Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Taking place about forty-years after the Ingalls family settled in the Dakota territories, The Jumping Off Place by Marion Hurd McNeely (published 1929) tells a similar yet fictional pioneer tale. In this Newbery Medal runner-up for 1930, four orphaned children travel to the claim in the Dakota prairie that their dear Uncle Jim has set
When the titular character was first carved in the 1820s in Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (published 1929), the world moved at a slow pace and horse and wagon was the method of transport. By the time the now-antique doll is “writing” her memoirs (in the 1920s), she can see airplanes out
In The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018), our robotic friend from the first book has been refurbished and sent to work as a “normal” robot on a farm in a futuristic world. With all of her memories and abilities from her wild years, however, Roz is only
The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (published 1928) is an historical fiction novel featuring tradition, treasure, and alchemy in medieval Krakow. The Charnetski family has fled Ukraine after bandits robbed and burned their estate, and they arrive in Poland with nothing but a pumpkin in their cart. Joeseph, the young teenage son, is
What if a robot never interacted with humans? What if a robot’s survival instincts taught it how to survive in the wild, among animals? This is the premise of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016). Rozzum Unit 7134 has crashed into a wild island, where she learns to
If your typewriter could speak, what would it say? What if your typewriter could type back everything that has ever been typed into it? This is the premise of the middle grade novel Olivetti by Ali Millington (Feiwel & Friends; March 2024). Olivetti is told from two perspectives, that of Olivetti the typewriter himself and
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (published 1939) is a difficult book in the Little House series for me, and certainly not my favorite, because it seems to be such a jump between Laura’s childhood and her maturing roll as young woma in her family. This jump is obvious from the
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps (Nancy Paulsen Books, May 2024) is a middle grade novel in verse centered on the neglected and poverty-stricken tween Joe Oak. Just as his surname suggests, Joe is a solid character able to adapt and survive even as life keeps throwing more challenges at him (those sudden moments of
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (Scholastic, 1993) is a middle grade novel about two very opposite and different friends in middle school. Told from Max’s point of view, Freak the Mighty deals with concepts of a bullying for both Max, who is very large and struggles with learning difficulties, and for Kevin, nicknamed “the
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller (Philomel Books, April 2024) is a somewhat ridiculous but delightful short chapter book about finding not just entertainment during a boring summer but also building friendships with unexpected people. Magnolia and her new friend from California, Iris, undertake a project: find the owners of all the unmatched
In Still Sal by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books, October 2024), we read about Sal Miller’s difficulties in coming to terms with her own challenging start to the first grade. The Year of Billy Miller captured her brother Billy’s perspective in first grade, and here we have Sal’s own set of circumstances in dealing with a
Runaway Papoose by Grace Moon (published 1928) is one of the early Newbery books that just by its title alone seems questionable and suggests irrelevance for young readers today. The book itself actually was better than the title suggests. Although the title first reminds a modern reader of the racist connotations connected to the perjorative
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