In honor of World Book Day, I've made a list of my six favorite children's and young adult series, books that made me excited to read and books that broadened my imagination when I was a kid. I would recommend these authors to anyone, child or adult. Here they are, in no particular order.
The Indian in the Cupboard series by Lynne Reid Banks
My third grade teacher read the first novel of this series aloud to us, and pretty much every kid in my class became obsessed with it. I quickly devoured the other three books in the series that were published at the time. The novels star Omri, a young British boy who discovers a magic cupboard that can make plastic toys come to life. As he brings his toys to life--most notably Little Bear, an Iroquois man, and Boone, a cowboy--he realizes that they are real people that he has summoned from history, whisking them away from their lives and families; and the consequences of his actions are farther reaching than he ever imagined.
The Indian in the Cupboard (1980)
The Return of the Indian (1985)
The Secret of the Indian (1989)
The Mystery of the Cupboard (1992)
The Key to the Indian (1998)
The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle
The first novel in this classic science fiction/fantasy series, A Wrinkle in Time (Newbery Medal, 1963) follows misfit teen Meg Murry as she, her genius four-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin O'Keefe meet the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. These strange beings transport the three main characters across the universe via tesseract--a wrinkle in the fabric of space-time--to search for Meg and Charles Wallace's missing scientist father. The other books in the series are just as bizarre and fantastic as the first, mixing science with fantasy in an utterly unique way.
A Wrinkle in Time (1962)
A Wind in the Door (1973)
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978)
Many Waters (1986)
The Redwall Series by Brain Jacques
A peaceful community of mice, squirrels, otters, moles and badgers lives inside the walls of Redwall Abbey in Mossflower Wood. However, evil villains--searats, foxes, cats, stoats, and ferrets--roam the land, threatening the tranquility of the abbey and its inhabitants. Filled with battles, quests, mysteries, songs, riddles, bravery, danger, and unforgettable characters, Redwall is a magical series I've continued to read well into adulthood.
Redwall (1986)
Mossflower (1988)
Mariel of Redwall (1991)
Martin the Warrior (1993)
The Long Patrol (1997)
(and 18 others)
The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Of course! My all-time favorite series, not just of kids' books, but ever. Magical world, believable characters, high stakes--these books are wonderfully paced, beautifully plotted works of art. JK Rowling is my hero. If I ever met her I would babble like an idiot about what a genius she is.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the USA)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
The Logan series by Mildred D Taylor
Most famous of these, and probably the best, is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which won the Newbery Medal in 1977. The story follows Cassie Logan, a nine-year-old African American girl living in Mississippi in the 1930s. I think this was the first story I read that really dealt with racism in a way that young children could understand and learn from. It's an extremely powerful book, and frightening in some parts. It also has wonderful characters, beautiful description, and enough humor to ease the fear that lingers in the background--to ease it, but not to erase it. I would strongly recommend Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and the three other novels in the series to anyone, especially children 8-12.
Song of the Trees (1975)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976)
Let the Circle be Unbroken (1981)
The Road to Memphis (1990)
The Tillerman series by Cynthia Voigt
The first book of the Tillerman series, Homecoming, follows Dicey Tillerman, a 13-year-old girl who is abandoned with her three younger siblings in a shopping mall by her mentally ill mother. Unwilling to let the family be split apart by social services, Dicey and her siblings walk hundreds of miles in search of their long-lost grandmother.
The series also includes books from the points of view of other characters--Come a Stranger is about Dicey's best friend, Mina Smiths, an African American girl aspiring to be a ballerina, and A Solitary Blue (one of my all-time favorite books) tells the story of Jeff Greene, another child who has been abandoned by his mother; Jeff eventually becomes Dicey's boyfriend. I just love all of the characters in these books. Voigt doesn't shy away from tough issues like mental illness or neglect. Nor are her characters helpless victims--Dicey is as stubborn and determined as Jeff is gentle and perceptive. They are the types of characters you can't help loving.
Homecoming (1973)
Dicey's Song (1982)
A Solitary Blue (1983)
The Runner (1985)
Come a Stranger (1986)
Sons from Afar (1987)
Seventeen Against the Dealer (1989)
Audience participation! What series could you not get enough of as a kid? Tell me about them in the comments.
I remember reading a bunch of these when I was younger! Can't say I remember them very well though (particularly the Time Quartet and Indian in the Cupboard). I've never heard of the Logan or Tillerman series, but they sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I really loved reading the Boxcar Children, Animorphs, and The Bailey School Kids. I remember checking out piles of these books at a time from the library. They're maybe not the most profound in a literary sense, but I loved them! :)
OMG, I remember the Boxcar Children! My teacher in elementary read us Boxcar Children books and handed out little red erasers shaped like boxcars. Happy memories! :)
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