The Top 100 Children's Books on Goodreads discussion
Discussions
>
Which Book are You Currently Reading From the Top 100 List?
message 151:
by
Hufsa
(new)
Jun 22, 2017 03:52PM
Mod
reply
|
flag
I Love to Read! wrote: "Terris wrote: "I Love to Read! wrote: "I haven't read any books from The Top 100 List in a pretty long time, so I requested a bunch from my local library, and they should be in soon. Some of them i..."I haven't read either one and would love to read with you -- next month though! I have a few I have to finish in June!! ;)
Whatever you decide :)
I haven't read Stella by Starlight either. It's available at the library so I could join in with reading it too. It would suit me better to read it in July too as I've got a couple of children's books that I need to finish. The two different library systems that I have access to don't have Brown Girl Dreaming. :(
Mod
Terris wrote: "I Love to Read! wrote: "Terris wrote: "I Love to Read! wrote: "I haven't read any books from The Top 100 List in a pretty long time, so I requested a bunch from my local library, and they should be..."
Sounds good! We can wait until July to read Stella by Starlight together. Sharon Draper is one of my favorite authors so I can't wait :)
Great. I'll get it out of the library next week.
I read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper and could hardly put it down! So I am also excited to read another by her :)
Mod
I've finished reading The Crossover. I enjoyed this book with it's likeable characters. I also liked the way the text written in verse, kept the pace of the book going. I found it to be an emotional read and ended up crying again.
Mod
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Julie. I liked the way it was written. It reminded me a little bit of "Inside Out and Back Again" because I didn't know if I'd like a book written in verse like that, but I really did!! I'll have to look at Booked. I don't think I know it, but sounds interesting!
I'm really enjoying The Red Umbrella so far (about 1/3 finished) and I'm learning a LOT! I don't know a lot about the revolution in Cuba. Very interesting!
The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, 4****sI very much enjoyed this book, recommended for Grades 6-9, about a family affected by the 1961 revolution in Cuba led by Fidel Castro. Lucia, the 14-year-old girl who narrates the story, tells the details of how her family had to make big changes in their lives when they didn't go along with the revolution. Lucia and her 7-year-old brother, Frankie, were sent to the United States to live because their parents feared for their safety. As she tell each step of the journey and their new lives in Nebraska, you can feel what the children of that era must have felt. The author did a good job of writing about the emotions of a young teenage girl being separated from her family.
I thought this story was well written, and I learned a lot about the beginning of the Cuban revolution. I did not know much about it and was glad to learn through this very interesting story. I would recommend it to you and your middle grade children/grandchildren -- or read it together so that you can discuss it with them!
I Love to Read! wrote: "I just finished reading The Red Umbrella. I enjoyed it, and it was fun going back to a children's book after a long time. This story is set in the 1950-60's in Cuba during the Cuban ..."I think I know exactly the part that you didn't like & thought could be excluded, and I completely agree!! It just wasn't needed.
But otherwise, I liked it a lot! :)
Mod
I very much enjoyed this book, recommended for Grades 6-9, about a family affected by the 1961 revolution in Cuba led by Fidel Cas..."
Glad you liked it! I don't know what you think about this, but I kind of felt like the whole Operation Pedro Pan was a bit simplified/sugar coated. The book was a good overall representation of the situation in Cuba, but I especially felt that "over simpleness" with Lucia's and Frankie's dad at the end (I don't want to be too specific for all of you who haven't read it :D), and also with both Lucia and Frankie being so easily situated into a nice home in Nebraska.
I liked getting to know this aspect of the Cuban Revolution and I am interested in knowing more about what happened back in Cuba during the time. I did think that the book did a good job emphasizing the idea that the youth of society were brainwashed into thinking one way -- I am sure that was a big part of the revolution, and I liked how the book focused on the difference between children in Cuba pre and post revolution.
I don't know if this was only in my copy of the book or not, but I really liked the newspaper quotes at the beginning of each chapter as well. It made everything seem more real, and I enjoyed reading them every time!
I Love to Read! wrote: "Terris wrote: "The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, 4****sI very much enjoyed this book, recommended for Grades 6-9, about a family affected by the 1961 revolution in Cuba l..."
Yes, as much as I enjoyed it, I do agree that everything went a little too smoothly. And I was a little disappointed that "Operation Pedro Pan" was never even mentioned, even though it was in the description of the book! However, I was listening to the audio version, and you said your print copy had some extras (though, each of my chapters did start with a quote from a major newspaper -- so maybe I didn't miss too much). It would have been nice if there was an author interview at the end with a little more explanation, especially for young readers trying to learn.
Lucia and Frankie's transition from Cuba to America was fairly uneventful, and the foster parents and students in Nebraska were pretty nice (with only a couple "mean girls"). And you're totally right about the ending, just too pretty of a little bow there tying up all the loose ends. But maybe the author was trying to tell a simple story about what was happening at that time. If it got very messy it would have been a totally different book.
Thanks for your opinions and views! Fun to talk about thoughts and feelings of books that we read :)
Mod
In Brown Girl Dreaming, the author narrates her childhood life story. This story, written in free verse, sounds very poetic and flows very well. Woodson is a gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more of her books (they sound very interesting and she has won lots of awards for them)!
So this next part may sound negative to all of you, but just remember that it isn't. I just want to tell you all why I think this isn't a book that would interest children...after all, what better place to talk about this than on a group for children's books?? :)) I would highly recommend this book to you all so don't use this as a reason not to read Brown Girl Dreaming.
I can see how this is a type of book some readers won't enjoy. Woodson just says her story event by event, and there was nothing much to look forward to while reading (in other words, there was no action). Usually, there is a climax or a high point that the events lead up to throughout the book, but in this case, there wasn't anything like that. My younger eleven year old sister tried this book, and gave up after she got about a third of the way through. It just didn't hold her attention and I think the writing was a little complex for her. I was a little disappointed by her reaction to the book, but that's okay (she can just try it again when she's a bit older :D) I am sure you all as adults would enjoy it very much.
Just a comment: I think the high rating for this book on Goodreads mostly came from ratings by adults, so my question is: is it really interesting for children/is it a children's book?? I think the topic and all is for children, but the writing style is more for advanced readers. I would like to know what you all think once you read it!
I Love to Read! wrote: "I just finished Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - 3 stars!! In Brown Girl Dreaming, the author narrates her childhood life story. This story, written in f..."
I haven't read this yet, but now you've put it at the top of my list! I want to see what you're talking about, and since your 11-yr-old sister didn't finish it, I'm thinking you're on track with your review! I see that it is recommended for ages 10 and up. So now I want to read it, and as a teacher, see if I think it would be good for children as a teaching tool, or just something that adults think children should read it!
I'm interested to hear what others here think also :)
I got Stella by Starlight but haven't started it yet. I'm listening to Salt to the Sea for one book club, and Orange Is the New Black for the other one! So I have to finish them first but should be able to start it pretty quickly. And now I have to add Brown Girl Dreaming to the list!! Isn't reading exciting?!! ;)
Mod
In Brown Girl Dreaming, the author narrates her childhood life story. ..."
Being a teacher, I am excited to see what you think! And if you end up completely disagreeing with me, I would love to know why :) I think that I may get my mom to read Brown Girl Dreaming to my sister. Sometimes that makes understanding books easier.
Mod
Keep us updated on Stella by Starlight! We will start as soon as we are all ready.
[put a hold on it] [has a lot to read at the moment] [does not mind if others start reading when they are ready]
I Love to Read! wrote: "Terris wrote: "I Love to Read! wrote: "I just finished Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - 3 stars!! In Brown Girl Dreaming, the author narrates her childho..."
I'll be sure to let you know -- and I'm interested to see what your mom thinks too!
Mod
Don't worry too much about joining in on Stella by Starlight! It isn't an official group read anyway. Feel free to join in whenever or not at all if that works better for you. Enjoy all the other books you are reading! :D
Mod
I have heard a lot about the movie that is based on this book, but have not watched it yet. I want to get to it soon!
This book is part of a trilogy, but I am satisfied with the ending and don't plan on continuing the series. I think that it would get a little bit boring to read more about Sam's life in the wild. Also, I looked into the second book, and it didn't really interest me.
This book really reminded me of Hatchet (A really good book that I recommend to you all! I would put it on the recommendations thread, but this goes well with my post here). I read Hatchet a while back, so it was nice to read another book like it. After reading this book and Hatchet, I think that I am done with these kind if stories for a while now.
4 stars!!
Mod
I've finished the other book I was reading so I'm about to start reading Stella by Starlight too.
I Love to Read! wrote: "I just finished My Side of the Mountain. It was a quick and fun read! I loved reading about Sam's adventures in the wild, and I felt like I was with Sam in the mountains! think that th..."I enjoyed Hatchet a lot, but I think I liked My Side of the Mountain better!! Glad you enjoyed both :)
I Love to Read! wrote: "Terris wrote: "I Love to Read! wrote: "I just finished Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - 3 stars!! In Brown Girl Dreaming, the author narrates her childho..."
Just finished, too late to go into detail right now, but you probably know what I'm going to say. I'm pretty much in agreement with you. More details later....zzzzzz...... ;)
Mod
In Brown Girl Dreaming, the aut..."
Haha, okay! I am actually surprised that you gave it 3 stars though. I thought that maybe you would like it better than I did...I guess I was wrong :) It is nice that you agree with me. I originally thought that maybe I missed something important in the book, and that's why I didn't like it as much as almost everyone else on Goodreads.
Mod
I Love to Read! wrote: "I read A Handful of Stars a few days back, but never got a chance to talk about it on here. It was a cute children's book about loss, friendship, and change. It held my attention an..."Oh good! Another one to add to the list! :)
I Love to Read! wrote: "Terris wrote: "I Love to Read! wrote: "Terris wrote: "I Love to Read! wrote: "I just finished Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson - 3 stars!! In Brown Girl Dr..."
No, I really didn't care for it as a children's book too much. I think I can see it as a middle school book -- not lower, not higher. I liked that it was the author's own story (she narrated the audio book & did a very nice job). But I really thought she tried to be too poetic and flowery. It felt like she was trying too hard to me, especially for a children's book. So I gave it only 3 stars because it was fine, but it was not one of my favorites :/
Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper, 4****sThis story of Stella, a young girl living in North Carolina during the depression, tells of her family's and neighbors' experiences with prejudice, need, and the Ku Klux Klan. It seems fairly realistic, except for the three different times that Stella saved people's lives. This made it seem more juvenile, however, it is a children's book (Grades 4-8), so it didn't harm the book at all (this is just from an adult's point of view). Otherwise, it was a sweet story and a sweet girl trying to do her best.
I enjoyed it a lot!
Mod
This story of Stella, a young girl living in North Carolina during the depression, tells of her family's and neighbors' experiences with..."
Glad you liked it! I agree with you about it being a bit unrealistic, but I didn't think that the author took it to an extremel, so it didn't bother me too much. I also think that because the author made the book without a fairytale ending, it was more realistic and really shows younger readers that racism against anyone isn''t something that ends in a blink of an eye with just one young girl - it is much bigger than that.
I'll be putting up my thoughts about this book soon! :)
Mod
Let me just take a moment to point out the chapter titles in this book. I loved how Sharon Draper put effort into coming up with creative titles that represented each chapter very well. While reading the book, I sometimes found myself going back to make the connection between the title and the chapter :)
In this book, Stella mentions being able to write better at night and in the dark...I can kind of relate to that :) In the past few months, I have been writing most of my reviews for Goodreads before I go to bed at night. I guess I can collect my thoughts and put them together best at night (cough cough guess what time I am writing this at?? ;))
I think the biggest thing to talk about is the ending. When I finished the book a few days ago, I was surprised and disappointed with the ending that seemed totally incomplete. As I said before, the ending is THE reason why I didn't rate this book five stars. However, as I have continued to think about it, I have come to appreciate the ending a little more than I did before. I still won't change my rating because I think the conclusion of the story could have been smoother and better written, but as the book description says: "As Stella's community -her world- is upended, she decides to fight fire with fire, and learns that ashes don't necessarily signify an end...". I think Draper is smart for what she did. Stella by Starlight shows young readers that a lot of times the actions of one young girl isn't going to change everything instantly. People are still going to have their own racist views, and society will not all of a sudden be different. Changing society isn't a small task, and it definitely doesn't have a children's storybook ending. I thought back to one of Draper's other books, Out of My Mind, and I realized that the ending of that book was similar to Stella by Starlight. In Out of My Mind, the main character has a disability. She accomplished so much and overcame the stereotypical opinions of many people, but even after proving so much, society as a whole still didn't treat her normally. Draper is a bit more realistic in her books than most children's authors, and I really enjoy them!
4 stars!
I finished reading Stella by Starlight and gave it 4 stars. I liked the short chapters and the writing flowed well. I really liked all the characters in the family and their friends.
SPOILERS
I also had a hard time with Stella being a hero three times. The first two times were fine but then the third time was too unrealistic in my opinion. After I read that chapter I was then expecting the story to move on from that in a different direction but nothing really happened in relation to this. Despite this I still really enjoyed the book.
SPOILERS
I also had a hard time with Stella being a hero three times. The first two times were fine but then the third time was too unrealistic in my opinion. After I read that chapter I was then expecting the story to move on from that in a different direction but nothing really happened in relation to this. Despite this I still really enjoyed the book.
It's been awhile but we finally finished Wonder. I wasn't as excited to read this as my daughter was, but I would have to say it may be a new favorite. I'm really curious to see how they handle it in the movie.
I agree! I loved Wonder! The movie should be very interesting :)
I am reading Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli. I thought it was on the Top 100 list, but it isn't. Well, I'm only about halfway through, but I can hardly put it down! I think it has a lot to say to all of us. But I want to wait until I'm finished to actually say that I think it should be on the list. I'll let you know! Loving it so far though :)
Mod
I am an avid children’s literature reader having read the entire Newbery List minus 9 older, honors books that are no longer in print. That being said, I started off having read 60 of the books on this list. I am slowly reading the last 40 and just finished The Neverending Story and onto The Ruins of Gorlan. So many of these books are so good and powerful. Sadly, My Sweet Orange Tree is out of print and not easily available. If anyone has suggestions for out of print books not even in the library I would be greatful.
Mod
I Love to Read! wrote: "Welcome Karen! Glad to know that you enjoy children's books :) All of us on here are working on the Top 100 List (eventually I would like to read all of them...wish me luck on that!), and we would ..."Welcome Karen! You've certainly read a lot of the books on the list, so I'm sure you can recommend some of your favorites to us.
I just looked on my library's website and it is available there through interlibrary loan. Of course, in the whole system there is only one copy available!! So you're right, it's not readily found, but you might check your library and see if they can order it for you.
Let us know which ones you are reading as you work through this list. Maybe we can read together :)
Hi Karen. Wow you've read heaps of the books. I look forward to hearing what you think of the books on the Top 100.
I'm currently reading Wonder. My sons' teacher read him this book in class this year and he enjoyed it. Hopefully I will too.
I'm currently reading Wonder. My sons' teacher read him this book in class this year and he enjoyed it. Hopefully I will too.
Thanks for the welcome. I’ve been following for a while but as you can likely relate, readers tend to be introverts and take time to speak. Wonder is a fantastic book. I found it similar to Out of my Mind and Mockingbird however dealing with a physical deformity in modern times whereas the others focus on the social disability of autism. Wonder is a fast, emotional read sending the necessary message not to be too caught up in physical appearances when picking loyal friends. The main protagonist is very likable making it an enjoyable read.
Julie wrote: "Hi Karen. Wow you've read heaps of the books. I look forward to hearing what you think of the books on the Top 100.I'm currently reading Wonder. My sons' teacher read him this book in class this ..."
I've seen trailers for the new movie that is coming out and it looks good!
Karen wrote: "Thanks for the welcome. I’ve been following for a while but as you can likely relate, readers tend to be introverts and take time to speak. Wonder is a fantastic book. I found it similar to Out of ..."I agree with you, Karen. I really enjoyed Out of My Mind and feel that it is similar to Wonder. I have not read Mockingbird, but just looked it up & it also looks like it follows the same pattern and I really want to read it!
Well, the one I'm reading now is not on Goodreads Top 100 Children's list but it is on the Top 100 Children's Books on Amazon: The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (he also wrote Bud, Not Buddy and The Mighty Miss Malone both of which I liked a lot!). I'm listening to the audio book and LeVar Burton is the reader. He is so good, and I'm really enjoying it! I've seen this book on lots of other lists and think it should probably be on the Goodreads Top 100. I'll let you know when I'm finished :)
Mod
I Love to Read! wrote: "I love The Watson's Go to Birmingham!! Enjoy! Christopher Paul Curtis is a reaaally good author :)"Yes, I like him too! I'll let you know my final opinion of the book, but I'm really liking it so far :)
The Top 100 Children's Books on Goodreads
Books mentioned in this topic
Pax (other topics)Hatchet (other topics)
The Cay (other topics)
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (other topics)
The Secret of the Old Clock (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)
Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)
Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)
Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)
More...
