Children’s books for the early teen years, not yet young adults, but no longer little ones
Published: 2006 Theme: Adventure Best for: 11 and up "This adventure really began on early spring morning when I was fourteen years old. I remember it all so clearly, from the moment I stepped out into the still dark yard and went to unlock the stable door." Written like a page out of the Celtic past, the adventures of two young lads searching for their dad on a lost island is exquisitely crafted...
Published: 2016 Theme: Child Labor, Doing Good Best for: 12 and up "The sounds of the sewing machines that masked the constant grumbling of my belly would surely mask the sound of ripping paper. The guard now had his head tilted back, his eyes shut..." This recently-published children's book takes on child labor directly and dramatically, and how one person can make a difference for others.
Published: 2015 Theme: Historical Fiction Coming of Age Best for: 12 - 14 "I have escaped! I have achieved the first stage of my emancipation! In a little while I will go on to Baltimore--and from thence I will begin my new life." This beautifully written historical fiction children's book is quite hard to put down.
Published: 2012 Theme: Civil Rights Best for: 11 to 14 "I think a friend is someone who helps you change for the better. And whether you see them once a day or once a year, if it's a true friend, it doesn't matter." This is a compelling and important book for today's world, and yet, it was painful to read, because I wished none of it were true...
Published: 1976 Theme: Native American tragedy Best for: 12 and up "Misson Santa Barbara, where the Padres were taking us, was near the Island of the Blue Dolphins...Perhaps if I went there, I could find one who would help me reach the island and bring Karana back." A wonderful work of historical fiction, this children's book is a sequel to Island of Blue Dolphins, and also offers a chilling look at the treatment of Native Americans by missions.
Published: 2014 Theme: Bravery Best for: 14 and older "We'd never been through a war, so we didn't know what war was like. We thought it would be an adventure. Later of course, we realized the truth: that war is almost the opposite to an adventure..." This is a complex, serious book about a very serious topic: war. It asks the question, What is bravery? What does it take to show one's bravery?...
Published: 2016 Theme: Middle-school life Best for: 11 and up "We all need goals," he said. "Here's one: Stay away from people who don't know who they are but want you to be just like them. People who'll want to label you. People who'll try to write their fears on your face." This terrific, humorous middle-school story covers bullying, teachers, cliques, change, parental divorce, and gender identity, just to name a few...
Published: 2013 Theme: Injustice Best for: 11 and up "To make a tomahawk for your son, you needed the stone blade, and the wooden shaft, and time. In my father's day, there was still time..." I couldn't put this historical fiction book down. From start to sad ending, the trauma of the battle for land in early America is a compelling read...
Published: 2011 Theme: Meaning of Life Best for: 11 to 13 "After five years, he has sent me a message with one instruction, to open this box on my thirteenth birthday. Somehow, no matter how impossible it might seem, I am going to do exactly that." If you want an uplifting, somewhat philosophical children's book, for a child who is wondering about the meaning of life, this is it...
Published: 2012 Theme: Accepting Differences Best for: 11 and up "I'm kind of used to how I look by now. I know how to pretend I don't see the faces people make. We've all gotten pretty good at that sort of thing: me, Mom and Dad, Via. Actually, I take that back: Via's not so good at it." Let's get right to the heart of the matter: this is a stunning, daring, heart-opening children's book.
Litkidz 