Those Kids' Books are Pretty Good!

July 22, 2010

As a pre-teen, I didn't have the selection of books that kids have today to choose from. After you were done with The Boxcar Children, Babysitter's Club, and Judy Blume, there wasn't much left, so I jumped right into Michael Crichton and Dean Koontz in the fifth grade. Now I believe I'm reliving my pre-teen years, and getting to all of those wonderful books I didn't have the opportunity to read. It all started with Harry Potter. A self proclaimed Harry Potter, nerd to the core (my dog’s name is Sirius and I have a cat named Weasley).  I loved every second of the Potter series and I was thirsty for more. Why did we not have these books growing up? I now find myself drawn to the juvenile fiction rather than the adult fiction. I find the stories fun and magical without all the heaviness that usually drips from adult fiction books. The characters are rich and complex, and often transport you to another world full of places and people, or beings you’ve never imagined, like most adult fiction wouldn't dare to do. Juvenile fiction lets me be a kid again, for a while at least, and I love every minute I can spend in that world. I let my imagination run wild and embrace the wonder and excitement found in these stories.  Want to take a leap into juvenile fiction? Here are some titles you may enjoy;

Harry Potter:  If you’re one of the few that have not read this series I say you better get started! The best books I’ve ever read. In fact I re-read them all the time. If you’re not into reading all seven books the series is great on audio. Jim Dale narrates the series and does the voices for all the characters without it becoming cheesy or overdone, a wonderful audio book series.

The Percy Jackson Series: This series has gained popularity in the last few months after the release of the major motion picture adaptation of The Lightening Thief. This series is exciting, fun, and thrilling. Although not as complex as the Harry Potter series it's the closest I've found since.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: A fun and easy read about all kinds of different beings. It's a magical tale and one that's very enjoyable to read with your kids (or just for fun all by yourself). 

Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer, The Wright 3, and The Calder Game: If fairies and magic are not your thing, try one of these.  All of Balliett's stories are interesting and original. These books will be like nothing you've read before, and you're hooked from the first page. Balliett does a wonderful job of introducing little pieces of the story and leaving it up to the reader to try and figure things out without spelling it all out for you.

These are just a few of the many titles worth reading. Be sure to ask your librarian for more recommendations. You may not want to do all your reading from juvenile fiction, but the books are worth a try, whether you’re reading with your kids or picking a title just for yourself, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.