So, I was doing my Recycle Bookstore thing this morning, and
I met Kate. Kate is 13 years old
and quite obviously an avid reader (my favorite kind!). Kate appears to have a handle on middle
grade/young adult novels. Even
though I’m getting recommendations for middle-grade/young adult books from some
of my fellow bloggers, THEY ARE NOT 13!
I’d rather go directly to the source. Without further ado, here, then, are 4 novels highly
recommended by Kate:
Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
Firegirl, by Tony Abbott
Zink, by Cherie Bennett
I’m assuming that all of my readers are “of a certain age,”
(i.e. adult and up). If that is
true, then it will be up to you “adults” to pass these recommendations on to
the correct readers. And if that
happens, please let me know their reaction. If the targeted age group agrees with Kate, then I will rely
on Kate more heavily in future posts.
P.S. Kate is
considering starting a blog for middle grade/young adult readers. I say YES wholeheartedly to that
idea.
P.P.S. Thanks to Kate's mom for picking up 3 of my recommendations from The Table. I will be anxiously awaiting your feedback.
You're smart to go right to the source and Kate is smart to suggest Wonder - it is magnificent!
ReplyDeleteSince I know absolutely nothing about middle grade/YA books, it's really nice to get confirmation that Kate knows what she's talking about. But I'm not surprised. She just gives you confidence that she does know what she's talking about. To the point that I posted her 4 choices after talking to her for 5 minutes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea! Don't suppose you could do the same for my teenage boys... One 13, the other 16. Living in France, I rely on books I taught at secondary school, years ago. Love to have a few new titles for them.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of teenage girls in mind for Kate's recommendations. I shall be a 'favourite' auntie, hopefully!
Bev, my daughter-in-law forwarded this to her teaching partner. Unfortunately, she was not able to come up with any suggestions. I'll keep trying.
DeleteLucky for you that my daughter-in-law is a middle school teacher. I don't know if she has suggestions for a 16-year old, but, knowing her, she probably does. I will email her and post her recommendations on this blog.
ReplyDeleteKate here.
ReplyDeleteTo follow up, I'd say that they are all very sad on some level- more something you'd read to learn more about human beings overcoming something such as a deformity or a disease.
Another good book with the same kind premise is Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan.
Although these are all written in a way that tweens could understand, I feel that they are also good choices for any adult reader. Make sure this is a subject matter that you are okay reading about as these types of books are not for everyone.
For a fun read I would recommend (for teens) Insignia and 5th Wave. Both are science fiction and futuristic, but very good. Insignia is great for video game lovers. They are great for both genders. A good series for tweens would be Michael Vey. Rangers Apprentice series is also great for that tween age group.
Kate, thanks for the additional suggestions. We're always happy to hear what you recommend.
ReplyDelete