Boys & Girls
This is another book-from-childhood. It’s a great adventure in which an orphaned brother and sister, both with mysterious powers, run from a pursuer and toward those like them.
I was struck, rereading this as an adult, by the opportunity the author took to comment on various issues like gun control. It felt a little agenda-like to me but would not be noticed by children and did not detract from a compelling story.
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I resisted these books for years, thinking they were not quality. Boy, was I wrong. I absolutely love this series and have read it many times. One of the most impressive things to me is how good a writer Rowling is—she mentions things in book one or two, then fully develops them into plot twists in future books. The attention to detail, humor, characterization, and gifted storytelling combine with a novel setting to make each book a compelling read.
This first book introduces Harry to the wizarding world. I love the descriptions of secret passageways and quirky castle magic and Harry’s whole introduction to this life. An important point to note about this series is that books 1-3 are more benign. The story gets increasingly dark with subsequent books.
Click for Discussion QuestionsWhile my focus is chapter books, this picture book is worth mentioning. A friend gave it to me in college as we frequently despaired over the brazen lack of etiquette in society. In fact, we saw a disproportionate number of these very things happen on the streets of NY.
The pictures are awesome; the text is amusing (and informative). I chuckle every time I read it.
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Thirteen-year-old Laura and her family suffer through a long and difficult winter on the prairie. Heavy snows keep the trains from running to her town, and slowly, the town runs out of food. The book details the difficult winter and Almanzo’s bravery in helping to save the town.
This book, though it has a slower storyline than most other Laura books, is also one of my favorites. It highlights the interdependence of the town and the sprit that made the pioneers persevere in the face of adversity.
Click for Discussion QuestionsAlice wishes for a baby brother, but her family gets a giant baby instead. Following this perplexing incident is an action-packed story complete with baby care, multiple kidnappings, skipped school, children banding together, a mad scientist, and a trial.
Told from a humorous perspective, this story reminds me a bit of the fanciful approach that Roald Dahl uses. An unbelievable event dropped into the middle of everyday life makes for an enjoyable tale.
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Chester the cricket, inadvertently displaced from his country home, finds friendship in New York’s Times Square station. We get a small animal-sized view of the world and a view of friendships between animals and also between people and animals.
Discussed in the books are the struggles of a family that owns a newspaper stand, the unintentional trouble the sympathetic animals create, and an idea of the little incidents that make NY such a cool place that does not always live up to its reputation as a cold, unfriendly city.
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This story is uniquely told using a combination of images and text. It is the story of Hugo, a Parisian boy who lives and hides in a train station in 1931. Hugo, an orphan, finds himself entirely alone in the world, but a series of connections and coincidences ends up changing his life.
This story has elements that will appeal to many audiences. First, the drawings can help to capture the comic book crowd. There is a mystery to solve, gadgets and mechanisms, history, old movies, and characters to understand.
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William, one of many children evacuated from London during the WWII bombings, finds a refuge in the country. Abused, frightened, and withdrawn as a result of his mother’s treatment, William responds to the patience and kindness of Mr. Tom, blossoming into a healthy boy, friendly boy with artistic talent.
For the most part, the story paints an encouraging picture of how a child responds positively to his nurturing surroundings. It also gives historical information about the war in terms of child evacuations. Be warned that William shows signs of physical and emotional abuse. William is reunited briefly with his abusive mother, and his disturbing living conditions are described in detail.
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In this book from 1944, four children have a delightful series of adventures. Cousins/siblings George, Julian, Dick, and Anne have an adventure on an island. Smugglers, kidnapping, shipwrecks, and dungeons combine for a vicarious adventure I certainly wish I could have had as a child.
Like a Brit Bobbsey Twins, this series centers on a self-sufficient group of kids that has plenty of adventures and mysteries to solve. Presented in a way that is fun and unthreatening (despite ideas like kidnapping that could be scary if handled a different way), it is also delightfully free of interfering adults.
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Winnie is excited to learn that a new family has moved into the neighborhood. Some of the other neighbors are not, however, because the new family is black. Winnie befriends the new kids, learning much about the hurtfulness of erroneous perceptions.
The story examines stereotypes and prejudice from a sixth grader’s point of view. Blume presents these complex ideas in a simplified, straightforward way that children can understand, while acknowledging that the issues are complex. For example, at one point, Winnie remarks that the new family can’t be that different if it uses the same brand of peanut butter.
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