Today I have Adele Griffin stopping by to talk about books that her past self would have recommended to herself at 5, 11, 16, and 20. Plus recent books that she wished she would have read during those ages.
Age 5: At age 5, it’s all about the read-aloud: Taking Care of Mama, Chalk! How to Be, Peter Rabbit, The Dumb Bunnies, Max’s Words, The Great White Man-Eating Shark, Frog and Toad Are Friends, Eloise. I loved a lot of the same books that I read to my daughter now, and we really enjoy mixing up those groovy 70s classics with new talented au/illustrators working today.
Age 11: At age 11, it’s all about diving deep into the series, just losing yourself to the character and world. Some of my faves are old, but there have been some excellent new series since I grew up. Among the tried-and-true: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, Caddie Woodlawn, Little Women, Betsy-Tacy, The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Haunting Emma, The Penderwicks, Narnia, Golden Compass.
Age 16: This is a good time of life to build your reading library, but always with energy and interest, so I’d pair established classics with the contemporary classics: Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, Jane Eyre, Speak, A Girl Named Disaster, Gingerbread, How I Live Now, The Great Gatsby, House of the Seven Gables, The Bell Jar, Rebecca.
Age 20: I’d recommend first (or early) adult novels by some of my favorites, youth and talent busting into the scene all at once: Everything is Illuminated, The Rachel Papers, Mama Day, Goodbye, Columbus, Norwegian Wood, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, The Invisible Circus, The Secret History, Shine on Bright and Dangerous Object, Another Roadside Attraction, Fight Club, Less than Zero, The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing, Prep.
Thanks or stopping by Adele!!!
