Ever since mowing through The Hunger Games Trilogy, Laurel has been in a book rut. She loves reading but hitting the YA section at the library has so far proven challenging since so many YA books are romantically oriented. To be clear, I have no problem with romance, but Laurel -- at this moment anyway -- is so. not. into. that. I recently queried my friends about tween book recommendations of the non-romantic persuasian and wow, did they deliver!
Though Laurel and Violet differ in many ways, one characteristic they most definitely share is their love of books. While I was collecting their beloved but outgrown board books to hand down to my sister, I made a list of the picture books that have received request upon request by both girls. These picks will be wonderful for your library; they shine in wording, messaging, and illustration. Enjoy! And feel free to add your favorites in the comments below!
Today, Lindsey shares some great book recommendations:
My daughter is 11, and in her independent reading has found a rich vein of chapter books with strong female protagonists (see my earlier post on books for strong and smart girls). Island of the Blue Dolphins, A Wrinkle in Time, Harriet the Spy, and even The Hunger Games series: all of these share gutsy, brave, intelligent girl narrators.
Though we still read piles and piles of picture books, over the last few months, Laurel has grown very attached to “chapter books” notable both for their increasingly complex story arcs and reduction in illustrations. We received three such books – Ruth Stiles Gannett’s My Father's Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland – as gifts from friends and the books now are firmly entrenched in our bedtime (and sometimes morning) routine.