Hi, Mamas (and Papas),
My daughter, 13 and an avid reader, particularly likes books by L.M. Montgomery ("Anne of Green Gables" and all it sequels and everything else Montgomery wrote) as well as those by Louisa May Alcott ("Little Women" and its sequels). She says she really enjoys those kinds of "domestic" novels of 19th-century/early 20th-century life and finds them relaxing.. Can anyone recommend novels in that genre for her? She also likes the more challenging Jane Austen so that's covered, and she's going to get into the darker Brontes soon, but am I missing any other authors who write the Montgomery/Alcott type of more comforting domestic-life novels?
These are "comfort food" books to her, amid a very heavy school schedule, so any ideas are welcome. Thanks.
Thanks for the ideas and keep them coming! We are big fans of the library and that's always our first stop, I know. The librarians are great but our library is very busy and they didn't have much time to ponder and come up with many ideas. And at the big chain bookstore (only one near us) they only know the latest best-seller hits for kids (and while my daughter loves all the new dystopian novels, they're not where she turns when she just wants comfort!I) just wanted some personal recommendations from MP members! Great ideas. I hadn't thought about "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" which I enjoyed years ago! Thanks again.
As the daughter of a retired public librarian, I also recommend visiting the library. A librarian may know of books that are lesser known that are a perfect fit for her preferences. Definitely tap into a librarian's expertise.
Yes, the library is a great idea.
That said, one of my own favorite series at that age was Sydney Taylor's "All of a Kind Family" about a family of five Jewish girls raised in the teens in New York city. Their father has what we would consider a 'junk' shop; their mother is a clever woman who tends the house, is emotionally supportive but firm, and the stories throughout this series are very dear while also descriptive in discussing setting and the era, pre WW1. The discussion of Jewish holidays is enlightening and lively. I wanted to BE part of this family growing up. :)
Another good series, in an entirely different vein, is the Dragonsinger books by Anne McCaffery. Menolly is a girl who loves music -- a natural musician, she wants to learn the craft. Her family has other plans, however, and when Menolly's hand is wounded, her mother bungles the wound so that the hand won't heal correctly. Set in a sci-fi setting on the planet of Pern, where molten hot 'thread' falls from the skies (which must be charred inert flight by the dragons and their riders), this fantasy series introduces a plucky young woman who is determined to pursue her dreams. The writing is strong and the fairy-tale quality of the book is great 'escape' reading.
Has she read the 'Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder? The books of 'older' Laura (from "The Shores of Silver Lake", The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years --you may want to skip "The First Four Years", which is rather harrowing) are all substantial in plot.
ETA: I have to agree with introducing Jane Eyre vs Austen at this age. What people forget about Austen is that she wrote satire-- which might be quite lost on a younger person. Jane Eyre was still quite a read-- but I appreciated it far more as an adult.
these might be a little easy for her, but they are nonetheless GREAT reads by Sharon Creech: Walk Two Moon and Chasing Red Bird..
LOVE LOVE LOVE~!!!! also, Island of the Blue Dolphins... and Where the Red Fern Grows <<< really love that book..
they aren't quite the category as what she has been reading, but what's good about them all is that you really get a good picture of the story taking path.. in essence, all the books take you on this journey (away from home) and set you on a larger journey of the world..
worth the read for sure !!
That was me, exactly, at that age :)
The other book I recall reading obsessively was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It's darker in a sense, but very optimistic and uplifting at its core.
I'm also wondering if she'd enjoy some of the Newberry Awards. I recall reading (much later, during the brief wonderful time when I got to work with children's books) Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. That might fit well into her genre.
And, of course, there are the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. But maybe she's already read those, at her age?
She should go to the library. Librarians are experts with this kind of thing, it's exactly what they are trained to do!
I preferred Bronte over Austen myself. Does she like fantasy novels or just the historic setting ones? She might enjoy Anne McCaffery if she does.
Sydney Taylor is the author of the "All-of-a-Kind Family" series. I believe there are five books. Along with Gene Stratton Porter's "A Girl of the Limberlost," there is also her book, "Laddie," which is good. Has your girl read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books? She's not too old for them (at least I hope she's not! I re-read those every year!). What other Alcott has she read? If she hasn't read "Eight Cousins/Rose in Bloom" or "An Old-Fashioned Girl," I recommend them. If you can find them, there are a number of "Maida" books from the early 20th century, written by Inez Haynes Irwin. I like your daughter's taste in comfort reading!
A lot of the middle school girls at Chickpea's day camp last summer were reading the Amish "romance novels". Not sure what they are, but a mother assured me that they were very wholesome.
Betsy, Tacy, and Tib books! I loved these as a girl. I forget the author at the moment- L.M. Lovelace maybe? And my all-time fave "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith, its more mature, she may be too young for it but I am pretty sure I read it for the first time around that age.
Also, "All of a Kind Family" series. I forget the author of these. It is similar to Little Women with it's sister theme.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane! happy reading.
The Girl of the Limberlost
anything by Jack London, Mark Twain, or Dickens
Strawberry Girl
The later Little House on the Prairie books
Caddie Woodlawn series by Carol Ryrie Brink
Dear America series by various authors (May be easy reads but enjoyable) I will keep thinking.....
