May Family Book List: 11-13

Now we're getting to some of my favorite books for young adults.  A few of my favorite authors are Elizabeth George Speare and Katherine Paterson (you'll see more from them in the next age group).  I think each one of these books is absolutely enjoyable for kids and adults, so they're really fun to read together.

Ages 11-13
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Homecoming by Cynthia Voight
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Beauty:  A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley

I've got to point out a few. The Bronze Bow is historical fiction about a Daniel, a Jewish boy at the time of Christ who has sworn to avenge his father's death by the Romans.  He lives up in the mountains with a band of outlaws; but when his grandmother dies, he has to come back to the village and take care of his mentally disturbed little sister.  He and his friends think that Jesus may be the new leader of their band in defeating the Romans.  So good!  Full of action.

Beauty is not considered a classic or won any awards, but it is a really fun book that I have read several times as an adult.  Robin McKinley takes the basic story of Beauty and the Beast and turns it into an amazing fantasy with tons of background and side stories.  It is not like the Disney version at all!