With the start of the New Year, the weather has turned cold and winter has made it clear it is here to stay for a while. Where I live the temperature has begun to routinely plunge into the single digits (if not below) and going outside has become more of a chore than a delight. It's the time of year when kids get kind of antsy, even if it isn't snowy outside.

The antidote? Get your child hooked on a new chapter book or series.

For January I am recommending books that will take readers far, far away. To space, in fact. Something about space always snags the imagination of young readers, and my top ten pics are all chapter books that enthrall and delight -- ranging from books that are perfect for the emergent reader, to those that will capture the imagination even the most sophisticated eight year old reader.

The best part? Once your child is interested, they'll likely start inventing their very own space craft. Just supply them with one or two large boxes, duct tape, toilet paper rolls, and anything else you kid can lay claim to from the recycling bin.

I am currently reading the Star Jumper series with my class in conjunction with our unit of study on space, and the children are fascinated. It's a series about a boy genius who builds a real space ship out of cardboard, duct tape, and the things he finds from his attic. The writing is humorous and well crafted, and the story so imaginative and funny that the kids in my class come to school nearly every Monday with a report of space craft they have built over the weekend.

Have you ever wondered what to do with out-grown snow suits, old bike helmets and that heap of old tubing you've been planning to recycle, but haven't? Voila! An instant spacesuit... and countless hours of fun.