Dear Reader

Miss Nancy is an expert on good stories for parents and kids to read together. That’s because she has read so many with her own son, who loves books, especially novels. So which book does Miss Nancy recommend for a good read-together?

Miss Nancy chose The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. This book won the 2004 Newberry Medal, which means many people consider it to be the best book for kids of that year.

The Tale of Despereaux in an adventure story about a daring mouse living in a castle. But, what Miss Nancy likes most about the story is the narrator, the voice who tells the story.

The narrator made her son “really feel like he was there,” Miss Nancy said. “The narrator included you a lot in it. You were an active reader. You always felt engaged in the story.”

The narrator addresses you, the reader, by saying, “Dear reader.” The narrator asks you questions and helps you keep the plot straight by reminding you of what other characters are doing.

“The narrator’s questions were fun to discuss while we read together,” Miss Nancy said, which is why it’s such a good book for parents or teachers to read with their kids.

In fact, Miss Nancy likes this book and its author, Kate DiCamillo, so much that she’s reading Kate’s new book The Illuminated Adventures of Flora & Ulysses right now.

Well, dear reader, do you want to find more books by Kate DiCamillo? Click this link to see her books on our card catalog.