A fun link: recommendations for grown-up books to read based on childhood favorites

[Emily]

I saw this on facebook, and thought it seemed kind of neat:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariannareboli...

I'm intrigued by the idea that I should read The Country Girls because I liked Anne of Green Gables, but I wonder how accurate most people would find this. Of all the pairings, there are only two sets from which I've read both books: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone / The Magicians, and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret / The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing. In the latter case, I disliked both books, so that seems accurate. With HP/The Magicians it's a little trickier -- the world building of The Magicians was amazing, but like lots of other readers, I didn't care for the main character. Perhaps it's different when you've read and enjoyed a children's book as an adult; you don't need to find its grown-up counterpart.

[Emily]

Also, I've never heard of When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune, and based on the small number of ratings, it doesn't quite seem in the same league as the other children's books included. I guess it was a favorite of the woman who compiled the list.

[LauraW]

I remember reading Kambia years ago and thinking it was really good. It must have been before I had been on Goodreads very long, though, because I don't see that I reviewed it (which I normally do).

[LaughingLeopardPress]

Cool suggestions, thanks! As someone who loves children's books and is always a little suspicious of books for adults (they can never seem to match up to the quality of the books for kids!) I'm excited to try some of these out! I'm especially interested in The Orphan Master's Son because I loved A Series of Unfortunate Events. Has anyone ever read it?

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I've read a lot of the books from both columns, and in my estimation the writer is focused on content - what the book is about. That's often not the best way to do what's called Readers' Advisory. Tone, pacing, the likability of the protagonist, etc. are also important.

That being said, I did and do love Ramona, so I will check out Sloane Crosley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake.

[Michael]

But isn't reader's advisory about finding books that are similar for the same age/level of reader, at that particular point in time? This says "based on childhood favorites" - which to me says the reader has matured and gained years of experience in the intervening years since reading those children's books. It's not for the adult who just finished reading a children's book and wants something next.

Surely there are clear differences in a children's book and an adult one, and one couldn't expect the same subject to be treated the same way. Personally, I think it's kind of a non-serious, silly idea to begin with (so many of these "list" blog posts are), but content makes the most sense for the odd match-ups between a current adult reader and his one-time-child-self. Two books that both had likeable protagonists or that were fast paced but didn't have that shared content just wouldn't "make sense" to the readers of the post.

Perhaps someone somewhere has actually done the research. There are probably certain books that adults who loved a certain children's book also love, but they might be radically different on the surface and therefore wouldn't fit with this rather lightweight concept.

Incidentally, I find Harriet M. Welsch to be entirely *unloveable* - not even likeable. She never gets any better.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

You make excellent points. I'm feeling tempted to come up with my own version of the list, taking into account more than just content, but also the points you make.

[Emily]

I'm not really defending the list, because I don't think it's meant to be taken all that seriously, and I have some reservations about the whole concept - why shouldn't adults simply reread childhood favorites? That being said, I can attest that Are You There God, it's me Margaret, and the Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing have nothing in common in terms of content.

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

Michael wrote: "But isn't reader's advisory about finding books that are similar for the same age/level of reader, at that particular point in time? This says "based on childhood favorites" - which to me says the ..."

Some of us did not read the "childhood favorites" until we were adults, so I found the list intriguing, and hope to follow up on at least a couple of the suggestions.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Actually, Emily, I think of Margaret and Jane as both trying to find a way fit into their more grown-up places in the world. In fact, here's the blurb for the adult book:

Jane Rosenal as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, and relationships as well as the treacherous waters of the workplace. With an unforgettable comic touch, Bank skillfully teases out issues of the heart, puts a new spin on the mating dance, and captures in perfect pitch what it's like to be a young woman coming of age in America today.

.. Changed just a bit, we get:

Margaret as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, and relationships as well as the treacherous waters of school. With an unforgettable comic touch, Blume skillfully teases out issues of the heart, puts a new spin on the mating dance, and captures in perfect pitch what it's like to be a young woman coming of age in America today.

(I've read both, respected but didn't care much for either.)

[Emily]

Okay, I concede the point! :)

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

:giggle:

[Jenny]

Ah, my very favorite book from when I was a child made it on this list: A Wrinkle in Time. I have to check out Swamplandia! just for curiosity sake.

I've read a little more than half of the The Orphan Master's Son. It was due back to the library before I could finish it and just never felt inclined to pick it back up...it is sad, painful...

Interesting list...

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Jenny wrote: "Ah, my very favorite book from when I was a child made it on this list: A Wrinkle in Time. I have to check out Swamplandia! just for curiosity sake. ..."

Wait, what? Swamplandia was rec'd for fans of AWiT? Um. I loved L'Engle's classic, and I tried to read Russel's; here's my (clarified) review of the latter:

I see that some folks I trust loved this, and that's why it was on my list. I believe them when they claim it worthy of their admiration & enchantment. There's some beautiful writing here; it's not only allegorical and elegiac and metaphorical and metaphysical, but it's simultaneously pretty like Hilola (character in the book) and ugly like decades old lemon drops (reference to event in the book). Even the Seths (all the captive alligators are named Seth) themselves are simultaneously beautiful and ugly. Even their jaws are both.

But I land with the majority of GR and LM folks reading this - just can't make myself enjoy it, or even appreciate it enough to push through to the end. I got 1/3 through is all.

[Jenny]

Hmmm...well that doesn't sound so promising. I'll probably still try it but not with high hopes.

[Kat]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing the link!