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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Book bloggers create their own lists based on the chosen topics and post links to our lists. It’s a way of all sharing our thoughts and our love of books. And who doesn’t love lists??
So this week’s challenge was to list the top ten books about friendship. There are so many great ones out there, especially for kids and teens, but these are just some of my favorites!
I’ve talked a lot about how I like to read to my kids at night. It started when my son was a toddler. I used to tell him that he could pick three stories for bedtime and he would hand me The Little Engine that Could. When I told him he could pick out two more? “No! I want you to read this one three times!” I still hate that book… Other favorites were There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, Goodnight Moon, and Guess How Much I Love You. We kept reading every night when my daughter was born, and it is something that I still try to do even now that my son is sixteen and my daughter is eleven. It’s challenging to find the time now that they’re involved in their various extra-curricular activities, but we find it most days. Turns out they’re not too old to enjoy story time with mom, I think we all love to hear a good story no matter our age. While I will still occasionally bring home a great picture book from the library, we mostly read chapter books now. Below are some of our favorites from the last year, good stories that were enjoyable to share aloud and that were enjoyable for all ages.
Benny’s dad is a hoarder – a seriously out-of-control hoarder. Benny’s mom can’t take it anymore and leaves the small Missouri town for New Orleans – now Benny needs to deal with the situation all on his own. When a local teacher enters the town in a contest for “America’s Most Charming Small Town” (maybe exaggerating a little – ok a lot – on the application) the town needs to deal with the junk pile that has become Benny’s home. There is a great supporting cast of characters – a hippie starting a radio station, a teacher encouraging community service projects, a piano teacher, a classroom crush – that cause you to feel like you know and love the quirky people in this small town. While reading this book we had a lot of laughs, moments where our hearts were breaking for Benny, times when we were holding our breaths waiting to see what happened next, and times when we were cheering him on.
Title: Homesick
Author: Kate Klise
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 192
Publication: Feiwel & Friends, September 2012
When Georges dad loses his job his family is uprooted and needs to move to a Brooklyn apartment in an unfamiliar neighborhood. His mom is working extra shifts at the hospital to make ends meet and Georges is feeling depressed and friendless when he sees a sign for a Spy Club. Encouraged by his dad, he signs up and meets Safer – a twelve-year old spy – who recruits Georges on his mission to figure out what nefarious deeds their upstairs neighbor, Mr. X, is up to. Eventually, Georges becomes concerned about the morality of what Safer is asking him to do and frustrated with Safer’s moody demands. As he begins to question Safer and his stories they begin to unravel as does their friendship. The relationships in the story were great – Georges and his mom leaving messages for each other with Scrabble tiles, how he tries not to put extra stress on his dad, the way that Safer’s family takes him in, and ultimately, his friendship with Safer as he comes to an understanding of the truth.
Title: Liar & Spy
Author: Rebecca Stead
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 192
Publication: Wendy Lamb Books, August 2012
This story was hilarious, from start to finish. Donovan is a decidedly ungifted troublemaker who may have finally taken things too far when an administrative screw-up lands him in the Academy for Scholastic Distinction. If he can hide out there for awhile, maybe his other problems will blow over… plus, his parents are sooo proud! As his new teachers and fellow students struggle to figure out where Donovan’s gifts may lie (how DID he get here??), he brings something new to the class – himself – his knowledge of “normal” life, video games, and YouTube. The relationships between these students, their parents, and their teachers are consistently humorous yet insightful. There was not an evening of reading this together when we didn’t end up laughing. Mr. Korman – my kids are hoping for a sequel!
Title: Ungifted
Author: Gordon Korman
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 288
Publication: Balzer & Bray, August 2012
I had to write a post about the works of Brian Selznick because I wanted to share how utterly amazing I find them. These are more than simple children’s books – they are works of art like no other. These books combine text and illustrations magically, with the illustrations telling portions of the story seamlessly and artfully, yet without words. As is apparent, the written word is at the heart of what I do and what I believe and what I love, so I have to admit to being doubtful when hearing of the concept. Have no doubt; these are books worth reading, worth owning, and worth looking at again and again.
At the turn of the 20th century Hugo Cabret is hiding in the train station in Paris, keeping the clocks running now that his uncle is gone, and stealing to provide himself with food. His deceased father left him a notebook full of drawings and a non-working automaton – in Hugo’s spare time he works on bringing it back to life. When he meets a strange girl and her grandfather in the train station he becomes embroiled in the mysteries of their lives while still trying to preserve his own.
“Maybe that’s why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn’t able to do what it was meant to do…Maybe it’s the same with people,” Hugo continued. “If you lose your purpose…it’s like you’re broken.”
Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Author: Brian Selznick
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 533
Publication: Scholastic Press, January 2007
Wonderstruck adds another level of complexity to a story told largely through illustrations. It tells of the story of two different characters, Ben and Rose, fifty years apart in time. Ben’s story is told through words while Rose’s is told through the illustrations. Both embark on a quest to find what is missing in their lives and eventually their stories will come together. The transition between the stories, and their ultimate intertwining, is seamless. What could be confusing is instead artful and beautiful.
“Maybe, thought Ben, we are all cabinets of wonders.”
Title: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznick
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 608
Publication: Scholastic Press, 2011
I’ve mentioned my fondness for reading out loud to my kids. We do occasionally read picture books; I find them fascinating, particularly the illustrations and the complexity that can be found in stories simply told. But mostly we read chapter books out loud. We have read everything from classics (Heidi, Little Women, The Secret Garden, Dickens, etc) to newer releases (Ungifted, Homesick, Liar & Spy, The Graveyard Book, etc). I think we have all enjoyed everything that we have read together, there were no real losers, and we enjoy the time together regardless, but some of our favorites have been novels by Kate DiCamillo. She weaves magical tales that are completely absorbing, include captivating illustrations, and are a pleasure to read aloud (Dickens – not so much!). Since I believe we have completed all of her children’s novels, I thought I would share a summary of them and what I particularly loved about each. Don’t dismiss these novels just because you don’t have kids – or because they’re too young or too old – these are great stories for any of us!
“The world is dark, and light is precious. Come closer, dear reader. You must trust me. I’m telling you a story.” This is how The Tale of Despereaux begins and you are completely enchanted until the very end. DiCamillo has written a modern-day fairy tale, the story of a mouse that is not like other mice, with his love of music, books, and the princess. The story of a rat that lives in the darkness but is enchanted by light. And the story of a slow-witted servant girl who simply wishes to be a princess. Their stories all come together as the author directly tells you, the reader, this intertwining story in beautiful and thoughtful language. While I loved all of her books, this was by far my favorite (a mouse that loves to read – how can you go wrong?). The movie? Don’t bother!
Title: The Tale of Despereaux
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 272
Publication: Candlewick, 2003
Edward Tulane is a conceited china rabbit (yes – you read that right, but trust me – it works!) who is lost by his owner and goes on a journey of redemption, to learn of love and loss, from garbage piles to the bottom of the ocean to a hobo camp and beyond. “Open your heart. Someone will come. Someone will come for you. But first you must open your heart…”
Title: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 228
Publication: Candlewick, 2006
Opal moves with her father, the preacher, to Florida where she finds Winn-Dixie, a big, ugly, loveable dog who will be the friend she needs so desperately, while helping her to make friends in this new place. She spends the summer learning the stories of Otis (the ex-con running the pet store), Franny (the local librarian), and Gloria (the blind woman who sees into Opal’s heart), while also using Winn-Dixie to get her father to tell her about her long-gone mother. Opal will start to grow up, learn how to make friends, and begin to understand forgiveness, all with the help of a dog named after a grocery story. “It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor.” The movie based on this book is definitely worth watching AFTER you read the book (let’s face it – the book is ALWAYS better!).
Title: Because of Winn Dixie
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 288
Publication: Candlewick, 2000
A fortune teller answers Peter’s question with an odd answer – an elephant will lead him there. The question? Peter is an orphan and wants to know if his little sister is still alive. The same day, a magician will somehow conjure an elephant which will bring together the lives of Peter, a society matron, a beggar, the magician, a policeman, a sculptor, and a nun in a series of events that will eventually lead him to his answer, and will provide answers to others as well. “That is surely the truth, at least for now. But perhaps you have not noticed: the truth is forever changing.”
Title: The Magician’s Elephant
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 208
Publication: Candlewick, 2009
Rob’s mother has died of cancer and he and his father move to Florida looking to find a new life. Rob is terribly unhappy when he meets someone else new at school, Sistine, who is also struggling with the hope that her father is going to come and get her. When Rob discovers a caged tiger in the woods, the events that follow will allow him to understand what it means to be free, to open up and forge a friendship with Sistine, learn to forgive his father, and deal with his grief. “Rob had a way of not-thinking about things. He imagined himself as a suitcase that was too full… He made all his feelings go inside the suitcase; he stuffed them in tight and then sat on the suitcase and he locked it shut. That was the way he not-thought about things. Sometimes it was hard to keep the suitcase shut. But now he had something to put on top of it. The Tiger. Rob imagined the tiger on top of his suitcase, blinking his golden eyes, sitting proud and strong, unaffected by all the non-thoughts inside straining to come out.”
Title: The Tiger Rising
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 128
Publication: Candlewick, 2001
I love to read to kids, particularly my own, but I also love the opportunity to read to the kids that come into the library. I try (with varying success in the middle of drama rehearsals, karate classes, piano lessons, etc) to read to my kids every night. It doesn’t matter that they are 11 and 16 and perfectly able to read by themselves, there is something about sharing a story aloud and sharing it as a family. Sometimes it’s a picture book, sometimes a classic, sometimes a new juvenile or young adult chapter book that has appeared on the library shelves, but we all enjoy the time in the evening, curled up on the couch, sharing a story.
Children’s books are no less engrossing than those written for adults. Whether they are teaching a moral lesson, taking you on an adventure, or just plain silly, these books really can be enjoyed by people of any age, and are always best when they are shared.
I have a special affinity for picture books. I can get lost in the illustrations which can add so much to a story, taking you to different times and places, making you laugh, or just awing you with the works of art contained within the pages of a children’s book. As a self-admitted bibliophile, what could be better than picture books about books? Below are some of my favorites. No matter your age, if you love books, they are worth a look, and the illustrations alone make them worth owning.
Elizabeth Brown loves books, spends all her time with books, and is always reading.
“Elizabeth Brown
Preferred a book
To going on a date.
While friends went out
And danced till dawn,
She stayed up reading late.”
Following Elizabeth from her birth through her old age this beautifully illustrated book tells the story of a true bibliophile. When her house is so full of books that there is no longer room for her, Elizabeth donates her collection to the town to create a public library and spends her old age walking to the library each day with her friend, still enjoying her books while others do as well.
Title: The Library
Author: Sarah Stewart
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 40
Publication: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, April 1995
My favorite thing about this book is definitely the illustrations. It tells the story of Peter and his cat, characters from a book themselves, on a quest for the one missing book in a library that holds all the books ever written. The book is How to Live Forever, and in a library that comes alive at night, containing the world within its pages, they discover the Ancient Child who has the book and need to decide whether to read it. For every bibliophile who ever dreamed of a world within books, and built of books, the beautifully detailed illustrations provide a dream come true.
Title: How to Live Forever
Author: Colin Thompson
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 32
Publication: Knopf Books for Young Readers, April 1996
This is a book of poems, about books, written for children. Again, the illustrations are fantastic, a little on the dark side, but definitely engrossing. Little kids seem to love the poems – some are silly, some offer great plays on words, some are touching, and some are even a little sad. My favorite is definitely the title poem:
“Please bury me in the library
In the clean, well-lighted stacks
Of Novels, History, Poetry,
Right next to the Paperbacks,
Where the Kids’ Books dance
With True Romance
And the Dictionary dozes.
Please bury me in the library
With a dozen long-stemmed proses.
Way back by a rack of Magazines,
I won’t be sad too often,
If the bury me in the library
With Bookworms in my coffin.”
Title: Please Bury Me in the Library
Author: J. Patrick Lewis
Genre: Children’s Poetry
Pages: 32
Publication: Harcourt Children’s Books, April 2005
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is by far my favorite book about books. The illustrations are truly magical, as is the story of a man who spends his life being surrounded by, caring for, and being cared for by, books. And as his story is finished, the cycle begins anew, with the books remaining the one constant. As much as I love the book, and I do, immensely, the short animated film that preceded the book is perhaps even more fantastic (and I NEVER say that about a film!). It won the 2011 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and can be found on iTunes. I highly recommend that any book lover own both!
Title: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Author: William Joyce
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pages: 56
Publication: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, June 2012
Watching the Words 