One of my favorite things to do on a hot summer day is swim in my pool or just drift in the water and relax on a floating chair with a book. I can't believe it's the end of August. We know some of you are back in school already, and others, like my sons, will be heading back soon. Where did this summer go? To everyone, soak in these last few weeks of summer with some good books.

My younger son is finishing up his summer reading with just the two books he knows they will be quizzed on when school begins left to read, so he will remember all the details. As much as I hate that he still has "assignments" to read, I agree that this probably was the best way to tackle this. I guess this really is the last call for summer reading!

There's still time to answer our Kidsreads.com 2009 Reader Survey. Take the survey now and you could win one of the 24 titles being given away. All respondents can enter our random drawing, and 1,000 readers will win! Remember, if you are under 13, you must have your parents complete a form for you to be eligible to be entered. Click here for more details and be sure to enter before Tuesday, September 15th. Spread the word to friends, classmates, teachers, librarians, students and more!

And, again, if you have a brother or sister, or perhaps a babysitter, who is a teenager, we have a teen survey at Teenreads.com that is ending on Monday, August 31st at 11:59 PM. Send them this link so they can answer this survey and win free books!

Have you been keeping up with The 39 Clues series? The fifth book by Patrick Carman, THE BLACK CIRCLE, is now available in stores, and the hunt for the 39 Clues leads Amy and Dan to their most treacherous destination yet. Read an excerpt from the thrilling story, and be sure to enter our giveaway for your chance to be one of the 25 lucky readers who will win a copy of the book. THE BLACK CIRCLE is also Al Roker's latest book club pick, which you can read more about here.

For new book ideas, check out BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) by Lisa Yee. Read an excerpt here and learn more about Robert Carver Ellis-Chan --- a perfectly normal fourth grader who gets into perfectly crazy situations. You can also check out the latest installment of John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series, THE SIEGE OF MACINDAW, and Megan McDonald's JUDY MOODY & STINK: THE MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD TREASURE HUNT, which follows Judy Moody and Stink on their quest for pirate treasure on "Artichoke Island." And with summer coming to an end, you can take a sneak peek at the new books releasing this fall in our Coming Soon section.

Kidsreads.com is giving away 15 copies of AL CAPONE SHINES MY SHOES by Gennifer Choldenko. Click here to enter and find out what happens when you might owe a favor to one of the most infamous mobsters in history. And you can still enter for your chance to be chosen as one of the lucky 20 to win a copy of Shani Petroff's BEDEVILED: DADDY'S LITTLE ANGEL.

GraphicNovelReporter.com recently interviewed Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, the brother and sister team who created the successful comic series Babymouse for kids. Read an interview with the sibling duo and find out how they work together, how the series came about, and the scoop on what's next for the lovable Babymouse.

Don't forget to check out our Cool New Books and New in Paperback roundups and our latest reviews --- which include graphic novel and manga titles --- for more great end-of-summer reading suggestions.

Happy reading!

Carol Fitzgerald for Kidsreads.com

Kidsreads.com is giving 25 readers the chance to win a copy of THE BLACK CIRCLE. Enter the giveaway today and join the international clue hunt!

-Click here for all the contest details.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE BLACK CIRCLE.
-Click here to read Patrick Carman’s bio.
-Visit the official website of the series, www.The39Clues.com.

There's nothing like a little father-daughter bonding time, right? Well...that is unless your dad is the Devil.

To celebrate the August 20th release of Shani Petroff's BEDEVILED: DADDY'S LITTLE ANGEL, Kidsreads.com is giving 20 readers the opportunity to win a copy of the book. All Angel’s father (a.k.a. the Devil) wants is to be a part of his daughter's life. But even though he can give Angel anything she desires, what if what she wants most is a normal dad? Enter the giveaway now for your chance to receive a copy of BEDEVILED and find out what happens!

BEDEVILED: DADDY'S LITTLE ANGEL by Shani Petroff
“Mom always said my dad is the devil. I never knew she meant it literally!”

OCEANOLOGY: The True Account of the Voyage of the Nautilus written by Ferdinand Zoticus deLessups and edited by Dugald A. Steer
What if a 16-year-old assistant traveled aboard the storied Nautilus, the narwhal-shaped submarine of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA? And what if he were the sole survivor of the ill-fated voyage and went on to relay his adventures to a certain…Jules Verne? Find this brave young man’s own account in OCEANOLOGY, a tale of an 866 voyage of discovery that investigates diving bells and shipwrecks; coral reefs and ice canyons; sharks, giant octopi and luminous sea monsters; underwater volcanoes; and even the legendary island of Atlantis. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

JUDY MOODY & STINK: THE MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD TREASURE HUNT written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody and Stink travel with their parents to "Artichoke Island" (otherwise known as North Carolina's Ocracoke Island), where they meet a swashbuckling pirate and join forces in an exciting hunt for pirate treasure. Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon.

August’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE TIME PARADOX, the sixth installment in Eoin Colfer’s fantasy series that continues the story of teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl; THE LAND OF THE SILVER APPLES, the highly anticipated sequel to THE SEA OF TROLLS from National Book Award winner and Newbery Honor author Nancy Farmer; KINGDOM KEEPERS II: DISNEY AT DAWN, which marks the return of our heroes from Ridley Pearson’s DISNEY AFTER DARK as they embark on another adventure to save Walt Disney World; THE NEW GIRL, book two in Meg Cabot's middle-grade series featuring Allie Finkle, who's starting fourth grade at a brand-new school; and THE GOLLYWHOPPER GAMES by Jody Feldman, an inventive and interactive page-turner in which a determined young boy sets out to win the Golly Toy & Game Company's ultimate competition --- his future happiness depends on it.

Poll:

Do you read books that are especially popular (for example, Harry Potter, The 39 Clues, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, etc.)?

All of the time
Some of the time
Never

Do you experience “book guilt” if you haven’t read a book that everyone else seems to have read?

Yes
No
Not sure

-Click here to participate in the poll.


Question:

Name up to three books that you felt you HAD to read because it seemed everyone else had.

-Click here to answer the question.