The Mysterious Benedict Society was on our list for months before it was available at the library, and it was worth the wait! Trenton Lee Stewart weaves a fantastic plot of mystery and discovery. Kids love reading about other children who outwit nasty grown-ups . . . and in this case, a small group of brainiac kids save the whole population from the evil plan of a plotting scientist.

When your kids are finished with the book, challenge them to apply any newly found super-sleuthing  skills to solve the mystery at the new community theater play WhoWhatWhenWhyHow!

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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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