I have many memories from the first year our library was open (2006), one of which was an exuberant little girl bolting out of her family’s van and bounding down the steps to burst into the library announcing, “I’m here for my friend Flicka!” I remembered that book title on my own school bookshelf long ago. My friends loved it. I tried, but I could never get past the first few pages. So recently I went further than that. It’s now one of my reading suggestions for the horse lovers among you, and a very exciting adventure for boys who think reading is dull. One thing I have noticed when rereading older children’s classics in the last few years: the emphasis on virtue and character and integrity is astoundingly superior to the more recently written novels I read, even the best ones.
FAMILY READ ALOUDS
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight. An extraordinary boy and his more extraordinary dog have a bond no distance can separate. This is the tale of a faithful collie who is removed hundreds of miles from his little master and endures innumerable hardships to find her way back to him. The lessons in faithfulness and patience I learned from her have not been forgotten. I think this was the first or second chapter book I read at eight years old, and I have reread it three or four times throughout life. (1940)
The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum. This story of an ordinary Dutch family in occupied Holland during World War II is heart warming encouragement that in the worst of times, the most fearful of possibilities, families do not simply survive, but have far reaching impact on everyone around them, not to mention the future they cannot yet see. The story is told from the perspective of one of the young members of the family, his courage, his struggle with lying and truth telling to protect those in danger around him, and the eventual knowledge that each member of the family was similarly challenged. This unforgettable story holds the attention of preschoolers to moms and dads, in fact, is one of those read-alouds I have known many non-reading dads to not be able to put down. (1962)
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham. This biography reads like a fiction story, in part due to the challenge the author was given that “no one can write an interesting biography of a mathematician.” She did. This is not only the inspiring true tale of a boy whose education and entire life was disrupted by the Revolutionary War and break up of his family, but recounts his dogged determination to continue his education by himself in a cold dark attic after arduous days of labor. His navigational guide for sailors is still a standard textbook in the maritime world. Nat Bowditch is a hero in every sense of the word and will inspire your most apathetic students with hope and courage. (1955)
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbitt. A family story told from the side of children whose life changes overnight for inexplicable reasons and whose courage and fortitude will awe your children. The unfolding of the mystery is supremely satisfactory. Never a dull moment. Enjoyable for every age. (1905)
CHAPTER BOOKS FOR READERS IN YOUR HOUSE:
My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara. It is summer on a Wyoming ranch and a young boy has the biggest challenge of his life: taming a wild and untameable yearling. Ken’s journey from a daydreaming dawdler to maturing in responsibility, grit and determination, draws the reader in. You cannot help pulling for this protagonist and his impossible circumstances all the way. There is also a whole lot to learn about horses in this novel for the horse enthusiast. Probably most suitable for either boys or girls 10-18. (1941)
Zeb by Lonzo Anderson. Boys who love My Side of the Mountain by Jean George will get lost in this one. A boy, his father, and his grandfather head out into the American wilderness to find a homestead. A flooded river overwhelms them and Zeb finds himself alone in the wilderness with winter coming on. This is a survival story that stirs the soul of young boys to imagine what they would do in these circumstances. Boys (girls too) 9-14. (1966)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This is the story of Francie, a girl in the poverty of an immigrant family in Brooklyn maturing to young womanhood. She is one of my friends I met when I was 13 who helped me to begin to have perspective on myself and the adults in my life. It is historically informative, describing life in New York from the turn of the century up to World War I. Francie’s imagination and thirst for learning and understanding of others is wisdom for life. For teen girls (and their moms). (1943)
The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes. Beloved book in our family. Janie is not the oldest, or youngest, of four children. I howled with laughter as a young girl myself at her attempts to make friends in the new neighborhood and establish herself as a person of significance – each incident backfiring hilariously. This middle book in the series appealed to my middle child so much that she read it to a group of adults at a book club and had us all in stitches. For boys or girls 8-12. It makes growing up seem fun rather than painful and young girls learn a lot of valuable lessons. (1942)
Betsy and Billy by Carolyn Haywood. This is the very first book I checked out of the school library. It is part of a long series of books about Betsy and her friends and I read every one – either as a child or to my children. Emily used to trot to the neighborhood library and fill her little red wagon full of these and return home to devour them. I still remember lying on my back under the Christmas tree as my mom read the final chapter – about a wonderful Christmas surprise. For boys or girls 6-9. (1941)
FOR MOM:
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. This is a good introduction to this prolific author if you have not read anything by him. It is the life-long story of a young girl in a rural county of Kentucky, her journey to independence, her romances, marriage, farm life and child rearing. It is vivid, poignant and gives each of us courage to face whatever our own family stories hold for us. Hannah will become one of your life friends. (2004)
A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge. This is the first book I read of what would become one of my most cherished authors. Near the turn of the century, the characters in this cathedral town in England live in a different era, but suffer and struggle and find hope in the very ways we do more than a century later. The characters range from five to 85 and are just the kind of people you would like to live with. Nothing can describe this author’s brilliant weaving of a simple and profound tale. (1936)
On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living by Alan Noble. If suffering or depression or the simple act of daily survival are your battleground, this honest author’s reflections will give you courage and strength to simply put one foot in front of the other. The title says it all and his readable non-preachy style and vulnerability is comfort indeed. (2023)
Virgil Wander by Leif Enger. Yet another of my favorite authors wrote this long awaited one after a seemingly interminable length of time from his previous one, but his novels are worth waiting for. This is the tale of a man who has lost his memory after a near fatal accident and his journey to finding meaning and hope again. The writing is beautiful. As with all his novels, you will find yourself underlining and pondering many passing offhand remarks. His characters, though often outlandish, live lives so often like the people you know. (2018)
The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor. I often find reading an author’s short stories is my best introduction to that author. Short stories allow you to sample and the variety displays their scope and power as an author. I may not remember every single one of these in detail, but it is shocking how the details of so many of them are with me 25 years after having read them. She is a masterful storyteller whose pen held more power to shake up our social assumptions than any demonstration or media uproar could ever do. (1955)