I'm not saying I buy my nephews books for Christmas and then sneakily read them before I give them to them, but... if you're looking for book recommendations, here are some great ones I discovered over the festive season:
The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery
This is completely charming, as you'd expect a book about imaginary friends in WWII to be. A lovely Christmas read but I'd recommend it at any time of year.
Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker
I don't think I've met a character in KidsLit I related to as much as the boy in this one. Ware is quiet, introverted and completely happy in his own company, he just wishes his parents would get that and stop trying to 'fix' him. I wish I'd had this book when I was 11.
Brand New Boy by David Almond
This is such a clever book about artificial intelligence and what makes us human. A group of friends befriend the new boy in their class, but soon discover he's not quite like them. Can they teach him how to be human?
The Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young
This is a brilliant premise based on a real event in Wisconsin where kids grow the biggest pumpkin they can, carve it out, and then paddle it across a lake in a race. Tomboy Billie is determined to take the title from her ex-friend Sam this year. I love that this has all kinds of outdoorsy stuff like gardening and bee keeping!
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D Schmidt
This one's been out for a while but I hadn't read it till now. The story and style are both masterclasses in 'Wait, can you do that?!' Apparently you can. Joseph is thirteen, he's just been released from a juvenile facility and he and has a daughter he's never met. The ending broke me.
Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
This might be my favourite discovery ever. Why didn't I know about Frog and Toad?! I assume because they're American. They were a series of picture books from the 1970s about two friends and they're the most beautiful, charming, funny, sweet, heartwarming books I've read in a long time and I will be buying them for all babies in my life from now on. I even knitted the characters, I am so besotted. My husband and I have spent most of this year going, 'No, you're Toad!' (I think I might be Toad.)
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| You can keep your willpower, Frog. I am going home to bake a cake. |
She is the Children's Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland #CWFNI
She also blogs at The Blank Page
@KMcCaughrain
6 comments:
These are such great recommendations, Kelly. I really like the variety and range of the titles,
Being nosy, how/where did you come across them? I wonder whether there's a difference between books on offer in Ireland and titles promoted in England.
Ps. Love Frog and Toad. The production quality of the books, when they were first around, was noticeably satisfying.
Another long-term Frog and Toad fan here! We even named our book business (Bufo Books) after Toad in 1981!
Thanks Penny, I mostly find them online and I asked for recommendations on the SCBWI facebook group. I found Frog and Toad via the knitting pattern! Children's Books Ireland does a great job of promoting books by Irish authors so they're always worth checking out.
Thanks, Kelly.
Like the look of them all but Here In the Real World looks a really diffferent and worthwhile book.
Lovely recommendations. Thank you.
I love the sound of Here in the Real World and Orbiting Jupiter. Would never have heard of them otherwise, so many thanks for the tip.
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