Clements, Andrew. Frindle. Illustrated by Brian Selznick. Scholastic, 1996. ISBN 9780439607278
If you are looking for a good author to help you introduce chapter books, Andrew Clements' books are classics. I wouldn't consider Frindle to be a very first chapter book (Nate the Great by Sharmat or Cam Jansen by Adler are excellent "first" chapter book reads), but this title by Clements is the next stepping stone.
Nick, inspired by the idea of slang in language, decides that "frindle" is just as good a name for a pen as "pen", and sets out to discover whether he can drum up enough common usage of the word so as to have it added to the English dictionary.
His teacher, a stout rule-follower and lover of the dictionary, demands that he not use the word in her classroom. Thus begins the challenge, and soon it grows beyond Nick to include classmates, parents, the school principal, a local paper, national news, a visit to late-night TV, and more.
Personally, I went back and fourth on this story. I loved the cleverness of the plot and the engaging characters. Selzneick's illustrations helped drive the story, giving the characters more personality as well as keeping things kid-friendly.
The main character, Nick, is one of those active boys that you can't help but love. He plays tricks and pushes people's buttons, but in the end you know he simply has an active mind searching for an entertaining outlet.
What I did not appreciate was some of the portrayal of authority figures in the story. Nick, in his smiling, clever, way, was openly defiant to his teacher. Furthermore, his parents did little to address this issue.
The saving element was the teacher in question. She was resilient, and understood Nick completely, even though he never knew it. In reality, she was playing the same games, and her clever moves are not revealed until the very end of the book.
Frindle was written in 1996, so some of the objects and names will not resonate with children today. Things like print dictionaries, print newspapers, and "The David Letterman Show" won't have any significance.
However, these elements do not detract from the story enough to make much of a difference, and the descriptions of the the dictionary and Nick's homework may even help children understand more about language and research.
Over-all, this was a good read. It kept me engaged, wanting to know how everything was going to turn out. And the ending didn't disappoint.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. Tor Science Fiction, 1994. ISBN: 978-0812550702
First things first: this is a great book. It thoroughly satisfies as a science fiction, as a philosophical journey, and as a well-written story.
And it is not necessarily a tween's book. Although there are many tweens who may be ready to grasp the dark concepts presented, we must remember that tweendom is that volatile stage between child and young adult, where individuals develop at different paces depending on their life experiences and natural maturation.
Like Collin's The Hunger Games, themes of violence, loss of innocence, totalitarian government, and premature death are prevalent. The reader must wrestle with ideas of religion, science, bullies and loneliness.
But, for those who can grasp abstract concepts and existential ideas, it is excellent.
And it's a lot of fun, too. What young person does not dream of being "special", a genius plucked from society and destined for greatness? Especially appealing to boys and active girls, tweens will be able to conjure up images of floating through weightless space, training for missions, and going on a fantastic journey.
Ender's Game is a wonderful contribution to young adult science fiction that should not be overlooked. I would recommend it for ages 12 and older, but only tentatively. If you are an adult, read it for yourself and decide if your tween is ready.
And since it is being made into a major motion picture in 2013, this is the perfect opportunity to enter into literary and topical discussions with your tween prior to the movie release.
Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. Berkley, reprinted in 1986. ISBN 0425102416
Slow-paced in the beginning, but overall an excellent read. The book was
published in the 1960's and the author draws upon stories her own
grandfather relayed to her about life during the 1860's. Extremely
well researched, this book brings to life the family struggles,
heartaches, and triumphs of the "five Aprils" that spanned the American
Civil War.
Might be difficult for young readers due to the
slower pace and the verbiage (the author captures the speech patterns
and poor grammar of backwoods families in Southern Illinois). However, a
stronger reader would enjoy it immensely, especially the coming-of-age
elements found in the main character as he grows from a young boy of
nine to a teen who is forced to become the "man of the farm." His self
discovery (when he first realizes his speech could be a source of
ridicule, when he decides to keep difficult decisions from his ailing
father, when he struggles between being the "baby" of the family while
also being on equal terms with his older siblings, when he learns that
gossip is not always true...) is appropriate and believable. I was a bit disappointed at the abruptness of the ending. The story seemed to simply run out of steam.
Civil
War battles, generals, and events are woven in and out of the tale,
making this work of fiction and wonderful companion resource for anyone
learning about the Civil War.
Since the previous post about classics tended towards books tween girls would love (since I was drawing from my own experiences as a tween, my mind naturally went there), I wanted to make to make sure to include some resources for male tweens.
Of course, there is always the resource website Guys Read (see previous post). On the site is a list of "Classics that Actually Hold Up." I would not necessarily agree that all these titles are classics in the true sense of the word, but they are good stories exhibiting the traits of classics, recommended by guys, to guys:
http://www.guysread.com/books/categories/category/classics_that_actually_hold_up
Another website I found enjoyable was Unshelved Answers and their online dialogue/wiki about "Books Teen Boys Would Read (If They Actually Knew They Existed)". Although, once again, many of these are not classics, the classics WILL indelibly pop up from time to time, simply because the stories are great.
http://answers.unshelved.com/questions/1434/books-teen-boys-would-read-if-they-knew-they-existed
