Showcasing panoramic illustrations of Africa’s Serengeti Plain, it’s a quiet book that speaks volumes.
All she wantsand all she getsis bread and jam morning, noon, and night.
By the end of his journey, he learns that whathebelieves is more important than what others believe.
Wonder doesn’t have to disappear when childhood does.
Just ask the Internet on any given weekday afternoon.
Max becomes their leaderand the most wild thing of all.
Still, the original picture book remains the best place to start.
Young readers learn that not paying attention to direction has consequencesdelicious as they may be.
Plus, there are cartoons!
Esther Zuckerman
The Magic Treehouse series (1992?2003)
Shh!
Don’t tell your kids the books in this long-running serial are educational.
The books are funny while also showing readers that it’s okay if things aren’t always perfect.
A kind of hyper-real fantasy as social critique.
Alternately funny and poignant,One Crazy Summerunderscores how the political can become personal and history shapes individual lives.
When the two are shipwrecked on an island together, they lean on each other for survival.
Sure, the stallion is a ‘‘wild’’ beast, but who says that means it’s dangerous?
What’s more, for ladies-in-the-making, it portrays a truly self-reliant young woman.
Teresa Jue
Wonder (2012)
Auggie looks different.
When shy sixth grader Raina trips, falls, and injures her front teeth, she requires extensive surgery.
The tale of the Baudelaires takes a number of ridiculous twists while never losing its incredible pace.
Madison Vain
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs.
Basil E. Frankweiler, the book melds escapism and mystery into one very satisfying mix.
(One reason that movie worked so poorly?
It was imitating films that were themselves originally inspired byThe Giver.)
(Just pretend the ‘‘companion’’ books and sequel don’t exist.)
It gradually grows into a painful examination of racism and the destructive legacy of slavery.
(Spoiler alert: There are no happy endings here.)
His faith is rewarded when he finds family in an unexpected place.
Teresa Jue
Are You There God?
It’s Me, Margaret.
(1970)
Margaret is confused…about puberty, about religion, about sexuality.
Margaret is right there with themand might even help them figure out answers to some of their toughest questions.
Ariana Bacle
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
C.S.
in all of children’s literature.
But Zusak constructs a magnificently resonant tale inThe Book Thief.
Ultimately, by viewing tragic history through an adolescent prism,The Book Thiefproves teenage angst is actually universal.
But the ultimate message is one that all should take to heart: ‘‘Pants = Love.
She’s also a supreme badass who shows the boys who’s boss.
Instead, he’s crafted fully realized, human teenagers and intelligently readable prose.
