In short, the summer is a great time for a road trip.

I’ve participated in a few of these, from family trips to Grandma’s house in Columbus, Ohio, with my five siblings packed (or maybe smashed) into a station wagon for three hours, to a 14-hour haul across seven states to our college Senior Trip in Myrtle Beach, to driving across the plains from Chicago to Denver (Nebraska is HUGE!).  Road tripping (sorry, bear with me) is a staple of American life.  So, it follows that it might be a staple of American YA fiction.  We remember these trips because they so often aren’t merely empty time spent behind the wheel.  Things happen on road trips – bizarre things, scary things, sad things, beautiful things.  The trip itself is often part of the event, and part of the story we tell – and hear.  So, here’s my best attempt at tipping my hat (metaphorically, of course) to some of my favorite YA Road Trips, and some that you might want to check out.

In reverse order of awesomeness:

10.  13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

I tried several “girly” road trip books, and many of them were disappointing for one reason or another.  This book didn’t feel formulaic or Disney-esque.  It was just a good story with some quirks, some fantastic Old World settings (which were not all uniformly positive or interesting, a nice way of making it feel more real), and two strong, distinct voices (the primary narrator, Ginny, and her crazy aunt who orchestrates this continental scavenger hunt).  Perhaps some parts of this book are predictable – the introduction of the love interest, Keith, feels inevitable when it finally happens – but there are several false romances, and Johnson plays around with some of the expectations we have of her. The best feature of this book is how messy everything is.  There are lots of loose ends, or problems that crop up during the trip.  There are disappointments that are unresolved.  The ending is disappointing but completely believable.  And the characters are distinct and interesting.  It’s a fun read, despite the sad premise, because the adventures feel real, and Ginny’s struggles are honest.

9.  Savvy by Ingrid Law

This is probably the “cutest” book on the list, and the only one involving the use of fantastical “powers.”  Perhaps this isn’t a pure road trip book, and it’s probably a stretch to call this book YA.  But it has a solid, road-trippy premise and much of the material common to the type (new faces, growth or change played out through travel).  So I’m including it.  I like the quirky voice of this book a lot, and that goes a long way toward getting a sophisticated reader like myself (ha!) beyond the young characters and the mostly-PG rating.  Mibs is a pleasant mix of naughty and nice, and her “savvy” is unusual – something that makes her uses of it unpredictable and interesting.  And I like poor Lester – he’s such a hard-luck case that his turnaround (though predictable) is a lot of fun to watch.  Throw in some mean bad guys, and it’s a fun story about a really crazy family on the run.

 8.  Chaos Walking/Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Okay, I’m cheating by putting this on a “road trip” list.  But it’s a fantastic sci-fi series with a kind of Mark Twain/Huck Finn feel.  With aliens.  It has some rough parts, with some violence and some seriously dark themes.  But most of the story is the story of a journey.  And the main characters are discovering things and growing as they go.  There is also a mystery (and some serious problems) to solve.  It’s a great sci-fi road trip story, and Ness does a great job creating an unusual context with interesting, believable characters.  We sci-fi nerds talk a lot about world-building, and this world is built strangely but well.  I love the talking dog, Manchee, and I’m afraid of the Mayor and the preacher.  Most fitting of all for this novel on this particular list, Todd is forced to change his entire way of thinking about the world.  Perhaps all of the women in his town didn’t really die from the germ that makes men able to hear each other’s thoughts.  (So what did happen to all the women?  Hmmm. . . .) It’s a really original story, and a great example of a kind of road trip.

7.  The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour

I really enjoyed this book, and I’m putting it on this list, though I’m worried that many of you reading this will try to read it and fail.  I don’t know if this is an idiosyncratic, subjective choice, but I think it’s worth sharing because it’s such a nice imagining of a YA road trip.  Basically, the main character (Colby) agrees to help drive his best friend (Bev) and the rest of her band around the Northwest on their last summer “tour” before the band moves on to college.  Of course, Colby has a romantic interest in his “best friend,” and has for a long time.  Of course, something goes wrong.  Bev announces that she will not be accompanying Colby on the tour of Europe that they have been planning together for years.  Instead, she will be moving on to college without him.  Colby, crushed, betrayed, and with no plans for his future without the trip to Europe and the girl of his dreams, is forced to follow through with the band’s “tour,” despite this horrible disappointment.  He gets petty, mean, and the rest of the band tries to cope.  Lacour resists the temptation to make this story about musical genius – the band is terrible – and the choice is refreshing and fitting.  The ending is a little uncertain but satisfying.  But it’s a solid, interesting story with some unpredictable twists and turns that make this a fun take on road tripping.  (It helps that it’s a rock band on tour through an interesting part of the country.)

6.  Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

I’ve read other books by Joan Bauer and enjoyed them, so I don’t know why it took me so long to get to this one.  But I sat down and read this book in one sitting, and it was great.  A fantastic Road Trip novel if there ever was one.  Jenna, the main character, is talked into driving her (female) employer from Chicago to Dallas, with stops at her shoe stores along the way.  Of course, she becomes close with this woman, and the plot thickens nicely.  Bauer is a master of the carefully-crafted simple sentence, and she manages to put together a positive, hopeful story that doesn’t feel sappy or cloying.  This book is adorable in places, suspenseful and action-packed in places, and wrenching in places.  Jenna struggles with her father’s alcoholism, and Bauer doesn’t dismiss or sugarcoat the suffering this entails.  But it can be beaten.  That’s the lesson here – despite the shoe-store main plot, the real story is about dealing with alcoholism, and Bauer tells that story clearly and honestly.

5.  Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen

Adam Sandler made Tourette’s Syndrome into a joke, and I’m not sure that was a good thing.  In this book, the main character, who has Tourette’s, starts a journey that helps him change from the “freak” who was teased and horribly bullied in high school to a mature, well-adjusted adult with a manageable disability.  In the first half, he leaves his abusive step-father behind and moves into the “Old Coot’s” house to work in his landscaping business.  In the second, he takes a Road Trip to Jerk, California, because his friend wanted him to, and because a beautiful young woman wants to go with him.  It’s a good story, with some real conflict and internal struggle.  The self-loathing and its gradual defeat really drives the novel, and Sam/Jack (he changes his name halfway through) fights constantly with himself, easily backsliding into despair, and losing control of himself at inopportune times.  It’s a thoughtful, sensitive, and vivid portrait of a young man struggling to like himself when so few other people want to.

4.  Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt

This book is solid all the way around, with several interesting characters, an engaging setting and scenario, well-crafted plot twists, and a masterful sense of tone.  This is a great road trip story because of the breadth of learning that the main character, Henry, goes through as he gets to know and understand Chay, the Cambodian refugee who is so badly mistreated by Henry’s prosperous New England community (and his older brother, Franklin, a leader in the abuse).  This book is just so full of tension – in a good way – that it’s incredibly engaging and suspenseful.  Poor Henry is tied up in knots, and his mixed feelings about his brother take a long time to unravel.  Plus, the whole Mount Katahdin thing (which is also the end of the Appalachian Trail) is a nice goal for a Road Trip book.

3.  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig

I read this while I was still in high school, and I didn’t die, so I’m going to call this YA.  It’s a fantastic example of the road trip as philosophical and spiritual exploration, and it’s deep and probing.  It’s a hard book, and I’m not sure that it’s a great book for most YA readers.  I had a philosophy professor say to me once, “you should read this book once every four years.”  I’ve tried to stick to that, and it’s been a different book for me every time.  It’s about a father and son driving across the United States on a motorcycle, while telling the story of a philosopher/writing teacher, and making connections to motorcycles and taking care of machines.  I’ve identified with the son, the father, and with the teacher at various points in my life, and I’ve always found time with this book to be well-spent.  It’s a worthwhile challenge, in my humble opinion.

2.  Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

This is a great book by an original YA author (also the author of Seedfolks, a similar kind of multi-voiced work of fiction about interconnectedness and community).  It’s about a kid named Brent Bishop who makes a huge mistake that causes the death of an innocent young woman.  He spends months traveling around the country building whirligigs – decorative, wind-powered weather-vane things – to atone for his terrible decision.  Through a series of interlaced chapters, between Brent’s experiences traveling all over and building these things, and the chance encounters people have with his work and how it changes them, we find out about how one person’s actions can affect another, through good or ill.  All of the chapters connect with Brent and his whirligigs.  While some of the connections are serious and life-changing, and some are not, it is clear that Brent is changed as a result of the experience.  It’s a strange reading experience, and the connections are not always immediate or close to each other.  But they’re there.  It gives Brent’s penance a weight or a kind of echo that it wouldn’t otherwise have.  It’s short, and dense, and challenging, and the collective weight of so many interlocking stories is imposing, perhaps even inspiring.

1.  Abundance of Katherines/Paper Towns by John Green

I’m not ashamed to be a John Green fanboy.  Both of these novels are fantastic in so many ways.  Green has, in my opinion, become one of the best YA writers working today.  Perhaps one of the best of any kind.  Margo Roth Spiegelman fascinates me, not only because of her image at her school, but also because of the intricacy of her planning and the . . . ending.  Her revenge before her disappearance in the beginning is breathtaking.  Paper Towns is a kind of missing-persons mystery, and it culminates in a hilarious-yet-scary road trip that made me laugh, made me scared, and resolved the mystery in a satisfyingly ambiguous way (is that possible?).  It’s true that the road trip comes late in this novel, but that doesn’t ruin its awesomeness. If that really is a problem, I added An Abundance of Katherines to this spot.  It’s an earlier novel by the same author, almost as awesome as Paper Towns, and almost wholly about a road trip and extended stay.  Heck, read both.  They’re both worth it.  If you don’t know John Green, he’s a master craftsman of teenage character and dialogue.  Check him out.

This has been a fun task – hope you enjoyed reading the list, or maybe some of the books!  I’m thinking about writing a post about writing this post . . . and about what didn’t make this list.  Thanks for reading!

Mr. Kuhlman is a 7th grade Reading and Writing teacher in the Chicago area who loves to read, loves to talk about reading, and who wishes he could read in his sleep. He’s very proud to officially join the ranks of the Nerdy Book Club after years in training. He’s also a reading specialist, a member of the National Writing Project, a Reading Specialist, and a Skylanders fiend.

I know it is a trite and overused phrase but I truly believe I learned everything I needed to be successful in life from a children’s book.  Books speak to our souls. They let us fly to the moon and encourage our wildest wonderings. I can still remember the wonderful book that captured my imagination as a child…The Giant Jam Sandwich. From its musical verses to its feats of grandiosity, I went on a journey celebrating community, teamwork, and the amazing attitude that together anything can be accomplished!  The residents of Itching Down use their unique talents by banding together to thwart a common enemy–the wasps.

By creating an enormous, yes giant, strawberry   jam sandwich, the residents victoriously capture their enemy by baking a mountainous loaf of bread pulled by eight fine steeds and flying machines that whirled high above head.  As a child I longed to go to Itching Down and join the mighty fight to save the town!

What book inspired you as a child? Which title took you on a journey you never wanted to end? These were two of the questions I asked high school students to prepare for Children’s Book Week.  Their answers may surprise you! I have ranked their top ten favorite books below.

10.  The Harry Potter Series

9.  Clifford

8.  Amelia Bedelia

7.  Harold and the Purple Crayon

6.  Little House on the Prairie

5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

4.  The Giving Tree

3.  Goodnight Moon

2.  Any book by Dr. Seuss!

1.  All time favorite winner- The Magic Treehouse

Celebrate Children’s Book Week by sharing a book with a child!

Children’s Book Week

Michelle Cooper describes herself as a “Tech Geek, Librarian, Book Lover, Teacher and all around Nerd” who is passionate about helping young people succeed.  You can find her on Twitter as @_MichelleCooper and online at http://www.talesoflibrarylady.blogspot.com/

When we talked, I discovered the root of their concern. They weren’t sure who the next teacher would be and would that teacher also be a reader? I assured them that their teachers were, in fact, addicted to books just as I am. Our conversation then turned to the benefits of having a teacher who is a reader. After discussing this with all three of my fifth grade classes I asked them to write on an index card what were the benefits of having a teacher who reads. With that in mind, we present to you our top ten list:

Top Ten Reasons it is Good if Your Teacher is a Reader

10. Book Recommendations – a teacher who reads can recommend good books to her students. (This was listed as the number one reason on more than half of the students’ cards.)

She can recommend the perfect book for me.

She knows me and knows what book will work.

She can find the book that is supposed to be my next book.

9. Time to read – a teacher who reads knows the importance of time in class to read.

Because we have time to read in class, I end up reading more. I then read at home because I want to know what happens.

She knows that our independent reading time is important. We can’t skip it.

8. Connections – a teacher who reads understands her students.

I think teachers who read will know that sometimes you just have to read, even if they are trying to teach. You can’t help it.

Mrs. S knew why I was sad because she knew what happened in the book I was reading. She cried too.

You relate to us through books. You “get” us.

7. Conferences – a teacher who reads knows that readers need to talk about what they are reading with other students and their teachers.

I have become a better reader because Mrs. S conferences with me and helps me to understand my books. I like talking to her and my friends about them.

When you talk to me about what I read, I am more excited to read.

6. Knowledge – a teacher who reads what her students are reading knows the books that they are “addicted” to.

Since you read books for us, not for adults, you know the perfect books for our age level.

You know about books other than the ones you read as a kid – you know about all of the new books coming out.

You know what books kids our age like. You like the same stuff we do.

5. Environment – a teacher who reads creates an environment conducive to reading.

You’re surrounded by thousands of books in this reading room.

You cannot help but read in this class.

Being surrounded by books, in a room where everyone reads, makes you a better reader.

4. Access – a teacher who reads often purchases a great deal of books that the students can choose from.

Our room is full of books, all genres, different series. New books and old books.

You buy books on your phone when we need a book.

I can always come in here and get a book. I’m never stuck with something I don’t want to read.

3. Understanding – a teacher who reads knows the roadblocks you will hit while reading. They understand the struggle to get into a new book or genre. They get the heartache over finishing a series you don’t want to end.

I think teacher should read a lot of different books so they can answer questions the students might have about the books.

I think it helps to have a teacher who loves reading because then they understand your reasons to like or dislike a book.

2. Role model – a teacher who reads encourages you to become a reader. They lead by example.

I think it’s a good thing because, in my case, last year I like never read. But this year you have gotten me addicted to it. So my reason is that they help you like reading.

Mrs. S is a good role model. She always encourages me to read and become a reader.

I think you just expect us to become readers like you are, and that makes me want to be one.

1. Choice – a teacher who reads gets that we all don’t love the same books. That not every book will meet the needs of every student. These teachers often celebrate choice in reading class.

If she’s a reader, she buys more books – all different types. And then lets us choose what to read by what we’re interested in.

She doesn’t make me stop reading graphic novels.

Finally, two answers I couldn’t leave out:

Why is it important to have a teacher who reads?

Because they know about the books you are reading. And readers know more.

And

In this classroom, we are encouraged to read. And since you read what we read, you relate to us.

After listening to my students, I’m so glad I am a reader. Aren’t you?

Katherine Sokolowski has taught for fourteen years and currently teaches fifth grade in Monticello, Illinois. She is passionate about reading both in her classroom and also with her two sons. You can find her online at http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/ and on Twitter as @katsok.

1) Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

This story follows Moose, an all-American, baseball-loving boy who moves with his family to Alcatraz Island for his father’s job. Moose tries to make new friends and stay out of trouble on the island, both of which are complicated by the presence of his autistic sister, Nat. My heart bursts with pride as Moose spends time with his sister and transforms into an understanding, protective, and proud (younger) big brother.

2) The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Milo, a child who doesn’t like doing much of anything, gets taken on an adventure where he has to do what he hates the most: lots and lots of thinking! It’s hard not to laugh as Milo encounters this land of puns and word play where it’s all too easy to jump to (the island of) conclusions or eat subtraction stew and find oneself hungrier than before. Milo has to learn to think logically to make his way through the Kingdom of Wisdom to save Rhyme and Reason and to restore peace to the kingdom. The brilliant wordplay in the story never ceases to amaze me!

3) Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Raina’s 6^th grade year is significantly altered when a trip across the yard results in the injury of her two front teeth. This graphic novel follows her dental journey, teeming with embarrassing braces, fake teeth, and headgear. Meanwhile, Raina is also facing all the debacles of middle school: mean friends, crushes, schoolwork, and teasing. Through it all, Raina has to learn how to get her smile back. Smile taught me that I needed to rethink my opinions about graphic novels.

4) Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes

18 high school students in an urban school. 18 different sets of circumstances. 18 people who feel like no one understands. These young adults use Open-Mic Poetry Fridays in Mr. Ward’s class to find their voices, until 18 different students become one class, friends who understand each other and themselves in a way they never knew was possible. I appreciate how the author manages to write both prose and poetry with 18 different and authentic narrative voices.

5) Graceling by Kristin Shore

Katsa, a young girl with the Grace of killing, longs to leave her kingdom and the authority of her uncle, King Randa, who uses her skills as punishment for disobedient townspeople. Katsa gets her chance when she meets Po, a Grace who gives her enough courage to leave with him. Together, they go on an adventure to find Po’s uncle, and they happen to find a lot more on the way. This has become my favorite novel as of late!

6) Flight by Sherman Alexie

Zits is about to shoot up a bank, or so he thinks. Instead, Zits is sent through time, thrown into bodies of FBI agents, a young Native American child, a pilot, and many others. Zits travels through American history to situations in which violence is someone’s answer for the problem at hand. With each encounter, Zits begins to understand the senselessness of using violence in solving his problems with race relations, his anger at his father, or his struggle to find identity. Alexie takes a character I hate on page 1 and makes me cry for him by the end.

7) The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís

Neftalí is a dreamer in a world in which dreams are insignificant; his parents want him to grow up, but he wants to continue to live in his curious world of words and stories. Neftali realizes that in order to reach his dreams, he has to set out on his own and explore himself.

Unhindered, Neftali grows up to become Pablo Neruda, and he changes the world as one of the most influential poets in history.

8) Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins

What do the overweight girl, the only openly gay guy at the school, the nice-guy football player, the Christian cheerleader, the bully, and the hard-core chick have in common? All of them could be expelled, unless they attend Mr. Duffy’s group therapy together. Six peers face off in a game of Truths, as they explore stereotypes and social acceptance in ways that take each character out of their comfort zones. These high school characters came alive to me in a way I haven’t seen in a long while; they blossomed into authentic young adults before my eyes.

9) Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss Everdeen has always been a survivor: in her hometown, District 12, she has broken rules and has done whatever is necessary to provide for her family and to get ahead. Now, Katniss has to use those skills to save her life. Thrown into an arena with 23 other children, Katniss has to decide whether her holding to ethical stance against killing others is worth her own death and whether standing up against a corrupt government is right, no matter what the cost. This book was so riveting, I had to go buy the other two immediately afterward.

10) The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Macy is all about order; she has filled her summer with unexciting chances to “get ahead”: a job at the library, a smart boyfriend, and piling stacks of SAT prep cards. She doesn’t realize the tediousness of her own existence until she meets the Wish Catering Company—exuberant, passionate people working in a state of disorder she finds oddly comforting. Macy makes friends with these people and begins to realize that the life she led wasn’t really living at all… Dessen’s ability to create female protagonists devoid of overdone-high school drama makes her stories new and inviting!

It is through these books, I’ve begun to understand why I avoid certain books as well as the dangers of doing so. Somewhere along the way, I forgot my librarian’s advice and fell into the dangerous habit of prejudging books. But fit is through these “second chancers”  that I’ve learned (over and over) that:

~ I can miss so much by judging a book by its cover.

~I cannot dismiss genres without trying them.

~I should give a book some time to catch my attention.

~It’s not always a bad thing to jump on the bandwagon and read what everyone is raving about.

But most of all, I’ve learned that every book I look at and make an excuse against is just another potential second chancer; and that is what keeps me picking ‘em up!

Holly Kregel is a children’s literature enthusiast and writer from Michigan. You can find her on Twitter as @HKregel.

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Reread for the First Time

10.  Matilda by Roald Dahl

As a child of only eight years old, I was handed my first novel.    Not one that had been assigned to us by our teacher that would support age and level-appropriate reading development, but a real life, 200+ page novel.  As I began to read about a little girl who loved to read as much as I did, who did not feel as though she fit in, I was in love.  The idea that someone smaller, younger, and as it turned out, more clever than I was able to stand up to her bullies, was completely foreign but encouraging to me.  Through the description by author Roald Dahl, I could imagine the scenery, the newt floating in the Trunchbull’s water glass and wiggling wildly.  This was the novel that cut the ribbon on my life as a reader.

9. The Diary of Anne Frank

Historical novels, fiction and nonfiction, are the gateway from reading about the events of the past and realizing that there were people, with families, hobbies, imaginations, and dreams, no different from ourselves, who actually lived and experienced life in these conditions.  Reading factual accounts of World War II, Adolf Hitler, Jews in hiding for their lives, and concentration camps sounded dreadful, but never having experienced anything remotely close, it’s easy to compartmentalize and forget.  First-hand accounts of survival and struggle, especially through the narration of a young girl give history a pulse.

8.  “Othello” by William Shakespeare

“O beware, my lord, of jealousy!

It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock

The meat it feeds on.”

(Othello, III,iii)

From the first moments of this classic Shakespearean tragedy, I’m hooked.  This play had all of the elements of a blockbuster hit.  Under-handed dealings, secret marriages, 400 year old racism, a war, and fatal jealousy that grips the reader.  While a play is technically not a novel, I still was assigned to read Othello in the 10th grade, and have been obsessed with the brutality of it all.  The building anticipation is outstanding; will Iago’s plan come to fruition?  Will Othello be able to withstand the mind games at play, or will jealousy take down the great leader of the Venetian army?

7.  Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

What a beautiful gift the Harry Potter series has been to children and adults alike!  What started out as a fantastical child’s novel about wizardry and friendship developed into a dark, harrowing tale that absolutely has found its way into the “Classics” section of any library.

6.  The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

The story of a young girl and her experience of growing up in Nazi Germany during World War II is narrated by a seemingly unreliable source, Death.  However, giving the setting, whom else would have such an omniscient insight into the way lives were lived and taken away, and the impact of that loss, than the taker himself.

5.  The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Sometimes the more simplistic a story, the heavier the message.  This book was intended for children, yet there are many adult lessons that can be learned.  A boy who loves his tree for what it provides to him, yet he continues to take and take and take until there is nothing left.  Through the years, the tree sacrifices for the boy he loves, and even at the end of his life, the boy who is now a grown man still has an appreciation for the beloved tree.

4.  Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I grew up sheltered from many of life’s devastations.  I read books that told a story, but rarely taught a lesson.  I knew what rape was, but until I read Speak, and developed a concern for the main character, Melinda Sordino, I never realized the depth of the immense effect that a woman went through.  Up until then, I didn’t even realize that rape could happen to teenagers, or that there were monsters cloaked in a disguise of popularity and power.  Author, Laurie Halse Anderson, does an epic service to all young people to view their peers with a wider scope and less restrictive lenses.  The untold story often says more than a thousand words.

3.  Looking for Alaska by John Green

As an adult reading the story of a young man who begins his life, seeking “the Great Perhaps” was a literary journey that I am completely grateful for.  John Green develops characters and friendships so deep and complete that I felt as though I could be living down the street from Pudge, the Colonel, or Alaska Young.  The chronological flow of discovering curves and blonde hair, the trials of a hopeful, broken heart, and the camaraderie of duty to friendship is immaculate, genuine, and crushing.

2.  Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

There is no “unknowing” something you have already discovered.  Some books are like that.  Once you have read the ending, discovered which lover is chosen, who dies, who lives, who framed the innocent man, the novel is forever altered.  The first time that you unwrap a genuine plot twist like that of Fight Club, the fallout is total.  The unreliable narrator weaves a literary web for the reader, and then whisks it away at the end; everything that we once believed to be true now is questioned.  If only you could capture and revisit that shock over and over again, but it is never the same.

1.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Sometimes an author appears on a list, a certain color of a book jacket catches your eye on the bookstore shelf, or a title intrigues a reader enough to open the front cover of a book and the foundation for a love affair begins.  This is how I felt as I read The Fault in Our Stars for the first time.  Cheesy as it may be, the way I viewed young adult literature after was like seeing in color for the first time when all else had been black and white.   I still feel myself smile and cheer for Hazel Grace, Augustus, and their humble journeys, and tears still fall, yes after all the attempts to connect in the same way as I did the first time.

Amanda Ferrari teaches high school English in Alaska. You can find her online blogging at Forever Within the Written Pages and on Twitter as @Fancy Oatmeal. 

I’m embarrassed to admit how many hours I’ve procrastinated by scanning my inbox for emails from ALA listservs, listening in on librarians dishing about character names, how to get teens involved in writing, and favorite books.  Here’s what people in the business know that outsiders may not – librarians are HILARIOUS.

2. THEY KNOW HOW AND WHERE TO FIND ANYTHING

In my novel MULTIPLE CHOICE, the main character is obsessed with anagrams and other word puzzles.  Being the semi-Luddite I am, a big chunk of my writing time was spent painstakingly constructing anagrams from scratch – until my hometown reference librarian Kathy Killeen asked me why I wasn’t using an online anagram generator.  Changed.  My.   Life.   Not only did I save myself months of work, I never could’ve come up with a gem like ASTRONOMERS = MOON STARERS on my own.

3. THEY HELP ME SCOUT OUT FURNITURE

When my public library was getting renovated, the local librarians knew what a library geek I was and told me about the super secret sale the town was having to sell off the old furniture. I was devastated to discover I was out of town on the designated day but my husband took pity and went in my place. Oak tables! Desk chairs!  Wooden book carts with wheels!  AN ATLAS STAND!!  Coming home that night was like a dozen Christmases rolled into one.

4. THEY LET ME SLEEP AT THEIR HOUSE

When my son and I traveled way up to Blue Hill, Maine last year for a school visit, there was literally nowhere off-season to stay in this beautiful harbor town.  Enter librarian Nancy Crowe who let us stay in her gorgeous home, replete with gluten-free breakfast.  We had an amazing day of presentations, writing workshops, even an obstacle course in the schoolyard enacting scenes from MY LIFE AS A BOOK.  That’s what I call some good old-fashioned Down-East hospitality.

5. THEY RALLY A SCHOOL AROUND ONE BOOK

I just love the One Book/One School events librarians champion in their towns.    They’re a great way to get to know other readers in your community and get kids invested in a story with their friends.  Theresa Robinett organized a giant event in Glendale, CA that got hundreds of kids excited about reading.  In Oxford, CT, Jan Redfern is hiding a capuchin monkey doll from MY LIFE AS A STUNTBOY around the school for kids to discover with clues from the book.  I’m taking a side trip from our vacation to stop in because I can’t bear the thought of missing out on so much fun with my characters and readers in a place that isn’t inside my head.

6. THEY SHARE MY QUEST TO CONQUER RELUCTANT READERS

One of my missions in life is to make a dent in this whole reluctant reader thing.  I’m like a dog with a bone when it comes to writing books that are funny and exciting enough for reluctant readers (i.e. boys) to actually look forward to reading.  Librarians are on the front lines of this important undertaking; I’m just happy to be fighting on their side.

7. THEY RECOMMEND THE PERFECT BOOK

I never would’ve picked up Gillian Flynn’s GONE GIRL if a friendly librarian at ALA hadn’t recommended it.  And what I would’ve missed! I recommended the book to anyone who would listen and devoured Flynn’s other books straightaway.  There are hundreds of books I could say that about; my rule is – if a librarian recommends it, it’s worth reading.

8. THEY LET ME TALK ABOUT RESEARCH

Nothing makes me happier on a school visit than when a librarian asks me to talk to students about doing research.  For me, one of the true benefits of writing books is getting to learn about new subjects every day.  Sir Francis Bacon, one of the fathers of the scientific method, died of pneumonia that he caught while STUFFING SNOW INTO A DEAD CHICKEN to study food preservation – are you kidding?  You can’t make this stuff up – and no one knows how to find those kind of super-cool facts like librarians.

9. THEY GIVE ME A SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Writing novels is about as solitary as a job can be so it’s always a pleasure to meet people at conferences and school visits who devote as much time, effort, and LOVE to books as I do.  It’s almost like a group of people with a secret language based on well…language.  I feel less like a nerd than I usually do when I get to talk about characters and story and – dare I say it? – SENTENCES.  Librarians make me feel like I belong.

10. THEY PUT MY BOOKS INTO KIDS’ HANDS

This, of course, is no small thing.  If it weren’t for conscientious librarians and teachers, there’d be a lot of us making up stories for our own amusement without being able to share them with the readers we intend them for.  I have stacks and stacks of letters from kids over the years – many from boys who read THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY – saying how much the book meant to them, and that the only reason they read it was because their school librarian literally put it in their hand.  If my editor is the midwife to my books, then librarians and teachers are the proud relatives, showing photos of my babies and bragging to anyone who’ll listen.  And you need more than a special week to celebrate THAT kind of love – you need a lifetime.

Janet Tashjian is the author of eleven novels for children, including MY LIFE AS CARTOONIST and the upcoming EINSTEIN THE CLASS HAMSTER. 

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Written in free verse, May B. tells the story of Mavis Betterly, a 12-year-old girl living on the Kansas frontier with her family. After a poor harvest, May’s father removes her from school and sends her to a neighbor’s farm to help an unhappy bride settle into her new home. When circumstances leave May stranded at the homestead on her own, she faces her greatest challenge yet: survival. ( Book trailer / Study guide )

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Winner of the National Book Award as well as a Newbery Honor, Inside Out & Back Again follows Hà and her family as they flee Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Forced from the only home she’s ever known and separated even further from her missing father, Hà must now also learn to adjust to life in a strange new place. The book is inspired by the author’s own experiences in the United States after leaving Vietnam with her family in 1975. ( National Book Award Finalists Reading, November 2011 )

Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg

Eight-year-old Eleanor is having a terrible August—so bad, it’s like pickle juice on a cookie! Her longtime babysitter has moved away, and Eleanor is left with a hole in her life. With a little bit of help from her friends and family, can she find a way to fill it? ( The story behind the story. )

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Like many kids, Jake hates poetry. When his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, shares some of her favorite poems with his class, Jack is resistant. But then, something unexpected happens… Jack finds himself connecting to some of the poems, unlocking a side of himself he never knew was there.  Also recommended: Hate that Cat. ( Scholastic’s literature circle guide )

October Mourning by Lesléa Newman

Haunting and powerful, October Mourning is Lesléa Newman’s fictionalized account of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard. Told from a variety of perspectives, both human and not (including the stars and the fence to which Shepard was tied), the book chronicles the events of that harrowing night and explores the lasting impact of Shepard’s death. ( Book trailer / Discussion guide / SLJ author interview )

The Girl in the Mirror by Meg Kearney

In this follow-up to The Secret of Me, high school senior Lizzie thinks she is ready, with the help of her adoptive parents, to learn more about her birth mother. When a tragedy strikes her family, Lizzie’s world is upended, and she must figure out for herself how to find her way again. Beautifully done, and teachers take note: Kearney includes a guide to the poetic forms she uses in a helpful appendix, complete with explanations of why she used certain forms throughout the narrative. ( Teacher’s guide )

Sold by Patricia McCormick

Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi lives in a poor farming community in Nepal, and yet she is able to find a quiet beauty in her world—until the day her stepfather sells her into slavery in India. In the blink of an eye, Lakshmi is ripped from her home and forced into a life no child should ever have to face. Heartbreaking, often difficult to read, but ultimately hopeful, Lakshmi’s story is an important one, and she is a heroine worth rooting, hoping, and fighting for. ( Discussion guide / Author FAQ )

The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

This collection of interconnected poems gives us a glimpse into the overlapping lives, loves, and stories of twenty teenagers at the same New Jersey high school. From the gay couple experiencing their first romance, to the popular mean girl, to the surprisingly insecure jock, Levithan gives each narrator a distinct voice. And as their stories emerge, we see the many ways, both obvious and subtle, that these teens and their lives are connected. ( Excerpt )

Pieces of Georgia by Jennifer Bryant

Georgia McCoy is an artist, just like her mother, but things aren’t the same since her mom died. It’s hard to connect to her father, and she’s starting to forget what it’s like to be a family. But a surprise gift a few days after her thirteenth birthday starts to change things. Who sent this wonderful present? And will it be just what Georgia and her father need to start to heal? Also recommended: Kaleidoscope Eyes. ( Teacher’s guide )

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

After reading Frost’s Crossing Stones, I saw this book featured on Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book Almanac. It tells the story of twelve-year-old Diamond Willow, who lives in Alaska with her family and their sled dogs. The family’s prize dog, Roxy, is also Diamond’s favorite, and with a little cajoling, Diamond convinces her parents to let her take the dogs on a solo run to visit her grandparents. When an accident threatens Roxy, Diamond must take responsibility for her actions and find a way to set things right. Beyond the remarkable story, this book is also a unique study in form; each poem is crafted in the shape of a diamond, with a smaller bold-print message nestled inside. Also recommended: Crossing Stones. ( Teaching ideas )

Lauren Strohecker is a K-6 librarian just outside of Philadelphia. Because there’s no such thing as enough books, she also works as a bookseller at an independent bookstore. Visit her on Twitter at @lkstrohecker.

Mariah may have gone to my school for only a short time. I remember her in the 2nd grade, but not after. We weren’t really friends, but she still lives in my memory because of one particular day.

While rehearsing for the 2nd grade play, where I made my one and only stage appearance as a haystack, some of the other kids teased her as we waited around. They started by singing “They Called The Wind Mariah” when she walked by on the stage. As usual, she started to get aggravated. Then one boy called her a name I’d never heard before.

“Lesbian!”

The boy spat that unfamiliar word at her, and she screamed back at him. I didn’t know what that meant, but I knew it must have been bad. The boy said it like he would have said one of the bad words adults use sometimes when they are angry. I thought that being a lesbian, whatever that was, must be awful.

Looking back, I wonder if Mariah was a lesbian. If she was, she probably didn’t find the refuge I did in books. During middle and high school, the books I read on my own, and certainly the ones I read in school, wouldn’t have reflected her. There were plenty of boys and girls falling in love to mirror the experiences of my peers, but they didn’t have female characters that suddenly discovered they had crushes on each other. If Mariah questioned her sexuality in the age before the Internet, she didn’t have any models or mirrors that kids need.

One of the courses I took to prepare to switch from working in the government contracting world to teaching was an elective called Young Adult Literature in Multicultural Settings, taught by Dr. Linda Hanrahan. Linda required us to explore YA books that represented the diversity we might encounter in our own classes. Perhaps inspired by Mariah, my friends from college, and my own experiences, I took on a study of gender and sexual identity in YA as my culminating project.

That class was the start of what has become my classroom library. Though some of those books have disappeared over the years (Love Rules, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies), half remain in my classroom library today. Others have joined them. They deal with many issues faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) teens, their friends, and their families.

Here are 10 LBGTQ books  I have in my classroom library. This is by no means an exhaustive list. However, these 10 (+1 bonus!) have been a good start toward ensuring that my high school classroom has books for every reader.

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden (1992-L)

When 17-year-olds Liza and Annie meet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they form an instant friendship that turns romantic. Liza struggles to understand her feelings after she and Annie are discovered together by a school administrator.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999-G)

High school freshman “Charlie” writes to an anonymous person about his first year in high school. He befriends Sam and her step-brother Patrick, who is gay. One subplot involves Patrick’ secret relationship with Brad, the football team’s quarterback. Perks is #16 on NPR’s 2012 “Best-Ever Teen Novels.”

Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez (2001-G, Q)

Senior and popular athlete Jason begins to question his sexuality and goes to a meeting for gay youth. There he meets Kyle, a swimmer who is coming to accept his sexuality, and Kyle’s best friend Nelson, a flamboyantly gay senior. As they bond over their fears about coming out, Kyle and Jason become more than friends. The book also deals with casual sex, meaningful relationships, and HIV.

Luna by Julie Anne Peters (2004-T)

In this 2004 National Book Award finalist, the fifteen-year-old narrator, Regan, has always known her brother Liam’s secret: he cannot stand who he pretends to be during the day. At night, Liam transforms himself into Luna with the help of his sister’s clothes and makeup. Regan alternately fears Liam/Luna will harm or reveal himself. When Liam/Luna considers openly embracing her identity as a woman, can Regan support her?

Out of the Pocket by Bill Koningsberg (2008-G)

Senior football star Bobby Framingham knows he’s gay, but keeps his sexual orientation secret from his teammates and coach. Tired of hiding, he confides in “friend” Finch Gozman,. Finch, a high school reporter who desperately wants to be a journalist, writes a news story that outs Bobby, who must deal with the fallout.

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Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (2010-G)

Will Grayson has been best friends with Tiny Cooper since grade school. The only thing tiny about Tiny Cooper is his name; he’s out, outrageous, and lovable. When Will Grayson accidentally encounters another Will Grayson, the lives of all three are changed. Both funny and poignant, this was the first gay themed YA to debut on NYT Bestseller list and is #34 on NPR’s 2012 “100 Best-Ever Teen Novels.”

Shine by Lauren Myracle (G-2011)

Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award winner Shine starts in the aftermath of a brutal hate crime. After Peter’s attack leaves him in a coma, his former best friend, sixteen-year-old Cat, thinks someone in their rural Southern community is responsible and feels compelled to seek justice for Peter. The book immediately calls to mind the real life murder of Matthew Shephard and is a gut-wrenching, beautiful story of friendship and healing.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth (2012-L, G, T, Q)

Cameron Post lives in rural Montana. The day after her first kiss with her best friend Irene, twelve-year-old Cam’s parents die, and her conservative Aunt Ruth and her grandmother move in to care for her. As a teen, Cam begins to accepts her sexuality and identify as a lesbian. She falls for the beautiful Coley Taylor in high school, and they have a secret relationship. When her aunt discovers the truth, she sends 17-year-old Cam to God’s Promise, a fundamentalist church camp that promises  to “cure” her.

Every Day (2012-L? G? B? T?)

Every day, A wakes up in a new body. A’s hosts are male, female, all races, and all social classes. The only common threads: each is A’s chronological age and fairly close by. Mostly, A tries not to disturb their lives, until A wakes up as Justin and falls in love with Justin’s girlfriend Rhiannon. The next day brings a new body. But the love A feels for Rhiannon remains, and A wants to see her. This book defies definition and makes the reader question…everything.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (2012-L, Q) 2012

Senior Astrid Jones hates that her mother moved them to a small Pennsylvania town. She feels attracted to other women, but doesn’t know if she is a lesbian. Her best friend pressures her to come out of the closet, her mother domineers, her sister tries to be perfect, and her father escapes into pot. With no one to talk to, Astrid examines her life through her imaginary friend Frank Socrates and sends her love to the passengers of the planes that fly overhead.

October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shephard by Leslea Newmann (2012-G, Hate crimes)

Since it’s National Poetry Month, I’d be remiss if I left out October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shephard by Leslea Newmann. While Newmann’s book isn’t young adult literature, it, too, holds a place in my class library. October Mourning’s poetry responds to and explores the impacts of the brutal murder of Matthew Shephard in 1998. I graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1997. Some of my best friends there were in the LGBTA, one of whom was its president at the time. Newmann’s book and Myracle’s Shine are windows into the darker places I hope my kids never go. But I keep them and will include other “dark books” because putting blinds over the windows doesn’t make the bad things go away. For the kids in 213, the right book might just be the one that rips down the blinds.

Chris Kervina teaches English and journalism, and relentlessly adds books to her classroom library in northern Virginia. A long time sufferer of helium hands, she also advises the literary magazine, works at basketball games, and belongs to an educational sorority. She can no longer claim to be just a “Nerdy groupie.” Chris blogs inconsistently at http://mrskervina.blogspot.com. You can also find her on Twitter as @ckervina.

Not exactly.

Reading is: to inspect and apprehend the meaning of writing or other signs or characters. (Thanks, dictionary.com!) So, reading a book means gaining meaning from words and from pictures.  Here are some key reading skills kids build when they read wordless books:

1. Comprehension
2. Print concepts (in English, we read top to bottom, left to right)
3. Sequencing
4. Inferring
5. Predicting
6. Vocabulary

How can a wordless book build a child’s vocabulary? Research led by professors Sandra Gilliam, Ph. D. and Lisa Boyce, Ph. D. from the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University showed that mothers used more complex language when sharing a wordless book with their children than they did when they made comments while reading a book with words. (Utah State University Study Shows Parents Are More Engaged With Their Children When Reading Books Without Text June 07, 2011, http://www.Businesswire.com retrieved June 15, 2012)

And of course, the most important reason to share wordless books is because they draw us into a world where even those who struggle with letter recognition can successfully read a fantastic story.  Here are my top 10 favorites:

Chalk by Bill Thomson

Thomson’s photorealistic art always amazes me. Three children find a bag of chalk on the playground. When they start to draw, their pictures come to life! When one child draws a dinosaur, some creative thinking must be used to save the day.

The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

This book won the Caldecott medal, with good reason. It is a gorgeous “retelling” of Aesop’s fable where a mighty lion spares a mouse that later comes to his rescue. The message that all can make a difference, from the smallest to the mightiest, comes through beautifully.

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon

Wordless books aren’t exclusively for “little kids”. This graphic novel about a dog and a robot is over 200 pages and deals with themes of friendship, loss, and forgiveness. Upper elementary and middle school kids will pore over this one.

Flotsam by David Wiesner

Wiesner has several wordless books, but this is my favorite. A boy develops film from a camera that washed ashore and finds incredible photos, including one that connects him with all the other children who’ve ever found the camera.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan’s work is the ultimate proof that a wordless book can tell a gorgeously complex story. (Plus, if a picture is worth 1,000 words, then this 128-page book is an epic.) It is a beautiful, surreal take on the immigrant’s experience, and the wordless format tells this story of finding one’s way perfectly.

Home by Jeannie Baker

Using incredibly detailed collages, Baker shows us the power a community can have to transform a neighborhood within one generation. All the action is seen through one window, which makes it so fun to flip the pages back and forth to see which details have changed.

The Red Book by Barbara Lehman

In this red book, a girl finds a red book in the snowy city. In the book, she sees a boy sitting on a beach reading a red book about a girl who finds a red book in a snowy city. She’s the girl in the book that she’s reading about in the book she’s reading! The two characters can see each other and find a way to meet. Of course in the end, you see a character who finds a red book who seems to be looking at you, the reader.

The Adventures of Polo by Regis Faller

This is the first in a series of wordless books about Polo, an adventure-loving dog.  The pictures are large and clear, so even younger readers can follow along easily as Polo travels by boat, by cloud, by bubble, and by spaceship.

Zoom by Istvan Banyai

With each turn of the page, we are zooming out to see the larger whole of which the previous picture is a part. The farmyard on one page turns out to be a toy farmyard played with by a girl which is actually the cover of a magazine being held by a person who is on a cruise ship that is part of an advertisement on the side of a bus. It’s as if we’ve looked through an incredibly powerful microscope and we are zooming back out page by page. Super cool.

Shadow by Suzy Lee

Shadows take shape in a little girl’s mind and creating this whole “Where the Wild Things Are”-like world. I love the long, skinny shape of this book and the organization of the spreads, with the left-hand page showing the girl in her garage and the right-hand page reflecting the shadow world.

Wordless books are invitations to delve into depths beyond words. They are for beginning readers, advanced readers, new-to-English readers, visual readers, young readers, expert readers….well, I’m sure you get the picture!

Kristen Remenar is a children’s librarian and a national speaker on literacy for the Bureau of Education & Research. You can find her book recommendations on ReaderKidZ, or kristenremenar.com.

She is over-the-moon happy to announce that her first picture book will be published by Charlesbridge in 2015. It’s called To See or Not To See and it’s about Groundhog’s dilemma on February 2. She is lucky enough to be married to the very talented author/illustrator Matt Faulkner. 

Skellig by David Almond

A gloriously odd little novel that won a Printz Honor is almost poetical in rhythm and message. Michael, first person narrator, explores his new home while dealing with his grief over his ill newborn sister and his emotional parents. Enter Mina, the insightful homeschooler next door, and Skellig, the mysterious man in Michael’s dilapidated garage. Between his budding friendship with Mina and the mystery of Skellig’s transformation, Michael navigates the rough waters of heartache.

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

The third person narrative of Piper McCloud has a timeless feeling until the Chapter Four, when the news trucks, scientists and government agents arrive. Unlike the other homeschoolers on this list, Piper is schooled by her parents to hide her unique abilities from the world. Yes, she flies—it begins with just levitation—and she lands right in a secret government school for other “special” kids. Comic book and science-fiction fans will be pleased with this adventure.

The Homeschool Liberation League by Lucy Frank

This book is the purest homeschooling book I’ve read to date. Main character Katya wants to homeschool and her parents let her try—so long as she sticks with their planned lessons and school-like assignments. Katya wants more freedom, and with the help of new homeschooling friends she discovers while roaming the neighborhood during school hours, she seeks to enlighten her parents to gain her own educational freedom. Besides a host of interesting characters, this book opens the door to explore how individualized education is the key to a successful homeschool experience.

Schooled by Gordon Korman

There’s plenty of laugh-out-loud humor in this hippy love fest. On the surface, Capricorn Anderson seems like a page out of a stereo-type manual on homeschool kids (complete with a hippy commune), but Cap’s naivety and love will win over any haters. Schooled helps readers see beyond the surface issues of middle school and focus on what really matters.

Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

This book is super cute and exciting. It’s the youngest reading level out of the list and the illustrations are a perfect fit sprinkled throughout the pages. Nim’s ingenuity is believable and her daily tasks are comparable to Island of the Blue Dolphins for readers that might be turned off by the classic—sad, but possible.

Brian’s Hunt by Gary Paulsen

This is part of the Hatchet series, featuring plane crash survivor Brain. This time around, the main character is sixteen and he’s enjoying a solo canoe trip during late summer in the north woods. The only mention of homeschooling is in Chapter Two, which the narrator mentions that Brain “brought some paperback textbooks with him…” Brian’s experiences in this book are nature and science lessons for the reader as we follow his journey to discover the mystery of the injured dog that befriends him. Brain’s Hunt is not for the faint-of-heart—the circle of life and then some.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Leo Borlock is the perfect narrator for the epic event of Stargirl meets Mica High School. I felt like I was watching a train-wreck while reading—captivated by the larger than life antics of Stargirl (hello ukulele in the lunch room!) and aching for Leo to man-up when he doesn’t always chose to act in the way that I would like him to. It’s a thought provoking novel on the pains of conformity and the often cruel social pressures experienced in youth.

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl Caraway is currently my favorite homeschooler voice in fiction. I loved seeing things from her perspective through her letters to Leo in this novel. This book shows that homeschoolers are not anti-social: they can reach out to all ages and form friendships with a diverse group of people. If my daughter can grow-up to be a tiny bit like Stargirl, I’ll consider her to be a homeschool success story.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

When most people think of homeschoolers, they think of eccentric people—both the parents and children—and Safer is just the eccentric twelve-year-old that fits in that mold. Georges, the POV character, is adjusting to life in a new apartment as well as other life issues and it’s his experiences with Safer that force him to seek, and speak, the truth for the first time.

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

This homeschooling family has something for everyone: from science fanatics to artists of all mediums. The Applewhite family is so unconventional, not even their own daughter, E.D., feels like she fits in. Throw juvenile delinquent Jake Semple into the mix and you’ve got a hilarious read about a one-of-a-kind family that takes education to a hands-on approach, every day. There is a sequel, Applewhites at Wit’s End, but I haven’t read it, YET.

If you know of more homeschoolers in children’s fiction, I’d love to hear about them.

Carrie Cox is a writer and homeschooling mother of three in Mobile, Alabama. Previously, the California native dabbled in substitute teaching and ran the children’s department at the local bookstore. You may follow her literary journey at www.authorcarriecox.com and on Twitter @wonderwegian.