Children's Books discussion

Hi! I have a very specific request.

My 7th grade students sometimes complain that I offer them too many sad books. Our next book is The Pearl, so they may have a point. I was thinking it would be respectful of me to offer them some humorous book options to follow The Pearl.

I often present a group of books and allow them to form their own book groups. I always try to offer diverse book lists, but I'm having a tough time with this one. My favorite books by authors of color tend to be pretty serious.

My constraints are that I want the books to be fairly advanced in level but not so filthy that I would have to write a permission slip (school policy, not mine).

So far I've only been able to think of The Young Landlords and Bucking the Sarge. Any other ideas?

Try Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day by Gary Paulson, O Ye Jigs and Juleps! by Virginia Cary Hudson, or The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson.

I do not know any diversity books with humour, but I wonder if your students might enjoy Raymond Biggs' Fungus the Bogeyman more than I have. It is pretty funny, although also rather crude (but not filthy in a sexual way).

Can't vouch for as I've not read, but Does My Head Look Big in This? looks good.

Some people think The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is funny, and I guess it is sorta, or at least lighter in some ways than some "sad" books you might be sharing.

Home of the Brave surprised me as being lighter/ more hopeful/ more joyful than I expected. (But I just read your review, and I see you're not embracing it.)

Also, just pondering here, not sure exactly what your students said, but funny isn't the only contrast to sad. Maybe they're looking for adventure, or mystery, or even romance.

If so, you might want to consider Akata Witch, or The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. And some of the books by Laurence Yep and Katherine Paterson.

Also, not sure what you mean by diversity. Are you focused on PoC. or also on 'class' differences, and gender & sexuality differences, and people w/ disabilities, and people who are 'normal' in their own country? The Great Gilly Hopkins and Li Lun, Lad of Courage are worth considering, imo.

Also not sure what your students mean by sad. I don't like heavy historical fiction myself, and I get tired of it in the Newbery Club! But sometimes the bulk of the book can have some leavening, and the ending can be happy.

Or, for a terrific example of a happy story that's not afraid to admit to the real world, there are the Anna Hibiscus stories. They tell of a lucky little girl living in (presumably Lagos) with her extended family (including a Mom from Canada) who, in one book, learns about the less lucky children outside her family compound. But it's not like she's actually a princess, and it's not a lesson presented harshly. Unfortunately, your students are too old for these books... but maybe thinking about them will inspire us (and maybe you want to make sure they're in your school's elementary library ;). Anna Hibiscus

Cheryl wrote: "Also, not sure what you mean by diversity. Are you focused on PoC. or also on 'class' differences, and gender & sexuality differences, and people w/ disabilities, and people who are 'normal' in the..."

Wow, Cheryl, thanks for the thoughtful answers. Here are some responses to your questions:

My students read a lot of Jacqueline Woodson and Christopher Paul Curtis books in the winter, and Holocaust books in the late Spring. In addition, the often read The Outsiders,Speak and The Pearl. They have a pretty immature concept of what constitutes a sad book. Even if it has a hopeful tone or humorous moments, like Watsons Go To Birmingham, in their minds the entire book is sad.

I think you have a good point- that maybe the books don't have to be humorous so much as upbeat and not predominantly about racism.

I was deliberately vague when I said "diversity" because I wanted to see what came up. I usually focus on racial/ethnic and religious diversity, but I'm open to other options, too.

Some comments on specific books:
*Does My Head Look Big In This?- This is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks!
*Part-Time Indian- This book struck me mostly tragic and not terribly good.
*Home of the Brave- Doesn't do much for me and it's a little too MG.
*Ear, Eye, Arm- I did a book group on this last year and it was not successful. It was too slow moving.
*Where the Mountain Meets the Moon- That's a good idea. It's definitely not a sad book.
*Laurence Yep- I should totally look into that, maybe starting with Skunk Scout.

I'm also reconsidering my stance on American Born Chinese. Even though my students are not great at recognizing that a book can have more than one mood, they are pretty sophisticated on race issues, and they might be able to grasp the subtext.

I'd be thrilled to learn what else you come up with, and what succeeds.

Al Capone Does My Shirts is a funny series. The main character's sister has what we would identify as Autism. The newest book, which I have not yet read, is on the Latino book reading list in my state. The author doesn't mention anything about being Latina and I don't recall any Latino characters in the previous novels and nothing comes up in an internet search.

Running Out of Night deals with slavery and child abuse but maintains a light touch.


All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens deals with the British Raj in the 1920s. The heroine is a plucky British girl whose struggle for independence mirrors that of India's struggle to be free of British rule. She's sympathetic to the local culture in the part of India where she grew up. They're sometimes funny.

Those may be too young for your age group.

A Spy in the House series features a Victorian era main character hiding her true identity. Her father was a Chinese sailor. The books are fun and sometimes funny. Highly recommended for girls.

Black Dove, White Raven isn't exactly funny but it's an issue novel that's not super heavy. The male protagonist is African-American in the 1930s. The story takes place in Ethiopia.

The Hired Girl is funny and charming, similar to Anne of Green Gables. It deals with religious tolerance. The silly heroine winds up in a Jewish household but rediscovers her Catholic roots.

Under a Painted Sky features two heroines of color: one Chinese-American and one African-American. This is a unique wild west tale. It's fun and occasionally funny. Content warning: near rape, some violence, alcohol/drunkenness, lots of talk about sex, one character catches another having sex with a girl though it's just an impression more than a description. This would be a good PG-13 movie

Dumplin' has issues but it's a body positive message story featuring a fat heroine who is comfortable in her own skin. The Netflix movie is better. The sequel, Puddin', tosses in more diversity for the sake of diversity. You have Fat, African-American-Latina-Lesbian and asexual. Perhaps not as appropriate for 7th graders but I do recommend the movie for that age.

I also really enjoyed Castle Hangnail but I really do not remember all that much about it except that it was very funny (but it is perhaps a bit too juvenile for grade seven).

And well, when I was in grade nine (in the stone age, lol), we read Canadian humour classic Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (but for today's grade seven students, the humour might indeed feel a bit dated and forced and yes, the book is definitely suitable for grade seven).

Thanks for all the great ideas! My holds list at the library just hit 22 books. They're going to have to put my books on overflow shelf again...

When I first saw the thread my mind went straight to The Magic Misfits series which features not only characters of color but a character in a wheelchair as well as adopted children and gay parents. However, seeing your post that this is for a classroom I'm not sure if it's quite up to that caliber for a class assignment and probably targeted more at the younger end of the MG audience vs. 7th grade. Still, I'm posting in case anyone looks up this thread in the future and might find it helpful ;-)

Well I'm going to investigate Magic Misfits myself.
I do like lighter stories that include 'diverse' characters and settings myself, so I hope ppl add to this thread as titles occur to them. Any MG, 'tween, Teen, or young YA book would be good to list, imo.

I hope you’ll enjoy it if you read it, Cheryl.
Yes, great idea for a thread and I hope the recommendations keep coming :-)