Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
Mary Bennet finally gets her own story and happiness in The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow (Henry Holt, 2020). Mary the easily ignored middle daughter of the family at the center of Pride and Prejudice, and I’m sure many readers of the classic novel skim over her role. She’s annoying and reflects badly on
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (published posthumously in 1971) is the author’s “rough draft” of one more book about her early life, in this case the first four years of her marriage. Because it was only discovered after her death and was published in essentially the same form it was found it,
Fern is trying to find her way back to the only home she remembers in middle grade novel The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2024). Fern has lived on the Ranch since she was six, so when her mom sneaks her away, she is shocked and distressed. As she
Twelve-year-old Rosie can see color when she hears music and she hears music when she sees colors. Her perfect “echoic” or audio memory mean that she is surrounded by constantly music, including in her thoughts. In the beginning of her story in The Color of Sound by Emily Barth Isler (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), Rosie is
What was Anne Frank like before she started her famous diary? How did she get along with her sister, her mother, and the changing world around her? When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman (Scholastic, 2024) is intended to give us a glimpse into this real girl
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2024) begins with two hungry kids alone in an apartment, the building super banging on the door, warning that they will be evicted the following day. Right away, the issues are real in this middle grade novel. Sixth grader Hank has
The picture book Look by Gabi Snyder (illustrated by Samantha Cotterill; Paula Wiseman, 2024) is a work of art. Illustrated with photographs of hand-made three-dimensional collage sets, Look gives a visual exploration of patterns along with text that encourages the young reader to “look” around for details. The text and art seamlessly harmonize. A red-haired
I Would Teach You to Fly by Sarah Asper-Smith (Sasquatch Books, 2022) shows mother animals caring for and teaching their baby animals. I Would Teach You focuses on parents of all divisions of the animal kingdom, all of whom are teaching their young. In a sweet bedtime tone, I Would Teach You ends with the sweet
Hi. I’m gonna tell you about a book, but not just any book. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (HarperCollins, May 1981. It’s about a family who needs a mother, but Anna and Caleb, the kids, wonder if Sarah, the new mother will stay. She misses her home, the ocean, and her family. In
When I was a child, I loved Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan, but I could not, now, recall just why. When my baby girl was overtired and needed to calm down the other day, I saw this book on the shelf, pulled it off, and started reading it to her out loud. After
Someday by Alison McGhee and Peter H. Reynolds (published 2007, Atheneum Books) is a mother-daughter book, and a book for a mother to treasure. My friend received it when she was pregnant with her daughter, and she thought of me when she found that I was also having a girl. The book begins with a
My son (age 4) and I really enjoy the rhymes and the stories in Anna Dewney’s Llama Llama books. Llama Llama Home with Mama (Viking, August 2011) is no exception, and I particularly related to it since I was sick for much of the summer due to my early pregnancy. In this story, Llama Llama
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