Hi everyone, I hope everyone is looking forward to the middling month of March. Down here in NZ, autumn is about to start as the days get slightly cooler and shorter. This week’s post, as my title suggests, is a booklist of my all-time favourite tween reads from the natural world. These five are quite unique for me, and to find out why, you’re going to have to press the button below…
So glad you made it!! I hope you enjoy this list and let me know if you figured out the unique factor in them all by the end.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker (Balzer + Bray, 2016) is a story about a remarkable friendship. Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. When Peter’s dad enlists in the military Peter is forced to return the fox to the wild and live with his grandfather. Peter, however, strikes out on his own to find his fox while Pax embarks on adventures of his own. Set in an unknown era, we hear this story from both perspectives of boy and fox. Pennypacker’s vivid description transported me into the depths of the forest as Pax learned the ways of the wild, and those of Peter’s struggle to reunite with his best friend. With the trademark signs of a modern classic, this remarkable story tells of an unbreakable bond between a boy and his beloved pet fox!!
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate (Feiwel and Friends, 2017) is a story of a tree. Not an ordinary tree mind you, this is one about an oak tree that sits in a suburban neighborhood. This particular tree is called Red. Red is the neighborhood “wishtree” – people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches. Red and his animal friends watch over the neighborhood. When a new family moves in. not everyone is welcoming, and Red’s experience as a wishtree is more important than ever. Funny, deep, and warm-hearted, this lovely story from Katherine Applegate gives us a story from a completely unexpected point of view. Told in a lyrical prose, this lovely story of friendship, family, acceptance and tolerance, gives readers so much to think about. It felt quite magical even though it had a contemporary setting to it and I fell in love with Applegate’s writing!!
The cat at the wall by Deborah Ellis (Allen & Unwin, 2015) tells a strange tale of a cat living in a house in Israel’s West Bank. The small Palestinian house has been commandeered by Israeli soldiers and seems empty but the cat realises that a boy is hiding beneath the floorboards. She wonders if she should help him, after all she’s just a cat. It turns out that this particular cat is not used to thinking about anyone else but herself. She was once a normal teenage girl dealing with the typical problems of early adolescence. But that was before she died and came back to life as a cat, in a place with a whole different set of rules for survival. This was so not what I had been expecting and it was heartbreakingly a good read!! The whole story is an episode of learning, and in the end I guess there was a lesson learned: “Context is everything. You shouldn’t judge someone or a situation without figuring out the context it’s in”.
One amazing elephant by Linda Oatman High (HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2017) is a lovely story of friendship. Twelve-year-old Lily Pruitt loves her grandparents, but she doesn’t love the circus that is their life. Queenie Grace, a circus elephant, is happy to have Grandpa Bill as her keeper. She had had cruel keepers in the past, but Bill is her friend and treats her with love and respect. She doesn’t quite understand Lily, who is so afraid of her. When Grandpa Bill dies unexpectedly, boht Lily and Queenie Grace are devastated but end up forming a bond from their united loss. Told in alternating voices of Lily and Queenie Grace, this powerful tale gives readers a powerful read of friendship and family, no matter how big or small you are!!
Good dog by Dan Gemeinhart (Scholastic Press, 2018) is a story of a dog and his boy. Brodie was a good dog, and good dogs go to heaven. Except Brodie can’t move on because he can’t forget the boy he left behind. With the help of two other lost souls – lovable pitbull Tuck and surly house cat Patsy, Brodie is determined to find his boy and to save him. Even if it costs him paradise because it’s what a good dog would do. What a fascinating read this was!! Brodie’s voice is powerful and poignant, and the description paints an exceptional story. Despite the dark themes, this is a lovely story of friendship and loyalty between a dog and his boy.
So there you have my five favourite tween reads from the natural world!! Did you figure out the common element between them? If you did, I’d love to hear what you thought about it.
Until then, stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 