Free Printable Murder Mystery Games, Detective Games

Do you love murder mysteries? Read detective novels? Do you love gathering clues, analyzing data, questioning suspects? If you love playing detective check out these links for free printable murder mystery downloads. Perfect for your next murder mystery weekend party!

Great educational activities for classroom and homeschool. Murder mystery and detective games help students learn problem-solving, deductive and inductive reasoning, distinguishing fact from opinion, categorizing details, gathering data, research and much more.   Click for murder mystery games and murder mystery party printables. For more free printable activities and free, safe online games visit me at www.freesafekidsgames.blogspot.com. Happy Sleuthing.

Best Historical Fiction Books for Tween, Teen Girls

 Historical fiction is becoming increasingly popular genre with school-aged girls. I've compiled a list from my 20+ year teacher career, highlighting the best historical fiction for tween and teenage girls. You'll note I didn't add American Girls. Those books are excellent, but written for slightly younger girls. But older girls can certainly enjoy them! This list isn't exclusively for girls, but most books have female protagonists so girls may be more drawn to them. Best Historical Fiction Books for Tween and Teenage Girls

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Challenged, Censored Banned Books Arouse Love of Reading in Tweens, Teens

Want to teach kids to love reading? Tell them a book has been banned, censored or challenged by adults. Nothing sends a reluctant reader to the bookshelf quicker than thinking he's doing something verboten! Especially tweens and teens who love flouting authority anyway! Often students who most hate reading speak loudest against censorship and in solidarity with authors. God love them for that. So without further ado, my adolescent friends, here are the Most Banned Books? Authors of Teen, Children's Literature. Now get thee to a library!

Adventure Mystery Book Series for Boys--The Three Investigators

Do you have trouble getting your son to read? Boys are more often reluctant readers than girls. I'm a teacher and it's not gender-biased to say that. So how to get them to develop a love of reading? Find books they like. Might I suggest, for tween boys mystery, action, adventure, horror, historical fiction, sci-fi, tech, graphic novels, how-to? Just make sure it isn't boring.

And get them hooked on a series. That will keep them coming back for more. Our family favorite is one I read as a kid in the early 1970s--The Three Investigators. Three boys, Pete, Jupe and Bob solve mysteries as a home business. Jupe's uncle owns a salvage yard (HOW cool is that?) In exchange for work, they get junk (a boy's dream come true!). Their office-workshop is a salvaged trailer buried under yard scrap (does it get any better?) Yep it does. It's equipped with dark room, laboratory, private phone, intercom, periscope, microfiche and other spy-fi 60s gadgets. It's only accessible by secret passages and code words. Now do I have your attention, gentlemen? Oh you want to know where to lay your hands on these tales? Read on!  Adventure Mystery Book Series for Tween Boys--The Three Investigators

Free Printable Doctor Who Coloring Pages, Halloween Masks, Games, Activities

BBC's sci-fi show "Doctor Who" celebrates its 50th birthday in 2013. My youngest daughter discovered Doctor Who in 2005 when she was seven. The Time Lord was the Ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston. The current Eleventh Doctor is Matt Smith. If you love galaxy hopping in the TARDIS, and battling Cybermen and Daleks here are free printable Doctor Who coloring pages to extend your adventures. You'll find free printable Doctor Who villain masks too, including the infamous Weeping Angels, Smiler, Silence, Doppelganger twins and Peg (a freaky-creepy doll that makes Chucky look like Raggedy Ann in comparison). There are coloring pages from "Torchwood" the Doctor Who companion show and from the Doctor Who books. Read on Free Printable Doctor Who Coloring Pages, Crafts, Games, Activities

Best books, authors to ignite a passion for reading in tween boys - Yahoo! Shine

As a teacher and homeschool parent, reading for research and pleasure is elemental. Each person in my family, male and female is a passionate bibliophile. I'm surprised when parents say that their kids, especially the boys, don't like to read. I suggest that this is less a distaste for reading and more that they haven't found books that engage them. To remedy that, I've created a list of favorite books and authors, in several genres, geared to boys ages 10-14. Most of these books have some mature content and that's one reason boys love them so much. They feel respected and not talked down to. I recommend reading these stories with kids.  Literature for preteen boys

Vampire, Horror Fiction Books for Twilight, Eclipse Lovers

Best Young Adult Vampire Fiction Books for Twilight and Eclipse Lovers Stephanie Meyer's didn't invent vampire romance fiction with her Twilight book series. Modern vampire fiction has enjoyed a cult following for several decades now. For fans of vampire fiction who've consumed Twilight looking for fresh reads, look here. Here are vampire books you can sink your teeth into. Vampire Plagues: Book One- London, 1850, Book Two- Paris, 1850, Book Three- Mexico 1850. History-mystery lovers will devour Sebastian Rooke's trilogy, set in the Victorian era. Middle School and up. Click for more recommendations...

Banned Books Week- Check out these Children's, Teen Authors and Literature

Most Banned Books? Authors of Teen, Children's Literature This week, Sept. 24 to Oct.1, celebrates the 30th anniversary of the ALA Banned Book Week. BBW celebrates authors who broke convention to write books about touchy subjects. Here are stats about most oft-censored children and teen authors and literature. Would you believe that most of these are required reading in most high schools? Most of these statistics hold true for adult literature as well. Read on...

Happy 120th Birthday, Agatha Christie!

Agatha Christie 120th Birthday: Happy Birthday Dame of Detection and Delicious Death Agatha Christie, DBE, CBE and dame of detective fiction was born on September 15, 1890. She would be 120 years old today. Outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, author Agatha Christie's books on Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple enthrall mystery lovers. Read More

Free Printable Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Gahoole Activities

Free Printable 'Legend of the Guardians- the Owls of Gahoole' Activities and Games Guardians of Gahoole is a series of books by Kathryn Lansky, depicting a group of fabled Owl warriors who guard Ga'Hoole. Legend of the Guardian opens September 24, 2010. Here are free printable Guardians of Ga'Hoole games and activities. Read More

'Fight Club', 'Survivor' Author Chuck Palahnuik

Author Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club, Survivor and Beyond Chuck Palahniuk (Ukranian, pronounced 'paula nick') author of Fight Club, Survivor, Rant, Choke, Lullaby and other brief one-word book titles, has earned high marks in literary circles. Read More

Medieval Mystery Books and Authors

Summer Recommended Reading: Medieval Mystery Books and Authors
With summer coming, it's time for bibliophiles to turn their thoughts toward recommended reading lists. Have you been immersed in required reading? Then you need some pleasure reads. How about medieval mysteries like these? Read More

Historical Fiction Reading For Tween and Teen Girls

Best Historical Fiction Books for Tween and Teenage Girls Historical fiction is becoming more popular with school aged girls. Here's a list based on my 20+ year teacher career, of the best historical fiction for tween and teenage girls. This list is not exclusively for girls, but girls may be more drawn to it. Read More

Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men- Gregory Maguire

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West: Gregory Maguire Book Series Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995) Son of a Witch (2005) and A Lion Among Men (2008) are revisionist parallel novels by Gregory Maguire that explore the deeper, darker Wizard of Oz books. Note: Gregory Maguire's books contain very mature themes and are best read in high school classes.
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Best Vampire Movies for Twilight Lovers

Best Vampire Movies for Twilight Saga Lovers You bought, read and re-read all the Twilight series and saw both the series' movies. You've redone your room and wardrobe in Gothic vampire. What can you do till Eclipse comes out or Stephanie Meyer writes another book? Read More

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

New J.K. Rowling Book: The Tales of Beedle the Bard Fans of Harry Potter, don't despair, JK Rowling's new book The Tales of Beedle the Bard, goes on sale December 4, 2008. You can pre-order your copy of Beedle online or in stores to save money and reserve your copy. View more »