Children’s books which are generally suitable for children age nine to twelve
Published: 2012 Theme: Coming of Age Best for: 11 and up "Will Sparrow was a liar and a thief, and hungry, so when he saw the chance to steal a cold rabbit pie from the inn's kitchen and blame it on the dog, he took it - both the chance and the pie..." First and foremost, this is a beautifully written piece of children's historical fiction literature. The fact that the story and characters are interesting as well is icing on the cake..
Published: 2005 Theme: Power of Kindness Best for: 11 and up "Africa was hurrying by as if someone were turning the pages of a book too quickly. I was miserable at what I was leaving behind. Even the railway itself has a sad story...I felt my own future would be no better." This historical fiction for children is full of unexpected turns, and dramatic turnabouts, from living in Africa to exile to England.
Published: 2013 Theme: Pluck Best for: 8 to 10 "Every time a human walks out of a room, something with more feet walks in. Mice, of course, who are only a whisker away. It's true of the room where you are sitting. It's truer still of Buckingham Palace." This lovely tongue-in-cheek children's book will definitely bring smiles to readers, especially those who can grasp some of the satire.
Published: 2016 Theme: Freedom of Literary Speech Best for: 8 and up "The hover ladders were floating platforms with handrails, book baskets, and ski-boot safety locks that allowed you to float up and retrieve any book simply by entering the book's call number into a keypad." The reason I found this particular children's book compelling is that it offers a very strong message about the importance of books, libraries, and freedom of press.
Published: 1998 Theme: Gentleness and Bravery Best for: 6 to 10 "'A tridrake,' the dragon repeated. 'A three-headed dragon.' Only then did the children notice that the dragon had two other necks, branching off on either side of the first neck, and two other heads... both sound asleep." This book reads like an old fashioned tale, as each head of the dragon tells of an earlier encounter with a child who trusted and helped the dragon.
Published: 1975 Theme: Loyalties Best for: 6th grade "Of all the stupid things he had ever done, this was the worst by any measure. He had completely humiliated his kind father in front of Yoshida - the man upon whom all their livelihood depended." This compelling children's book has so much going for it that the best advice is to read it. In fact, that's what the sixth grade class does in our Waldorf school, and I hope parents read along.
Published: 2015 Theme: Raising Chickens Best for: 9 and up "Mom says she has no intention of ever being a farmer, even though she knows how to drive a tractor and prune grapes.. But if I'm going to live on a farm, I guess I might as well be a farmer..."This is a totally lovable book, and a very likable heroine, who is trying her best to learn all about chickens, one chicken at a time.
Published: 2013 Theme: Robin Hood Best for: 10 and up "Killing wolves is supposed to teach me to be a great lord of men? Aren't there any books on the subject?" This children's book is full of action. While it's not written as a historical fiction, it gives a good view of the class disparity, and why one would rob the rich and give to the poor.
Published: 2015 Theme: Homelessness Best for: 9 and up "Robin asked what is a keepsake. My mom said it's an object you treasure. Then she said things don't really matter, as long as we have each other."The most interesting part of this children's book is that it allows us to see that perhaps homeless people are just the same as you and me, but having a very difficult financial time.
Published: 2015 Theme: Overcoming Worry Best for: 9 and up "The pencil didn't look magic. It looked the opposite of magic. It was the kind of pencil a parent might bring home from some boring financial-planning convention." This very clever and heart-warming children's book offers a novel approach to knowing the future... a pencil which can answer any factual question.
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