A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel

My husband recently started working at a two-year college. While we toured the campus, there was a display outside the library advertising a class called The Graphic Novel as a Literary Form. I really want to take that class! But since, I can't do that, I did the next best thing. I got a library card (one of the perks of being a spouse of faculty member) and checked out the book that I absolutely had to read.

One of my favorite YA books of all time is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I haven't read very many graphic novels, and I think a book you're familiar with turned into a graphic novel is a great way to start. I already knew the story backwards and forwards (and could probably quote much of it). It was very interesting to see how the artist (Hope Larson) portrayed some non-dialogue portions of the book. The first scene in Camazotz was my favorite:

As I read the book my four-year-old sat next to me and wanted to know what was happening and what all the characters were saying. So though this book is listed for Middle Grade Readers, younger readers could certainly enjoy it too. Check out this awesome book trailer. And then check out the book. Or go buy it. It's going on my wishlist.





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A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel
By Madeleine L'Engle
Illustrations by Hope Larson
Publisher: Square Fish
Year: 2015
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Classics, Books Everyone Should Read, Newbery Books

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Holes by Louis Sachar

I graduated high school the year Holes by Louis Sachar won the Newbery Award--and I was one of its biggest fans. I was first in line to see the movie with my brother. And I think it's one of the rare instances when the movie is almost as good as the book and you really should experience both.

Holes is a good book for anyone to read, but it's a great book for boys. And there are some interactive features to the book on Louis Sachar's website. That's where I saw this awesome new cover:

I'm usually pretty loyal to the original cover art, but I think this new one is pretty cool too.

Have you ever read Holes? Have you seen the movie? If not, this summer is a perfect time to fix that.
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Holes
By Louis Sachar
Publisher: Francis Foster
Year: 1998
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade, Newbery Books, Books for Boys, Movies

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Island of the Blue Dolphins

I can't remember the first time I read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. It was published in 1960 so it was already an old book when I got my hands on it. But I do know that I read it over and over again until my copy was falling apart.

Adventure and survival books with female protagonists may be common now, but not so much when I was growing up. Karana in Island of the Blue Dolphins is left on an island and survives alone for 18 years. It was a remarkable story to read as a young girl because I could not conceive of surviving alone, and at the same time, Karana helped me imagine that I could.

Sadly, my childhood copy has not survived. But Newbery books often stay in print and my research shows that a 50th anniversary edition was printed in 2010. I plan on putting it on my list of books to buy for my daughters.

What are some of your favorite adventure books for girls?
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
By Scott O'Dell
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Year: 1960
Ages/Themes: Middle Grade Books, Books for Girls, Adventure, Diverse Books, Newbery Books

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Invincible Louisa

In my early twenties I worked in a middle school library. It was one of my favorite jobs because I worked with books all day long. Middle school is the perfect age for reading Newbery books. I had already read a lot of them as a child, so I made the goal to read them all. It took a long time, but a few years ago I met that goal and have kept it up by reading the Newbery winner each year after it's announced.

The John Newbery Award is given to "the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." And I'd love to say that they are all great and you and your kids should read them all! But the award started in 1922 and I have to admit that children's literature used to be just plain weird. From too many horse and dog stories to downright weird and creepy. (I'm looking at you Miss Hickory that ends with a squirrel eating the protagonist doll's nut head. Sorry for the spoiler, but really, you can skip that one.)

So here I begin an ongoing series highlighting the Newbery Award books that are worth reading. Even though some are strange, many of them are on my list of favorite children's books of all time. I haven't read all the Newbery Honor books, but I will include some notable ones that I have read.

First we're going to go all the way back to 1934. (See? Some of the oldies are goodies.)

I read Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs when I was a young girl. It's the story of the author of Little Women. So obviously I recommend it for those who have already read, or at least watched, Little Women. I don't remember a lot of details, but I remember that it held my interest. I think it's a good book for young girls to read because it helps them make the connection between books and authors. Actual people write the books they read, which means that maybe they could too.

I also recommend reading the book Little Women and I even really adore the 1994 movie version of Little Women, and not just because Christian Bale is in it, though that doesn't hurt. Little Women would be a great book for mothers and daughters to read together. And then watch Christian Bale, I mean, the movie. If you haven't read it or seen the movie, just take my advice and keep the tissues handy.

2016 Newbery Winner: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

"Sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt, CJ, you're a better witness for what's beautiful."

After church CJ and his grandma travel by bus. At first he's jealous of his friends who get to hop in their cars and go home. But as they journey, his grandma helps him see all that he would miss out on if they didn't take the bus.

This year's Newbery Award winner is Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena. It was also a Caldecott Honor Book and won lots of other awards and made it to the top of numerous lists. (View them all here.) It's not unheard of, but also not incredibly common for the Newbery winner to be a picture book. It's a good book to read with your kids because it exemplifies gratitude for the things you have and seeing beauty anywhere.
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Last Stop on Market Street
By Matt De La Pena
Pictures by Christian Robinson
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Year: 2015
Ages: Young Children, Early Readers, Picture Books
Awards: Newbery Winner, Caldecott Honor

Find this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The 2016 Newbery Award winner and honor books have been announced. More than ten years ago when I was working in a middle school library, I made a goal to read all the Newbery Award books. I finished that goal a few years back and eagerly look forward to reading the new winner each year. Since I only have to read one book a year to keep up the goal, I often read the honor books too. And sometimes I like them even better than the winner.

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradely earned a Newbery Honor nod this year. I already had this book on my TBR list and I'm glad that gave me the extra push to read it. It's the first full book I read in 2016 and it was a good start.

It's the story of young Ada and her little brother Jamie who leave London to live in the country during the bombings of World War II. Narrated by Ada, it's a powerful story of overcoming hardships. Despite that rousing description, it's a book I would have loved when I was young. It talks about difficult times and difficult issues, but in an age appropriate way. Much better than a ten-year-old reading The Hiding Place. Which I did. Anyway, good book. You should read it or give it to your Middle Grade reader.

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The War that Saved my Life 
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradely
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Year: 2015
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult
Themes: WWII, England, disabilities
Awards: Newbery Honor Book

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

As a young girl, I went through a huge historical fiction phase. I loved learning about, and imagining myself in, another time and place. One of my very favorites was The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. My fourth grade teacher recommended it to me. At first I didn't read it because I thought it was about witches in the Halloween sense. But once I did read it, I couldn't put it down and I read it over and over again. Oh, how I wished to be Kit, and how much I loved Nathaniel Eaton.

Kit grew up with her grandfather on an island, but when she's sixteen he dies and she has to go live with her only living relative, an aunt who lives with her family in Puritan New England. You can probably guess that her free-spirited ways don't mesh well with her new community. And when she befriends an old woman who is thought by some to be a witch, things only get worse for her.

Besides romance and adventure, this book offers a glimpse into Puritan society, New England in the 1600s, and old witch hunts. It's a book about friendship, loyalty, accepting differences, and accepting yourself. I highly recommend it for girls ages 10 and up--including their mothers.

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The Witch of Blackbird Pond
By Elizabeth George Speare
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Sandpiper
Year: 1958
Info: Newbery Award Winner
Ages: Middle Grade Books, YA Books
Themes: historical fiction, New England, Puritans