Amusement Park Kids

Do you love amusement parks? My family adores them. The fast rides, the characters, the delicious food, we are here for it all. Have you ever wondered what it might be like living in an amusement park? My youngest daughter wants to grow up and live at Disneyland. This is a common hope for young children.

When she is a little older I plan to introduce her to these books:

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dustin Bowling

Aven Green is a devastated when her parents decide to move her to Arizona to help manage a Western themed amusement park. Making new friends in the middle of the year is rough, but it’s even harder when you are born without arms. Aven uses her humor, intelligence, and grit to make a new home for herself. She makes friends with two young boys name Connor and Zion who struggle with issues of their own. A realistic fiction novel with a hint of mystery keeps you guessing. (Middle grade, mystery, disability representation, adoption)

102 Days of Lying About Lauren by Maura Jortner 

Mouse lives in the haunted house of an amusement park. As long as she follows her rules she will be ok. She quietly completes her work and fades into the background. Until the day a girl named Cat comes looking for Lauren Suszek and everything changes. A roller coaster of experiences and emotions make this a middle grade book that will captivate young readers. (Middle grade, realistic fiction, unhoused, foster families, extreme weather)

Belly Up – Fun Jungle Series by Stuart Gibbs.

Teddy Fitzroy lives at Fun Jungle, the new zoo/amusement park. He is the first to suspect that Fun Jungle Hippo mascot, Henry dying is not an accident. When the people in charge refuse to believe him, he decides to solve the mystery himself. Silly, educational and the titles are very punny. My son loved this series in fifth grade. (Realistic Fiction, mystery, middle grade, series, animal information)

Disney After Dark – Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson

Disney World has hired five kids to be their new digital mascots to guide guests around the park. Becoming mascots was easy. But soon the kids start having weird dreams with real life consequences. Could magic be responsible? Imagine their surprise when the kids discover Maleficent and other characters have come to life and is creating all kinds of mischief. Can the kids work together and prevent evil from taking over the park? (Fantasy, middle grade, science fiction, series)

Would you want to live in an amusement park? Do you have any other books I should add to this list? Let me know in the comments.