I’m combining two books for number four because they’re both “children’s” titles, and I didn’t want to be accused of cheating! But like all truly great children’s literature, the quality of writing and of storytelling really make these two worthwhile forany reader, any age.
When You Reach Me just won thjs year’s Newbery Award, and rightfully so. A riff on Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time, the story is set in New York City and centers on a series of mysterious notes that a twelve-year-old girl receives. It’s a coming-of-age tale that avoids the tiredness of that genre, because it’s really about the coming-of-age ritual that we all have to do over and over throughout our lives – figuring out the right thing to do (the thing that is most just to ourselves, our talents, and passions, as well as most just to others) and then doing it. A fast read, but not a shallow one.
The LIghtning Thief is Book One in one of the most popular kids’ series right now, Percy Jackson & the Olympians. I finally succombed to professional peer pressure when I chose to read it. I was skeptical because I don’t really like sci-fi or fantasy, and so far have not enjoyed Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or any of that stuff that make nerds’ ears glow. Now feel sheepish about my reluctance.
Rick Riordan is walking audaciously but effectively in the path of Homer, Dante and C.S. Lewis, using the ancient tales of the gods to explore tricky questions about destiny, hope, love, power, revenge, friendship, the great intangibles. The liberal-arts-college nerd in me loved Riordan’s sweeping explanation of modern history in terms of the battle between the great ancient gods, who have followed the progression of Western culture, to its new capital, America (Mount Olympus is now on the 600th level of the Empire State Building, while The Underworld is located below a recording studio in Los Angelos).
Riordan turns the very familiar epic stories into metaphors for very pragmatic modern realities – Percy. who struggles with dyslexia and ADHD, doesn’t bat an eye at hearing that the gods are having affairs with humans and never paying any more attention to their progeny, because that’s nothing new to kids these days. But at the same time that he’s drawing the myths down to a very prosaic level, Riordan also uses them to hint at theological ponderings – what happens after we die? How can humans expect to relate to the grandness of deity? What is the purpose of self-sacrifice?
Looking forward to the rest of the series, as well as to the movie in a couple of weeks. Pierce Brosnan as Chiron? Hot. Sean Bean as Zeus? Super hot.
Any of you read kids’ lit? Have recommendations for me? I’m eying The Mysterious Benedict Society.
I also really enjoyed the Lightning Thief series and can’t wait for the movie in a couple weeks.
Other recent children books I’ve enjoyed:
Cornelia Funke (especially the Ink series and Thief Lord)
Jeanne Birdsall
Book Thief and I am Messenger (more young adult than children)
Here’s my antirecommendation for Bendedict Society; I just gave it a oneline review above. Basically: starts out charming, then turns dull quickly.
Then again, I quit Percy Jackson halfway through, so maybe we have different tastes!
I think most children/young adult books can stand alone as one book. Many of them are better written than some of the “adult” books I have read. IMHO