New Leaf Nominations for May 2019 • You're Never Too Young: Children

[Catlady]

Decisions, decisions. I have four contenders (so far!), and can't make up my mind.

[Victoria]

I’m still vicillating as well, but definitely seconding Anne of Green Gables. I adored it as a kid - but when I reread it as an adult I found it quite funny.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by drofgnal

I browsed this list from goodreads. 122 adult novels with a child protagonist:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/...ld_Protagonist

My favorite on the list is 'All the Light We Cannot See'.

I'm still mulling over the list for a nomination. Funny, I don't see any classics in that list like David Copperfield.

Thanks drofgnal, great list -it’s a keeper. ‘The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie’ is one of 2 I’m still considering. I haven’t read it, but it did create a bit of a stir in Canada when it came out.

[Bookpossum]

I third The Go-Between.

[Catlady]

I'm nominating One Night in Winter (2014) by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

Inspired by a true story, prize-winning historian and acclaimed novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the consequences of forbidden love in this heartbreaking epic of marriage, childhood, danger, and betrayal that unfolds in Stalin's Moscow during the bleak days after World War II.

As Moscow celebrates the motherland's glorious victory over the Nazis, shots ring out on the crowded streets. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl—dressed in traditional nineteenth-century costumes—lie dead. But this is no ordinary tragedy, because these are no ordinary teenagers. As the son and daughter of high-ranking Soviet officials, they attend the most elite school in Moscow. Was it an accident, or murder? Is it a conspiracy against Stalin, or one of his own terrifying intrigues?

On Stalin's instructions, a ruthless investigation begins into what becomes known as the Children's Case. Youth across the city are arrested and forced to testify against their friends and their parents. As families are ripped apart, all kinds of secrets come spilling out. Trapped at the center of this witch-hunt are two pairs of illicit lovers, who learn that matters of the heart exact a terrible price. By turns a darkly sophisticated political thriller, a rich historical saga, and a deeply human love story, Montefiore's masterful novel powerfully portrays the terror and drama of Stalin's Russia.

Amazon US, $8.49

Kobo US, $8.49
Kobo Canada, $10.99 CAD
Kobo Australia, $12.99 AUD
Kobo New Zealand, $18.39 NZD
Kobo UK, £5.49

Audiobook available. E-book and audiobook can be borrowed through Overdrive, Hoopla, and Scribd.

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by Victoria

I’m still vicillating as well, but definitely seconding Anne of Green Gables. I adored it as a kid - but when I reread it as an adult I found it quite funny.

I'm intrigued.

I third Anne of Green Gables.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Victoria

Thanks drofgnal, great list -it’s a keeper. ‘The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie’ is one of 2 I’m still considering. I haven’t read it, but it did create a bit of a stir in Canada when it came out.

I quite liked the first one. Went off them after a couple more. But Sweetness was quite enjoyable.

[Dazrin]

Well, my daughter's choices do include Harry Potter, but only afterMy Side of the Mountain which is her all time favorite. I don't think I have read it. Her other option was The Hiding Place. I need to do some searching on availability (but I don't expect any issues) before making a formal nomination.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Well, my daughter's choices do include Harry Potter, but only afterMy Side of the Mountain which is her all time favorite. I don't think I have read it. Her other option was The Hiding Place. I need to do some searching on availability (but I don't expect any issues) before making a formal nomination.

The Hiding Place? I know of three books with that title--two suspense thrillers, one Holocaust memoir; none of those seems likely.

[Victoria]

I second The Airman

[Catlady]

My second nomination is Mother Carey's Chickens (1910) by Kate Douglas Wiggin. This was the basis for the wonderful Disney musical Summer Magic, starring Hayley Mills, Dorothy McGuire, and Burl Ives; before that, it was made into a nonmusical film starring Ruby Keeler and Anne Shirley. (Anne Shirley took her stage name from the character she played in the film adaptation of Anne of Green Gables.)

From the pen of Kate Douglas Wiggin (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm) comes this heartwarming story of Margaret Carey and her four children - or "chickens" as the author often refers to them.

The sudden death of the father of the family results in the drastic reduction of the Careys' income and they must leave their comfortable home in Boston. Nancy Carey, the eldest, recalls a vacation in Maine when they all picnicked in the garden of a big, vacant house that her father loved. She discovers that the house is available, the rent is cheap, and persuades her mother that life in The Yellow House in Beulah, Maine is the perfect place to begin their new life.

Mother Carey is a model of strength and wisdom (think Marmee from Little Women) but her children exhibit all the growing pains: Nancy is brimming with enthusiastic and not always practical plans; Gilbert resents moving to a small town and having his dream of college disappear; Kitty is overly sensitive; and coddled young Peter has to learn to do things for himself. Add to that, prim and snotty cousin Julia and visits from acerbic, critical cousin Ann, and Mother Carey has her hands full!

Soon The Yellow House becomes a welcoming oasis for Beulah's quirky inhabitants. A window into the joys and travails of country life of a century ago, Mother Carey's Chickens delighted everyone including Walt Disney, who adapted it for his 1963 movie Summer Magic starring Hayley Mills as Nancy.

Public domain.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Catlady

The Hiding Place? I know of three books with that title--two suspense thrillers, one Holocaust memoir; none of those seems likely.

The Holocaust memoir, really.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I quite liked the first one. Went off them after a couple more. But Sweetness was quite enjoyable.

I agree with this statement. I adored the first one and then lost steam after a few in the series. Not sure why. I’ve been thinking I should pick them up again. You should give the books a try, Victoriia. Especially if you like precocious young lady detectives with a mind for science.

I have a few ideas to nominate by haven’t had time to check availability yet.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

I agree with this statement. I adored the first one and then lost steam after a few in the series. Not sure why. I’ve been thinking I should pick them up again. You should give the books a try, Victoriia. Especially if you like precocious young lady detectives with a mind for science.

I have a few ideas to nominate by haven’t had time to check availability yet.

I loved the first one also and thought the second terrible; I was done at that point.

[issybird]

As with Colfer, I'm intrigued by the Montefiore, as I've read and enjoyed some of his histories. And Mother Carey sounds like fun; more fun than Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, so I wonder why the latter is better known. As for AoGG, I read it so very many times that I still have it nearly memorized, decades later.