 |
| Think this girl will be satisfied reading something because she "should" read it? |
There are mountains of books out there highly recommended (they'd require it if they could!) by all
sorts of experts. As a kid, I found most of the books on those lists incredibly
dull, especially the list of books that girls should read (Coming of age
stories? Blehhhh!). I wanted books that were exciting adventurous, funny, and
just a tiny bit scary. So, what about a list of books that smart, funny children
will enjoy reading, rather than “should read?”
1.
The Great Brain by John Dennis Fitzgerald: A smartly-written
book about a boy, John, whose older brother Tom (nicknamed The Great Brain), is
both a genius and a swindler, finding crafty ways to bilk the neighborhood kids—and
occasionally adults—out of money. My four grade teacher read this to us (thanks
Mr. T!), and it was laugh out loud funny for the entire classroom.
2.
Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix:
An edge-of-your-seat novel about a girl, Jessie, who thinks she lives in a tiny
rural village in the 1840s, only to find that’s she’s actually living in 1996,
in a replica of a historical village that’s actually a tourist attraction. A
deadly disease is running rampant through the village, and Jessie must go into
a world with technology 150 years past her understanding to get modern
medicine, without alert the people who are desperately trying to keep the
inhabitants inside “history.” I must have read this two dozen times.
3.
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner:
This series focuses on four orphaned children (Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny
Alden) who solve mysteries. The mysteries range from simple to complex as the
series goes along. These were my go-to books in second grade, and there are
well over a hundred of them.
4.
Mossflower by Brian Jacques: Despite the name
sounding somewhat feminine, this is chronologically the first book in a fantasy
series about animal warriors who live in the Mossflower Wood. Martin the
Warrior (a mouse), is traveling through the Wood and is captured and
imprisoned by a tyrannical wildcat. After escaping, Martin must rally the peaceful
residents of Mossflower (moles, mice, hedgehogs, etc) to fight back against the
evil ruler. Not only is the storyline captivating, I love the chivalry and honor
that pervades the story!
5.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt: All about
the consequences of immortality, this fantasy book is about a girl named Winnie
and the family she meets, who have drank water from a hidden stream and become
immortal. This book accelerates without warning, and become a wild adventure trying
to find the correct choice between deception and doing the right thing.
6.
James and the Giant Peach by Ronald Dahl: This
adventure follows a young boy named James who lives with his horrible aunts. Through
an accident of magic, a peach grows massive in the garden. Some bugs (including
a worm, ladybug, and grasshopper) are also affected; growing not only larger,
but also developing the ability to speak. James and his new friends end up
using the peach as a boat, and float away to some great adventures. This book
is absolutely full of goofy and ridiculous fun. Please don’t judge it by the
movie of the same title.
7.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony
Snickett: Three Baudelaire orphans (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) are placed in the
custody of Count Olaf, a truly terrible human being. Olaf has every intent to
steal the Baudelaire’s immense inheritance. Throughout the series, the children
must work together to escape his evil clutches again and again, as many of the
adults in the series are oblivious to the children’s plight. These books are
darker than most children’s books, but if your kiddo (or you) likes impossible
adventures, bizarre twists, and unique villains, these are great!
8.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: An
imaginative story about two lonely kids who together create an imaginary
kingdom and who are transformed by friendship. This book starts out very light
and fun, but becomes much more serious. Warning: this was the first book to
ever make me cry. I still cry every time I read it. This may lead to serious
conversations about death with your children.
9.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George:
Sam Gribley runs away from his parents’ cramped apartment that he shares with
too many siblings and forges out a living for himself in the Catskill Mountains.
This book is all about the difficulties of survival, courage, independence, and
loneliness. This may have been required reading in 3rd or 4th
grade… And it made me want to live off the land in the middle of nowhere. My
husband love this one as a kid too.
10.
Purple, Green, and Yellow by Robert Munsch: By
the author of The Paper Bag Princess comes a story about Brigid, who wants the
latest and greatest markers. First, she gets regular markers, then markers that
wash off with water, then markers that smell, then the holy grail of markers:
the super-indelible-never-comes-off-till-you’re-dead markers. I must have read
this to my cousins about 100 times, and we always laughed like crazy at the
end.
Those are the book I would recommend to your adventurous, can-do
kid. Anything I missed? What would you recommend?
