Category: Award-Winning Children’s Books
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Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger
Sophie’s romances were some of my favorite parts in this book, especially . . . THE KISS. (If you know, you know.) The character development among those relationships is really well-crafted—and definitely appeals to the target demographic. In the main plot, tension between the immediate and the longterm, the micro and macro, set up conflicts…
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Lost and Found, by Orson Scott Card
Clear your life for about two days so you can revel in this story. One of my favorite books this year, to date. A brilliant combination of the raw emotion and witty conversation of Gary D. Schmidt with Card’s own willingness to go to the edge of darkness, peer over the edge at it, and…
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One Smart Sheep, by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney
Love the illustrations, love the feel-good animal story, love the sweet almost-romance. This would be a really fun read-aloud to, I feel, second and third graders. Short chapters are perfect for readers to beg for “one more!” All the whimsy you’d want in a children’s book, without losing the smarts of a “grown up” Gary…
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Lodestar (KTOLC #5), by Shannon Messenger
An important portion of the large arc of the Lost Cities’ universe, this story focuses on trust and the tension between patience and haste. I liked the last book better; I felt like this one bogged down a bit (the Keefe angst angle, the Sophie blushing parts, and the Council plans). The book starts off…
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Neverseen, by Shannon Messenger
Not going to lie–I am reading this series just because my daughters love it and keep wanting me to read it. I love my girls, so I am reading the series, but not with much investment on my part. Until this book. It started as I expected, picking up right where book 3 ended, with…
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Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt
It is both beautiful and tragic how little it takes to make someone feel Fabulous. Forced to move to a new town on the eve of eighth grade, Doug Swieteck (also seen in Wednesday Wars) must decide who he will become in this new place. Everyone assumes he will be another “skinny thug,” like his brothers…
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Pay Attention, Carter Jones, by Gary D. Schmidt
Another home run by Schmidt. Or, what do you call the version of a home run in cricket? All the elements that have made Schmidt’s stories successful are present here—coming-of-age central character staring down a serious family struggle; an intentionally-intervening adult giving much-needed words of wisdom; an unexpected activity to fill the time; and very…
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Big Tree, by Brian Selznick
A beautiful myth of naturalism. Told from the perspective of two sycamore seeds who float away from their mother tree when she is destroyed by a dinosaur trying to escape a forest fire, the story revolves around the miracle of life in the universe. The older brother seed—Merwin (great name, by the way)—sees the dangers…
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Everblaze (Keeper of the Lost Cities #3), by Shannon Messenger
Like the boys of KOTLC? They are certainly some of my favorite characters, and in this installment, Sophie seems always to be surrounded them. She begins by teleporting with Keefe to the Sanctuary to visit Silveny (by way of a Forbidden City), then has private Telepathy sessions with Fitz, and supports Dex in his newly…
That Lady Who Reads A Lot 