Kim, a middle school teacher, requested a booklist for middle schoolers. I started listing away and had to stop myself before I hit 100 books. Then I typed this up and just keep going.

Please feel free to ask for additional titles and/or more information about any of the books I have listed below.

First, the absolute must-haves: realistic comedies and dramas set in middle school or with characters in that age group.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction
(alphabetical by author)
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume
Here's to You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume
Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Being Bindy by Alyssa Brugman
The Steps by Rachel Cohn
Two Steps Forward by Rachel Cohn
Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements
Where I'd Like To Be by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Shug by Jenny Han
Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm, artwork and illustrations by Elicia Castaldi, additional artwork by Matthew Holm
The Creek by Jennifer L. Holm
The Misfits by James Howe
The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss
The Truth About Sixth Grade by Colleen O'Shaughnessy McKenna
Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me by Lisa Papademetriou
Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters
Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar
Yours Truly, Skye O'Shea by Megan Shull
Skye's the Limit! by Megan Shull
The Broccoli Tapes by Jan Slepian
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
Multiple Choice by Janet Tashjian
Tru Confessions by Janet Tashjian
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade) by Denise Vega

. . . and series:

The Zibby Payne series by Alison Bell
#1 Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment
#1 Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma
#3 Zibby Payne and the Party Problem
#4 Zibby Payne and the Trio Trouble

Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry
- Anastasia Krupnik
- Anastasia Again!
- Anastasia At Your Service
- Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst
- Anastasia on her Own
- Anastasia has the Answers
- Anastasia's Chosen Career
- Anastasia at this Address
- Anastasia Absolutely

The Alice McKinley series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
There are over twenty books in this series, following Alice from third grade through high school. Here are the titles set in middle school:
- The Agony of Alice
- Alice in Rapture, Sort of
- Reluctantly Alice
- All but Alice
- Alice in April
- Alice In-Between
- Alice the Brave
- Alice in Lace
- Outrageously Alice
- Achingly Alice
- Alice on the Outside
- The Grooming of Alice (the summer between middle school and high school)

Fantasy/Mystery/Science Fiction Series
OutCast quartet by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski
#1 The Un-Magician
#2 Dragon Secrets
#3 Ghostfire
#4 Wurm War

Owlboy series by Thomas E. Sniegoski, illustrated by Eric Powell
#1 Billy Hooten, Owlboy
#2 The Girl with the Destructo Touch
#3 The Terror of the Zis-Boom-Bah
#4 The Flock of Fury

Ghost trilogy by Bruce Coville
#1 The Ghost in the Third Row
#2 The Ghost Wore Gray
#3 The Ghost in the Brass Bed

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
#1 The Golden Compass (published overseas as Northern Lights)
#2 The Subtle Knife
#3 The Amber Spyglass
- Lyra's Oxford (short story, taking place after Spyglass)
- Once Upon a Time in the North (prequel)
- The Book of Dust (which may not be out until 2010)

The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane
#1 So You Want to Be a Wizard
#2 Deep Wizardry
#3 High Wizardry
#4 A Wizard Abroad
#5 The Wizard's Dilemma
#6 A Wizard Alone
#7 Wizard's Holiday
#8 Wizards at War
#9 Wizard on Mars

Fantasy/Mystery/Science Fiction Stand-Alone Titles
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Sisters, Long Ago by Peg Kehret
The Wish by Gail Carson Levine
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

. . . and stock up on these authors!

John Bellairs books, including The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt
Mary Downing Hahn books, including The Doll in the Garden
Margaret Peterson Haddix books, including Among the Hidden (the first in the Shadow Children series), Just Ella, and Turnabout

Classics
The Anne Shirley octet by L.M. Montgomery
#1 Anne of Green Gables
#2 Anne of the Island
#3 Anne of Avonlea
#4 Anne of Windy Poplars
#5 Anne's House of Dreams
#6 Anne of Ingleside
#7 Rainbow Valley
#8 Rilla of Ingleside

All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor
- All-of-a-Kind Family
- More All-of-a-Kind Family
- All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown
- All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown
- Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
White Fang by Jack London
Call of the Wild by Jack London

Various titles by Noel Streatfeild, including
- Ballet Shoes
- Dancing Shoes
- Theatre Shoes

Historical Fiction
Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy
Runaround by Helen Hemphill
Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, and Romance by Marthe Jocelyn
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Lawson
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Maggie Valley Trilogy by Kerry Madden
- Gentle's Holler
- Louisiana's Song
- Jessie's Mountain
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller
A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
(See the classics section above for even more historical fiction!)

Favorite Series
Nancy Drew
The Hardy Boys
The Baby-Sitters Club
Sweet Valley Twins (easy reads, yes, but far more appropriate for middle schoolers than the Sweet Valley series set in high school and college)
Junior High (which is sadly out-of-print)

Kim also asked for a shorter list for a specific boy, so I drew this up:

( Read more... )

Related Booklists: Gifted Middle School Readers, Clean Reads for Early Teens, If Then for Middle School

Each @ symbol represents the recommendation of one postergirl. A title followed by @@@@ was recommended by four postergirlz.

Classic Picks from Postergirlz (Published Pre-1930)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett @@@@
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen @@@@
Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery @@@
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald @@@
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott @@@
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte @@@
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett @@
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll @@
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas @@
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit @@
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne @
A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter @
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy @
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens @
All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor @
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift @
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte @
Call of the Wild by Jack London @
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo @

Many postergirlz also enjoy the works of Shakespeare.

Modern Classics (Post-1930 But Pre-1980)
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster @@
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge @
Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis @
The Chosen by Chaim Potok @
The Promise by Chaim Potok @
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok @

Additional Resources
Jen has posted her own favorite classics booklist.

My age registered in single digits when my mother handed me a copy of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I immediately opened the book and read the first paragraph. I exclaimed, "It's all one run-on sentence!" I suppressed the urge to rewrite that paragraph and kept reading.

In short order, I read all eight of the books about Anne Shirley. I was delighted by her misadventures. It was the first time I'd read a series that followed a character's entire life. It was fun to watch Anne grow up and change from an unwanted orphan to an adopted daughter and student to a teacher and a mother. The earlier books, powered by the fun of youth and whimsy, are my favorites in the series.

I love the character of Anne Shirley because she is smart, spunky, sassy, bold, determined, and creative. I related her to her love of stories, her insatiable appetite for knowledge, and her vivid imagination.

After tackling the Anne octet, I read many of L.M. Montgomery's other stories, such as the Emily trilogy and Magic for Marigold. I found them all enjoyable. Montgomery's writing is detailed and exquisite, with dialogue specific to certain characters and accurate depictions of small towns and certain time periods. She created characters which were both daring and thoughtful, who fought to realize their dreams, and who respected their origins and their families.

I've never been to Canada, but someday, I'd like to visit Prince Edward Island, the province where many of Montgomery's stories take place. Until then, I'll simply watch Kevin Sullivan's great film adaptations of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea starring the incredible Megan Follows and feel as if I'm there.

Learn More about Lucy Maud Montgomery

You may read many of Lucy Maud Montgomery's works online, thanks to Project Gutenberg.

Wikipedia offers a biography and bibliography about the author.

University of Guelph in Canada appears to have a lovely collection of Lucy Maud Montgomery's manuscripts, journals, and scrapbooks.

Travel on Today's One-Shot World Tour

Last year, Colleen's idea to spotlight books and authors from a specific country led to the One Shot World Tour: Best Read With Vegemite, a blogfest of love for Australian authors.

Since the first One Shot World Tour (OSWT) was a success, we're taking another trip. Join us today as we celebrate Canadian authors. Simply post about any book of any genre for any age group written by a Canadian author, then provide Colleen with the link to your post and you'll be included in the day's round-up.

Today's participants include:
Aurora's Journal
Big A, little a
Bildungsroman
Bookshelves of Doom
A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy
Chasing Ray
Chicken Spaghetti
Educating Alice
Finding Wonderland (Post 1)
Finding Wonderland (Post 2)
A Fuse #8 Production
The Journal of Impossible Things
NYRB
Once Upon a Bookshelf
Original Content
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Shaken & Stirred
Teen Book Review
Wands and Worlds
Worth the Trip

I call this journal + website Bildungsroman for a reason. I think there's something special about a story that accurately captures that time when you grow up - when our perception of how the world works is irrevocably altered, for better or for worse.

In January 2007, Chasing Ray announced You Should Read This Awards 2007: Coming-of-Age. Since I love this genre with a passion, I immediately suggested a multitude of titles, which I then posted here. I've updated this booklist a few times since then and will continue to do so as time goes on.

In alphabetical order by author:

The Pursuit of Happiness by Tara Altebrando
What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti
The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
The Alison Rules by Catherine Clark
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Say Goodnight, Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
An Egg on Three Sticks by Jackie Fischer
Friction by E.R. Frank
The True Meaning of Cleavage by Mariah Fredericks
Stay With Me by Garret Freymann-Weyr
As Simple as Snow by Gregory Galloway
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley
Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
Stained by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
Swollen by Melissa Lion
Upstream by Melissa Lion
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson
Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters
What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
Just Like That by Marsha Qualey
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Homecoming by Cynthia Voight
So B. It by Sarah Weeks

. . . and, if you like series that follow characters through childhood and adulthood:

The Anne Shirley octet by L.M. Montgomery

Wondering why I picked a certain title? Ask in the comments section below. I'll be more than happy to discuss this books further.

What is reader resonance? It's relative, I think.

I think of reader resonance in terms of the story and its characters sticking with the reader. I also factor in the probability of the book being re-read. In other words, while appeal is more applicable at the onset - Will people want to read this? Will it sound interesting to them? - reader resonance is the reaction after completing the book - Does the story stay with the readers? Do the characters stay with the readers?

It's easy to say that a book is GREAT! immediately after reaching the satisfying conclusion. It's right then, right there, in the moment of completion, so it might feel like it's the best book ever. But do you still exclaim a week, a month, a year after you've read it?

It's been years since THE ALISON RULES by Catherine Clark was published, and I still think about it. I still 'know' those characters. I still tell people about that book. The same with SWOLLEN by Melissa Lion, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER by Sarah Dessen, and other titles. Some are bestsellers, some aren't. Some (THE GREAT GATSBY, THE NEVERENDING STORY, ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES) are classics, some are contemporary. Some can be found in most big-name bookstores and some are out-of-print.

Their publication dates don't matter to me. Their fame doesn't matter to me. Their covers don't matter to me. Other people's reviews of these books have no bearing on my opinion of these books. These books are here with me because, for one reason or other, they echo. Whether they whisper or scream, old or new, they are here with me for good.

Searching for novels to use for a similar-stories unit in class? Want to stick to a certain theme and/or get multiple books for kids of various ages in the same household to share? Make your own boxed sets! Here are some ideas, mostly for readers aged 7 through 14.

Classic Staples
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Call of the Wild by Jack London
White Fang by Jack London

Collected and Myth Taken
Stock up on mythology, legends, fairy tales and plays!
A book of Greek myths
A book of Egyptian myths
A collection of myths from around the world
A collection of Irish fairy tales
Andrew Lang's Fairy Books
Tales of Mother Goose
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Charles Perrault's fairy tales
Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Thomas Malory or William Caxton (also suitable: the version by Roger Lancelyn Green, who has additional books of myths and legends)

Fairy Nice
The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hollow with text by Monique Peterson and illustrations by The Disney Storybook Artists, designed by Elizabeth Ryazantseva and Megan Krempels
The Trouble with Tink by Kiki Thorpe and Judith H. Clarke
The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker
The Fairy Realm series by Emily Rodda

Fantastic Adventures
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DeTerlizzi
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
OutCast quartet by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski
The Owlboy series by Thomas E. Sniegoski
The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende

Turn of the Century: The Pride of the Pioneers
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
All-of-a-Kind Family by Sidney Taylor
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Grand Jetes: For Hopeful Dancers
The Nutcracker and Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman
Noelle of the Nutcracker by Pamela Jean, illustrated by Jan Brett
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
The Sisters Impossible by J.D. Landis
Susie and the Ballet Family by Lee Wyndham
Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone

Fun Times: Cute Comedies
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Everyone Else's Parents Said Yes by Paula Danziger
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar

Happy Hauntings: Ghostly Friends
The Ghost in the Third Row by Bruce Coville
The Ghost Wore Gray by Bruce Coville
A Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn
May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Mysteries, Murder, and Mischief
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden (beginning with Body Bags)
Nancy Drew #1: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
The Hardy Boys #1: The Tower Treasure by Franklin W Dixon

Comic Relief and True Belief
Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
Goy Crazy by Melissa Schorr
Never Mind the Goldbergs by Matthue Roth

Secrets on the Homefront: World War II
The Diary of Anne Frank
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Classic Inspiration: Love, Loss, and Jane Austen
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Communication is Key: The Lives of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson, illustrated by Wendy Watson

Newfound Strength
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Don't Believe the Bullies
The Misfits by James Howe
Freak by Marcella Pixley
Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Want more ideas? Need additional suggestions? Feel free to ask!

firstgold asked for authors like Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak). Here are my recommendations.

(Click an author's name for my special Author Spotlight posts.)

Sarah Dessen (ages 12 and up: That Summer, Keeping The Moon; ages 14 and up: The Truth About Forever, That Lullaby, Just Listen, Someone Like You; ages 16 and up: Dreamland)
Deb Caletti (ages 14 and up: The Queen of Everything, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, Wild Roses, The Nature of Jade, The Fortune of Indigo Skye)
Rachel Cohn (ages 10 and up: The Steps, Two Steps Forward; ages 14 and up: Gingerbread, Shrimp, Cupcake)
Melissa Lion (ages 14 and up: Swollen, Upstream)

She also asked for novels with strong female protagonists.

(If a title is linked, click it for my review.)

MODERN DAY

The Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala - Ages 13 and up - A college freshman becomes a pathology assistant. She is smart and intuitive. How Chris was able to channel a 19-year-old girl so well, I'll never know. This series is amazing. If you like the autopsies of CSI, the twists of Law & Order, and the wit of House, you'll love these books. There are ten novels in this series. Read them. Read them in order. Start with Body Bags.

The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson - Ages 13 and up - Three sisters deal with the loss of their father.

A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson - Ages 12 and up - A teenage girl decides to live on her own.

The Tillerman Cycle by Cynthia Voigt - Ages 14 and up - When their mother abandons them, the eldest sibling, Dicey, must take care of her younger siblings. She is determined to keep the remains of her family together. Start with Homecoming. (Thanks to dshep for thinking of Dicey.)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - Ages 8 and up - Tabitha-Ruth Wexler, better known as Turtle, is sassy, smart, and bold. Think of her as a mix of me and Tinker Bell.

CLASSICS

The Anne Shirley series by L.M. Montgomery - She's an orphan. She's spunky and sassy. She's a dreamer and a daredevil. She's Anne of Green Gables. Read the eight books in order and see Anne grow up. From her days as a student in a one-room schoolhouse to going to college to becoming a teacher, her school smarts are just as important as her people smarts.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - Is there ever a time when I cannot recommend these books? No, not really. They hit so many genres and concepts. One of the many reasons why Disney's animated version of Alice in Wonderland upset me is because they made her a weepy little thing on many occasions. She cries to create the Lake of Tears. She doesn't cry and whine all of the time. She is curious, and that curiosity makes her keep looking around. She is determined, and that determination keeps her moving forward.

SCI-FI/FANTASY

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman - Lyra and Alice would be buddies. This British series may have the general genre classification of fantasy, but that does not even begin to cover it. What other books can boast the inclusion of shapeshifting animals, literal soul searching, religion, politics, spies, angels, spirits, and multiple dimensions? Not to mention truth, lies, parentage, coming-of-age, life . . . So brilliant. This is one book split into three, really. You have to read them in order. In the United Kingdom, the first book is called Northern Lights, whereas the title in the United States is The Golden Compass. The second book is The Subtle Knife and the third is The Amber Spyglass.

They are the best friends. The siblings. The next-door-neighbors.
They help solve mysteries. Stand up to bullies. Run student council campaigns.
They are the Sassy Sidekicks of Children's Literature.

They don't have to be sassy, mind you. I just like that word. However, they do have to be true sidekicks. ( Read more... )

Add your suggestions to the list by posting a comment with the book or series title followed by the name of the sidekick(s). I will add the suggestions of others and mark the books I haven't read with an asterisk. I put my own favorite sidekicks in bold.

The List (70 sidekicks so far)
An Abundance of Katherines: Hassan
Alice McKinley series: Liz and Pam
Anatopsis: Uno
Anne of Green Gables series: Diana Barry
Artemis Fowl series: Butler
Bartimaeus trilogy: Kitty
The Bermudez Triangle: Parker
Betsy and Tacy series: Tacy and Tib
The Book Thief: Rudy
Casson Family series*: Sarah
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Grandpa Joe
Coraline: The unnamed cat
Edgar and Ellen: Pet
Emily of New Moon trilogy: Ilsa
Enthusiasm: Ashleigh
Escape to Witch Mountain: Winkie the Cat
Freaky Friday: Boris
The Great Brain series: J.D.
Green Knowe series: Grandmother Oldknow
Gregor the Overlander*: Luxa and Boots
Harriet the Spy: Janie and Sport
Harry Potter series: Hermione and Ron
Heidi: Peter and Clara
Henry Huggins series: Ribsy
His Dark Materials trilogy: Pantalaimon
Inkspell*: Farid
Jimmy Coates series: Felix Muzbeke
Johnny Dixon series: Fergie
Keys to the Kingdom series: Suzy Turquoise Blue and Leaf
King Matt the First: Klu-Klu
A Little Princess: Becky
Little Women: Laurie
The Lone Ranger stories*: Tonto
May Bird trilogy: Somber Kitty
M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales: Lily and Jasper Dash
My Side of the Mountain trilogy: Frightful
Nancy Drew series: Bess and George
The NeverEnding Story: Falkor
Nina Tanleven trilogy: Chris
Penny from Heaven: Frankie
Percy Jackson & the Olympians series: Annabeth and Grover
Peter Pan: Tinker Bell
Pippi Longstocking trilogy: Mr. Nilsson the monkey
Prydain Chronicles*: Eilonwy
Sabriel: Mogget
Series of Unfortunate Events: Duncan and Isadora Quagmire
Silverwing trilogy*: Kate de Vries
The Sisters Grimm series: Puck
Swallows & Amazons series: Captain Flint
Then There Were Five*: Mark Herron
To Kill a Mockingbird: Dill
Trixie Belden series: Honey
Un Lun Dun: Deeba
Under the Lilacs: Phebe
Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Reepicheep
Winnie-the-Pooh: Piglet
What Katy Did*: Clover
What Katy Did At School*: Rose Red

This list was inspired by Jen Robinson's Cool Girls from Children's Literature and Cool Boys from Children's Literature and Journey Woman's Great Antagonists of Children's Literature.

Miss Erin created a book character meme and tagged me.

Character you'd most like to have over for tea?
I don't care for tea, but I don't think Anne and Diana from Anne of Green Gables would mind, as they'd want cordial instead. Let's compromise and have hot chocolate! :)

Character you'd most like to have as a sibling?
I love the sisters in All-of-a-Kind Family by Sidney Taylor.

Character you'd most like to be friends with?
( Read more... )

I'm very pleased that this little blog of mine has been getting more attention recently. I feel as though it is has been reaching a wider audience now that I am posting more not only more frequently, but with an emphasis on fiction. Thanks to the Internet, especially LiveJournal and MySpace, I've been able to interview authors I admire and get in contact with other book bloggers. I am always happy to talk about books. If I had a nickel for every book I recommended and handsold, I would be rich.

So who am I? I am an actress. I am a singer and a songwriter. I am a dancer and a choreographer. I am a writer. I am a freelance journalist, a freelance publicist, and a freelance webdesigner. I am a director and a playwright. I am a bookseller. I am a reader and a viewer. I am a daughter and a sister. I am a cat owner. I value literacy and I value communication, so I love many forms of storytelling. I enjoy books. I enjoy plays, television, and films, especially musicals. I love music.

A recent email inspired the remainder of this post.

I have been reading since the age of 2. My role model was Rainbow Brite. A few years later, my favorite series was The Baby-Sitters Club.

I read very quickly. I always have. Teachers did not believe that I could read an entire book in one class period, but I did. I read an average of one new book a day, more if the titles are juvenile or young adult.

My areas of book expertise are literature, classics, children's classics, contemporary children's books, and contemporary teen novels. My favorite genres are dramatic fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery.

My favorite novelist is Christopher Golden. He has written over a hundred books. I admire him for many reasons. He has accomplished what I hope to accomplish: write for various genres, ages, and types of media, and write well. My favorite Golden books are Body Bags, the first in the Body of Evidence mystery series, and The Boys are Back in Town, a horror novel that twists memories and time travel like nobody's business.

For a book to be on my list of all-time favorites, it has to be intelligent and well-written. If it is a fantasy, it must be imaginative. If it is dramatic fiction, it must be realistic. My favorite classic novels are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, the Anne of Green Gables octet by L.M. Montgomery, The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende, Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. The most contemporary titles on my favorites list, in addition to the Golden books I mentioned earlier, are The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I list my favorite books, songs, authors, films, and more at my website Your Girl on my sources of inspiration page. My list of favorite books is also posted at Amazon Listmania!

My non-fiction interests are extremely geeky. I enjoy researching Ancient Egypt (yes, I like to read hieroglyphs) and I have a lot of interest in the history of and advances in mathematics and science. I also have contributed non-fiction articles and essays to newspapers and books. I still get excited every time an article of mine is published.

I cannot wait until my own novels, plays, and scripts are published and performed. Someday. Someday. I'm working on it.

GottaBook asked folks to post five reasons why they blog. Here are five from me:

1. To share my love of reading
   
2. To encourage literacy (to encourage others to read in general)
   
3. To encourage others to read books I love
   
4. To support amazing authors
   
5. Because I love when people ask me for book recommendations!

Related Posts: The Meaning of Bildungsroman, My Interview at Seven Impossible Things, Booklist: Coming-of-Age Novels aka Bildungsromans