Do I have a diverse bookshelf? Pt. 11: Milestones
In our blog, milestones in literature help children understand what’s coming up in their own lives, i.e. loosing a tooth, a new baby in the family, etc. But, it’s important that books show how milestones are different depending on each person.
So for this post, I’m not really sure how I’ll tackle this from an adult perspective. Let me dig around on my shelf and see what I come up with.
[Time passes]
Ah! Here’s what I’ll try and do—when young people confront adult events or when they go through a desired or undesirable rite of passage!
Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples (SPOILERS)
I read this book JHS, and I still love it. It’s about Shabanu who is a young girl who is a young girl living in the Cholistan desert with her family. They are camel farmers. A lot of the is driven by her sister’s upcoming arranged marriage. But it ends in blood feuds and her own arranged marriage to a man several decades her senior for peace. As a young American, it was an introduction to a different culture, but Shabanu was and is a truly admirable heroine. The sequel Haveli is also very good.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson (SPOILERS)
Fighting for more independence and dealing with grief are all part and parcel of the human experience. It’s always more difficult when you have to deal with it at a younger age than others. The 2007 movie adaptation was also very good and faithful to this wonderful book. I cried buckets.
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
One of my favorite rereads, our protagonist Salamanca Hiddle deals with lots of adults themes—love, loss, understanding our parents, untangling perception and truth, etc and etc. It’s funny and sad like a true slice-o-life book should be. For the sake of our diversity post, I’ll also point out Sal is a descendent of two Native American tribes, Seneca and another one I forget—but it’s only a small part of the story. This book is a great example by the author about how your cultural identity can shape a story without taking it over.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
We all face moments in our lives when our bubbles pop. For teenage Kit who grew up in luxury in the late 1680s Carribbean, that’s when her parents die. Now she must move to her aunt’s home in a Puritan town in New England. She faces different cultures and beliefs. She must constantly step outside her comfort zone, and she must learn to question her own and others beliefs. I read this historical fiction book in elementary school, and it’s still good!
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
There’s a reason this book is a classic! Narrated by David from his birth until his adulthood, we see him deal with poverty, cruelty, friendship, love, marriage, mystery, the building of his profession and fortune, adventure and etc. Like any Dickens novel, David encounters a cast of unique characters all spinning out their own lives and stories as well as they can based on their circumstances. And that’s something we all need to realize!
So for this post, I’m not really sure how I’ll tackle this from an adult perspective. Let me dig around on my shelf and see what I come up with.
[Time passes]
Ah! Here’s what I’ll try and do—when young people confront adult events or when they go through a desired or undesirable rite of passage!
Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples (SPOILERS)
I read this book JHS, and I still love it. It’s about Shabanu who is a young girl who is a young girl living in the Cholistan desert with her family. They are camel farmers. A lot of the is driven by her sister’s upcoming arranged marriage. But it ends in blood feuds and her own arranged marriage to a man several decades her senior for peace. As a young American, it was an introduction to a different culture, but Shabanu was and is a truly admirable heroine. The sequel Haveli is also very good.
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson (SPOILERS)
Fighting for more independence and dealing with grief are all part and parcel of the human experience. It’s always more difficult when you have to deal with it at a younger age than others. The 2007 movie adaptation was also very good and faithful to this wonderful book. I cried buckets.
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
One of my favorite rereads, our protagonist Salamanca Hiddle deals with lots of adults themes—love, loss, understanding our parents, untangling perception and truth, etc and etc. It’s funny and sad like a true slice-o-life book should be. For the sake of our diversity post, I’ll also point out Sal is a descendent of two Native American tribes, Seneca and another one I forget—but it’s only a small part of the story. This book is a great example by the author about how your cultural identity can shape a story without taking it over.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
We all face moments in our lives when our bubbles pop. For teenage Kit who grew up in luxury in the late 1680s Carribbean, that’s when her parents die. Now she must move to her aunt’s home in a Puritan town in New England. She faces different cultures and beliefs. She must constantly step outside her comfort zone, and she must learn to question her own and others beliefs. I read this historical fiction book in elementary school, and it’s still good!
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
There’s a reason this book is a classic! Narrated by David from his birth until his adulthood, we see him deal with poverty, cruelty, friendship, love, marriage, mystery, the building of his profession and fortune, adventure and etc. Like any Dickens novel, David encounters a cast of unique characters all spinning out their own lives and stories as well as they can based on their circumstances. And that’s something we all need to realize!
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