Open Mic Wednesday - classic bookwraps

The last 100 years has seen the creation of so many delightful children's books.  We are so blessed to have such talented authors and illustrators to choose from, that we live in a country where books are readily available to us (either by purchasing them or borrowing them free from a library), and most importantly of all, that we have the ability to read these amazing books ourselves and to our kids.  I am going to cite for you some books that are a must read for your kids.  Enjoy!  

(The dates under the titles refer to the decade they were published in and the book was chosen as a classic from that decade... just so you know) 

Unwrapping some gotta's... gotta' reads

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

(2010s)

A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner

Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Another Brooklyn, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. 

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

A National Book Award Winner

A Newbery Honor Book

A Coretta Scott King Award Winner

Praise for Jacqueline Woodson:

Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery.”—The New York Times Book Review

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin

(2000s)

This Newbery Honor book features magic, adventure, friendship, and even a dragon who can't fly!

In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer. 

Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat, returns with a wondrous story of adventure, faith, and friendship. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. Her beautiful illustrations, printed in full-color, accompany the text throughout. Once again, she has created a charming, engaging book for young readers.

Holes by Louis Sachar

(1990s)

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment-and redemption. Holes was one of my most favourite books to read to my grade six class when I was teaching.  The kids were just mesmerized by the story.  Such a wonderful read aloud to the class. 

Matilda by Roald Dahl 

(1980s)

Roald Dahl created many wonderful characters over the course of his storied career, but perhaps none are more loved than Matilda, the bright young girl with unbearable parents, a champion hammer-throwing headmistress named Miss Trunchbull, and a talent for revenge. When Matilda feels the inner call to defend her kindhearted teacher, Miss Honey, from the evil Miss Trunchbull, she discovers a hidden power that might just enable her to fight back–and win.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

(1970s)

This Newbery Medal winner is about the Logans–an African American family struggling to survive in Mississippi during the Great Depression. Nine-year-old Casey Logan is an independent but sheltered girl whose naive understanding of the world is threatened when night riders begin to persecute her community. As a side note, Jacqueline Woodson wrote an introduction of the 40th anniversary edition.

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

(1960s)

Harriet M. Welsch spends her free time spying on her friends and neighbors and writing down her observations in a composition notebook. When Harriet’s notebook goes missing and its brutally honest contents made public, she has to deal with the aftermath and figure out how to save her broken friendships. 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by  Elizabeth George Speare 
(1950s)

It’s 1687 and sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler just arrived in Connecticut from her home in Barbados to live with family she’s never even met. Viewed with suspicion in this hostile environment, she finds a friend in Hannah Tupper, a suspected witch. This friendship complicates things considerably, and Kit has to choose between fitting into her community and staying true to her friend and personal values.

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Read on and read always! 

It's a wrap.