Top Ten: Children's Books and Authors

I believe in the formative power of children's literature, simply because it formed me so completely. Reading raised me just as much as good parenting did. I am just as grateful to the authors of my favorite children's books as I am to my parents. My mind and soul have been shaped by writing: shaped to pursue adventure, to value good, to understand others, to seek beauty. Adventure stories, fairy tales...they taught me bravery, loyalty and strength. L.M. Montgomery, Maud Hart Lovelace, Margaret Mitchell...as a young girl, these authors taught me the kind of woman I wanted to become, the kind of heroine worth being. The simple fact is that reading opens the mind. It forces the reader to put themselves into another's shoes, to understand the world from another perspective, even at a young age. Reading changes the reader.

One of my favorite quotes by G.K. Chesterton: "Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

What other quote so perfectly encapsulates the merit of myth and legend? The truth is that the value of fantasy, of a story, whether fiction or non-fiction, is not the actual content of the story (although that usually helps) but the message that story promotes and the effect it has...the values, the habits in thought, the emotion evoked, the new interests...The power of the story cannot be denied. Although currently this power is worshipped in our society through film and television, it resonates all the stronger in the written word, and needs to be appreciated, not just by us English aficionados out there, but by everyone. Just as every math nerd claims that arithmetic is not an "interest" to be pursued or cast away, but instead is a necessary, basic skill for life (Can you balance your checkbook yet? I'm working on it) so I believe that reading and writing should be a staple hobby of every person, particularly children.

So my Top Ten books/authors for Children in No Particular Order, guaranteed to have your wee-ones up reading past bedtime:

10. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: The movie suuuuucks compared to this Newberry Honor book. Although this book is definitely only suited for girls, it most certainly deserves some applause. My copy is worn and ragged. A Cinderella story so perfect in it's character, relationship and story development that I still read it in times of depression when I just need to believe in fairies again.

9. Dianna Wynne Jones: British fantasy author that has published over a hundred children's books. Brilliant. Each book, each new world, is arresting and well-constructed. Her plots are sometimes a bit intricate for a child's mind, but it never stopped me from enjoying them thoroughly when I was younger. Her Dalemark Quartet is reminiscent of the epic scale of Lord of the Rings on a smaller scale, and her Chrestomanci series is a delicious set of stories. Her individual books are great too: Hexwood, Fire and Hemlock, Howl's Moving Castle and The Dark Lord of Derkholm are some of the best.

8. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: I had to include them. These books are popular for a reason. They champion good ideals, have an intricate plot that astounds me over again with each rereading, and have some of the best character development I've ever seen. The masses love these books because they relate to the characters. The characters are so very knowable... Readers become so incredibly attached to the protagonists that with each death comes more tears and thousands of Facebook fan pages.

7. Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright: Another Newberry Honor book, this is a simple, sweet adventure story I got from my library several years ago. The tale of 2 children and their discovery of an abandoned resort town on the edge of a once-beautiful lake, now marshland, is straightforward, inspirational, and positive. As a young girl, I wanted to wander through the woods in pursuit of my own Gone-Away Lake the moment I had finished reading it.

6. The Betsy-Tacy Books, by Maud Hart Lovelace : Perhaps the closest books to my heart of all time. In the tradition of Louisa May Alcott (Little Women) and L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), Lovelace took her turn-of-the-century life and wrote it down, using her main character Betsy as her proxy. The books grow as Betsy does: the first 4 are the stories of Betsy and Tacy as young girls and are written for young children, the next 4 are accounts of Betsy's High School years and are best for pre-teens, and the last 2 cover Betsy's trip around the world and her first year of marriage. There is not much difference in difficulty between the high school years and the adult years, but they are a bit thicker. The books are easy-to-read, beautifully written and heartbreakingly honest. Betsy does not feel like a woman living a century ago, but instead, feels like the reader's best friend or sister. I've reread these books a hundred times, learning more and more from them as I grow older and older. Betsy is everything a young girl could ask for: a companion in struggle, a role model, and wonderfully human. Whether heartbroken or having the time of her life, Betsy is wonderfully real.

5. The Little House on the Prairie Books: In the same vein, Laura Ingalls Wilder makes a historical autobiography any little girl's favorite fantasy. I cried every time I got to the end of this series, and I spent hours wishing and dreaming I lived in pioneer days. These are staple books...you shouldn't be a parent of a little girl without owning these.

4. Eva Ibbotson: Another British Children's author. However, Ibbotson's books are much more fairy-tale like, generally simpler, and more whimsical than complicated compared to Jones' novels. My personal favorite by Ibbotson is Journey to the River-Sea, an adventure story of a London orphan going to Brazil to live with cousins. Her experience in the Amazon is beautiful and inspiring, and the other characters are particularly loveable. Some of the other, better books by Ibbotson: The Secret of Platform 13, Island of the Aunts, and Which Witch?

3. The Chronicles of Narnia: I have nothing to say on these, because nothing I could say would be good enough. C.S. Lewis is a genius. He wrote beautiful philosophy, and made it for children. Perfection. Just don't see the movies. Gag.

2. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner: The series that got me hooked on reading in 2nd grade. The easy-to-read mystery novels are about 4 brothers and sisters that once lived out of an abandoned boxcar. They're filled with adventure, survival and positive reinforcement. The benefit of such a long series (there's over a hundred book easy) is that children who loves them never run out of books to read...there's always another mystery to solve!

1. Edward Eager: Eager wrote 6 books for children, all about magic. Half-Magic, Magic by the Lake, etc. They're short, funny, and sweet. Perfect for 9 and 10 year-olds. Each novel is related to the others, but they do not have to be read in any particular order, which is nice!

Also Recommended: The Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series, My Side of the Mountain, The Andrew Lang Fairy Books, Hatchet...Once you get started, there's a never-ending list :)

So take your children to the library, and enjoy!


Edit: I forgot one of the best Children's book series ever. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books are delightful...full of whimsy and imagination. They're also short and easy to read, and unlike most of the other books on my list, could be read as young as 2nd or 3rd grade...so they're a good name to keep on the list!

My, She Was Yar! The Smooth Sailing of The Philadelphia Story

There is no better advertisement for good writing than that found in classic films.

And no, I'm not talking about Casablanca.

The Philadelphia Story, starring Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, is one of my top movies for many reasons. With 2 Oscars to its name, the film not only boasts superb acting, but also refreshingly precise, original and engaging writing. With every viewing, I notice another perfect line, another expertly crafted moment. After seeing it the first time, my friends and I quoted it endlessly, driving our roommates to distraction. It's a clever film: sharp and witty, but also poignant, insightful, full of scintillating banter as well as intense observations on the human existence, social class and relationships. Based on a play by Philip Barry, Hepburn actually bought the rights herself, only selling them to a studio with the caveat that she choose the screenwriter, director and cast. She originally wanted Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable to play the two male leads, but the film profited from their talents being elsewhere engaged: no one could be better than Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart in these roles. Even the musical version, High Society, starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly, doesn't hold a candle to the original film.

Tracy Lord (Hepburn) is a young lady of society recently divorced from C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant). She is about to marry again, this time to a self-made man, George Kittredge. However, the wedding plans are interrupted when journalist Macaulay Connor(Jimmy Stewart) waltzes in with his photographer partner to cover the wedding for a society mag.

C. K. Dexter Haven: Sometimes, for your own sake, Red, I think you should've stuck to me longer.
Tracy Lord: I thought it was for life, but the nice judge gave me a full pardon.
C. K. Dexter Haven: Aaah, that's the old redhead. No bitterness, no recrimination, just a good swift left to the jaw.

The entire movie hangs on one question: who will Tracy choose?!

George Kittredge: You're like some marvelous, distant, well...queen. You're so cool and fine and always so much your own. There's a kind of beautiful purity about you, Tracy, like a statue.
Tracy Lord: George...
George Kittredge: Oh, it's grand, Tracy. It's what everybody feels about you. It's what I first worshipped you for from afar.
Tracy Lord: I don't want to be worshipped. I want to be loved.

The film gets off to a slow start, and though the 1st half has its fair share of enjoyably quippy interactions, it is not until the 2nd half, (The Rehearsal Dinner) that the action becomes gripping, and the writing becomes both entrancing and thought-provoking.

Macaulay Connor: Tracy.
Tracy Lord: What do you want?
Macaulay Connor: You're wonderful.
There's a magnificence in you, Tracy. A magnificence that comes out of your eyes, in your voice, in the way you stand there, in the way you walk. You're lit from within, Tracy. You've got fires banked down in you, hearth-fires and holocausts.
Tracy Lord: I don't seem to you made of bronze?
Macaulay Connor: No, you're made out of flesh and blood. That's the blank, unholy surprise of it. You're the golden girl, Tracy. Full of life and warmth and delight. What goes on? You've got tears in your eyes.
Tracy Lord: Shut up, shut up. Oh, Mike. Keep talking, keep talking. Talk, will you?

I have never seen 2 actors so thoroughly convincing in their drunkenness as Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn in the above scene, and it is one of my favorites of all time, no matter the movie. Their conversation is beautiful: stimulating and exquisite.

Only one piece of advice for a satisfactory viewing: Pay Attention. As with most older films, the plot is almost impossible to follow unless the dialogue is listened to very closely. I have raved about this movie to friends, only to have them dismiss it because they prattled on during key moments and could not follow the story-line. This is no straightforward action movie. This is a film about human relationships and interactions. It is a film made up of conversations: conversations that must be listened to and understood if the plot is to make any sense at all.

Influence: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Despite the fact that Carlos Ruiz Zafón has only published 2 novels in the United States (almost a decade apart no less), he is one of my greatest inspirations and favorite authors. His first novel, The Shadow of the Wind, is always the book I recommend to friends craving a book that will absorb them, body and soul, until they are finished reading it.

1st of many reasons I love Zafón: His books are about books. His characters are writers, readers, lovers of literature. His protagonists in both novels are acquainted with the "Cemetery of Books": an extensive library hidden in the depths of Barcelona, a cavernous labyrinth known only to select few who are bound to protect these books that would have been destroyed or forgotten. Only those people who love literature as Zafon's characters do understand the irresistible attraction of such an idea.

His words from The Angel's Game: "A writer never forgets the first time he accepted a few coins or a word of praise in exchange for a story. He will never forget the sweet poison of vanity in his blood and the belief that, if he succeeds in not letting anyone discover his lack of talent, the dream of literature will provide him with a roof over his head, a hot meal at the end of the day, and what he covets the most: his name printed on a miserable piece of paper that surely will outlive him. A writer is condemned to remember that moment, because from then on he is doomed and his soul has a price."

His plot lines are dark, poignant, sensuous. Set in pre and post-civil war Barcelona, they are coming of age stories, about the loss of innocence and the pursuit of meaning. They are complicated mysteries, leading the reader in step-by-step to surprising conclusions.
The 2nd reason I admire Zafón so ardently is his writing style. There are some writers that are simply granted the gift of beauty. Zafón one of these. He weaves his novels; he does not write them. His turn of phrase is haunting; his vocabulary perfectly nuanced. He twists and crafts his sentences with a slight bitter amusement that does not detract from their intensity. His Spanish style is reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez or Pablo Neruda, but with more clarity.

My 3rd cause for praise is character development. Character development is a highly underrated aspect of story-telling, whether in film or literature. It has the potential to make a story succeed, or fail. Zafón's novels succeed largely due the relatable protagonists: young men struggling in their desires and dashed hopes, and intriguing antagonists: dark, mysterious creatures that keep the reader consistently guessing. His other characters are witty, irreverant: the perfect accent(Fermin in The Shadow of the Wind, Barsillo in The Angel's Game, Barcelo in both.)

I both resent and admire him for publishing so infrequently. He displays an enviable dedication to his works: being both thorough, but still concise. His novels, though substantial, are quick reads and no giants of overwhelming proportions.

The Prince of Mist, his latest novel, is due to be published soon, and I, for one, cannot wait.