Hellobee

After Baby C was born, I started a tradition. At the end of every year, right around late December, I go into my Goodreads account, go through the list of books I read that year, and sort them by my most favorite to least favorite. Then I go into a page in my Evernote account that I started shortly after Baby C’s birthday 2 and a half years ago, and add books that I particularly loved and ones that I really hope Baby C will read when she gets older. Sometimes I add notes to the titles or authors I put on the list – context for why I’m putting that selection there – but mostly I just list the books, authors and the appropriate age for her to tackle them if she chooses to.

This tradition was born out of a convergence of factors. 1) I’m a huge book nerd; 2) I chronicle somewhat compulsively what I have read and whether I liked it; and 3) I realized as I started reading more kid and YA literature in the past 2 years, as a way to get more familiar with writing in those categories, that I would love to recommend books to Baby C when she gets older, but I would easily forget what I loved and wanted her to read and why. And thus the list was born.

I  updated the list this week, right after I hit my reading challenge goal for the year (60 books). It happened to be with a book that I especially wanted to recommend to Baby C, so I thought I would share what some of my favorites and “hope you will read these” for her are. I not-so-secretly hope that she grows up to be a voracious reader, but even if not, this list will at least give her some insight into her book nerd mom.

*note that the age ranges I’m using are highly subjective and are a mix of Amazon recommendations and recommendations by friends who know kids’ books well. I fully believe in selecting content based on a kid’s ability to read and comprehend content, even if it’s not exactly how the book is categorized. 

The 8-12 Age Range

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm – Robert O’Brien

This is a long time classic and required reading in many schools. Because I moved to the US in middle school, I missed out on a lot of childhood classics here, and have been spending the last few years reading through as many as I can, this one among them. It’s a fantastic story with interesting themes about the value of knowledge and the freedom education can get you.

Three Times Lucky (and both sequels, The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing and The Odds of Getting Even) – Sheila Turnage

A friend who’s an expert on children’s literature handed me Three Times Lucky last year and I was absolutely in love with it from the first few pages. The protagonist is a spunky sixth grader named Mo (short for Moses, and the book has a fantastic back story on why a girl is named Moses) who lives in a tiny town in the Carolinas called Tupelo Landing. She and her best friend and their community of hilarious characters get into all sorts of misadventures, but the true magic of these books is the author’s mastery with language. It’s hilarious, heartbreaking and full of wisdom for all ages.

A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle

Another children’s classic that I read as an adult and fell head over heels in love with. There’s science and fiction and magic, and themes of relationships and growing up and grit. I’m actually trying to work my way through all of Madeleine L’Engle’s works – not a small feat, given that she published 60+ books.

Echo – Pam Munoz Ryan

Echo is a massive book at nearly 600 pages, but it is easily readable in a few days because it is so completely absorbing and engaging, you just can’t put it down. Munoz Ryan is well known for weaving mystical and realistic elements together, and Echo is a gorgeous example of her mastery. The story centers on a harmonica that travels through multiple generations, countries, and world events, and reads like a fairy tale.

Wonder – R.J. Palacio

Wonder has been one of the most lauded books in the past few years. A first person narration brings together a boy with a physical disability and his family and peers, and tells a beautiful story about bullying, acceptance, differences and empathy.

The 12-16 Age Range

Inside Out and Back Again – Thanhha Lai

Baby C is a child of two off-the-boat immigrants, and she’s growing up in an era of huge refugee crises like the one we’re currently seeing from Syria, so I hope that this book will give her a glimmer of her parents’ experience as immigrants, refugees and perspective on the world around her. It’s written in short poems, and captures the semi-biographical story beautifully.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass – Meg Medina

Bullying is a topic that I care deeply about, having experienced it from both ends as a kid, so I tend to seek out literature on the subject so that I can help my daughter when and if she has to contend with the same thing. Meg Medina does an amazing job with this book – it’s a very realistic portrayal of how quickly and easily bullying can affect a kid’s life, and although I struggle with the book’s ending, I still think it’s a great resource for teens.

Every Day and Two Boys Kissing – David Levithan

I’m convinced that David Levithan cannot write a bad book, and he has written tons, on top of being an editor for Scholastic. These two are my favorite, however. They’re very different – one is a story of two boys trying to break the world record for the longest continuous kiss (and the various issues, not the least of them being that one of the boys isn’t out of the closet to his family); the other is a story of a boy (we think) named A. who wakes up every morning in a different body. The writing in both is beautiful, but more so, I hope Baby C reads these as a way to challenge herself to think about identity, the importance of inside vs. outside, and love and hate. These books are generally targeted for the upper grades, but they’re easy reads and depending on the kid’s maturity level, I think can be read earlier.

Crossover – Kwame Alexander

The Crossover was the first book I ever read in verse format, and it took my breath away. On top of being beautifully written (the verses read much like dribbling a basketball, the underlying theme of the book), it’s a great story of two brothers, their family dynamics, race and identity. I think it’s a must read for any kid, regardless of their race, class or gender, and really hope Baby C picks it up one day.

The 16-21 Age Range

The Help – Kathryn Stockett

At this point, I think nearly everyone has either read The Help or seen the movie, and for good reason. It’s a fantastic story – beautifully written and amazingly acted out – that focuses on issues of relationships, race, servitude, civil rights and so much more.

Golden Boy – Abigail Tartellin

This is a book that everyone should read and that no one has really heard of. Now that the conversation about gender and sexual identity is finally starting to come out of the shadows, I hope this book becomes more visible. It’s incredibly difficult to read, as it tackles topics of rape, sexuality, identity and all sorts of heavy subject matter, but I think that’s what makes it necessary, especially as kids get older and these questions become more and more relevant to them.

Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd

This is one of two books by Sue Monk Kidd on my list. I adore her writing, and couldn’t wait for this book to come out, and it didn’t disappoint. Much like The Help, it tackles issues of race and servitude and relationships between women who serve and those who are served.

Lessons from the Fat-o-Sphere – Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby

Barring some sort of amazing intervention, Baby C is going to grow up with a fat mom. I’m OK with being a fat mom, but as someone who grew up a fat kid into a fat adult, body image is an issue that I am too familiar with and one that I imagine my kid will deal with as well. I hope with all my might that I will teach my kid that she’s wonderful no matter what she looks like. This book is what finally got me to make peace with myself and I hope that she never has to read it to find peace, but reads it anyway to find wisdom and acceptance of everyone.

Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult

In this age of school shootings and gun violence, this book really strikes a chord because it offers a fictionalized perspective of a school shooting from the victims and the shooter, as well as their parents and friends. When I first read it, it actually amplified my hesitation to have kids because the shooter and his parents were just so normal and what if I raised one? To me, the value of this book is not so much to talk about shootings and gun violence, but more about bullying and understanding that there isn’t always a clear cut line between good people and bad ones.

The 21+ Age Range

Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead – Sheryl Sandberg

Full disclosure – I don’t agree with Sandberg 100%, and think that she discounts some important factors in balancing work and life when you’re a mom that works outside the home. However, I still think Lean In is an important book to read, especially for women, as they begin to forge their career paths, and thus it’s on my list for Baby C. No matter what she ultimately decides to do, I want her to feel like she can be empowered to stand up for herself, to fight against trends like mansplaining, and be a better negotiator (her mom is a terrible one, though hopefully I’ve learned by the time she’s old enough).

Traveling With Pomegranates – Sue Monk Kidd

I remember very clearly reading this book when my husband and I traveled to Egypt a few years ago, and I remember opting to skip an outing to the desert with our travel group in order to stay on the beach and finish this book. Unlike her other work, this book is a memoir; a travel story written by Kidd and her daughter about their travels when Kidd’s daughter graduated college. It’s heartwarming, beautiful, loving and an excellent discussion on relationships between mothers and daughters as both grow older in their own ways.

Good in Bed – Jennifer Weiner

Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors, and it all began with Good in Bed. The reason I have this book on Baby C’s list, though, is because it’s both a very fun read and because I credit this book, along with Lessons From the Fat-O-Sphere for helping me come to terms with my body image. If nothing else, it’ll give her something fun to read and a little bit of insight in her mom as a person.