for a surprise visit. She discovers that she has no choice but to follow her uncle on his maniacal quest for a portal to the center of the earth—a quest that could very well take her life. Age 12 and up
How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World by Faith McNulty, illustrations by Marc Simont
Grab a shovel and start digging! This picturebook is a factual introduction to geology and also a fantastic 8,000-mile journey through the earth’s core and out the other side. Age 2-8
Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
When an ancient parchment reveals a secret passage through a volcano to the core of the earth, three men are bound to take the trip, even though it means certain death. Set in 1863, Verne’s entertaining tale of fantastic discovery and danger is a suspense-filled adventure and a true classic. Age 9-12
Activity: Hunt For Fossils
“Rock hounds” are fossil hunters. Fossils are the shapes of animal and plant outlines frozen in time in rocks. Finding them is (relatively) easy. Just look down. Or go to the library and find a rock-hounding book with tips about areas near you that are known for fossils. Creek beds are good places to look, but they can be dangerous. Before you undertake this
expedition, ask for permission, dress for the woods, and make sure you’re not on private property. |
Destination: Time Travel
Think about it. Turn the hands of time back a few hours and suddenly you’ve got time to do all those chores you “forgot” to do. Go back further and change the course of the entire world. Fast forward and see yourself as an adult with children. Yikes! What does the future hold? What would you change about the past if you could? Take this trip—if you dare.
Flotsam by David Wiesner
After finding a camera at the beach, a young boy develops the film only to discover a series of strange images, including a chain of children that travels back in time. Mesmerizing illustrations depict the camera’s contents and how the boy joins the chain himself. Age 5-8
The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
Josh and Sophie Newman are fifteen-year-old twins who discover that Nick Fleming, the owner of the bookshop Josh works at, is actually Nicholas Flamel, a fourteenth-century alchemist who possesses the
secret to immortality. When an evil goon steals the secret, Josh and Sophie join with Nick and his wife to save mankind. Age 12 and up
Stonewords: A Ghost Story by Pam Conrad
Zoe and Zoe Louise are really the same girl—one from the past, the other from the present. Complete with spooky woods, creepy gardens, and a haunted house with a secret staircase, Stonewords follows “modern” Zoe’s trip back in time to save Zoe Louise. Age 10 and up
Mission: In Search of the Time and Space Machine (Spy Force series) by Deborah Abela, illustrations by George O’Connor
Eleven-year-old Max Remy fears she’ll be bored to tears spending summer vacation at her aunt and uncle’s farm until she learns her uncle is a brilliant scientist who invented a Matter Transporter. When Max takes the transporter for a spin she draws the attention of an evil spy who covets it. Age 8-12
Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment by Bryan Talbot
Fascinated by the story behind Alice in Wonderland and author Lewis Carroll, Bryan Talbot connects the dots in this compelling graphic novel. The book’s starting point is Sunderland, Talbot’s hometown in Northeast England and the site of frequent visits by Carroll. Age 16 and up
Activity: Build a Time Capsule Time Machine
If you really traveled back in time, how would you prove it? Chances are you’d bring back photos or news of the day and be amazed by how things have (or haven’t) changed. That’s the concept behind your Time Capsule Time Machine. Here’s how to make your own:
- Find a waterproof box.
- Put in the box a letter to your future self with predictions of what life will be like for you and the rest of your family.
- Add photos, drawings, baseball cards, dolls, facts about your family and yourself—i.e. best friends, favorite subjects in school, that kind of thing.
- Cover the box with newspaper, tape it shut, and clearly write when it should be opened.
- Now put it away (attics are good spots) and forget about it.
- When the time comes, open your time machine and behold!
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Destination: Space Travel
Space. Word is it’s the final frontier, at least according to Captain James T. Kirk, U.S.S Enterprise. (Never heard of the guy? Ask your parents.) The distance from the Earth to the moon is 253,000 miles at its longest point; it’s ninety-three million miles to the sun. Space is a pretty big place, so it’s hard telling what’s really out there. Here’s a question: Which is bigger, space or your imagination? Launch yourself into the stars and find out.
Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy by Matthew Reinhart
It’s not quite fair to call this a pop-up book. More engineered than bound, it’s a fantastic, 3D encyclopedia of all things Star Wars, featuring thirty-six main pop-ups and also mini pop-ups that are tucked away in tiny flaps. Age 6 and up
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
Maybe Neil Armstrong took the first “giant leap,” but thousands of others made it possible. With behind-the-scenes accounts (even with the space suit designers and seamstresses) the book chronicles the first landing on the moon and includes period photos and interviews. Age 9-12
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
In this coming-of-age tale, young Sparrowhawk learns that he has fantastic powers while defending his village against enemies. Though he becomes a wizard’s apprentice, Sparrowhawk yearns to learn faster, so he
enters a wizard school where he makes a mistake that imperils the land. Age 12 and up
The New Policeman by Kate Thompson
Music was a way of life in fifteen-year-old J. J. Liddy’s Irish village,
but the townsfolk don’t have the time to play anymore. In search of more time, J.J. stumbles onto a land of eternal youth, just as the town’s mysterious new policeman does. Age 12 and up
Activity: Calculate Your Weight in Space
Here’s the deal: the earth’s gravity is calculated to be 1G. The moon’s surface is 1/6 G. Let’s say you weigh 100 pounds—you’d weigh a little more than sixteen pounds on the moon (thus the Frankensteinian boots moonwalkers wear to keep their feet on the ground). But gravity varies from planet to planet and so does the environment. What’s that mean to you? Find out!
Really into outer space? Explore and learn more at SpaceKids and KidsAstronomy.com. |
Destination: America
Even if you were born in the United States, chances are your ancestors came from another land. Since the country’s beginning, people have risked their lives to come to America. Why? And what about the lives and the people they left behind? The United States is called the “home of the brave” for a reason. See for yourself.
America, My New Home: Poems by Monica Gunning, illustrations by Ken Condon
Short, simple poems tell the story of a young girl who has left her home in
Jamaica to come to the United States where fond memories of her homeland meet exciting new discoveries. Age 7-12
Honeysuckle House by Andrea Cheng
Victoria and Chinese-American Sarah are best friends who play together in an imaginary honeysuckle house until Victoria moves away one day. Tina, a new arrival from China, doesn’t want to live in the U.S. and Sarah doesn’t want to be associated with her. These two girls eventually become friends in a story that delves into their cultural differences and how difficult it can be to acculturate. Age 8-12
Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos
The Hossain family leaves their home in Bangladesh, dreaming of a new life in America. After arriving in New York City they find that gaining citizenship is a bureaucratic nightmare and they decide to stay with expired visas until the aftermath of 9/11 forces them to flee for Canada. The story is told through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Nadira. Age 10-14
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Jin Wang, the lone Chinese-American teen at his new school and the target of ridicule from fellow students, falls in love with an All-American girl. Chin-Kee is an ugly stereotype come to life. A kung-fu master called the Monkey King is the most powerful monkey on earth who longs to be a god. These three separate tales come together in one very cool graphic novel. Age 12 and up
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
Kira-kira means “glittering” in Japanese. It is also Katie Takeshima’s
first word, taught to her by her older sister, Lynn. Katie uses it to describe practically everything. The word becomes more meaningful after the family moves from their Japanese enclave in Iowa to Georgia’s Deep South and Lynn develops lymphoma. Age 10-14
Activity: Create a Family Timeline
Did your ancestors move to the United States? Where did they come from and where did they live once they got here? Then what happened? Find out by creating your family’s timeline. Start with a fresh notebook, a pen, and these questions for your parents:
- What are the names of the first members of your family to come to the United States?
- What were their last names?
- When did they come here?
- Why did they come here?
- Where did they live?
- What were their children’s names?
- What happened to their children that lead to me?
Your parents may not know all of the answers. At your local
library you can learn more if you have your grandmother’s maiden name. Search for both your last name and hers. “Vital” or “Public” records often contain information about births, deaths, and more. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. While you’re at the library, also check out Roots for Kids: A Genealogy Guide for Young People by Susan Provost Beller. |
Destination: The Open Road
Short jaunts or adventurous journeys filled with unending miles, road trips give you a glimpse of somewhere else and how others live. With any luck, the change of scenery helps you view your own life (and the people in it) from a new perspective. At the end of a really good trip, you dust yourself off and tell stories about the trip–and about yourself.
Up North at the Cabin by Marsha Wilson Chall
A young girl journeys from her city home to a summer cabin in Lake Mille Lacs, Minnesota, and back home again in this serene picturebook. Age 5-10
I’ll Ask You Three Times, Are You OK? Tales of Driving and Being Driven by Naomi Shihab Nye
A collection of fictional accounts, Nye writes of connections made with drivers of all types from her travels around the globe. The chance
encounters with strangers are telling as her tales of backseat shenanigans, of driving others, and her premise that the journey is often more intriguing than the destination. Age 12 and up
The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt
Lucas has a photographic memory and when she sees a man copying a Rembrandt in London’s National Gallery, she immediately remembers him doing the same in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. What gives? Lucas and her friend Kari take off on a globetrotting adventure to find out in this new release. Age 8-12
Hit the Road by Caroline B. Cooney
Brit possesses a newly earned driver’s license when she’s dropped off at her grandmother’s house for two weeks while her parents go on vacation. But Nannie is bent on attending her sixty-fifth class reunion three states away and she enlists young Brit as her driver. Age 12 and up
Activity: Make a Postcard
You can make a postcard from your own road trips this summer (or from summers past) and mail it to yourself or friends. Here’s how:
- Get a piece of the heavy white paper called card stock that is found at most offic supply stores.
- Using a pencil, place a real postcard on the white paper and trace around its edges.
- Cut around the outline. This is your postcard.
- On one side of the card, draw a moment from your trip—the lake where you wen skiing, the spot where you found the secret treasure, whatever you remember most. On the other side of the card, write your name (or a friend’s), the address you want to send it to, and adhere a stamp.
- Use the rea postcard as a guide for where to write and place the stamp.
- Pop it in the mail and wait!
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