Today is the second part in a series of posts about all of the books I read in 2016. This post highlights the 8 children’s books, 6 comics/graphic novels, and 13 memoirs I read last year, organized by genre but otherwise in somewhat random order.
The BFG
by Roald Dahl
A childhood favorite full of deliciously ridiculous made-up words. Read my full review.
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
Along with My Side of the Mountain and The Long Winter, The Hatchet held a strong place within my child imagination of outdoor survival. Has anyone read the whole series?
Demon Dentist
by David Walliams
A funny middle-grade novel very reminiscent of Roald Dahl.
The River
by Gary Paulsen More of Brian trying to survive in the middle of nowhere.
Pax
by Sara Pennypacker Has a great, poetic outcome.
Crenshaw
by Katherine Applegate
The messages about trauma are great for child audiences.
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
I liked the use of mythology and the premise is fun.
The Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
The first two stories in the collection (the ones featuring Mowgli, Baloo, Shere Khan, Kaa, and company) are particularly great.
Heart and Brain: An Awkward Yeti Collection
by Nick Seluk
Definitely one of my favorite current cartoonists. I love Heart and Brain and got the calendar for Christmas.
Adulthood is a Myth
by Sarah Andersen
80% baseball comics about the Peanuts gang.
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between
by Lauren Graham
Delightful.
12 Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup
Solomon Northup was a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. After twelve years of horror, he was finally rescued. This is his autobiographical slave narrative, published in 1853. Along with Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and many others, these accounts are crucial to read, remember, and share. As you’d expect, the scene of his rescue is particularly emotional.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed
Follow Strayed on her journey as she mourns the loss of her mother and spends time on the trail.
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey
by Rinker Buck
Part memoir of his relationship with his father, part expedition to travel the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon. Interesting.
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
Powerful, poignant, and sad as the author’s cancer spreads and he bares his fears and vulnerability. You’ll need some Kleenex at the ready.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person
by Shonda Rhimes
A strong anthem for love and support.
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A powerful love story from a father to his son about racism, finding strength, and finding identity and place in an unfair world.
My Story
by Elizabeth Smart
I admire Elizabeth Smart’s survival.
Scrappy Little Nobody
by Anna Kendrick
Sassy and funny.
Life Among the Savages
by Shirley Jackson
Signature Jackson style as she uses her dry humor to paint a portrait of her life and marriage raising four young children. The funniest stand-alone excerpt is her puzzled reflections on her family’s sleep patterns and a missing blanket.
Where Am I Now?
by Mara Wilson Engaging as she writes about her childhood celebrity and her relationships with both the actors and characters that informed her youth.
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
by Leah Remini
Details her childhood and professional career alongside personal heartache.
Wildflower
by Drew Barrymore
Drew is funny and charming.
Do you have any children’s, comic, or memoir recommendations?
Read in 2016: Children's Books, Comics, & Memoirs
Today is the second part in a series of posts about all of the books I read in 2016. This post highlights the 8 children’s books, 6 comics/graphic novels, and 13 memoirs I read last year, organized by genre but otherwise in somewhat random order.
The BFG
by Roald Dahl
A childhood favorite full of deliciously ridiculous made-up words. Read my full review.
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
Along with My Side of the Mountain and The Long Winter, The Hatchet held a strong place within my child imagination of outdoor survival. Has anyone read the whole series?
Demon Dentist
by David Walliams
A funny middle-grade novel very reminiscent of Roald Dahl.
The River
by Gary Paulsen More of Brian trying to survive in the middle of nowhere.
Pax
by Sara Pennypacker Has a great, poetic outcome.
Crenshaw
by Katherine Applegate
The messages about trauma are great for child audiences.
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
I liked the use of mythology and the premise is fun.
The Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
The first two stories in the collection (the ones featuring Mowgli, Baloo, Shere Khan, Kaa, and company) are particularly great.
Heart and Brain: An Awkward Yeti Collection
by Nick Seluk
Definitely one of my favorite current cartoonists. I love Heart and Brain and got the calendar for Christmas.
Adulthood is a Myth
by Sarah Andersen
80% baseball comics about the Peanuts gang.
Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between
by Lauren Graham
Delightful.
12 Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup
Solomon Northup was a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. After twelve years of horror, he was finally rescued. This is his autobiographical slave narrative, published in 1853. Along with Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and many others, these accounts are crucial to read, remember, and share. As you’d expect, the scene of his rescue is particularly emotional.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed
Follow Strayed on her journey as she mourns the loss of her mother and spends time on the trail.
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey
by Rinker Buck
Part memoir of his relationship with his father, part expedition to travel the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon. Interesting.
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
Powerful, poignant, and sad as the author’s cancer spreads and he bares his fears and vulnerability. You’ll need some Kleenex at the ready.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person
by Shonda Rhimes
A strong anthem for love and support.
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A powerful love story from a father to his son about racism, finding strength, and finding identity and place in an unfair world.
My Story
by Elizabeth Smart
I admire Elizabeth Smart’s survival.
Scrappy Little Nobody
by Anna Kendrick
Sassy and funny.
Life Among the Savages
by Shirley Jackson
Signature Jackson style as she uses her dry humor to paint a portrait of her life and marriage raising four young children. The funniest stand-alone excerpt is her puzzled reflections on her family’s sleep patterns and a missing blanket.
Where Am I Now?
by Mara Wilson Engaging as she writes about her childhood celebrity and her relationships with both the actors and characters that informed her youth.
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
by Leah Remini
Details her childhood and professional career alongside personal heartache.
Wildflower
by Drew Barrymore
Drew is funny and charming.
Do you have any children’s, comic, or memoir recommendations?