Books Your Kid Should Read

The Annotated Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
illus. John Leech, George Cruikshank, Gustave Doré, John Tenniel, and "Phiz"
2003 (text orig. 1843)

Look: you gotta have Dickens at Christmas. IT'S THE RULE. And if you've never read the original novella, well, why the heck not? Get thee to a bookstore or library and just do it! There's a reason it's such a classic: the combination of humor, pathos, satire, and ultimate optimism about human nature never gets old. It's the perfect length for annual perusings: in our family we read it aloud every Christmas Eve (and Dickens is one of the best authors to read aloud). This edition includes both the original 1843 text and the 1869 version that Dickens himself used for reading aloud, along with a comprehensively researched introduction and a wealth of notes, anecdotes and illustrations to supplement the story. If you're a nerd like me, the annotations are truly handy for answering all those 'what the heck is THAT?' questions that come up when reading something from a different era.

Interested in this book? Get more details or make a purchase at the bookstore.

Freckles
By Gene Stratton-Porter
Illus. Gene Stratton-Porter
1904

I inherited my copy of Freckles from my mom, who had supplemented the author's illustrations with a few of her own in the margins (really good ones, actually; she's quite the illustrator). I think she inherited the book from her mom - at any rate, the copy I have is quite old, from when the book was first published. I think I was nine or ten when I read it for the first time, and it immediately became one of my favorites. The writing style is unabashedly sentimental, full of heightened emotional reactions to the events that unfold. It's not a style that would be at all popular nowadays, but certain bookish pre-adolescents will eat it up. (And actually, I still enjoy the hell out of it.) The events take place in turn of the century Indiana, largely at a lumber camp preparing to take out some high value trees (oaks and other hardwoods) from a big swath of old-growth forest. Freckles, the title character, shows up at the camp one day looking for work. He's a half grown orphan, missing one hand, who knows nothing about his heritage and has a lot to prove. Since he obviously can't work at the camp itself, the manager, a Scot with a soft heart, takes a chance on giving him a job as Limberlost guard - the person responsible for watching over the parts of the forest that the camp hasn't yet begun to work. Freckles, urban to his core, has an uphill battle to navigate the raw nature of the Limberlost trail, but in the course of doing so he develops a deep interest in and love of nature, meets the love of his life, and ultimately discovers his roots. The story is steeped in naturalist's lore (the author was herself a noted naturalist and all-around interesting character) and while the environmental politics of the story are problematic by contemporary standards, the book also imparts a love of nature and a conservationist perspective that balances out the lumbercamp setting. It's also an excellent look back into midwest America at the turn of the twentieth century, with its blend of immigrant cultures, the deep contrasts between urban and rural life, and engaging characters from all social strata and both genders. Try it for free at Project Gutenberg.

All Creatures Great and Small
by James Herriot
1972

This is a perennial favorite in my library. I've probably re-read Herriot's books about ten times, and they never fail to make me laugh and cry out loud. All Creatures Great and Small chronicles the first years of Herriot's life as a country vet in the Yorkshire Dales, but it's a wonderful story even if you have no interest whatsoever in animals, Yorkshire, veterinarians, or country life. Herriot is a born storyteller, an acute observer of both human and animal character, with a gentle and self-effacing sense of humor that will win over even the most post-ironic hipster. This book and the four that follow it are WONDERFUL read-aloud books - the whole family will enjoy the stories, and Herriot's masterfully simple prose lends itself beautifully to the spoken voice. They're also great books for giving kids a sense of British life pre- and post-WWII, with the seizmic shifts that happened in social interactions, industrialization, and cultural norms. But it's the magical rendering of country life amid the characters - human and otherwise - of the Dales that will keep you coming back to this one again and again.

Also recommended: All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and Every Living Thing.

Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
1936

If the only way you've ever heard of the Shoe books by Noel Streatfeild is from Meg Ryan's mention of them in You've Got Mail, boy have you been missing out. Ballet Shoes, the first of the books, is the story of Pauline, Petrova, and Posy Fossil, three orphans who are found and sent home to London as unusual souvenirs by Matthew Brown, an elderly and eccentric geologist. Pauline is a survivor of a shipwreck, Petrova is from Russia, and Posy arrives with only a pair of ballet shoes (her mother's) in her possession. The three are placed in the care of Matthew's niece, Sylvia, while he goes off on his endless travels. Soon enough the money runs out, and Sylvia must take in boarders and find a way to educate the three girls so they can care for themselves once they are of age. And so they are sent to The Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, where Pauline quickly discovers her talent as an actress, Posy comes into her dancing heritage, and Petrova ... well, Petrova finds her own route. Streatfeild worked in the theatre for many years before becoming a writer, so the rendering of the training regimen, backstage life, and performing arts in general all ring true. This was one of the first books that gave me insight into the seriousness and legitimacy of a life in the arts - the rigor of it, the discipline, and the commitment it takes as well as the magic and joy it can confer. The three central characters are great role models, young women who take charge of their own destinies and are always there for each other despite disparate origins and very different personalities. And the rendition of 1930s London is vivid and memorable - a wonderful way for kids to enter into a different historical era. Many other Shoes books would follow (Theatre Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Party Shoes, Family Shoes, etc.), but I think it's always good to start at the beginning. (The books all have different settings and characters, but the Fossil girls have cameos in several of them.) It was also apparently made into a movie last year starring Emma Watson (Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter films) - which looks pretty good. But read the book first!

Emily of New Moon; Emily Climbs; Emily's Quest
by L. M. Montgomery
1923-27

Almost everyone who's had or been a kid knows Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series, but fewer know the Emily trilogy, which I - blasphemer! - actually like better. Don't get me wrong, I loooooooooove the Anne of Green Gables books, and I'm sure I'll feature them here at some point, but the Emily books are something special. They chart the life of Emily Starr, who is sent as a young girl to live with distant relatives when her father dies of consumption (her mother having passed away earlier). The theme of an orphan stranded in a strange and often unsympathetic environment is similar to Anne's story, but these novels are darker and less romanticized than the Anne books. Emily (who Montgomery claimed most closely resembled her) is a passionate person with enormous capacities for joy and sorrow. She is driven, always, by her innate urge to write, and by her desire to make intimate connections with the people and worlds around her. The first book chronicles her settling in at New Moon Farm, and the second and third detail her journey to becoming a professional writer, and her various romances. As with any Montgomery book, even the secondary characters are wonderfully drawn, and her ear for dialogue and sense of life's inherent tragicomedic qualities is as strong as ever. If you've read the Anne books, give these a try as a slightly more adult work; if you haven't, go on out and get them and these. You won't be sorry you did.