Middle People's (and some adult) Books: - Authors “F-L”
[This
list is constantly expanding, as our newest generation in at this level of
maturity. The age designations I have
chosen are influenced by the fact that we have an “early reader”. Don’t assume all books on this list are
“recommended”; please read the notes for each book; a few are on here because I
do NOT recommend them.]
Paul Fleishman
(son of Sid; only
father-son winners of Newbery prizes)
o Graven Images - (fiction, short stories) – almost grown-up
stories, each about people who are affected by sculptured objects. Very
well written, but at least 12+ yrs [Newbery Honor Book, 1983]
Sid Fleishman –
§ Novels
o Bandit’s Moon (historical fiction) – set in California Goldrush.
Young girl goes with a famed bandit in hopes she can find her brother.
Good story, well told, but child must be able to deal with the last two pages
when the rather likeable bandit’s head is displayed around California in a jar.
[9+ yrs]
o By the Great Horn Spoon! (historical fiction) – a truly great story,
loved by both kids and grownups. (FYI: Disney movie, “The Adventures of Bullwhip
Griffin” about which I know nothing is based on
this story.) [read aloud at 5 yrs; 7+ yrs]
o Jim Ugly (fiction) – rollicking mystery/adventure in early
settlement of California [read
aloud at 5 yrs; 7+ yrs]
o The Whipping Boy - (fiction) -- Prince Brat and his
whipping boy escape the palace and have great adventures. [7+ yrs] [Newbery Medal, 1987]
§ Autobiography
o The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer’s life (biography) – reads as well as his novels. He started
life as a magician. [9+ and adults]
Brian Floca –
o Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 – (history) - (Richard Jackson Books),
beautifully illustrated by Brian Floca, [5+ yrs, read aloud] [Best Illustrated Children's Book Award The
Robert F. Sibert Honor Book]
Katie Flynn –
o Poor Little Rich Girl... (fiction) – I loved this story as a
child. Spoiled little rich girl and governess go from India to England
and being unwanted. [8+ yrs]
Esther Forbes –
o Johnny Tremain (historical fiction) – events leading to
the Boston Tea Party, with a fictional main character. Not too much “war
gore”, but enough trauma to preclude early readers. Loss and courage. [10+] [Newbery Medal, 1944]
John Reynolds Gardiner
–
o Stone Fox - (fiction) - boy uses dogsled race to save the family
farm; redemptive ending [7+]
Kenneth Grahamme –
(fiction)
o The Wind in the Willows (unabridged) -
Delightful story written in 1908 by a father who had been making up stories to
tell his son. Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger have adventures.
Cantankerous Toad persists in misbehaving. Very sweet stories. Even
then they should have some vocabulary assistance with the sometimes rather
archaic phraseology. The book is a great introduction to an older (and
more intelligent) way of writing, and I firmly believe children should read
unabridged classics—this is one. Due to the vocabulary and length of the
book, I believe one could read the stories to a 6-yr old, but for individual
reading I would classify it at [9-99 yrs].
Jacqueline C. Grant [now
Kent, according to Amazon, but my copy is Grant] –
o Tonia of Trelawney: A Buccaneer Girl - (fiction) - slave girl in Jamaica
has wild adventure on buccaneer ship amidst backdrop of slavery, cruelty,
brutality--handled well, but it's all there. The author once lived on
the plantation where she locates the story. [7+ yrs--child should be prepared for issues of slavery
presented fairly mildly]
Kristiana Gregory
–
o The Legend of Jimmy Spoon - (historical fiction) - story of 12-yr
old Mormon boy who runs away with Shoshoni boys (based on the life of Elijah
Nicholas (“Nick”) Wilson, for whom Wilson, Wyoming, is named.) [8+ yrs]
o Jenny of the Tetons – (historical fiction) – historical
aspects based on diary of Richard “Beaver Dick” Leigh. Jenny Lake is
named for his Shoshone wife. Main character is a fictional girl who came
to live with them. [8+
yrs; some people rate it 4-8 years, but I disagree; the psychological aspects
of the story are too mature for 4-year olds.]
o Earthquake at Dawn - (historical fiction) – loosely based on
family history and 22 pp. letter from the time. Really great telling of
the story of the 1906 CA quake, but death of a mother who has just given birth
is not handled delicately. Adults will enjoy it. [10+ yrs]
Laura Lee Hope –
§ The Bobbsey Twins series (pseudonym for multiple writers
over many years) - (mystery series, etc.) [8+ yrs]
Gail Langer Kawarski
–
o Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis
& Clark - (historical
fiction) - good, historically accurate, brief story of the journey; NOT told
through the dog's eyes (might have been more appealing to kids if it were);
sometimes a bit stilted in phraseology; uses quite a number of large words;
longer (187 pp) than many books for this age group - hence I think it would
appeal to some avid readers [7+ yrs]. (I also believe
others may have written a better version of the story.)
Carolyn Keene (pseudonym
for multiple writers over many years) –
Reading age truly
depends on the maturity of the child. I read them all at 7 years; some
kids might need to wait until 9 years.
§ Nancy Drew series (mystery) [8+ yrs]
§ Dana Girls series (mystery) [8+ yrs]
Liz Kessler (fiction)
o
The
Tail of Emily Windsnap - nice little tale about a person who doesn't realize they are
also a mermaid (her father was one). Adventures along the way as she
begins to search for her father. I would have no problem at all with this
book if they did not make a not-so-subtle issue of their agenda in the name of
"inclusiveness" at the very end of the story. Please keep agendas out of books! [Booklist says grade 4-7; I would agree; 8-9+ yrs]
Robert Kraske –
o Harry Houdini - Master of Magic (biography) [7+ yrs]
Jean Lee Latham –
·
Carry
On, Mr. Bowditch (history/biography
told as a story - Nathaniel Bowditch, author of "The American Practical
Navigator) [6+ yrs; excellent, our grown-ups ALL enjoyed this
one] [Newbery Medal, 1956]
Kirby Larson
o
Hattie
Big Sky (historical fiction; not
biographical) – inspired by the author’s great grandmother’s homesteading by
herself in Montana. Great story of a
16-yr old’s trials and tribulations as she attempts to maintain her deceased
uncle’s homestead. I enjoyed it very
much. [I
have not read the sequel: Hattie Ever After which is for older children.] [Some say grades 3-7; I think grade 3 may be a
bit young for some of the events, such as death of a small friend; grade 4
should be fine, and crosses age boundaries; grownups may well enjoy it. 10+ yrs]
[Newbery Honor Book, 2007]
Tom Llewellyn –
o The Tilting House – People smoke, talk badly, and do all
sorts. The story line had potential but is extremely poorly executed with
bad examples that are not explained as “unacceptable behavior”. One
reviewer says “the episodic action is hard to follow and some plot threads are
left hanging”. Many readers LOVED it; I would NOT recommend it
to any age. [9+ yrs, according to
Amazon]
Astrid Lindgren
o Pippi Longstocking - Pippi is a scallywag who tells many
tall tales and lives in crooked house by herself. Most beloved book in
Sweden. [7+ yrs]
o The Children of Noisy Village – delightful story well-translated into English. Good
kids on three adjacent farms go through experiences of holidays, school, and
farm life, perhaps around the turn of the century in Sweden. Perfect
first “chapter book” to read aloud for 4-5 year olds. [4-9 yrs]
Maud Hart Lovelace and
Lois Lenski –
o Betsy-Tacy (autobiographical - MHL's childhood; chapter book
suitable for [5+ yrs]) - really nice series
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated by Nana-B.