Children’s books by current writers which are both well-written and captivating. We use 1975 as the cut off date for calling something ‘contemporary’ or classic; however, contemporary generally means today’s kids can identify with the characters.
Published: 2007 Theme: Bravery Best for: 9 and up "Twelve! And I haven't had a single real adventure. How will I ever get to be a famous knight?... I'm going to die of boredom, you wait and see! Maybe not overnight, but definitely before my next birthday!" I love this children's book. It has all the elements of fun, especially if you are a fan of books about knights. There's humor, adventure, magic, and wonderful heroes and heroines...
Published: 2010 Theme: Bravery Best for: ages 11 and up "Mattie felt a sudden dizziness. Just for a second or two, it was almost as if she herself were tumbling through the air. And once again the boundaries that separated human beings from birds seemed to dissolve." A wonderful creative look at the early life of Robin Hood and Maid Marian, with lots of equality for women thrown in...
Published: 1982 Theme: Beauty in Simplicity Best for: ages 5 to 8 "There is still one more thing I have to do," she said, "I have to do something to make the world more beautiful. But what?" How wonderful to find an illustrated children's book where the story itself is as important as the pictures...
Published: 1999 Theme: Inner Worth Best for: girls 8 and up "Once upon a time, in the village of Snettering-on-Snoakes in the Kingdom of Biddle, a blacksmith's wife named Gussie gave birth to a baby girl. Gussie and her husband, Sam, named the baby Lorelei, and they loved her dearly." If your young (girl) reader is a fan of 'fractured fairy tales,' this children's book offers a wonderful comical version of the classic Princess and the Pea.
Published: 2012 Theme: Dealing with change Best for: 9 - 12 "We didn't think we were tragic...All any of us wanted was for somebody to care about us, and if we couldn't have that, then at least somebody who wouldn't be too mean and who would feed us from time to time." In this book, the children's reality merges with the reality of spirit, and it's hard to tell one from the other in the end.
Published: 2011 Theme: Courage and Loyalty Best for: 9 and up "Elves," I whispered. Dressed in fur and velvet, silk and satin, they noiselessly took their places at the table, standing behind their chairs. The candles all lighted in unison, and then the Elf-King came into the clearing." This book offers the delight of meeting new characters, visiting fantastic realms, like that of the elves, and an utterly satisfying and happy ending...
Published: 2013 Theme: Coming of age FairyTale Best for: Girls 12 and up "So her days and nights passed and rolled into weeks and months, and she lived in the enchanted palace with the bear. Each afternoon she would turn from whatever she was doing to see the bear standing, watching her..." With beautiful descriptive language of the landscape and the characters, this retelling of the classic fairy tale has a surprising ending...
Published: 1988 Theme: Survival Best for: boys 11 and up "...he learned the most important rule about survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn't work... the self-pity had accomplished nothing." About a third of the way through the book, when it became clear this was really about survival in it's truest sense, I was hooked on the mesmerizing story.
Published: 1999 Theme: Resilience Best for: 9 and up "We were all standing in line waiting for breakfast when one of the caseworkers came in and tap-tap-tapped down the line. Uh-oh, this meant bad news, either they'd found a foster home for somebody or somebody was about to get paddled." Humor, pathos, drama, history, and emotion create an intensely beautiful and impactful piece of children's literature...
Published: 1995 Theme: Family Best for: 11 and up ""Lona, what you teach these babies up North? Don't they know how to give no one a proper hug?" Grandma Sands reached up over Byron's head. "A little short on hair but we gonna get on just fine, what you think, By?" Country kids meet city kids. Northern kids meet life in the South, circa 1963. Sibling rivalry. Delinquency. Parental decisions. The ground this book covers is astounding...
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