Grand Opening

We've opened!! Hopefully everyone was able to stop by, have a look at the store and bounce a bit! There are a lot of activities that are going on. To stay informed of them all, check out Edgewater Books' website and sign up for the monthly newsletter!! You don't want to miss anything!!

The Five Finger Rule

How do I know if a book is too challenging for my child or not challenging enough? Should I challenge my child with tougher books to strengthen her reading level? Grade level books should be a good fit right?

Unfortunately, not every child reads on the same level. Some read on higher levels while some read on lower levels and that's okay. No matter what level your child reads on, that doesn't mean it's a life sentence. Childhood is riddled with milestones and sometimes reading isn't a priority. It's not unheard of for reading levels to spring up later in life. Forcing a non-reader to read can backfire and you don't want that to happen! Keep reading a fun and enjoyable pastime! Make sure the subjects are of interest to the child and that the level is just right and this is where the Five Finger Rule comes into play. Take any book and pick any page. Let your child read a couple pages and hold up one finger for every word they come across that they don't know. See the chart below.

                                              -  0 to 1 fingers - Too easy
                                              - 2 to 3 fingers - A good, comfortable level
                                              - 4 fingers - A slightly more challenging level
                                              - 5 fingers - Danger zone...frustrating level

Make sure to read with your children too! Children follow Mom and Dad's lead and you can share more challenging books with your child and make it a learning experience by talking about and defining those trouble words.

Happy Reading!!

I Survived Book Series

Boys are a tough crowd. Many start out as great readers, but by the time they hit tweendom they start to lose interest. Thankfully, there are quite a few books out there that may get those lost souls back onto the reading train! Lauren Tarshis has put out quite a few books in a new series called I Survived. I Survived books are tales from history as told through the eyes of a young boy who has lived through the experience. I Survived books are fiction from the "young boy" standpoint, but the historical references are factual. The stories are fast moving and full of action and they are true history that any boy would love. The I Survived books are:

                                         - The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
                                         - The Shark Attacks of 1916
                                         - Hurricane Katrina, 2005
                                         - The Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941
                                         - The San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
                                         - The Attacks of September 11, 2001
                                         - The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
                                         - The Japanese Tsunami, 2011

Lauren Tarshis is the editor of Scholastic's magazine "Storyworks" and the group editorial director for language arts for Scholastic classroom magazine. She has also written "Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out Of A Tree" and "Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell In Love".

Check out the I Survived Series! We have them all in stock!!

Sneak Peek!

Here's a little sneak peek of all the work hoppin' at Edgewater Books!

Books! Books! Books! You could just roll around in them!

Check out the stage! Story time is going to be great!

A Young Artist Sharing Her Talents

Gillian Nolan is working hard painting in the pictures that she drew on the walls of characters from all kinds of books from Dr. Suess to the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Gillian will be starting her 8th year with the PVA program for visual arts at Bates Middle School.