AFOMA! I had no idea you read my newsletter -- you're a celebrity to me! 😱 All the credit for this post goes to Laura Bird, but you truly made my day with this comment.
Ok, so many of those retro MG books are so fond to my heart that I got a bit weepy thinking about them! I reread Witch of Blackbird Pond recently and I thought it held up so well after all these years. Absolutely loved it. A Wrinkle in Time was my favorite book as an angsty teen girl - maybe something about having a genius brother who needed saving by her ordinary (extraordinary) sister struck a chord!
Also, my mind is BLOWN that Island of the Dolphins (another fav of lil me) is based on a true story?! WHAT? I need to re-read this ASAP.
The idea of pairing the classics with contemporary counterparts is equally exciting and helpful and now I’ve added all these to my list of books to check out and then gift to all my favorite tween readers. Thanks for this powerhouse post!
I'm so glad you liked it, Alexis! I sort of went wild coming up with pairings. :) Truly, I started with five ... but couldn't stop there! (And yes, I get weepy too, thinking about how the older MG books accompanied me through my childhood and were my best friends in so many ways.)
Thanks for this pairing. What a great list of then and now! Like others, so many of my childhood favorites are on the list—A Wrinkle in Time will always hold my heart, and I reread The Witch of Blackbird Pond once a year. I could go on and on! I’ve read many of the newer titles, but now I have a couple of new books to drop onto my TBR list. Thank you!
I love, love, love this! Thanks for putting these matches together, and for taking me down nostalgia lane with my own memories of reading many of these titles in the 80s. A list I'll save for sure!
Holy potatoes I love this!!! What fantastic matchups! I feel like we need hundreds of these for teachers to use making classroom read decisions. So much mind-blowingly incredible middle grade is being written these days.
YAY!!! So happy you like the list. I had a blast compiling it, even as it made me a bit teary-eyed. Thinking about our beloved MG books from childhood is like hanging out with old friends we haven't seen in a long time, but who know every fiber of our being, no?
Sarah, what a great guest post! I talk about revisiting childhood faves, and now I’m like DUH, include a contemporary matchup! So many ideas swirling in my head right now!!
Yay, thank you! MARVELOUS JACKSON comes out Sept 10 (!!), and my debut, CROSSING THE PRESSURE LINE, was released in 2022. Sarah's newsletter earlier this week was an interview with me re: MJ, so take a peek if you want to get the scoop!
Thanks, Sarah! All the credit goes to Laura, who has the deepest knowledge and best taste in MG books of anyone I know (which is really saying something). Do you know her books? If not, definitely pick them up!
I loved almost all of the retro books- A Wrinkle in Time was famously my mother’s favorite book and I couldn’t get through it. I loved The Moon by Night and A Ring of Endless Light by the same author though! Love the matchups, my kid is moving into reading middle grade fiction as a second grader and I’m so excited for this time of reading with him. It makes me teary thinking about seeing my own love of reading manifest in my kid. My 5 yo is just starting to read sight words so we are nowhere near there with him but he does love a read aloud and asks his brother to read to him sometimes too.
Love these pairings!! Bookpeople in Austin (local Indie) has a table devoted to this very thing, pairing old favorites, mostly PB’s and board books, with newer titles-I’m going to recommend they do it for MG and YA too! I also kind of want to pelt you with some more of my old faves and see what you’d suggest-The Little Princess? Little House on the Prairie? The Borrowers? The Littles? Egads what a good, good game!
My contemporary match for Little House on the Prairie is The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. And for The Little Princess, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. Curious what Laura would say!
HI Meredith! Sarah offered some great suggestions. I would also add Tenmile by Sandra Dallas and The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming by J. Anderson Coats for Little House vibes -- not a perfect match, but same sense of adventure, challenge, and history. PS I am STUMPED on The Borrowers --- I need to think on that! More to come if I can come up with something. :)
Such a cool idea! And great “match-ups”!
AFOMA! I had no idea you read my newsletter -- you're a celebrity to me! 😱 All the credit for this post goes to Laura Bird, but you truly made my day with this comment.
HAHAHA I’m SUCH a FAN!! 🤣🤣🤣 I never miss a post of yours ❤️❤️ Love what you do!
I love seeing you on here too, Afoma! Yay for this incredible community!
[faints dead away] Thank you so much! 🙏🙏🩷🩷
I am addicted to Afoma’s lists. She’s a celebrity to me, too!
Right?! I swoon over her!
Oh my goodness! Hi Jill!! Thank you so much 🥰
What a great list of books yo read and re-read.
WOW what a great list!! 💜 Middle grade books are such a delight and I can’t wait to dig in to this list.
Ok, so many of those retro MG books are so fond to my heart that I got a bit weepy thinking about them! I reread Witch of Blackbird Pond recently and I thought it held up so well after all these years. Absolutely loved it. A Wrinkle in Time was my favorite book as an angsty teen girl - maybe something about having a genius brother who needed saving by her ordinary (extraordinary) sister struck a chord!
Also, my mind is BLOWN that Island of the Dolphins (another fav of lil me) is based on a true story?! WHAT? I need to re-read this ASAP.
The idea of pairing the classics with contemporary counterparts is equally exciting and helpful and now I’ve added all these to my list of books to check out and then gift to all my favorite tween readers. Thanks for this powerhouse post!
I'm so glad you liked it, Alexis! I sort of went wild coming up with pairings. :) Truly, I started with five ... but couldn't stop there! (And yes, I get weepy too, thinking about how the older MG books accompanied me through my childhood and were my best friends in so many ways.)
Thanks for this pairing. What a great list of then and now! Like others, so many of my childhood favorites are on the list—A Wrinkle in Time will always hold my heart, and I reread The Witch of Blackbird Pond once a year. I could go on and on! I’ve read many of the newer titles, but now I have a couple of new books to drop onto my TBR list. Thank you!
YAY! So glad you liked it. And thanks for reminding me I'm due for a reread of Witch of Blackbird Pond. :)
I love, love, love this! Thanks for putting these matches together, and for taking me down nostalgia lane with my own memories of reading many of these titles in the 80s. A list I'll save for sure!
This makes my day! Thank you, sweet Marlena. xx
Holy potatoes I love this!!! What fantastic matchups! I feel like we need hundreds of these for teachers to use making classroom read decisions. So much mind-blowingly incredible middle grade is being written these days.
YES!
Wait, this is such a good idea for updating text lists for teachers who have been teaching the same thing for 100 years! 🤯
Ok but...this is a BIG topic of discussion amongst my middle grade circles...
Yes, yes — I’d love your perspective! Tell me more! (Message me if you’d be up for a chat!)
Messaging you now!!
YAY!!! So happy you like the list. I had a blast compiling it, even as it made me a bit teary-eyed. Thinking about our beloved MG books from childhood is like hanging out with old friends we haven't seen in a long time, but who know every fiber of our being, no?
Sarah, what a great guest post! I talk about revisiting childhood faves, and now I’m like DUH, include a contemporary matchup! So many ideas swirling in my head right now!!
I'm so happy you like it, Clarkie. Compiling this brought me immense joy.
I can tell, which is what makes it so great!! Also, how do I not know your work? Checking your books out PRONTO.
Yay, thank you! MARVELOUS JACKSON comes out Sept 10 (!!), and my debut, CROSSING THE PRESSURE LINE, was released in 2022. Sarah's newsletter earlier this week was an interview with me re: MJ, so take a peek if you want to get the scoop!
Thanks, Sarah! All the credit goes to Laura, who has the deepest knowledge and best taste in MG books of anyone I know (which is really saying something). Do you know her books? If not, definitely pick them up!
you are the sweetest --- xx
Wow there are so many I haven't even heard of before!! Thank you to Laura!
Thank you for reading it -- and for sharing your kind words!
I loved almost all of the retro books- A Wrinkle in Time was famously my mother’s favorite book and I couldn’t get through it. I loved The Moon by Night and A Ring of Endless Light by the same author though! Love the matchups, my kid is moving into reading middle grade fiction as a second grader and I’m so excited for this time of reading with him. It makes me teary thinking about seeing my own love of reading manifest in my kid. My 5 yo is just starting to read sight words so we are nowhere near there with him but he does love a read aloud and asks his brother to read to him sometimes too.
This is the best comment ---- thanks for sharing about your kiddos. It makes me teary, too!
Love these pairings!! Bookpeople in Austin (local Indie) has a table devoted to this very thing, pairing old favorites, mostly PB’s and board books, with newer titles-I’m going to recommend they do it for MG and YA too! I also kind of want to pelt you with some more of my old faves and see what you’d suggest-The Little Princess? Little House on the Prairie? The Borrowers? The Littles? Egads what a good, good game!
My contemporary match for Little House on the Prairie is The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. And for The Little Princess, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. Curious what Laura would say!
HI Meredith! Sarah offered some great suggestions. I would also add Tenmile by Sandra Dallas and The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming by J. Anderson Coats for Little House vibes -- not a perfect match, but same sense of adventure, challenge, and history. PS I am STUMPED on The Borrowers --- I need to think on that! More to come if I can come up with something. :)
It looks like BookTrust (which I just learned about today!) has a post on this very topic: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2020/april/what-to-read-after...-the-borrowers/#:~:text=If%20your%20child%20adored%20The,many%20readers%20of%20The%20Borrowers.
OMG! Love this. Small world. Thanks for the link, Sarah.
We JUST went to the bookstore over the weekend but I guess we'll be going back very soon!! xx
😂 Sounds like a great problem to me