Help A Girl Out

Image via "BabyDinosaur" on Flickr

My as yet unmet friend Ana Lomba (Parents’ Choice award-winning author, a leading language educator, tireless advocate of early language learning, and Princeton mom of three) recently Tweeted out the sad news that her almost 11 year old daughter broke her collarbone and is unhappily considering the prospects of a summer without swimming or bike-riding. SO frustrating!

I immediately thought, "How can we make this a little better?" and decided that a list of recommended books would be just the ticket. So welcome to the

Broken Bone
Summer Reading List

brought to you by yours truly, a few friends, and the fabulous and talented crowd of unmet friends who follow me on Twitter:

Caddie Woodlawn (by Carol Ryrie Brink, via SassafrasMama, who also thinks The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G. Birney might hit the spot)


Where the Red Fern Grows (by Wilson Rawls, via Colleen, aka @warmaiden, who also recommends LJ Smith's Vampire Diaries I-IV, The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth George Speare), and Promise of the Wolves (Dorothy Hearst). Plus, if you're into creepy stuff, Colleen says check out authors Christopher Pike & RL Stine.

Little Women!! Little Women!!!! (by Louisa May Alcott, via Erin Kotecki Vest, aka @QueenofSpain and believe it or not, I actually edited some of the exclamation points OUT)

The Lionboy Trilogy by Zizou Corder was recommended by @trxckster and another off-line friend. Trxckster also recommended The Golden Hour and the other two books in Maiya Williams' time-travel trilogy.

Outlaws of Sherwood (by Robin McKinley, again via @trxckster, who then really got on a roll, thinking you might also want to give Neil Gaiman's Coraline a try (more delicious creepiness!), or maybe Jean Craighe George's Julie of the Wolves, or the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsberg (oh, YEAH, I LOVED that book!), or The Giver by Lois Lowry, or something of your choosing by Cynthia Voight.

Or how about Green Mansions (by W H Hudson), which my partner remembers loving. Or Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon series, which I loved?

Or maybe something from this big ol' Sunshine State Young Readers LIST that Pam Guyton hooked me up with?

Okay, that's it. Historical fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, time travel, adventure, coming-of-age... there are some AMAZING books out there! I can't say that I wish my collarbone was broken, but it does seem like a list like this might take the sting out of it a little bit. Happy reading!

If you missed the original call for submissions and see a glaring hole in this list, give your favorite book(s) for an almost eleven year-old girl a shout out in the comments!

(Still need some more ideas?
Go find some more teachers or librarians to ask,
check out the interactive Literature Map or TeenReads,
or give the Princeton Public Library a call;
their children's reference librarians ROCK.)