Books as Gifts: great books for kids
Great Gifts for the Great Kids in Your Life:
For the younger set:
Two Bobbies by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery, illustrated by Jean Cassels. The true story of a dog and a cat who together survived Katrina. This book is beautifully illustrated, heartwarming, and unforgettable.
For the third to fifth graders:
Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan. A young girl, master soap carver and list maker (“How to Get Boys to Stop Making Fun of My Name”), journeys to Mexico and to Oaxaca’s Night of the Radishes, to find out who she is and where she belongs.
Books by Kate Klise and Sarah Klise, all fun but substantive mixtures of illustrations and text, telling stories about confused kids using their wits and their hearts to find their way and save the day. Trial by Jury is one of my favorites.
Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner. The first in a trilogy about a gutsy girl named Goldie, her brave pal Toadspit, and her intelligent mentors Herro Dan, Sinew, and Olga Ciavolga. The names alone are proof of Tanner’s imagination (did I mention a cute little dog named Broo who turns into a brizzlehound and a vulturish crow named Morg?). The story unfolds in an enchanting mix of fun and scary fantasy with nuggets of reality-based — and very solid — wisdom for young readers.
For sixth through eighth graders:
I am David by Anne Holm. This novel tells the story of a boy raised in a concentration camp in Eastern Europe, cared for by the other prisoners and in the end, allowed to escape by a pitying camp guard, who tells him to head north to find freedom. He sets out on his journey sure that the guards are coming after him, but as time passes and his experiences accumulate, he begins to find faith, both in a God of his own fashioning and in his fellow man. Tears and cheers and a solid story line that will engage young readers.
Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz, the latest in the Alex Rider series, has Alex looking to MI6 for help but finding himself once again alone in the fight to save himself, and in this case, a good part of Africa as well. My boys love the Rider series and I like that notions of responsibility, loyalty, ingenuity, and honesty get equal play with the action and drama that make Horowitz’ plots so exciting and fun.
