I knew from the first page that A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness would be that kind of book for me.
Here are the first few sentences:
The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.
Conor was awake when it came. He'd had a nightmare. Well, not a nightmare. The nightmare.
Everything about this book was perfect. Every sentence just right. It inspired me to ask questions, then answered each with great satisfaction. It's a sad book, but a healing one, too. A beautiful book based on the idea by Siobhan Dowd, who died at 47 from cancer. Delightfully dark illustrations were created by Jim Kay. The publisher, Candlewick Press, did a fabulous job making this book. It deserved every single starred review it earned.
A couple other great books for kids that provide therapy of sorts for dealing with loss, especially from cancer are MILO: STICKY NOTES AND BRAIN FREEZE by Alan Silberberg and MRS. BIDDLEBOX by the late Linda Smith and illustrator, Marla Frazee.
Two other fantastic books I've enjoyed this year are WONDER by R. J. Palacio and THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate.
Which books have you absolutely loved so far this year? (Or last year?) Share your favorite books for children or for adults in the comments section.
6 comments:
I'm really enjoying Ness's The Knife of Never Letting Go right now. Have yet to read Monster, but it's on my list. I love, love, LOVED The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour most recently.
Well, Dawn, my to-be-read pile just grew by three. Thanks so much for the recommendations!
RAPE GIRL by Alina Klein. I read this book in one sitting. I simply could not put it down.
Shannon, that's some recommendation. Will definitely look at that one!
Great list of books! Two other greats about kids and cancer are DRUMS, GIRLS AND DANGEROUS PIE and its sequel AFTER EVER AFTER both by Sonnenblick.
Christine, yes, yes. I'm a big fan of Sonnenblick. Have you read his latest: CURVEBALL: THE YEAR I LOST MY GRIP? Another excellent read!
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