In years past, this annual read-aloud round-up consisted of the top books we enjoyed together from the previous twelve months. However, this year, I'm mixing things up. A large portion of our read-aloud time was spent enjoying the Chronicles of Narnia. Since it's difficult to rank books in a series, as they are best read in sequential order, I've decided to throw in some of the books that my kids have read individually.
You can be sure, however, that I have personally read each of these solo-read titles and know they are worth their inclusion on our annual favorites list.
Here is a look at the top eight kid-lit books that were read in our home in 2022.
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8. Farmer Boy
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
7. The Candymakers
by Wendy Mass
This is a multipersepectivity story, meaning that the events of the book which take place over the course of three days are repeated over and over again but from the perspective of a different character each time. It's divided into five sections each representing the viewpoint of one of the four main characters, with the final section cycling back to the first and most prominent of the characters. With each retelling, the author reveals more of the plot and takes many unexpected twists and turns. That said, the first section felt rather slow because so many of the important details were intentionally left out.
6. Listen to the Moon
by Michael Morpurgo
5. Glitch
by Laura Martin
While I didn't love the bickering that happened between the two main characters in the first couple of chapters of the book, I do appreciate the redemption that happens in their relationship as the story unfolds. It is a fast-paced, action-packed story that sneaks in quite a bit of history.
4. Keeper of the Lost Cities
by Shannon Messenger
Please note: This is the first of a nine-book series. While I've heard good things about the other 8 books, I have only read this debut novel and can not speak to the appropriateness or lack thereof of the rest. While the story is very clean and doesn't possess any dark magical elements, there are some fantastical plot points. Also, in keeping with typical tween/teen behavior in traditional school scenarios, some of the characters are rude and cheeky to one another.
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
2. Blizzard
by L.R. Lehmann
This is the true story of a 14-year-old boy from the late 1800s who gets trapped outside in a blizzard overnight and ends up losing both of his legs and one of his arms due to frostbite. While others see his loss of limbs as an insurmountable obstacle, he refuses to let his physical disabilities stop him from doing all the things that he had dreamed of doing. He grows up to be a leader in his community and even works alongside President McKinley to help build up the educational systems of foreign countries.
Please note: Because the boy works on a ranch in Montana with some hardened cowboys for the first few chapters of the book, there are a few instances of foul/crass language at the beginning. I edited those out on the fly as I read aloud. This book is probably best suited for older tweens and teens.
1. The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis
In this series of seven high fantasy novels, children are magically whisked away to the enchanting land of Narnia. As sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, they are called upon to help save mythical creatures and talking beasts from all manner of sinister characters. Under the guidance of Aslan, the great lion, the children explore the entire history of this allegorical world.
While reading through Narnia for much of the year, I slowly began stockpiling other titles that I wanted us to explore next. As is my habit, in the coming year, I'll curate a small collection of three or four titles from that large TBR pile for my boys to choose from each month. I'll show them each book, read the back-flap copy aloud, and take a democratic vote to determine our next literary adventure.
We're starting 2023 out with Blackwater Ben, a historical fiction written by a local-to-us author about 13-year-old Ben Ward, a cookie's assistant in a logging camp in northern Minnesota during the winter of 1898. I'm not sure if it will make our favorites list for the year. But, it's got a promising head start!
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Once a month I email a book list to the members of the Biblio-files. Every title on the list has been personally read and vetted by me and has been compiled by age range in order to help you navigate the library with your kids. In addition, I also include a few books that you should be aware of--books that contain explicit language, sexual agenda, graphic violence, etc. so that you can make an educated decision when/if your kids should ever be interested in reading any of them. What's more, members are invited to join me in a private Facebook group where we help each other find just the right books for our kids and each other. We'd love to have you join us!
What are the books stacked on your blue couch in the first photo? I have sent you an email enquiring about the non-twaddle book list but still haven't heard from you. The booklist subscription button somehow doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. I haven't received any emails regarding the book list. I am more than happy to send it directly. You can either leave your email here or resend your original .
Deletelittlepeach2013@gmail.com Thank you!
DeleteJust sent!
DeleteMy 10 and 12 year old have been enjoying Keeper of the Lost Cities. Its been the first real page turner for my 10 year old and for that I'm grateful.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad they enjoyed it!
DeleteAs a Christian, how do you explain books that contain magic, witches and wizards, curses and spells and such to your child?
ReplyDeleteThe Bible mentions several times that we are not to associate with diviners, sorcerers, witches, etc. However, there are many stories in the Bible that include all three. If you interpret the verses that exhort us to steer clear of these as meaning we aren't to even read about them, then you'd then have to also avoid reading the Bible. Instead, if you see the prohibition to be about the association with and affirmation of them, then you can read books like Narnia and notice both the depraved nature of evil and the redemptive qualities of Christ-like characters (the "good guys"). With that in mind, I don't mind if my kids read books with magic, as long as the witches and diviners are clearly portrayed as the "bad guys." Books, regardless of their magical elements should always paint evil as evil and righteousness and righteousness.
DeleteWhen explaining magic to our kids, we refer back to what Scripture says about the evils of witches, diviners, and sorcerers. I make sure to point out that in some fantasy books the good guys also possess magically skills, but that their magic is used to restore and redeem not to kill and destroy. I use the example of how God allowed Moses to miraculously do the "magic" of the magicians when speaking to Pharaoh. The results of Moses' "magic" was the same as that of Pharaoh's magicians, but his motive and source of power were completely different.