Middle grade books! Those unsung heroes! Those books that take a reader from "chapter books" to the heady realms of young adult! The books, if you will, in the MIDDLE of it all! Our #1 on this list was one of my favorites of the year from any genre, the amazing, charming, funny, heart-tugging, award-winning . . .
1. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead!
Talking about this book with Ann Cannon (author, bookseller, Hamish MacBeth enthusiast, and friend) when the announcement was made, she said that it reminded her of books she read as a kid, like when she read A Wrinkle In Time for the first time. I read it shortly after that, and had to agree! A delightful book from start to finish, I don't think the ALA could have picked a better winner for the Newbery Award!
2. Dragon's Heart by Jane Yolen
I have been waiting twenty years for this book. TWENTY YEARS. The fourth book in Yolen's Pit Dragon Series, which I read as a child (and reread, and reread, until my copies disintegrated), this is the perfect capstone to that amazing tale of dragons, slavery, and revolution on a distant planet. Also, Jakkin was my first crush . . . so it was nice to read about him again!
3. Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
Another joy to read! I've never wanted a sea serpent before, but now it's on the top of my Christmas list!
4. Calamity Jack by Shannon, Dean, and Nathan Hale
The sequel to the trio's Rapunzel's Revenge is equal to (if not better than) the first, filling in Jack's backstory with rich detail as well as sending Jack and Punzie off on a new adventure! Fee, Fie, Foe, Fum!
5. Terrible, Horrible Edie by E. C. Spykman
A reread, but I'm including it because, after years of being out of print, this hilarious story of the mischievous Edie is back in a beautiful new edition from the New York Review of Books Children's Collection! I adore Edie, and hope that the rest of her adventures get the same treatment!
6. Matilda by Roald Dahl
I love Roald Dahl's books, and I love the movie based on this book, so I read it aloud to my son . . . and realized that I had never actually read THIS book! Hysterically funny, as Dahl's books are, and particularly fun to read aloud.
7. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I had the very great thrill of speaking at a conference with Margaret this year, and once which I didn't realize she was also attending. Caught without my beloved copies of the Shadow Children series, I hastily bought the first book in The Missing series . . . and was hooked. Suspense in spades, and wonderful characters!
8. The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
Another swell New York Review of Books reissue, complete with the original illustrations. I had never read this book before, had never even heard of it, but it was wonderfully creepy and strange!
9. Three Tales of My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet
This has been recommended to me, but I hadn't been all that interested. It's very young middle grade, so I read it to my son, and we both loved this story of a brightly striped dragon, and his adventures with a young boy.
10. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
A Newbery Honor from last year, this is a wonderful Chinese folk tale, further brought to life with gorgeous illustrations!
11. The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
What if a small child from a poor, backward farming community could fly? What if there was a top secret agency devoted to studying such children? What if? What if it was turned into a thrilling adventure story, complete with some of the best dialogue you'll ever find in a kid's book?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Top 11- Picture Books!
I love picture books. Before I ever had kids, before I ever WANTED to have kids, I collected picture books. Weird ones, funny ones, pretty ones. Then I had kids, and my criteria changed. Kids don't sit still while you read them elaborately drawn, overly wordy picture books. You don't want to spend HOURS reading elaborately drawn, overly wordy books, either. Suddenly David Wiesner and Sandra Boynton were looking like a pair of geniuses, when I had previously been mildly entertained by him, and condescendingly amused by her. Now, too, my picture book shopping involves a great deal of diverting my son from Disney and other cartoon tie-ins, and trying to entice him with, ahem, real books.
So here are our favorite "real" picture books of the year!
1. We Are In A Book! by Mo Willems
Willems' Elephant and Piggie series for beginning readers are simply wonderful: hilarious, charming, and a nice way to get kids excited to read. This is my favorite of all time: Gerald the Elephant and his best friend, Piggie, discover that they are characters in a book! Piggie entertains herself by making the reader say things, and Gerald freaks out when he realizes that the book will soon end.
2. Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems
A tender goodbye to everyone's favorite stuffed toy. We laughed until the last two pages, and then we (well, ok, I) bawled over the ending.
3. Baby Happy, Baby Sad by Leslie Patricelli
Have a baby or toddler? Know about the constant mood swings? You need this book. My two-year-old reads it to herself and laughs uproariously. Then she suddenly becomes sad . . . and the rollercoast begins anew.
4. It's A Book! by Lane Smith
Not really for kids, because of the inappropriate punch line, but a hilarious look at our sadly plugged in youth.
5. Olivia Goes to Venice by Ian Falconer
And Venice will never be the same!
6. Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) by Florence Parry Heide and Lane Smith
A charming fairy tale about a young princess with an unusual problem. It also stars a redhaired boy called Boy, which makes my redhaired Boy feel like a star!
7. Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton
Who doesn't want their own personal penguin? My daughter certainly does! Also, check out Davy Jones singing the song on YouTube for extra fun!
8. Red Sings From Treetops: A Year In Color by Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski
A Caldecott Honor book from last year, with gorgeous and vaguely European looking illustrations and a fascinating way of helping children associate the different seasons with their signature colors.
9. The Twelve Bots of Christmas by Nathan Hale
I'm not just saying this because he's a personal friend, I swear: Nathan Hale is a picture book GENIUS. Every one of the books that he has written and illustrated has become an instant favorite of my son's. Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, The Devil You Know, and now this one. After one (ONE!) reading, my son could sing the entire song, and went around doing so all during Christmas. He loved it, and I loved it. My husband loved it. My daughter loved the pictures, but threw things at anyone who tried to sing it. (That's because she throws things at anyone who sings, though.) This is a new Christmas classic, at least in our robot loving household!
10. Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Neil Gaiman does indeed have some crazy hair. Google the man and see for yourself. But the combination of Gaiman's poem about his hair (begun as a present for one of his daughters, who calls him Mr. Crazy Hair), combined with McKean's wild illustrations, is beyond crazy and approaching sublime.
11. The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren
Like the average American, I'm mostly familiar with Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking, though I did love Ronia Robber's Daughter as a child. Last year I discovered that this beautiful picture book existed, and received a copy for Christmas. Gentle watercolors combined with a hushed and comforting story about the kind little gnome who cares for a snowbound farm filled me with such a sense of warmth and love that I had trouble not crying while I read it to my son. (Yes, yes, I know I even cry over Knuffle Bunny, but seriously, this is a beautiful book.)
Honorable Mentions go to Binky, The Birthday Box, and Tubby by Leslie Patricelli, Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems, and the gorgeous Cinderella retold by Cynthia Rylant.
So here are our favorite "real" picture books of the year!
1. We Are In A Book! by Mo Willems
Willems' Elephant and Piggie series for beginning readers are simply wonderful: hilarious, charming, and a nice way to get kids excited to read. This is my favorite of all time: Gerald the Elephant and his best friend, Piggie, discover that they are characters in a book! Piggie entertains herself by making the reader say things, and Gerald freaks out when he realizes that the book will soon end.
2. Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems
A tender goodbye to everyone's favorite stuffed toy. We laughed until the last two pages, and then we (well, ok, I) bawled over the ending.
3. Baby Happy, Baby Sad by Leslie Patricelli
Have a baby or toddler? Know about the constant mood swings? You need this book. My two-year-old reads it to herself and laughs uproariously. Then she suddenly becomes sad . . . and the rollercoast begins anew.
4. It's A Book! by Lane Smith
Not really for kids, because of the inappropriate punch line, but a hilarious look at our sadly plugged in youth.
5. Olivia Goes to Venice by Ian Falconer
And Venice will never be the same!
6. Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated) by Florence Parry Heide and Lane Smith
A charming fairy tale about a young princess with an unusual problem. It also stars a redhaired boy called Boy, which makes my redhaired Boy feel like a star!
7. Your Personal Penguin by Sandra Boynton
Who doesn't want their own personal penguin? My daughter certainly does! Also, check out Davy Jones singing the song on YouTube for extra fun!
8. Red Sings From Treetops: A Year In Color by Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski
A Caldecott Honor book from last year, with gorgeous and vaguely European looking illustrations and a fascinating way of helping children associate the different seasons with their signature colors.
9. The Twelve Bots of Christmas by Nathan Hale
I'm not just saying this because he's a personal friend, I swear: Nathan Hale is a picture book GENIUS. Every one of the books that he has written and illustrated has become an instant favorite of my son's. Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, The Devil You Know, and now this one. After one (ONE!) reading, my son could sing the entire song, and went around doing so all during Christmas. He loved it, and I loved it. My husband loved it. My daughter loved the pictures, but threw things at anyone who tried to sing it. (That's because she throws things at anyone who sings, though.) This is a new Christmas classic, at least in our robot loving household!
10. Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Neil Gaiman does indeed have some crazy hair. Google the man and see for yourself. But the combination of Gaiman's poem about his hair (begun as a present for one of his daughters, who calls him Mr. Crazy Hair), combined with McKean's wild illustrations, is beyond crazy and approaching sublime.
11. The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren
Like the average American, I'm mostly familiar with Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking, though I did love Ronia Robber's Daughter as a child. Last year I discovered that this beautiful picture book existed, and received a copy for Christmas. Gentle watercolors combined with a hushed and comforting story about the kind little gnome who cares for a snowbound farm filled me with such a sense of warmth and love that I had trouble not crying while I read it to my son. (Yes, yes, I know I even cry over Knuffle Bunny, but seriously, this is a beautiful book.)
Honorable Mentions go to Binky, The Birthday Box, and Tubby by Leslie Patricelli, Can I Play Too? by Mo Willems, and the gorgeous Cinderella retold by Cynthia Rylant.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
