2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)
2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge
2024 52 Club Reading Challenge
2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge
2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge
Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Children's Books of 2024
Side note: I only watched the first ten minutes or so of the Netflix version of My Plain Jane, but that's all it took to show me that the television show is much raunchier than the book, which is PG-rated (at least as far as I remember).
2. Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce—This installment is the latest in another of my favorite children's series. It stars Myrtle Hardcastle, a brilliant young woman in Victorian England who has an "unnatural" obsession with murder and forensics. She solves crimes with the help of her governess and assorted others. This particular book is set on a Scottish island, where Myrtle's governess has just inherited a crumbling castle. It doesn't take long for our heroine to find herself on the hunt for a missing brooch and a murderer.
3. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson—Even though I like Sanderson, I likely wouldn't have read this YA fantasy if it hadn't been for book club. That would have been a shame, too, because this novel is a gem. It's an action/adventure/pirate story about a young woman who sets sail in search of her missing best friend and finds herself along the way.
4. The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly—This YA novel stars Michael, a 12-year-old boy with severe anxiety, especially with the threat of Y2K looming before him. When he meets Ridge, a confident teen who seems to have no worries at all, Michael is fascinated—and that's before Ridge announces that he's the world's first time traveler. Ridge even has a special book all about the future, a book that could assuage all of Michael's worries, if only he could get his hands on it.
The plot sounds kind of weird, I know, but this book features some warm, wonderful characters and imparts important lessons about being present in the now instead of obsessing over what the future might bring.
5. Artifice by Sharon Cameron—Isa de Smit was raised in her father's Amsterdam art gallery, a home filled with life, color, and vibrancy. Now that the Nazis have taken over the city, everything has changed. Isa's struggling to hold on to her beloved gallery while her best friend is risking his life by working with the Dutch resistance to smuggle Jewish babies out of the city. He needs money for his important work and Isa has a way to get it. By selling the Nazis the forgeries her father made of famous paintings, she can help the resistance and save her gallery. If she gets caught? She will lose everything, including her life.
If you like historical fiction, I also highly recommend Cameron's Bluebird. I liked it even better than Artifice.
6. One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome—This middle grade verse novel takes on a unique subject: the Black homesteader movement. It features three women pioneers headed for an unknown future in the Nebraska wilderness. The story is poignant and powerful.
7. Dust by Dusti Bowling—Another MG read, this one is about a girl with severe asthma who becomes obsessed with the mysterious new boy at her school. Adam is sullen and angry, with no desire to interact with anyone. Considering that dust devils seem to swarm around the kid, Avalyn really should stay away from him. But she can't. She's determined to get to the bottom of Adam's heavy emotions, whether he likes it or not—and whether it's safe for her or not.
8. The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier—When I volunteered at my daughter's elementary school library a few years back, this graphic novel series was wildly popular. I finally picked up this series opener and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a quick read that's chock full of action, humor, and heart. I can't wait to read the sequels.
9. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett—I don't remember if I read this classic as a child or not, but I loved it as an adult. It's a sweet, wholesome riches-to-rags story about the importance of kindness, humility, and fortitude.
10. Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine—Even though it deals with the still-raw subject of COVID, I enjoyed this hopeful MG novel about working together to get through hard times. The author grew up in Wuhan, so the setting feels especially authentic.
There you go, ten of my favorite children's books that I read in 2024. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What are you grateful for today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
37 comments:
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You’re welcome. I’ve enjoyed chatting with you over this past year.
ReplyDeleteI loved A Little Princess when I was a kid.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-thankful-thanksgiving-freebie/
I'm not sure if I ever read A Little Princess but I should just because it's a classic story. Also, since I enjoyed My Lady Jane, I need to read more and My Plain Jane ALWAYS did sound fun to me! Also, YES. The show is VERY adult. Made me sad in many ways because I thought it'd be more like the book. Definitely a scenario where I overall loved the book more. :)
ReplyDeleteNice twist! My favorite author for kids lit is Katherine Applegate
ReplyDeleteOh, Morning Sun in Wuhan is still on my TBR and I hope to get a copy one day. I've seen a lot of great things about Erin Entrada Kelly's books and I love that cover. 😍 I need to read Tress of the Emerald Sea although I had no idea it was YA! I've heard all good things about it though.
ReplyDeleteLove your words about Thanksgiving and agree with you totally. I actually may like Thanksgiving more than Christmas. The time to think of things we are grateful for and people as well. Always love reading your blog, Susan!! Hope you and yours have a lovely Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI love kid lit and always looking for new titles. Thanks for the recs! ~Carol @ ReadingLadies
ReplyDeleteInteresting approach for this week! It's time to make up our minds about our favourite books of the year slowly but steadily.
ReplyDeleteA great list and wise words ☺️ maybe here in the UK we could do with a bit more of that attitude. We have so many poor people here though that they probably wouldn't be able to afford it and Christmas.
ReplyDeleteAnyway have a lovely week!
I really love those Myrtle Hardcastle books 😊
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for bicycles so I would look at Artifice in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteThe only one of these I have read and heard of is The Little Princess. I no longer keep up with all the kids books coming out, I feel out of the loop.
ReplyDeleteGreat list, Susan! I hope you and yours have a happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteThese look like some wonderful books.
ReplyDeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/bookish-gift-ideas-from-etsy-sellers/
Excellent list! While I don't read children's lit, i'll occasionally read young adult. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeletehttps://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/11/top-ten-authors-im-thankful-i-found.html
Great list! We have a similar feeling about Thanksgiving - it's simply a time for our family to gather and be grateful for all the things that we have. I adored A Little Princess when I was young, and I have the Lady Jane series on my TBR, since everyone seems to love it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely read A Little Princess and The Secret Garden when I was a child. I also get a kick out of the various movie adaptations.
ReplyDeleteI currently have Tress of the Emerald Sea sitting on my shelf to read!
ReplyDeleteOOh nice topic and picks! I think one of my faves for this would be Alice in Wonderland! I remember my 4th grade teacher had an old copy in his classroom library that I loved for some reason! The next year he left it on my desk to keep since I had asked to borrow it again! I still have it somewhere in my collection which is currently in storage!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my TTT!
Great list. I'm not sure if I've read The Little Princess but I loved The Secret Garden by the same author.
ReplyDeleteA Little Princess is one of my favorites too, But I like the movie better, I grew up with the 90s version and it's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteTress is such a great book!
ReplyDeleteI am also thankful for the many bookish friends I've made here in the blog world. Thank you for being a part of that!
There are some very interesting books on this post, Susan. I read the first Myrtle book and need to get back to it, It was a fun story. I will have to check out some of the others. I am intrigued by Arifice. I don't think I ever read The Little Princess, but saw the Shirley Temple movie. I did love The Secret Garden and think I read it many times over as a child.
ReplyDeleteI really love the Lady Janies books -- I'm one behind you, but I've enjoyed them all so far! Great list!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading Children's books. Dust and My Plain Jane sound interesting!
ReplyDeleteGreat list. I'm going to pick up a few from my library for my teen.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Little Princess as a little girl! And love Myrtle as well. I have One Big Open Sky as well as Dust on my tbr. Now I have added a few more (As is always the case when I visit you!)
ReplyDeleteSomeday I'll read those Jane books. Everybody seems to love them. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many books here that I want to read. :) I really enjoyed reading your post, and I have added some of the books to my TBR. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing these children's titles with us!
ReplyDeleteIt’s been a while since I read any YA fiction but some of these look interesting enough for me to find out more about them.
ReplyDeleteA Little Princess is a book I read over and over again as a kid. I love that one. And The Last Kids on Earth does look like a lot of fun. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving, Susan. :D
ReplyDeleteSusan, thank you for taking the time to include me in this community! I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found TTT and all of the wonderful people in it. I haven’t read these but loved the descriptions of them all. My teen and preteen grandchildren love to read and now I have some gift ideas.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! So many amazing books. The Myrtle Hardcastle books have been on my TBR for a long time, I'm glad you enjoyed them :) Thanks for visiting my blog earlier in the week!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these but I'm sure I'll read My Plain Jane some day.
ReplyDeleteI love this topic! I didn't realize My Plain Jane was a Middle Grade somehow. I've also never read The Little Princess even though The Secret Garden was one of my favorites and I've reread it countless times. There are several on here that I need to add to my TBR - especially Tress of the Emerald Seas.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read the Lady Jane/Mary books too so I'm happy to hear you enjoyed them, and I've heard so many great things about Tress of the Emerald Sea too.
ReplyDelete