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!