5 books to entertain the kids in the backseat

These five books will keep even the rowdiest of young readers quiet during that long holiday trip.

3. 'The Lost Hero,' by Rick Riordan

576 pages

Move ahead to "The Son of Neptune" if your reader's already gotten through the first installment of Riordan's "Heroes of Olympus" series. But if not, this is the place to start. Main character Jason finds himself on a bus on the way to a boarding school for misbehaving kids without any idea how he got there. He meets Piper (whose father has gone missing) and Leo before the three are taken away to Camp Half-Blood, where they'll find out the truth about themselves and confront a mysterious curse. Age range: 9 to 11 years old.

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