School will be out for summer soon, and these classic novels for kids and teens are perfect for filling up those summertime reading lists.
Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $6.99) is a great choice for tweens. From Amazon:
Everyone in town thinks Meg is volatile and dull-witted and that her younger brother Charles Wallace is dumb. People are also saying that their father has run off and left their brilliant scientist mother.
Spurred on by these rumors, Meg and Charles Wallace, along with their new friend Calvin, embark on a perilous quest through space to find their father. In doing so they must travel behind the shadow of an evil power that is darkening the cosmos, one planet at a time.
Young people who have trouble finding their place in the world will connect with the “misfit” characters in this provocative story. This is no superhero tale, nor is it science fiction, although it shares elements of both. The travelers must rely on their individual and collective strengths, delving deep into their characters to find answers.
A classic since 1962, Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is sophisticated in concept yet warm in tone, with mystery and love coursing through its pages. Meg’s shattering yet ultimately freeing discovery that her father is not omnipotent provides a satisfying coming-of-age element. Readers will feel a sense of power as they travel with these three children, challenging concepts of time, space, and the power of good over evil.
Younger readers have been loving The Borrowers (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $6.99) for decades. From Amazon:
The Borrowers—–the Clock family: Homily, Pod, and their fourteen-year-old daughter, Arrietty, to be precise–—are tiny people who live underneath the kitchen floor of an old English country manor. All their minuscule home furnishings, from postage stamp paintings to champagne cork chairs, are “borrowed” from the “human beans” who tromp around loudly above them.
All is well until Pod is spotted upstairs by a human boy! Can the Clocks stay nested safely in their beloved hidden home, or will they be forced to flee?
The British author Mary Norton won the Carnegie Medal for The Borrowers in 1952, the year it was first published in England. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Where the Red Fern Grows (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $6.99)
A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country.
Old Dan had the brawn. Little Ann had the brains, and Billy had the will to make them into the finest hunting team in the valley.
Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too.
Where the Red Fern Grows is an exciting tale of love and adventure you’ll never forget.
Tweens and up.
The Call of the Wild (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.85)
Life is good for Buck in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine.
But one day a treacherous act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of toil and danger.
Dragged away to be a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his survival.
Can he rise above his enemies and become the master of his realm once again?
Tweens and up.
Island of the Blue Dolphins (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $6.99)
Scott O’Dell won the Newbery Medal in 1961 for his unforgettable novel Island of the Blue Dolphins, based on the true story of a Nicoleño Indian girl living in solitude between 1835 and 1853 on San Nicolas Island, only 70 miles off the coast of southern California.
His quietly gripping tale of Karana’s survival, strength, and courage—–and vivid descriptions of island life–—have captivated readers for decades.
Tweens and up.
* * *
Tech Tip of the Week: Windows Users: Uninstall QuickTime NOW!
* * *