Since I finished my first reading goal back in October I’ve been trying to figure out what my next reading goal should be. I was thinking about doing a goal around children’s books which would help me figure out books that might be good for Calvin.
At first, I was considering reading all the Newbery Medal books. After all, it’s one of the most prestigious awards in the US for children’s literature. However, I wasn’t getting inspired after pursuing the list of past Newbery Medal winners. There’s many good books in the Newbery list but there are some that are also very dated. In addition, I have read quite a few of them already. So, I dithered and dallied waiting for inspiration to strike.
Being a librarian in charge of an ILS, I do a lot of random searching to make sure things work the way they’re suppose to. Last week I stumbled across Reid’s Read-Alouds. It’s an annotated list of books selected to be of interest to juveniles and young adults. What I particularly like about this list are the books were all published between 2000 and 2008. This means they’re all new since my childhood. In addition, the reviews I’ve read imply that the books are nicely diverse reflecting a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
So, the goal. My goal is to read at least 180 of the books listed in Reid’s Read-Alouds. These are juvenile/young adult books so they’re probably going to be on the thin side. However, 180 is still a lot of books. I don’t have any idea how long it will take me to get through this many books but I guess we’ll find out.
Goal Books I’ve Read
Down the Rabbit Hole, by Peter Abrahams (Juvenile Mystery)
Ingrid is a teenage girl who loves Sherlock Holmes and acting. After getting lost on her way to soccer practice, Ingrid finds herself in the middle of a police investigation and develops a compulsion to figure out the mystery herself.
I enjoyed the book. I always like reading about strong female characters and Ingrid fits perfectly. She’s intelligent, moderately quirky, and figures things out in the end.
Whittington, by Alan Armstrong (Juvenile)
A story within a story. Whittington, a stray cat, finds a home in a barn with other stray animals the local gas station owner has taken in. The animals talk to each other and to the owner’s two orphaned grandchildren, Abby and Ben. Ben is having trouble learning to read at school and Abby and the animals decide to try to help him. Each night, after Ben finishes studying, Whittington tells the story of his famous ancestor.
I suspect this is a book Calvin would really like. However, it was a bit slow for me. It’s a good book, I’m just not the right audience.
Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Young Adult Historical Fiction)
In 1793 Philadelphia suffered a yellow fever epidemic that killed 5000 people. In Fever 1793, Mattie is 14 and is in the awkward stage between being a child and adult. She starts out resenting her mother but then the epidemic strikes and chaos ensues. Mattie tries to survive the epidemic while making sure the family’s livelihood, the local coffeehouse, also survives.
This was another good book and was a fairly quick read for me. At the end of the book Anderson provides an appendix that discusses various historical details interwoven throughout the book.
Reading Goal: 3 of 180