Your Monday Email
From  
McLean and Eakin
Booksellers! 
 

 
"Once you learn to read,
you will be forever free."
~ Frederick Douglass
As a child, I was a workbook freak.  My mother ordered my brother and I a special box of wipe-off lettering and reading comprehension worksheets.  I burned through mine in the first few days of summer vacation, so I would steal them from my little brother, even though he was 4 grades behind me.  They were too easy, so I would time myself and try to improve my time.  As I said: workbook freak.  Michigan children take a break from school for the summer, and statistics show that they lose ground (purely in the stereotypical educational sense) on what they have already learned.  This is called "The Summer Slide," because the kids are sliding backward in their progression.  We learned about The Summer Slide from some of our local schools who wanted to keep their students reading all summer so that they didn't slide backward in their reading.  What a fabulous idea!  For parents and kids who want to avoid The Summer Slide, we also recommend workbooks.  Kids can go back and reinforce what they've already learned during the school year, and there are so many fabulous workbooks out now that they might actually have fun doing the activities!  There are even workbooks that focus specifically on math or reading.  Take your pick.  Here are some of our favorite examples:

Need a Quick Gift Card?

KOBO for reading on your device
Acoustik for listening on your phone!
Staff Picks:
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Summer Bridge Books


 
(Click here to view the whole list of available Summer Bridge Books.)
Teacher-approved and kid tested, these are our tried and true stand-bys.  The Summer Bridge series is designed to review previous grade level work, and introduce concepts for the upcoming grade level.  We sell boxes of these every year, and since they get updated and revised every year, you know that your kids are getting the most up-to-date curriculum reviews possible. From PreK-8th grade. 
Geronimo Stilton Workbooks













With full color illustrations throughout, and action-packed stories, they will want to re-read these all summer long.  Great for kids who already love the Thea Stilton and Geronimo Stilton series, or as an introduction to some very cool mice.
It's one of our favorite children's book characters starring in his very own wipe-off workbook, so it can be done again and again!  Perfect for the year between pre-school and Kindergarten, or a Kindergarten refresher over the summer!
and

Deborah Harkness
 
No matter where you are in the lower peninsula of Michigan next week, you will only be about 2 hours away from Deborah Harkness!  She visits McLean and Eakin on June 5, and the night before she will be in Ann Arbor at Nicola's Books on June 4 at 7pm.  Click here for ticket information about the Nicola's Event.

"Ghosts didn't have much substance.  All they were composed of was memories and heart.  Atop one of Sept-Tour's round towers, Emily Mather pressed a diaphanous hand against the spot in the center of ther chest that even now was heavy with dread."  And so the third book begins. 

In brief:
-Deborah Harkness
-The Book of Life (#3 in The All Souls Trilogy)
-$20 for reserved seating and a copy of the new book in paperback.
-$5 for general admission.
-Seating is limited, so rsvp as soon as you can!
-Friday night, June 5, 6-7pm at the Crooked Tree Auditorium.
-Click here for full details!
The League of Advanced Readers:

After much prodding from some of our Alanson high school students, we will finally be launching a teen reading program.  If you know a teenager who likes to read, please pass this information along to him or her!  Our first meeting will be Saturday, June 6 at 4pm in the store.  Free pizza, free books, and a bunch of other kids who love to read! What a great way to spend a Saturday!  This program is best for 14 and up.  Reservations are encouraged so we don't run out of food.  Please call Jessilynn or Sam with questions.  231-347-1180.
Graduation Time!


We have a whole table full of ideas for your graduates in our lower level.  Come in and browse, or order something to be wrapped and delivered   for you.  Here are some of our favorite
 
The Last Interview Series - choose from Kurt Vonnegut, David Foster Wallace, Hannah Arendt and more! Only $15.95 each.  Click for the full selection. 
  options:

The 100 Words Series from American Heritage Dictionary - Choose from their titles for just the right fit. Click here to view all.



Charlotte's Latest and Greatest Picks:

Asaf Hanuka is an Israeli illustrator and comic book artist whose weekly strip in the paper, The Calculist, is well-known in his home country.  Fresh off the presses is the collected English translation.  Hanuka's perspective on every day life in Tel Aviv is rueful and rife with insight.  Most of the strips are auto-biographical in nature, touching on what it's like to be a husband, father and artist.  For instance, in "Night Out" Hanuka and his wife dash through the panels desperately trying not to miss their dinner reservations on a rare kid-less night only to spend the "alone time" glued to their phones.  The Realist is such a unique and beautiful gem, as soon as I finished I turned the book over and started it again.


Mayumi Saito is a librarian on a small island in New England. Drifting unhappily through her marriage and raising a little girl, Mayumi has accepted her mundane existence while escaping through books. This all changes when one day she locks eyes with a young man browsing the stacks. He is much younger, 17 to her 40, but their relationship inflames her life as they connect over the books they love and an overwhelming physical connection.  A wave of desire, love and obsession overcomes Mayumi as her relationship with him develops and grows into something she is at once ashamed and enthralled by. While the subject matter can seem a tad dodgy, the narrative of this gorgeous novel is more literary than lewd.
Found on the Shelf:
I want to LIVE in this book! Every turn of a page incites mouth watering cravings for every delicious concoction. Learn super easy ways to make yourself look like;
-A professional gourmet chef, by infusing your own specialty oil.
-A trendy mixologist, creating your own signature spirits for cocktails.
-The perfect host/hostess, entertaining your guests with flare!
As easy as pour, shake, and store, "infuse"will add the perfect compliment to any recipe with no more effort than it takes to close a jar! - From Angelo