When reflecting upon some of my favorite books of last year and thinking about starting a book club for 9 to 12-year-olds, I realized just how great junior fiction is. We should never ever be too old for it! It often grapples with big issues but retains an innocence because of the childlike POV that comes with young characters.
Some JF books I've enjoyed are The Mysterious Benedict Society, Navigating Early, Listening for Lions, The Great Good Summer, A Series of Unfortunate Events (#1-13), and probably two dozen others I'm forgetting. All of these have been more recent gems for me (like, within the last two years), except for Unfortunate Events. I grew up on those. ;)
Even though it still makes perfect sense to write with a target audience in mind (in this case, children 12 and under), I think one mark of a truly good book is its ability to be enjoyed by all ages. This is one reason series like Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia are so popular.
I've been shocked, honestly, at how good JF is. I'm sure there are bad eggs as with all genres. And sometimes it doesn't quite seem like it would actually suit such a young child. They're just so true, though. That's why we don't outgrow junior fiction. I think Jesus had a pretty good point in Matthew 18 when He told His disciples to have faith like a child. There's something that we lose as adults. The innocence, blissful ignorance, lack of self-consciousness, and the simplicity of life. It's a perspective that we can't quite get back.
Except by reading junior fiction, as I have discovered. ;) That's why we shouldn't outgrow it.
The neat thing is, they're not fluffy books. All of the ones I mentioned above are so good because they're children dealing with really difficult adult things. But they're still children! So their very approach, despite how much the circumstances force them to grow up, is so very different than anything other books can offer.
And it's beautiful.
I call JF (or MG) my "guilty pleasure," because normally I read YA. But I absolutely agree with you that we should not outgrow it for one second.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorites? Hoo boy.
Narnia, Harry Potter, the Lucky Trimble trilogy, Anne of Green Gables and all other L.M. Montgomery stuff, Wrinkle in Time, The Door in the Wall, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Rabbit Hill...and way too many others. I kind of have a knack for adopting the unloved Newbery Medal books....
YES TO ALLLLLLL <3 <3 <3 (I'll have to look up those last few)
DeleteI love JF. Wow... MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY!!!! Such a great series!!! Then Viking Quest (a favorite of mine), Narnia, Arcrea (I guess it's JF?), etc. JF really is just really sweet. Great post!!!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Like your new picture!!!
P.S.S. I think I'm officially head over heels in love with your book. I'm sort of going through the phase... (Third time to go through it in two months) I probably already said that in another comment, but, well, I guess I'm just girl-fanning.
astoryspinner.blogspot.com
Ohh, I'll have to look some of those up! Thanks so much :D
DeleteAwwww thank you!!! Eek, you have no idea what that means. PLUS YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON TO READ IT 3X IN 2 MONTHS WHAT?! That's insane but I love you for it xD <3 Fangirl away B)
JF is so wonderful. Some of my all time favorite books are JF! They have the most magical quality to them.
ReplyDeleteRight??? I don't know why this fact didn't slap me in the face until recently ...
DeleteYes! Preach it! I don't understand people who think that junior fiction gets outgrown. I love reading books for middle grade - I even wrote one! XD I am planning to start A Series of Unfortunate Events this month, after I finish the last book in the Ascendance Trilogy, which is another excellent junior fiction book. Some good ones I read recently are The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente, Coraline and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and The Witch's Boy and The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. I loved all of them, and they were all "kids" books.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, there's Narnia the incomparable paragon of children's literature. ;)
How did I know I could count on you for support of this post? XD <3
DeleteYAY!!! Somehow I know you'll love Unfortunate Events :D Woooaaaahhhh those titles o_o Totally looking them all up!!!
Yes, no JF list is complete without Narnia <3
I love reading MG fiction as well! I used to convince myself that I was reading it just to "keep up with my genre", but I've grown to realize that it's really a favorite of mine. ;) Some favorites this year have been "Paper Things" and "Beautiful Blue World". They've both been as deep or more than adult books with that special whimsy only children's books can supply. ;)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it just the best?! *sigh* My reason was to keep my siblings reading, but now I read them just for me xD Ohhhh totally dashing to Goodreads right now xD
DeleteOne of my favorite authors write MG.... Katherine Paterson. Though some of her stuff borders being YA too. But yes, I just love children's books so much! The thoughts and feelings are just so real, and not dramatic like a lot of YA.
ReplyDelete*tries to remember if I've heard of her* Yes, not as much drama!!! I'm a dramatic writer (I like to think), and I enjoy that ... but I really love knowing I can read a book that, while it will still make me feel things deeply ... it won't drag me around in circles and make me want to kill myself xD That would be YA ... ;P
DeleteI heartily agree with this post! This past year, I have re-discovered the awesomeness of middle grade novels. Like you said, they can still deal with deep, adult themes, but they do it in a more subtle and sensitive way than adult novels do, which I like. Also, because they can't be as long, I feel like the authors pay more attention to each word and the prose is often really beautiful because every word has to count. I have read and loved most of the series you have mentioned; some other favorites are the Penderwicks, Elizabeth George Spears' historical fiction, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, and so many more. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYes, I've been finding myself enjoying the MG section more often as well! And your point here is so true, I love how junior fiction can really dive into deep issues but still be child-like and innocent. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYes, everything you said!! So glad I'm not the only one realizing its value for all ages <3
DeleteI totally agree with you! Good fiction doesn't get outgrown, even if it was meant for children. And you learn more from JF than from some adult books. (Also, there are children in JF. WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT THE DARLING LITTLE FOLKS???)
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES. I feel like they're more to the point because they're intended for little folks but SO MINDBLOWING. And yes, cute characters guaranteed without all the angst and misery xD
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