Family
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.
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Annika is an Austrian orphan raised by servants. Though she loves her new family and her friends, she dreams of her mother arriving one day. When this actually happens, the subsequent events are not quite as Annika dreamed. She suffers and is mistreated but is ultimately rescued. Essentially, it was all an act to steal valuable jewels Annika did not even know she had.
I was delighted to discover this author when my daughter brought this book home from her school library. Between the generous amount of Vienna history, the character of Annika, and the mysterious nature of the jewels and Annika’s fate, this makes for a fast-reading book.
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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.
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Kaya, a member of the Nez Perce tribe, is proud, adventurous, and optimistic. We get a peek into the lifestyle and customs of the tribe in this first book in the Kaya series.
This book is especially good for addressing concepts about character, like having humility, accepting responsibility, acting with the right motivations, and learning from our mistakes. The story reflects the effects of Kaya’s actions, sometimes positive and sometimes not.
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Madeleine L’Engle has many good books centering on families, and this is one of them. In Meet the Austins, Vicky’s family is discombobulated by the arrival of a troubled orphan. Despite the difficulties Maggy presents, the family honors its commitment and makes a place for her.
Like many of L’Engle’s characters, Vicky cares about her family and her place in it. She is appreciative of her parents and siblings and is sensitive to what is right. She may be awkward and imperfect, but she is secure in her family’s love, which is a reassuring message for any child.
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This book always makes me hungry! The food descriptions are plenteous, and even the ones that sound a little odd sound good when presented from Almanzo’s viewpoint. This story, set in the late 1800’s in upstate New York, chronicles a short period in the life of Almanzo Wilder, who grows up to become Laura’s husband. We read about life on a farm and the many duties and pleasures of growing up in such a place at such a time.
Aside from the instructive historical nature of the story, a nice feature of the book is the inclusion of peeks at Almanzo’s character. He is concerned with justice and fairness at the same time that he is wrapped up in boyish mishaps and sibling issues. Together, this makes for a real, enjoyable story that has depth.
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I loved this series as a child and was so glad to see that is being reprinted. These two sets of twins, both boy/girl, aged around 6 and 12, have all kinds of adventures in a world where kids could run freely around town and country. In this one, the Bobbsey family sets out on a houseboat adventure, with all kinds of mysteries, mishaps, exploration, and excitement.
Note that these books are old, like 1920’s and 30’s old. The Bobbseys’ black housekeeper, Dinah, sometimes speaks in a stereotypical way that readers might find offensive today. Explaining the context to your child would be helpful.
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Eight-year-old Alice moves to a new state with her father and brother (mom has died) and faces making new friends in a new school. She has a hard time with this but identifies her successes and slowly becomes open to friendships with more and more people.
I liked how Alice identified how silly it was to be feuding with a group of girls and then reached out to that group and befriended them. There is some incongruity between how this 8-year-old thinks and acts and how a real 8-year-old thinks and acts, but it did not significantly detract from the story.
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Self-conscious, 13-year-old Marcy deals with a poor self-image, a tyrannical father, and an enabling mother. Her life begins to change with the arrival of a new English teacher, Ms. Finney, who challenges her ideas about everything. When Ms. Finney is suspended, Marcy finds herself in a new position at school and at home in which she can no longer sink into the shadows.
One thing I like about this book is how Marcy learns about having the courage to stand up for what you believe in. Her process of acquiring this knowledge is quite overt, and conversations about it are blunt, which makes it easy to see. You can dig the groovy 70’s lingo, too.
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Margaret moves with her family from NYC to New Jersey, in part, she suspects, to separate her from her grandmother’s influence. The story focuses on Margaret anticipating puberty and her struggles with trying to choose a religion since she has been raised as “nothing.”
Both Margaret’s sixth grade year and her girls’ club focus on eagerness to grow up and make grown-up decisions. As I read this book, it made me think how important it is to give our kids the tools to make good decisions before they need to make them. In the story, Margaret feels pressure to identify the right religion, learns not to make assumptions about people, and feels pressure to leave childhood.
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2 years 13 weeks ago