It's winter, the perfect time to curl up with a good book. I have five children, and two of them, Mary and Half-pint, fall into the tween category. One of the challenges I'm facing as they get older is finding great books that are wholesome, but challenging to read. I don't want to limit them to enjoy reading classics but also modern books too...so I've started reading the new books. When we go to the library, the sky's the limit. I just get first dibs on the book unless it's something I'm already familiar with (or someone I trust has recommended it). Some of you may be muttering "censorship", but I consider it good parenting when they are this age. I laughed this past weekend when my neice told me her mom checked out the books she'd be reading as a freshman, so she would know what my neice was reading. What a good mama! Honestly, I've only ever had two books in the past that haven't cut the mustard out of many, many books. One had the main character going into trances to channel spirits. (Umm...no, thanks!) Another one was full of sexual innuendos (Really? This is for "juveniles"). There are some books that are engaging and good, but the theme is more mature than I like for our tweens. ("Hunger Games" would fall into that category. Kids killing kids is just not quite the theme I want our girls wading through yet. )
Here are two books that are beautifully written, but totally appropriate (in my opinion). "A Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs is a classic. I had never heard of the John Carter books until a year ago when our neighbor went on and on about them (I did vaguely remember a movie by Disney). He said that his boys loved them, but he thought that my girls would enjoy them as well. You may recognize another book written by the same author. Ever heard of "Tarzan"? The neat thing about these sci-fi books is that they were written at the turn of the century, but they still have extraordinary descriptions of Martian technology that seem fantastical even in 2014. After reading one chapter, my girls are begging for another. The vocabulary in the book is challenging even for me, and there's plenty of words that I have to look up...which brings me to the next awesome point. They are free on the Kindle. I don't have a Kindle, but I have a lovely app on my smartphone (I don't mind that it's small because it is so convenient to use this way). I also love that the Kindle has a built in dictionary for looking up all those strange words (just click on the title above and it will take you dirrectly to the free book). The series follows a gentleman who is mysteriously transported to Mars. It chronicles his adventures there. There is a love story in the book, but there is nothing beyond what you would see in a G-rated Disney flick. I've read the first four in the series, and there are seven more in the series. This is a really great free book to read out loud to younger ones, but my fifth grader has easily read it on her own.
The other book that I've really enjoyed is modern tale called "Barn Boot Blues" by
Catherine Friend. It tells the humorous story of a twelve year old who is forced to move to a farm and help her parents, who are aspiring farmers. This book had me laughing so hard I cried, and totally commiserating with her difficulties with animals we have on our "farm". I also learned a thing or two about animals we don't have. There is an overriding theme of learning to be yourself and not to change for others that I really appreciated too.
There are more books we've enjoyed, but I can save it for another post. I'd rather hear if you have any recommendations for me and the girls. So how about it?
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