What's (Not) Hot?

In the spirit of this week's stroll down memory lane, I am going to highlight three of my favorite books from my childhood, all of which are part of a series, and are more middle grade than young adult:

Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. (1955). Garden City, NY: Nelson Doubleday, Inc. (reprint edition).

While Little Women is not a "timeless" classic, in that it is a product of the 19th-century when it was written, time has not dimmed its appeal for me and for generations of other readers. Alcott's house, in Concord, MA, remains a heavily-visited historic site due to her perennial popularity. The story of tomboyish Jo and her three sisters, it makes being a nonconformist not only acceptable but also the whole fun of the book. While it does get preachy and sentimental at times, it is also a classic, in the best sense of the word.

Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables. (2008). New York, NY: Modern Library Classics (reprint edition).

Another book that celebrates a bright, cerebral, different girl who does not fit into a stereotypical mold. Anne is a red-headed orphan who despises her hair and whose imagination often runs away with her. Yet she is loved by her friends and her readers for always and unapologetically being herself. Prince Edward Island is another significant character in the books about Anne, and every year almost one million people visit--a good number of those because of that irresistible "Anne-girl."

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods. (2004). New York, NY: HarperCollins (reprint edition).

This is the first book of the semi-autobiographical Little House series, perhaps the most successful of the three I have named here. They remain popular even among my 2nd- through 4th-grade readers, and I often hear anecdotes of families watching together episodes of Little House on the Prairie, the TV series based on the books. Further indication of the continued popularity of Laura Ingalls Wilder is the runaway success of a newly annotated version of her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, when it was released last year.

Delicious and Nutritious

Perhaps these "nutritious" books are not delicious--in fact, they may feature dark and disturbing subject matter--but it makes for wonderful alliteration, nonetheless.

When searching my library for quality young adult nonfiction, some the first titles to come up are:

Fleming, Candace. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia. (2014). New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books.

This book's cover is decorated with a sticker identifying the book as a nominee for the 2015 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. Its ravingly positive reviews indicate that the nomination was justified. While the title explains what the book is about, it does not fully illuminate how compelling the story of the Romanovs truly is. I cannot wait to have a chance to read further.

Then there's:

Rodriguez, Gaby. The Pregnancy Project: A Memoir. (2012). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Rodriguez made headlines several years ago with her fake pregnancy project, when she convinced everyone around her that she was pregnant, and recorded their reactions to her life change. Coming from a long line of teen mothers, she sought to see how she would be treated by "living down" to their expectations of her. The first chapter alone is a fascinating read--I am hooked!

Barton, Chris. Can I See Your I.D.? True Stories of False Identities. (2011). New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.

This is a series of entertaining profiles of famous cons who have assumed fake identities. It is geared toward younger teens, with language and graphics a little on the simpler side, but is a fun examination of these characters and the contexts in which they lived. A quick read, the book is written in the second person, which takes some adjustment but seems to work overall.