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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Every year a crew of actors and artisans revive a themed village on the outskirts of Phoenix, and The Arizona Renaissance Festival comes to life. With jousting tournaments, comedy acts, street performers, artisans, food, games, rides, and more, the Festival is literally a full day of fun for the whole family. It’s a particularly memorable place for me because I watched my brother propose to his wife at the Festival (in front of a huge crowd and at the request of the king, no less).

The Festival can help your child envision what life may have been like for the characters in one of our favorite books, Princess Academy. Though the book isn’t necessarily set in the Renaissance period, the descriptions of life on the slopes of Mount Eskel seem to hearken back to a Medieval Era. The villagers go through their own form of awakening and enlightenment that felt to us like a localized version of the Renaissance. Besides the lack of technology, your little reader will find other similarities between the Festival and events in the book, including the singing, dancing, craftsmanship, and (of course) the life of royalty!

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