In the book “The Sparkle Box” a boy named Sam is very excited when he notices something shiny on the mantel. His mother tells him that the special gift is called a sparkle box and they will all open it together later, but she and Sam’s dad must fill it first.

Sam becomes more curious about what’s inside the sparkle box. As Sam and his parents do things to help people in need and the homeless, it makes Sam wonder more and more about what could be inside the box.

James Patterson is a renowned writer, but of all his books, “Word of Mouse” seems to be one of the lesser known. However, it happens to be one of my favorites. Illustrated by Chris Grabenstein, the book is filled with beautiful depictions of what is happening in the story.

I had the chance to watch a live interview that featured author Kate DiCamillo. It was the K-12 Summer Author talk series by the Library Speakers Consortium. The Library Speakers Consortium is a partnership of more than 400 library systems across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

I recently interviewed the local author of the Nurse Florence children’s book series. Michael Dow is a registered nurse. He has written every book in this series. According to Dow, Nurse Florence is a book series that helps kids learn more about their bodies and how they work, while also honoring the historic champion of the nursing profession, Florence Nightingale. Dow has an extensive collection of Florence Nightingale memorabilia, including a first edition of “Notes On Nursing,” published in 1860.

Have you ever heard of the summer reading program? The Maricopa County Library District’s #1 game is filled with adventurous challenges, live events, scavenger hunts and more! Besides the fun of reading great books, discovering new authors and meeting performers and their pets and abilities, you can win awesome prizes!

The Nurse Florence series, a medical book series that is used to educate children, has illustrators of all ages, from 15 up. Michael Dow, a Registered Nurse in Tucson, has written every book of the extensive series.

“The Last Kids on Earth and the Forbidden Fortress” takes place during the end of the world. Everything has been destroyed. At this time the world has monsters and zombies everywhere. The Earth is now run down and taken over by interdimensional living vines. The characters must watch everything they do and everywhere they step. “The Forbidden Fortress” is the newest book published in this series written by Max Brallier and illustrated by Douglas Holgate.

 “Wonder” was written and illustrated by R. J. Palacio. It is a realistic fiction book that I think all kids grades 3 and up should read. The book is about a boy named Auggie Pullman who was born with a facial difference. Auggie has been homeschooled his whole life, but finally in the fifth grade he attends a public school named Beecher Prep.

On a hot day in the desert, birds and other animals are scurrying around the desert looking for food. When they start to feel tired, they stop to rest in a giant cactus, which is their hotel in the desert.

In the book “Cactus Hotel” written by Brenda Z. Guiberson and illustrated by Megan Lloyd, when a bright red fruit falls off a tall saguaro cactus, it splits apart with 2,000 seeds glistening in the sun as it lays upon the sandy floor.

 “Our Hidden Powers: Working Together for a Planet in Balance” is a story where we learn about different forms of renewable energy through the lens of five characters. The characters, Windy, Sunny, Terry, Kai, and Ignis, represent wind, sun, earth, water, and fire. They learn that they work together to make renewable, sustainable energy.