Monday, April 2, 2012

Spring Into Junior Fiction

I'm planning on using April to plow through some of the Junior Fiction I've had on my shelves for ages. My kiddos are growing up, I need to know which books to recommend to them, and which to clear from my shelves.  It's crazy though, I pulled these 15 titles off my shelf and it doesn't even seem to have made a dent.  Perhaps by the time I've read them I'll feel differently...or maybe I just need to reorganize my shelves. :)

Instead of reviewing each title, I'm thinking of posting a weekly recap - adding JF titles I've read in the last 6 months into the mix - to give me some time (and mental space) to talk about some Adult Fiction I haven't had the chance to chat about yet.  Anyhow, I'm wondering...have you heard of these titles? Read them?  Most importantly, which should I read first??

5 Newbery Award Winners:
  • Jacob Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson
  • Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 
  • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien 
  • Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George
  • Lincoln: A Photobiography, Russell Freedman (nonfiction)



5 Historical, School-Oriented Books:
  • Patty Reed's Doll, Rachel K. Laurgeard 
  • The Shakespeare Stealer, Gary Blackwood 
  • Mary, Bloody Mary, Carolyn Meyer
  • The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken 
  • Catherine, Called Birdy, Karen Cushman



5 For Fun:
  • Rascal, Sterling North
  • Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
  • Homer Price, Robert McCloskey
  • Cosmic, Frank Cottrell Boyce 
  • Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo

9 comments:

  1. Because of Winn-Dixie is an awesome audio book--fyi. I loved that and gave it 5 stars.

    And everyone needs to experience a Russell Freedman book before they get to high school. Lincoln is a great nonfiction book--but The Wright Brothers is even meatier with original photos that the Wright Brothers took with their own camera.

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  2. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was my favourite book when I was about 8 or 9. I think I ended up breaking the spine on it in the end!

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  3. I haven't read the Abraham Lincoln book, but the others you selected for the Newberry category are FAVORITES! I especially loved Julie of the Wolves. Have fun!

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  4. Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh and Homer Price are family favs.

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  5. I've only read The Princess Academy and I did like it. I began Because of Winn Dixie but lost interest (it's so short I should just finish it!). As a general rule, doggie stories bore me. I wish i did like them since so many kids do.

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  6. Loved all the Newbery titles and Catherine, Called Birdy is fabulous.

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  7. Lincoln, A Photobiography is a really great book! It teaches you about Abraham Lincoln by photos and about his life in a little easier way, and not so hard. Shiloh is a book that came out in the movie and the book. I kind of enjoyed the movie.. though I think the book is okay, too. I think the books you have on your bookshelf are actually all good books, though I'm not really sure.

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  8. Jacob Have I Loved, excellent choice. Read it in my pre-teens. All these seem like decent picks.

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  9. Thanks so much for all the input! I love hearing your thoughts and suggestions. I started with Jacob Have I Loved (ADORED it as a pre-teen) since it's my only reread. My 13 yo is a great reader, so I let him pick which one I should read next & he chose Rascal. I'm barely into it (distracted by Watership Down) but good so far.

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I'd love to hear what you have to say, leave a comment!