Forever Young

Be wise. Be brave. Be tricky.

--Neil Gaiman

author of "Coraline"

A recent cartoon (Mallard Fillmore) took a swing at middle-aged women for allegedly pretending to be young by reading young adult fiction. I wondered what was behind this cheeky attitude.

I am one of those women of a certain age who has read the "Hunger Games" trilogy. How about the idea that we are just enjoying the book series?

If you are not familiar with "Hunger Games," Katniss Everdeen is a young woman who volunteers to take her sister's place in the diabolical Hunger Games which are held annually for the entertainment of maniacal political leaders and the downtrodden general population.

The trilogy, which includes "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay," gives readers a cold, hard look at a dystopian society. Katniss lives in what used to be the United States. Author Suzanne Collins named the new capital, Panem, from the Roman term Panem et Circenses. In English, it translates to Bread and Circus, and refers to a population that willingly turns over its political power in exchange for a full stomach and cheap entertainment.

This isn't the first time that books written for children or young adults have become best sellers across the generation divide. Or that adults learned a thing or two from a "junior" book.

Years ago, my husband and I were knee-deep in building a house. Suddenly, construction terms were being tossed around in our conversations. I knew I'd feel smarter if I could find a book that took me step-by-step through the building process. Voila! I found Gail Gibbons' "How a House is Built." Adults may chafe at the idea of looking in a children's reading section for information. Stop feeling that way!! Well-written children's books can help us wade through forgotten or never understood science or math lessons. Or learn construction terms. Or help navigate the night sky.

Best of all, they can entertain us.

"Junior" Books Adults Should Read

Magic Treehouse series - Osborne, Mary Pope. Brother and sister discover they can travel to far off places (including time travel) when they climb into their magic treehouse. Osborne offers good history lessons.

Extraordinary Mark Twain - Kerley, Barbara & Clemens, Susy. Author Kerley had some help with this book from an unusual source - young Susy Clemens' journals which include tales about her famous dad.

Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet writes down everything she sees, good or bad. Her journal is read by friends who, understandably, have a hard time digesting Harriet's funny/harsh/questioning views. I love this book!!

Walk Two Moons - Creech, Sharon. With help from her one-of-a-kind grandparents, Sal begins her search for her long lost mother. 1995 Newbery winner.

How a House is Built - Gibbons, Gail. Extensive writer of children's nonfiction books. Check them out!

Small World of Binky Braverman - Wells, Rosemary. Young Binky is quite bored while visiting his aunt and uncle until he discovers magical friends, especially Ike.

Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt, Natalie. Would you want to live forever at a certain age? Young Winnie must decide for herself. A perfect story for book groups of all ages.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Kinney, Jeff. I wondered what the fuss was about and finally read the first two books in the series. Hilarious! 

Queenie Peavy - Burch, Robert. Queenie doesn't allow her terrible home situation to get the best of her. She strikes back (literally) against anyone who tries to bully her.

Fever 1793 - Anderson, Laurie Halse. A fictional account of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia.

Celia and the Fairies - McQuestion, Karen. Do fairies really exist? Celia needs help from the magical creatures to help stop the destruction of her house.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Riggs, Ransom. The title, photos and plot (and even the author's name) are all highly creative. Visit the "home" for some odd tales.

Coraline - Gaiman, Neil. The story of a spunky girl who steps through a door in her house and finds herself caught in another world. Is it a better world than her own? 

Northern Light - Donnelly, Jennifer. Mattie Gokey, a hotel worker in 1906, is given letters that may help solve a murder mystery. Based on Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy."

Life as We Knew It - Pfeffer, Susan Beth. When an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, life is turned upside down. This is a gripping story of how Pennsylvania teen Miranda and her family deal with their much-changed lives.

Hatchet - Paulsen, Gary. You won't be able to put down this absorbing tale of a young boy being stranded in the wilderness with very few supplies.

A Day No Pigs Would Die - Peck, Robert Newton. Which part is fiction? Which part is memoir? Peck shares his story of growing up in Vermont.

Classics - read again or for the first time:
Nancy Drew's Secret of the Old Clock - Keene, Carolyn.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Smith, Betty
Grimm's Fairy Stories - Wilhelm & Jacob Grimm

Other ideas include:
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. Any book by Beverly Cleary. Young adult thrillers by Lois Duncan or Carolyn Cooney. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

Through heavy static Ike's voice faded in and out. "We're heading out of range for now," he said, "but if in your true heart you are ever lonely again, why just set your sights on the blue horizon, get on the radio, and we'll read your signal loud and clear."  *
                                                                    "Small World of Binky Braverman"
                                                                                               --Rosemary Wells


*This book list is dedicated to the memory of Terry Endy, a wonderful children's librarian who loved picture books. A thoughtful friend, Terry always reminded me of Binky Braverman's Ike.