While gender doesn’t determine if a book is great or not, it does help if children can identify with some of the characters in the stories. This is especially true for reluctant readers. The books in this particular category are noted for the predominance of boys as main characters.
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: 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...
Published: 2007 Theme: Freedom and Slavery Best for: 12 and up "I'd started with ten fish and now I was down to six, and even though I ain't particular worthy at my schooling, it'd take a whole lot of doggone humbug algebra and trickaration geometry to make ten percent of ten come out to four." In this skillfully written historical fiction children's book, we see the world through the eyes of a freeborn child, whose parents had been slaves.
Published: 2012 Theme: Forgiveness Best for: 9 to 12 "It is better to light a lantern than to bemoan the darkness," Madame Change said softly to herself, as if in a dream. "Can't we light more lanterns, then?" Peiyi said eagerly, "to make up for the light of the moon?" In another lovely children's book, Grace Lin deftly weaves a dramatic story of forgiveness around the retelling of classic Chinese tales.
Published: 2012, 2014 Theme: Fantasy Exploring Best for: 12 and up "We Explorers have always been redrawing the maps. That map was no less correct when it was made than the ones made by Ortelius or Mercator. A map of the world isn't a fixed thing. We know only what we can see." This series is superb. The adventures, the dangers, the daring, the unstated metaphors to today's warped political world, are both disturbing and important...
Published: 2004 Theme: Good vs Evil Best for: ages 10 and up "As if reading her mind, a large porpoise rose straight up, using its powerful tail to lift its head well clear of the water, dancing on the churning water. It looked at Molly, grinning, and said, "Hello." " An action packed pirate story, with lots of fights, heroes, and drama, this is a magical prequel to Peter Pan...
Published: 1998 Theme: Native American lifestyle Best for: 9 and up classrooms "I believe that in many instances where the white settlers had trouble with the Indians it all started because the Indians were just curious to know what in the world the white settlers were doing, and not be because they ...even knew they were doing any damage." This nonfiction children's book is simple and informative, giving a full and loving picture of a culture that tragically has disappeared.
Published: 2008 Theme: Adventure Best for: 9 to 12 "The children took off, hurrying away from the castle. Down, down along the twisting cobbled street, weaving through pedestrians, crossing tiled plazas, down and down to where the street grew still more narrow and began to branch off into...alleyways." Think James Bond, non-stop action, fights, captures, escapes, but no one getting killed, and you have a bird's eye view of this adventure.
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