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Once a month, The Edge of the Forest talks to a group
of kids about their favorite books.
This month we present Teen (and Sibling) Picks! Allie, of
Bildungsroman/Slayground,
asked siblings what they are currently reading. She also got the opinions of
their friends and some frequent customers to her bookstore who are only
children.
Alexia, 15, is working on I, Mona Lisa and The
Historian. She recently finished Bad Kitty, by Michele
Jaffe, and I'd Tell You I'd Love You, But Then I'd Have
to Kill You, by Ally Carter. She loves spy stories and
international politics.
Her brother Nicholas, 11, loved The Thief Lord. "Once
I started, I couldn't stop!" He is also working his
way through the Childhood of Young Americans
biographies.
Gillian, 15, has a brother, but it sounds like she's
the biggest reader in the family. She dominantly reads
non-fiction historical biographies. She enjoys Alison
Weir's works regarding the lives of Henry VIII's
family. She just picked up The Rules of Survival by
Nancy Werlin and Alice in the Know by Phyllis Reynolds
Naylor at my recommendation, the latter because she
read some of the Alice books when she was younger.
Jessica, also 15, recommends The Kite Runner.
Claire, who recently turned 17, liked Slaughter-house
Five. Happy birthday, Miss Claire!
Siena, 16, and Kevin, 17, are long-time friends. They
spoke highly of Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy, which of
course led to a conversation about The Keys to the
Kingdom series. Siena is really enjoying Beloved, but
warns that it "is for adults, not for kids." They both
like Mercedes Lackey, and Kevin talked about The Last
Herald-Mage.
Alex, 9, is a fan of The Magic Tree House series by
Mary Pope Osborne. He likes the big adventures that
Jack and Annie go on. He recently started a book in
The Time Warp Trio series. His younger brother, Angel,
doesn't read on his own yet, but he likes being read
to and shares his big brother's admiration for
superheroes like Spider-Man and Batman.
Tasia, 16, is reading The Raven Warrior: The Tales of
Guinevere by Alice Borchardt. Her 11-year-old sister,
Maya, is reading The Clique series. I recommended that
older sis pick up The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss for
younger sis.
With the holidays upon us, I also asked the kids to
name their favorite holiday books. Claire picked 'Twas
the Night Before Christmas, while Tasia opened The
Christmas Box. Kevin likes A Christmas Story.
Gillian's younger self loved the Angelina Ballerina
series, so she named Angelina's Christmas.
Alex really enjoys the story of The Nutcracker. He
collects nutcrackers and has a few different versions
of the story and the movie adaptations. He saw the
classic ballet version live for the first time only a
few weeks ago. He went with his mother and a friend.
I'd also pick The Nutcracker as my favorite classic
holiday story. My favorite contemporary (though it is
now twenty years old) holiday-themed title is Noelle
of the Nutcracker, written by Pamela Jane and
illustrated by Jan Brett. Noelle is a ballerina doll
that wants to be "discovered" so she can perform on
stage. While standing in a toy shop, she is spotted by
two girls—one rich, one poor—who wish to buy her
and bring her home.
Happy holidays, everyone!
The Edge of the Forest welcomes Kid Picks submissions. If you are
interested in submitting a Kid (or Teen) Picks column, please send an e-mail to
kherold@theedgeoftheforest.com
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