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middle grade is tricky
Aug. 12th, 2019 01:50 pmI really like being The Book Aunt. I'm a bit proud of having given my 13-year-old niece a great many books that hit the sweet spot so well her mother asks me how on earth I DO that. Almost all of them since "Hippos Go Berserk" have had female protagonists, which worked really well for her...she has too much sexism in her local world. (The only exception was "Wizard of Earthsea," which was conincidentally the only one she didn't like.) Of course, it helps that she's a reading sort of child. You know. There's the kind of child teachers/librarians/parents try to encourage to read more, and the kind of child where you have to take the book away to make them take a bath.
It's harder for me to be a Book Aunt for my nephews, in part because I don't know them as well. (They live near my mother, where I don't visit.) What's good for a ten-year-old? I don't read much for that age, so I'm at a loss. I'd prefer something written in the 21st century.** My niece loved "How Mirka Got Her Sword," but part of the reason she loved it was the Girl!Power! and Orthodox Judaism*. And she liked Castle Hangnail, but that might have been too young for her? On the other hand, my nephew isn't as much of a reading enthusiast, so something a little easier might be right for him. The Armitage stories were too hard for him, even though I loved them when I was 9, and my niece adores them as readalouds.
My nephew likes acting and baseball, but anything can catch his interest if it's fast-paced or funny. The books I like tend to be slower paced. I reread King of Shadows lately, and realized it isn't all that good. I liked Out of Left Field, and my 13y.o. niece loved it, but I'm not sure how much of that is the Girl!Power! and caring about the family already. How many girl power books can I throw a boy before I seem preachy, when I don't have other significant connections with him?
*We can quibble about the boundary between Orthodox and Conservative, but her family's practice is somewhere near that border. And the family I grew up in thinks that level of observance is fanatical and absurd. They think I'm being silly when I don't eat pork, or when I go to Saturday morning services just because I like them.
**It always annoys me when I ask a librarian "What's good for [age] that's come out in the last ten years?" and they offer me a new edition of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," or "All of a Kind Family." I'm asking because I want to find something for my younger niece, and be sure her sister doesn't already have it.
It's harder for me to be a Book Aunt for my nephews, in part because I don't know them as well. (They live near my mother, where I don't visit.) What's good for a ten-year-old? I don't read much for that age, so I'm at a loss. I'd prefer something written in the 21st century.** My niece loved "How Mirka Got Her Sword," but part of the reason she loved it was the Girl!Power! and Orthodox Judaism*. And she liked Castle Hangnail, but that might have been too young for her? On the other hand, my nephew isn't as much of a reading enthusiast, so something a little easier might be right for him. The Armitage stories were too hard for him, even though I loved them when I was 9, and my niece adores them as readalouds.
My nephew likes acting and baseball, but anything can catch his interest if it's fast-paced or funny. The books I like tend to be slower paced. I reread King of Shadows lately, and realized it isn't all that good. I liked Out of Left Field, and my 13y.o. niece loved it, but I'm not sure how much of that is the Girl!Power! and caring about the family already. How many girl power books can I throw a boy before I seem preachy, when I don't have other significant connections with him?
*We can quibble about the boundary between Orthodox and Conservative, but her family's practice is somewhere near that border. And the family I grew up in thinks that level of observance is fanatical and absurd. They think I'm being silly when I don't eat pork, or when I go to Saturday morning services just because I like them.
**It always annoys me when I ask a librarian "What's good for [age] that's come out in the last ten years?" and they offer me a new edition of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," or "All of a Kind Family." I'm asking because I want to find something for my younger niece, and be sure her sister doesn't already have it.
