Today's post focuses on kids books that are so great, I recommend them even if you don't have a kid in your life to share them with. These are also books that I recommend for kids who are strong independent readers, or for read-alouds with your kid. Many of the books on this list I either read aloud to one of my kid, or I read them at the same time as one of my kids and then we discussed, though some I read purely for my own enjoyment.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio - Wonder is not just one of the best children's books I've read, but one of the best books I've ever read, period, and I always recommend it to readers of all ages. When I started this blog with my post on 5 books that had stayed with me, I included this one, which also made my 2013 ten favorites list. If you haven't read the book, you still may be familiar with it thanks to the movie adaptation, which I discussed here. A really powerful and moving novel about a young boy with facial deformities, who has been home-schooled his whole life and goes to school for the first time in 5th grade. Vivid characters, a really compelling story, and really makes you think. I first read it on my own, but at the same time as Allison was reading it, so we could discuss it together, and I read it aloud this past fall with my 9 year old son Jonah, who also loved it. Auggie & Me, a book of 3 stories/novellas set in the world of "Wonder," is also worth a read.
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| Two series adults can enjoy too! |
Wonder by R.J. Palacio - Wonder is not just one of the best children's books I've read, but one of the best books I've ever read, period, and I always recommend it to readers of all ages. When I started this blog with my post on 5 books that had stayed with me, I included this one, which also made my 2013 ten favorites list. If you haven't read the book, you still may be familiar with it thanks to the movie adaptation, which I discussed here. A really powerful and moving novel about a young boy with facial deformities, who has been home-schooled his whole life and goes to school for the first time in 5th grade. Vivid characters, a really compelling story, and really makes you think. I first read it on my own, but at the same time as Allison was reading it, so we could discuss it together, and I read it aloud this past fall with my 9 year old son Jonah, who also loved it. Auggie & Me, a book of 3 stories/novellas set in the world of "Wonder," is also worth a read.
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan - This is another middle grade book which made my 10 favorites list, for 2014. A wonderful, moving novel about a very smart oddball middle-schooler named Willow, and how she copes when thrust into tragedy. I read this one after Allison loved it (she was 10 at the time), and I loved it too.
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - As I mentioned in my post on best series, I think the Harry Potter books are firmly among the best series of all time. I'm sure everyone is familiar with these books already, but if you've been living under a rock, they're an absolutely amazing fantasy series about a school for wizards with absolutely wonderful, indelible characters. I read most of the books in the series before I had kids, so my initial reading and love for them had nothing to do with being a mom. I then read the first book or two to Allison who didn't care for them, until a few years later when she went back and read them on her own and loved them after all, and Jonah and I are currently reading book 2 together before he goes to bed each night.
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - This is an extremely quirky mystery/puzzle/character study, about a group of people picked to live in a new apartment building and then informed that they are all heirs to the mysterious Sam Westing and competing for his fortune. I mentioned this book in my 5 books that had stayed with me post as well, noting that it was likely the book that I had read the most times in my life, as it was my favorite novel as a kid and I used to read it over and over again, though I've read it several times as an adult as well. Most recently, I read it a few months ago along with Jonah, who to my delight loved it and declared it his new favorite book of all time.
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan - Another middle grade fantasy series, starting with the book "The Lightning Thief," this one about a boy named Percy who discovers he is a demigod and that the gods of Greek mythology are very much still real in our present world. These books were just so much fun to read. I also really enjoyed the Magnus Chase series by the same author, which is similar but about Norse mythology.
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead - Lovely middle grade novel about middle school kids and friendship. Rebecca Stead has a real knack for creating characters that are believably quirky and relatable, and just feel very real. Even though the plot was fairly quiet, I couldn't put this one down. I also loved When You Reach Me by the same author.
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin - A moving middle grade novel about a girl trying to cope after the unexpected death of her best friend. Very good but very sad, so if you are sharing this one with a kid, you definitely might want to read it first yourself.
George by Alex Gino - A simply but powerfully written middle grade novel about a 4th grader named George who externally is a boy, but feels like a girl on the inside and is afraid to tell anyone. A short and fast read, very moving.
The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer - A winning middle grade novel about three different kids from around the country, each with their own issues, who eventually end up at the Youth Scrabble Tournament in Florida.
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