Talk about the kidlit you're reading!

vivalalauren:

Hunger Games is thoroughly YA. Some MG-aged kids could handle the content, but I'd recommend an adult read it before handing it to young MG readers. After all, it's about kids killing other kids for the entertainment of adults.

Welcome to AW and the kidlit gang, by the way!

I just finished The Boy Who Howled by our own Timothy Power. It's not the sort of book I would normally pick up, but because it was written by Timp I just had to have it. I really, really loved it. It was funny and irrevrant and had such a unique perspective for seeing the world. I loved how it had some of the same messages that other books have about overcoming bullying, but was presented in such a different fashion that made the bully seem so truly pathetic. I think it was just fantastic!

romancewriter said:

Just started Beyonders. The label says Young Adult. Not sure if I like it. Only a few chapters in and I've been tempted to put it down a few time. But sometimes it takes me a while to get into a story. Although if I'm not more into in a few more chapters I probably won't finish it.

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Finished the Beyonders the other night. I liked Fablehaven better, however Beyonders wasn't too bad after I got a few chapters in. I never actually 'got into' the story, you know, can't wait to pick it back up kind of thing, but overall it wasn't bad. I agree the death scenes were a bit descriptive, but I also thought sometimes Redwall got a bit overly descriptive, and those books were in the MG section. I believe the Beyonders was in YA.

Anyone remember the Giver? I found another book by the same author, can't even remember the title. It's about a young girl who just lost her mother, and she discovers she has some kind of magical powers for weaving cloth. Anyway I got a few chapters in, but not sure if I'll finish reading it. It's really not all that interesting, but I may get back to it. I just wondered if anyone else has picked up other books by Lois Lowry. Apparently she's written a few others, but I haven't checked those out.

jtrylch13 said:

I just finished The Boy Who Howled by our own Timothy Power. It's not the sort of book I would normally pick up, but because it was written by Timp I just had to have it. I really, really loved it. It was funny and irrevrant and had such a unique perspective for seeing the world. I loved how it had some of the same messages that other books have about overcoming bullying, but was presented in such a different fashion that made the bully seem so truly pathetic. I think it was just fantastic!

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I hopped over here to say pretty much the same thing! I loved it, and it's now sitting on the top of my son's TBR pile

I'm donating my copy of The Boy Who Howled to my local library so all the kiddies in my town can enjoy Timp's hilarious, adorable novel.

Kitty Pryde said:

:O Lois Lowry wrote Number The Stars!!!!!! If you haven't read it you need to rectify your situation. Her Anastasia books (which she wrote pre-Giver) are hilarious, kind of intellectual MG chicklit. I loved them when I was little but I suspect they are pretty dated by now. And The Giver has two sequels. Plus she's written about a zillion others!

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I LOVE Lois Lowry. And yes, Number the Stars is my favorite. And then The Giver. And then maybe Gossamer. But so many are so good.

I LOOOOVVE Anastasia. She just cracks me up. Remember the one where she kept talking to a bust of Sigmund Freud?

I went to the library today and picked up a fairly new Lois Lowry called Bless This Mouse. It was adorable!

Church mouse mistress is worried about the upcoming blessing of the animals, and then discovers the Great X is coming! She has to find a way to protect her considerable family.

Very cute and touching story. Different from anything I have so far read of hers. Just passing it along for anyone interested.

I'm almost finished with The Willoughby's, also by Lois Lowry. Hilarious! But I was surprised at some of her humor (which I adored). Seemed a bit sophisticated for MG. e.g. The old inventor, who has adopted the abandoned baby, thinks he would love to reach out and give the nanny's ample behind a pat. But the entire book deals with serious, adult matter in such an indifferent way that it makes it all funny. Can't wait to see how it ends.

Finished The Willoughbys and read Number the Stars. I hate books like that because they are so terribly sad, even when there is reason to rejoice. It was an awesome book, anyway.

Just finished The Six Crowns by Allan Jones.

First let me say, I wish I had realized a bit sooner that it was the first in a series. I don't know if any of the others are out yet over here or not.

I did thoroughly enjoy it - a wild adventure by two hedgehogs, one very reluctant.

This guy cracked me up. Anyone who can come up with a villain with a name like Honesty Skank is someone I want to spend time with, even if it is vicariously through his characters.

Now I'm reading As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth. Anyone read it?

I'm reading that now, Kitty! We are ALMOST synchronized.

Yesterday I sat down to read a bit of Wildfire Run, by someone called Dee Garretson. I ended up reading it from cover to cover. I thought it was great!

And over the weekend I uncovered two of my favorite books from when I was a kid, Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede and Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce. I'm very excited to read them again.

Darkdawn, you definitely can't go wrong with Sharon Creech or Gennifer Choldenko! Haven't read Moon Over Manifest yet, but I want to.

I just finished Lynne Jonell's Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls. Up next: The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar, the second Penderwicks book, the second in the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series by R.L. LaFevers (I adore ALL her books), and The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood.

I want to read Dee's book, too.

I'm supposed to be reading Water for Elephants for my book group, but I keep pushing it aside and picking up the middle grade stuff instead. I did see the movie, does that count? : )

RuthD said:

I'm supposed to be reading Water for Elephants for my book group, but I keep pushing it aside and picking up the middle grade stuff instead. I did see the movie, does that count? : )

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Sometimes I wish bookclubs would discuss MG books. I'd join that bookclub.

Ruth - did you like Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls? Give me a clue - comedy, serious? Just sounds interesting.

swhibs123 said:

Sometimes I wish bookclubs would discuss MG books. I'd join that bookclub.

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Me too!

sissybaby said:

Ruth - did you like Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls? Give me a clue - comedy, serious? Just sounds interesting.

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I loved it, Sissybaby. It's a sequel to Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat. There's a third one coming out soon.

The Emmy books are zany, sweet contemporary fantasies. They involve evil nannies, and shrinking, and talking rodents... but I don't want to give too many spoilers, LOL! The author's website is worth a visit: http://www.lynnejonell.com/books/a_novels.html