Another week, another list from The Broke and the Bookish! This week was a freebie, so I had to think it through a little bit. So, my freebie list is a little bit lengthy in description, mostly because it’s difficult me for me to make up my mind on these things!
For this week, I looked on my shelf of young adult/children’s books, one’s I actually read sometime between the ages of 8 and 14 (or somewhere around there), which I still regularly return to. Knowing where my reading interests are now, it might be surprising how very little fantasy sits on those shelves (or made it to this list). Instead, it’s filled mainly with historical fiction, with a smattering of others mixed in!
1. Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson, has been around since 1980, and it won the Newberry Medal in 1981. More importantly, it is an amazing story! A classic book, I fell in love with it at a pretty young age. I reread it regularly, and I cannot recommend it enough.
2. One More River, by Lynne Reid Banks introduced me to conflict in the Middle East at a fairly young age. I was obsessed with World War II and all the different aspects around it. This followed naturally into the founding of Israel and the formation of kibbutzs. Lynne Reid Bank really gets the point of view of a young adult while giving some striking perspective on life in Israel and the war with Jordan.
3. Afternoon of the Elves, by Janet Taylor Lisle will long remain one of my favorite books. It is about imagination, friendship, and the importance of seeing through to what people need and where they are hurting.
4. Sarah Bishop, by Scott O’Dell. So, I know this “historical fiction” is really just fiction. However, the strong independent woman living in the woods fighting off the witch accusations certainly captured my imagination. O’Dell always excels survivalist stories!
5. The Giver, by Lois Lowry. What can I say about this book that hasn’t been said already? A classic, well loved by many, it certainly has had an impact on young adult literature and probably the life of many a child, including me. I admit, I haven’t read the rest of the series, partly because the first one means so much to me.
6. In My Father’s House, by Ann Rinaldi. Okay, so there are actually a LOT of areas in history I loved as a kid…this one is the Civil War. No wonder I now work at a historic site…this is all starting to make sense
7. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare. So, I obviously also had an obsession with the witch trials. Hell, I still do. Maybe I should do a list just on those books…Anyway, this is fairly light fair even for the subject matter, but it is still gripping.
8. I am Regina, Sally M. Keehn. Okay, okay…the pattern continues…now we’re onto stories of Indian Captives. This one is supposed to be based on fact, but I know much of it is pretty much just imagination. Still, the themes for my younger self are here as well.
9. Horror at the Haunted House, by Peg Kehret. Finally we break the cycle! A piece of fluff sitting on my shelf! Simple, short, mystery (with a hint at the ghostly). Perfect little popcorn tale, then and now.
10. Ozma of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. Alright, so I have only read a random few of the massive series that is Baum’s Oz. I love this one the most, and that is in large part due to the AMAZING film Return to Oz. I love the 1985 film. I even have a chicken ornament named Billina. Yes, this is my life and I’m proud of it! I really do recommend the book (not just the movie).
**Bonus, because not currently on my shelf for some odd reason…
The Big Lie: A True Story, by Isabella Leitner. The list made me rethink this missing book in my library. This was my first book on the Holocaust, which I read in Second Grade. I can’t find my copy! What happened!!! While I have many, and I do mean MANY, books on the Holocaust (I did mention my WWII obsession), this one was definitive largely because it was the first, and it was perfectly written for a young audience.
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Leckie. I’m actually already on this book and LOVING it. Gender identity? Sci-Fi? Complex social issues? Check, Check, and Check!
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Howey started this series as a novelette, self published on Amazon. It received such high praise that fans clamored for more, and the book was born. Wool is actually a collection of these first 5 short stories and is book #1 in the Silo Saga (you can rest assured I’ll be reading the other two soon enough!). The 5 stories tie together into one nearly seamless tale about living within the strict boundaries of a highly controlled society. When those rules are challenged, and the the lies that built them addressed, everything and everyone must either change or ultimately be destroyed.
Merely Creative 