America has a rich and exciting history!  Help your child journey through time, back to Boston and the American Revolution. Johnny Tremain is a Newbery Award-winning book about a fictional boy who experiences the events surrounding the coming of America. This novel will bring to life events of the Revolution and peak your child’s interest in history!

After reading and brushing up on the events that led to our independence, celebrate! Tempe 4th commemorates the 4th of July in style with one of the best fireworks shows around. In this amazing show, fireworks are timed to some of the best patriotic music. The celebration is free for kids under 12 and includes a free inflatable village for families. Celebrate our great country with  Johnny Tremaine and Tempe 4th!

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There are few kings and queens as noble and true as the Pevensies  from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. They ruled with integrity, fairness, and a great sense of adventure. Prince Caspian is the 4th book in The Chronicles of Narnia, and is a wonderful book about what it means to be a steward over a kingdom, what it is to be a true King or Queen.  The castles, battles, and events are all larger than life!

After reading this exciting book, take a trip to a wonderful exhibit, Lego Castle Adventure is currently the featured exhibit at the AZ Science Center. Visitors can build and learn about castles. Don’t miss the chance to combine this fantastic (and cool) summer event with Prince Caspian, a great book that will children excited about reading!

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Pull on your cowboy boots and braid your hair, Rapunzel’s Revenge is a new graphic novel full of adventure and excitement! No need for guns or fists, Rapunzel uses her mile long hair to save the day and send the bad guys packin’. She first discovers her braided powers when she reigns in an overgrown wild boar with her hair and rides it  like a bucking bronco.  Your buckaroos can test their own fearless riding skills (although we don’t suggest using their hair to hold on) at Rawhide’s Friday Night Bull Riding.  Real cowboys and cowgirls ride the big bulls, but kids can try Mutton Busting (sheep riding), and our graphic novel readers will be interested in taking a turn on Rawhide’s Mechanical Bull, Widow Maker.

Go to the online bookstore or nearby library and grab Rapunzel’s Revenge. When you arrive at Rawhide you’ll be ready to shout “Howdy!” and “Yee-haw!” with the best of them.

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Long drives are the perfect time to read chapter books together as a family. Enjoying a story passes the time quickly and keeps the kicking, poking, and yelling to a minimum. One we recently enjoyed, Cave of the Dark Wind: A Never Land Book, is a great story full of excitement and adventure. A chapter book intended for 9-12 year olds, it’s a fun and simple read but the storytelling and imagery are fantastic! We found this to be a great book for boys - it’s a Neverland adventure - and yet there is a brave heroine named Pearl who kept my daughter’s interest. It’s a nail biter for children and tough to put down. You will love imagining the treasure hunt through The Cave of the Dark Wind together.

You could finish the book on your drive down to Benson, AZ - just past Tucson. Here you will find Kartchner Caverns, an amazing cave in pristine condition. You and your children will be wowed as you seemingly enter another world full of stalagmites and stalactitles! It can only be accessed by tour and a reservation is required.  Get the book and plan your trip. It will be an inexpensive mini-vacation the kids will talk about for months!

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