Books for Age 11 - 12 and older
Copyright © Kendal A. Rautzhan 2012. All rights reserved.
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Crow by Barbara Wright, Random House, 296 pages
In Wilmington, North Carolina, in the year 1898, young African American Moses witnesses growing tensions between the black and white communities. His grandmother, Boo Nanny, believes in superstitions, and she tells Moses something big is about happen, and she fears the omens that surround them and their city. Wilmington North Carolina had the most thriving African American community in the country, but there were far too many whites who were growing more and more concerned about what that really meant. Finally, it all came to a devastating head.
The Wilmington Massacre of 1898 and the events leading up to it are expertly woven into this outstanding, important novel for older readers.
Involve children with the joy of reading
Confucius wrote, “Tell me; and I will forget. Show me; and I will remember. Involve me; and I will understand forever.”
Long before the written word, humans shared and enjoyed stories. Those that excelled as storytellers were often elevated in status. The key word here is excelled. If the storyteller or the story wasn’t very good, there wouldn’t be a captive audience.
It’s no different today. All children enjoy hearing great stories. Like you, children have preferences and want an excellent story, not a mediocre or boring one. Like you, children want to be involved in the story, and that happens when the story touches us in some way that makes us a part of what we’re hearing or reading.
Confucius was right. Telling a child that reading is fun without reading to the child is pointless. Show children and involve them in great stories, and they will understand. You can start with the books reviewed below and those featured by your local library. Once the message is understood, there’s no telling how far it will go!
Profiles: Tech Titans by Carla Killough McClafferty, Scholastic, 144 pages
The technical titans that have changed our world: Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, and Jeff Bezos. You might know some or all of these names, but it’s doubtful you know each of their stories – their childhood, how each became interested in computers, what they’ve accomplished and how it all has impacted our lives. Fortunately, that information and more is precisely what you’ll find in this fast-paced, fascinating book. Chock-full of inspiring, true stories, “Profiles: Tech Titans” will be hard for any reader interested in computers, technology and success stories to put down.
Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenberg, Viking, 72 pages
Sparing no expense, the ultra-luxurious Titanic was considered the most lavish, opulent vessel in the world. Noted as practically unsinkable, a technological miracle, and dubbed “The Queen of the Ocean,” Titanic’s momentous maiden voyage would be her last, never reaching her destination of New York City. Striking an iceberg on April 14, 1912, the ship sank to the bottom of the ocean in a matter hours, taking 1,517 of its 2,223 passengers and crew to their watery graves. For the 706 that survived, their experience was horrifying, and the tragedy of it all shocked the entire world.
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s fateful voyage, critically acclaimed author Barry Denenberg has created a powerful tribute that’s certain to engage readers of many ages. Titanic Sinks! is written as a special edition of the fictitious Modern Times Magazine. Meticulously researched and brimming with photographs, firsthand accounts, and fascinating details, this seamless blending of fact and fiction provides readers with a firsthand, riveting experience of what it was to build such a ship, who its passengers and crew were, what it was like to be aboard, and what it was like for survivors to watch the majestic Titanic sink before their eyes.
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy, illustrations by Ian Schoenherr, Putnam, 353 pages
It’s 1952 and fourteen-year-old Janie Scott and her family have just moved from Los Angeles to London. Janie feels like the foreigner she is until she meets Benjamin Burrows – an apothecary’s son whose ambition is to become a spy rather than follow in his father’s boring footsteps.
Benjamin involves Janie in spying on a man from the Soviet embassy, and the two are shocked to find that Benjamin’s father is somehow involved. When Benjamin confronts his father at his shop, the apothecary says there isn’t enough time to explain. He insists that Benjamin and Janie hide in the cellar immediately, and directs them to protect a book that’s been in their family for centuries – the Pharmacopoeia.
Moments later, the apothecary is kidnapped. As Benjamin and Janie search for the apothecary, it becomes obvious that Russian spies will stop at nothing to get their hands on the ancient book. Their mission to find Benjamin’s father and protect the Pharmacopoeia is fraught with great danger, and failure isn’t an option – to fail will mean nuclear disaster.
A masterful, multi-layered adventure that combines history, magic, and non-stop action, The Apothecary delivers in every regard.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, Henry Holt, 338 pages
Calpurnia (Callie) Tate is eleven years old in the summer of 1899. Her small town in Texas is blazing with high temperatures that nearly suffocate every living thing. Callie escapes the heat by spending a lot of time at the river. Her grandfather, an avid naturalist and considered by Callie and others as ill-tempered, takes an interest in Callie’s budding enthusiasm for the natural world.
As Callie and her grandfather work together exploring, collecting specimens, and conducting experiments, the two develop a close relationship. In the meantime, Callie is learning how to be the only girl among six brothers, and, much to her mother’s dismay, is determined to forge her own path as a young female scientist at the turn of the century.
Through flawless writing and believable characters, relationships, hopes and dreams, “The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate” is certain to be a sure-fire hit with older girls.
Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London by Andrea Warren, Houghton Mifflin,156 pages
In 1835, twenty-three-year-old Charles Dickens was beginning to make a name for himself as a journalist and author in his native city of London. While London and many of its residents enjoyed great wealth, Dickens was well aware of the vast numbers of poor people whose lives were brutal.
Born into a middle class family, Dickens enjoyed a relatively easy life until his father was thrown into debtors’ prison when Dickens was just twelve. His quick descent into poverty forced Dickens to labor long, hard hours alongside other children in a factory. It was an experience that forever changed Dickens.
When Dickens began writing, much of his work focused on the poor, and especially poor children, describing his characters as he knew the poor in real life – as good, worthy people. His stories inspired readers to work for social changes that would help the poor in many important ways.
Expertly researched and written, his flawless book is not only fascinating to read but also provokes intelligent thought about the abuses of power.
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen, Wendy Lamb Books, 164 pages
Thirteen-year-old Samuel lives with his parents on the edge of the wilderness in the British colony of Pennsylvania. Samuel’s life is peaceful, and he is more at home in the wilderness than anywhere else.
All of that changes one evening when Samuel returns home after hunting to find his few neighbors savagely murdered, all houses burned to the ground, and his parents missing. The rumors had been right – American patriots had begun their battle against the English, and the war has now reached to the distant corner of Samuel’s home. The American Revolution is in full swing.
With his parents taken prisoner by the British and Iroquois, Samuel follows their trail deep into enemy territory to try and free them. Along the way, Samuel learns much about unlikely friends, war, and what it means to survive.
Alternating fiction with historical notes, Paulsen creates an outstanding, riveting novel of what it was really like to live on the frontier, the atrocities of war, and the courage and strength required to endure both.
Peter Kent’s City Across Time: From the Stone Age to the Distant Future written and illustrated by Peter Kent, Kingfisher, 48 pages
There are many very old cities in the world where people have been living on the same site for thousands of years. In those places, most of the buildings we see today have been built over the structures of the past. Why did this happen and how? “Peter Kent’s City Across Time” gives readers a fascinating look into how these places have evolved over time.
As visually interesting to look at as it is to read, this book is both informative and ignites the imagination.
