In today’s double feature episode of WSIRN, I’m talking books with a pair of sisters. But unlike most of our episodes with multiple guests, they aren’t looking to find titles they’ll enjoy together. 12 year old Mia and 10 year old Micah already read the same books frequently, so we’re looking to individualize their reading lives with totally separate recommendations.
Mia is the older of the two, and is looking to introduce a little romance to her bookshelves… without leaving her comfort zone of action and adventure behind. Meanwhile Micah battles a classic middle-sibling problem… all her books are hand-me-downs, so she’s looking for a good mystery novel (or better yet, a series) that’s exactly suited to her taste first and foremost.
If you’re an adult who has zero interest in “kid books”, I encourage you to give this episode a shot anyway! Most of the titles we’re chatting about today are total hits with adult readers as well. Because good books are good books, no matter your age.
Let’s get to it!
Click here to read the full episode transcription (opens in a new tab).
If you enjoy a good double feature be sure to become a supporter on Patreon! Each episode of our short-form podcast One Great Book gets the double feature treatment where supporters get a bonus episode about a book that hasn’t been released yet. We also have follow up interviews with previous What Should I Read Next guests so you can hear what they’ve been reading lately. Become a supporter today.
More fun book recommendations happen on our Instagram feed where we use the hashtag #readerrecs to gather your recommendations for a reader who’s looking for a little literary inspiration.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Some links are affiliate links. More details here. If you’d like to support your local indie, check out Indiebound.com. And by all means, go grab one of these from your local library!
Books mentioned:
♥ When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
♥ Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling
♥ The Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins
▵ Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls
● The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan
● The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
● Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead
● Goodbye Stranger, by Rebecca Stead
● The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, by Stacy McAnulty
● The Story Thieves series, by James Riley
● The Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer
● The Framed! series, by James Ponti
● The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente
Books discussed with Mia:
● Resistance Women, by Jennifer Chiaverini
♥ The Lunar Chronicles series, by Marissa Meyer
♥ The Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins
♥ The Five Kingdoms series, by Brandon Mull
▵ The Truce at Bakura, by Kathy Tyers
● The Uglies series, by Scott Westerfeld
● Real Friends, by Shannon Hale
● Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
● Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon
● You Bring the Distant Near, by Mitali Perkins
● Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein
● Renegades, by Marissa Meyer
● The Selection series, by Kiera Cass
Also mentioned:
● BookBar in Denver, CO
● Lexile levels: what parents need to know, via Scholastic
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What do YOU think Mia & Micah should read next?
89 comments
Ink Heart series by Cornelia Funke
Thanks! I’ll write that one down. I’m pretty sure Micah started listening to it, but the playaway she was using broke and then it slipped our minds. I’ll have to snag it again!
I want to recommend “The Green Ember” series to Micah. Tons of action!
And the fourth and final “Green Ember” book is coming out in the spring!
Oh! I’ve heard of that one a lot, but it slips my mind. I want to read it too. Thanks!
Micah: The Theodosia series by Lefever and The wizard series (Home, Lost, Found) and The Lost Scrolls by Sarah Prineas.
Mia: The Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin, Snow like ashes by Sara Raasch, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Shatter Me by Tafereh Mafi, and *Warcross by Marie Lu, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.
I haven’t heard of most of those! Thank you!! Mia did just read The Book Thief and really liked it so you are definitely on the right track!
I think both Mia and Micah would enjoy Tamora Pierce as an author. I’d start with the Lioness Quartet. Also Robin McKinley “The Blue Sword” and “The Hero and the Crown.” And Diana Wynne Jones – I’d start with “Chronicles of Chrestomanci,” though my favorite is “Howl’s Moving Castle.” All have magic and lots of adventure!
For Micah I would suggest the Lockwood and Co series by Jonathan Stroud. Action packed books with strong female protagonist (Lucy is 12 or 13 when the series starts I believe) with a great friendship that develops throughout the books. They’re set in London in a near future where we are now facing “the problem” – a ghost haunting (not nearly as scary as it sounds, although the first book is definitely the scariest of the series). It’s also a great audiobook series that the whole family could enjoy together.
For Mia – I would suggest the Carve the Mark series by Verionica Roth. It’s also action packed, 2 main characters and told from both their points of view. There is a romance that develops but the main action is a fight for good vs evil as well as a coming of age story. it’s sci-if/fantasy set in an alternate universe.
For both girls:
1. The War That Saved My Life and its sequel, The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
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2. The Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett
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3. The Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld
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For Micah: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (part of the Books of Bayern series); the Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce
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For Mia: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater; Monstrous Regiment, and other books from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
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There are so many others but these are off the top of my head. Happy reading!
Oooo–another suggestion for teen readers: In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan! Hilarious and poignant, a coming of age tale with a bit of magic and mythology to help it along…
I also recommend The Princess Academy series by Shannon Hale to Mia, well Micah will probably enjoy it too. The first book in the series won a Newberry Award.
I’d like to recommend The Hideout by Eve Bunting for Micah. Mystery element + action.
Anne- I am so delighted to hear that someone else has not watched the Bachelor. I haven’t even seen a single episode and don’t get all the buzz around it. I’m not a big YA reader, but loved the Hunger Games series. Not sure if I will like the Selections series with the parallels to the Bachelor.
As a 5th grade teacher, I truly appreciate when you interview tweens. I have gotten so many great ideas of books to recommend to my students and add to my library. A series some of my 5th graders love is the Wings of Fire series about dragons, I think. I even had one brave soul who read Eragon by Christopher Paolini and the books after it.
Yes! My daughter is a 5th grader and her group of friends are obsessed with Wings of Fire and the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. That’s all she wants to read right now. I’m so excited to show her of these titles as well! Thank you!
I was going to recommend the Wings of Fire series too, my kids (9 & 11) are loving it right now. And it has so many books that I’m happy they will be busy for a while – no more trying to find something for them to read.
The Morrigan Crow series is quite possibly as good as Harry Potter. The first one is Nevermoor, there’s a second one out and the third is due in March 2020. It’s FABULOUS on audio. My kids have both listened to both books more than twice. Also, they would both probably like The Keepers of the Lost Cities series. Maybe 8 books now, all of which are long. But they move fast, lots of action, a bit of romance (but even a 10 year old would love it).
I was coming here to recommend Morrigan Crow! They’re fantastic! Also The Eighth Day series by Dianne Salerni is a fantasy/thriller hybrid and might interest one or both girls.
YES YES YES to Morrigan Crow! Book three is out in Jan 2020 and I cannot wait. It’s one of the best middle grade series I have ever read, right up there with Harry Potter! I was waiting for Anne to recommend them the whole time!
So excited to hear the third one is being released soon! My daughter and I have been waiting.
I think Micah would like Greenglass House by Kate Milford! I’m also seconding (thirding?) suggestions for Tamora Pierce.
I love the Aru Shah series! A Rick Riordan imprint with Hindu mythology. Aru Shah and the End of the World was an amazing debut novel!
*Aru Shah and the End of Time
I haven’t read the Five Kingdoms series by Brandon Mull, but I have read the Fablehaven series and enjoyed that (as an adult). If you like that, you may like the Janitors series by Tyler Whitesides. He also wrote the Wishmakers series. They’re all great action, adventure, magical element books. I also recently read the first Arlo Finch book by John August (who I heard as a guest on this podcast a year or so ago) and I know he has more out and coming out in that series. Fun show! I’ve added a lot of ideas to my TBR and for my daughter in the next few years (she’s six, but she’s quite advanced, so I have to keep ahead of her on book recommendations).
For Micah – Definitely the whole Ruby Redfort series by Lauren Child! Exciting, adventurous, no icky stuff and no sad tears. Ruby and her family are wonderful characters. There’s a lot of books too which is super fun. Content wise these are totally appropriate for a 10 year old but if the writing style is a bit too much, which I dn’t think it will be for Micah if she’s made her way through the Hunger Games!, start with the chapter books about Clarice Bean, by Lauren child – this is where she introduces Ruby, as Clarice is reading these mystery books and trying to solve mysteries in her own life. The books are Utterly me, Clarice bean; Clarice Bean spells trouble; and Don’t look now Clarice Bean. Also wonderful books to read with kids who are having a hard time at school – lots of sympathetic situations! You can jump straight into the Ruby Redfort series without reading these though.
Plus the Ruby Redfort hardcovers are GORGEOUS. Lauren Child started with picture books and has thought through the design of the covers and the type inside very deliberately, which is super fun.
Lauren Child is a great recommendation!
This was one of my favorite episodes! Thank you for including these reading sisters.
Thanks for listening!
For Micah: Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, and The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg
For Mia: Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, A Wrinkle in Time quintet by Madeleine L’Engle
For both girls: Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery (later books contain sweet romance), The Mother-Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick (later books have sweet romance)
Frances Hardinge’s whole body of work. Her earlier stuff for Micah and Cuckoo Song onward for Mia.
Pages & Co. Tilly & the Book Wanderers by Anna James
I highly recommend The VanGogh Deception for Micah. My 10 year old fifth grader loved it! Two kids are trying to find the answer to a mystery. They find something very curious about an art museum and think something may be happening inside. There are even QR codes to show the “real” pictures of the art described in the book. As an adult, I loved it too! Enjoy reading!
The Arlo Finch Series by John August is very Harry Potter meets the Boy Scouts, and my 5th grader LOVES it!
That’s a great recommendation! Also, do you know John August was a guest on the show? He was on Episode 115, Books that bridge two worlds, and you can listen to it right here: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/115-episode/
My daughter is 15 and was a big reader at 10-12. High school has derailed her a bit, sadly. Anyway, she loved “The Land kid Stories” series. Also:
“Wildwood” (series)
“The Golden Compass” (series)
“The Westing Game”
A great place to vet books for content is the Common Sense Media website. You get the org’s review and, hopefully, reviews from parents and kids.
And for Audible subscribers who liked “The Hunger Games” – Audible recorded an exclusive version for the book’s 10th anniversary. Tatiana Maslany (the *incredible* actress from “Orphan Black”) narrates and is fantastic. Only book one, unfortunately.
This is my second try at making a comment. It was a delight to listen to both Micah and Mia, you are such articulate young ladies.
This is the list of books I recommend, you can choose which you want to read.
*The Princess Academy* series by Shannon Hale.
*The Passion of Dolssa* by Julie Berry. It’s historical fiction about a Dolssa who lives in Medieval France and is branded as a heretic by the Catholic Church.
*Khë* by Alexes Razevich. This is a fantasy series. Razevich creates a completely different world than the one we live in.
And for your younger siblings, *The Dragon’s Gold* by my friend Debrah Strait. I loved this book about a bumbling knight, the lady who doesn’t want to be rescued, and the dragon who becomes their friend and helps them rebuild their crumbling kingdom.
As Anne says, happy reading.
When I was about Mia’s age, I really enjoyed Ellanor’s Exchange by Linda Hayner. It’s published by a relatively unknown publisher, but it’s excellent historical fiction about a young girl’s debut into London high society in the mid 1600s. It’s packed with action as Ellanor finds herself in the middle of a dangerous poltical scheme.
One of my all time favorite books and a recommendation for probably Mia is Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith – the first half is about a small group of rebels trying to take their country back but the second half is really what won my heart – it shifts to the post-war palace where our heroine has to learn all the nuance of courtly behavior to continue to protect her people. Subtle romance run through the book, and the relatable, imperfect heroine is an utter delight. I return to this book often:).
I’ve also loved everything by Tamora Pierce. Everything. Cannot recommend her enough. I read her first in middle school and would say her books are appropriate for that age group. Fantasy, adventure, and awesome female heroines who taught me so much about being a bad a** powerful woman. Earlier stuff may lack some of the cultural sensitivity we’d hope for these days, but they’re not bad for the early 80’s. I’d recommend starting at the beginning, since earlier characters show up in later series.
As a mom with a 12 year old daughter who loves to read, I really enjoyed this episode with new ideas of books for her!
I’m happy to hear it; thanks for listening!
Definitely the Books of Bayern series by Shannon Hale for Mia. Micah would probably enjoy them as well, but there’s that thread of romance subplot that Mia mentioned. Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch might be a good place for her to dive into historical fiction.
For Micah, I think Gordon Korman as an author would work well for her. Some of his trilogies contain much shorter books than she normally picks up, but said trilogies check pretty much all of her boxes. The Hypnotists is probably the “thickest” set and also the most up her alley.
For both girls, if they haven’t read Savvy by Ingrid Law (and the next 2 in the series), I think they’d like those. The second book, Scumble, was one of my top reads 2 years ago!
These two young ladies were a joy to listen to. Thank you for having them on the show, it was a very refreshing change.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for listening!
Loved this episode! I have an 11-year-old son who is an advanced and VORACIOUS reader; I often joke that my part-time job is keeping him in books, so I loved the recommendations here! I wanted to recommend the Sammy Keyes series to Micah- my son just finished the (18 book!) series about a tween-age female detective who solves mysteries in her neighborhood. I read the first one with him and can attest that they’re wonderful!
Oh! I have another recommendation that I bet both girls would like- the Bloody Jack series. It’s about a girl who pretends to be a boy on a pirate ship. Lots of adventure and a little bit of romance. There are quite a few book in the series. I’ve only read the first one, but I loved it! It was great on audio!
I think they both would really enjoy Ally Carters Gallagher Girls series! Once they’ve read those they could try Ally’s other series’ Embassy Row and Heist Society but definitely start with the Gallagher Girls.
My girls, ages 10 and 12, both thought Mia would like the Gallagher Girls series when it was mentioned that she liked mysteries and a little romance. We are enjoying these on audio right now as we drive to and fro and are currently on the fourth book!
The girls are charming and so well spoken! I’m excited to read several of the books suggested myself.
For Micah: The Winterhouse books by Ben Guterson. Fun, mysterious, not sad.
I loved this episode. I also struggle with finding the right books for my kids. I added quite a few to their lists today. Thank you!
For the younger reader I would love to suggest the Wednesday wars.
I adore that book! I’m glad you mentioned it here.
For Micah I would definitely recommend John Flanagan’s books The Rangers Apprentice and Brotherband series. Another super fun clues/puzzle series: Mr Lemoncello’s library series.
Totally second John Flanagan’s books. My family loves ’em.
I would recommend the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DeCamillo, and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I would especially recommend the audio book versions of these as they were all terrific!(along with the Ranger’s Apprentice series and The Golden Compass)
Thank you so much for this episode! As a mother of an 11-year old who has devoured Harry Potter, Percy Jackson (and the Warriors and Wings of Fire series), I am always on the lookout for new, appropriate books for her. I immediately ordered 3 of the ones you and Micah talked about. I’m so glad I found Modern Mrs. Darcy 🙂
Micah might enjoy Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen.
I want to recommend The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor, it is an action packed retelling of Alice in Wonderland, it’s fantasy / sci-fi YA that is a fun series!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Thanks Mia and Micah! I’m a mom of ten and they all love to read. Looking for new books is always on the to do list here.
I agree with another commenter on The Wednesday Wars and follow up with Okay For Now and Pay Attention, Carter Jones. Gary D. Schmidt does an amazing job with these stories. I think both of you could appreciate them.
Mia, have you read any books by Jonathan Auxier? The Night Gardener is, hmmm, a Victorian ghost story? Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is quiet a fun adventure!
I think both of you would enjoy The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. It is a four book series.
The Mo and Dale series by Sheila Turnage is another four book series. Great if you enjoy mysteries! (I love these because they are set in a fictional town next door to where I live.) The first book is Three Time Lucky.
Micah, my daughter (13) recommends the Wondla series.
If you both enjoy the Hunger Games, I’m guessing you have read The Giver Quartet?
You both might also enjoy N. D. Wilson’s books. Start with The 100 Cupboards.
Roland Smith is a great author if you need adventure. I enjoyed Above and Beneath; my daughter really enjoyed Peak.
Do either of you enjoy free verse novels?
I loved Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes. Cute audiobook!
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott has front and center Nicholas Flamel plus a lot of great literary and historical figures from history who also discovery the secret of immortality. Along with the main, of course, two teenage twins, a brother and sister, who must save the world from evil forces.
I love that you did an episode with kids, and these girls are a hoot! Really enjoyed it. I started reading middle grade and YA books a couple of years ago because my boys were getting to that age and I wanted to recommend and discuss books with them, and I was surprised to find such great books. My boys disregard my recommendations, but I still read in this genre. I plan to read some of the books Mia and Micah talked about, and some that you recommended to them.
Does anyone know of a podcast that does this with kids on a regular basis? My boys like to read, but they have a hard time finding books that they like. They tend to dislike all the books that everyone else loves- Narnia, Peter Nimble, Green Ember, Ranger’s Apprentice, Ashton Place… all strike outs with my kids. I have an 11 yr old that only wants graphic novels set in medieval times. How many of those are even out there?
One podcast you might want to check out is the Books Between Podcast. The format is a bit different and I haven’t heard any actual interviews with kids on it, but it does focus on books for kids between 8 and 12. The host talks about a variety of books and sometimes interviews authors as well. It’s a really good show that might help you find some other book options for your kids.
I’ll check it out- Thanks so much!
I absolutely loved hearing from Mia and Micah! What articulate, intelligent girls – if I had daughters I’d want them to be just like that! I’m an (alleged) adult, but I adore children’s books and YA (so much so that I was the buyer at a children’s bookshop years ago), so I was very excited to hear this episode, and it did not disappoint. Even though I’d heard of a lot of the books I still got some good recommendations!
I’d like to suggest the “Dragon Slippers” series by Jessica Day George for Micah, and “The Declaration” series by Gemma Malley for either sister!
Love this episode – and really enjoyed the sisters’ maturity and enthusiasm! I can relate, both because of finding books for my now middle-school-aged daughter annd because I enjoy YA books too. Two recommendations: (1) for both girls, “The Hazel Wood,” which I discovered from my daughter and WCIRN. It’s an action packed thriller with a teen protagonist on the run from her twisted fairy tale past that you can’t put down… and has a bit of romantic chemistry for Maya. Even my husband loved this book! Warning – there is a sequel on the way but it’s not out yet. Darn! (2) For Micah, The Land of Stories series, that my Harry Potter loving daughter gobbled up (and I did too). About a brother and sister who jump into adventures within a fairy tale world with lots of humor and great characters.
This should work for both girls- I read it in in 4th or 5th grade and absolutely loved it!
East by Edith Pattou : a beauty and the beast re-telling. So so good- I remember it after all these years!
Hi Anne! Loved this episode! I listened with my precocious nephew in mind. Is there a blogpost with a list of recommendations that would be age appropriate for that mature reader? I know you’re asked this a lot! Thank you!
Bambi, if you browse through the “book lists” category on the blog, you’ll see some round-ups of kids’ books. I also recommend checking out this cluster of posts: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/series-kids-love/
I know your guests have read Mysterious Benedict Society. There is a new one out as of last week! And really, any of Trenton Lee Stewart’s other books are a delight.
Other rec’s would be The Castle Behind Thorns by Merrie Haskell, The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine by Diane Stanley and Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kate Umansky.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place books are a lot of fun. There is some mad cap adventure, a bit of mystery, and a teensy bit of possible romance. The audio books are great.
Sammy Keyes is a fantastic mystery series. It starts with Sammy in 7th grade and ends at the end of 8th. Again, a teensy bit of romance, but not so much that it detracts from the story.
This was such a fun episode!
This was such a great episode. I’d love to hear more episodes featuring kids!
Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. It’s a little slow to start in the first book, so don’t give up! Once the plot gets going, it’s a fantastic series.
I think Micah would love the Series of Unfortunate Events, if she hasn’t read it already!
Loved this episode! This is my first time offering my own suggestions. For some historical fiction for Mia, The War that Saved My Life and the sequel The War I finally Won. Another historical fiction is A Night Divided. This is a book about the Germany and the building of Berlin Wall. It was suspenseful and it gave me a perspective I have never thought of.
Micah: I recommend Aru Shah series. It is very similar to Percy Jackson but is about Indian mythology- there are 2 in the series but it’s going to be a quartet. There is a lot of fun and adventure. I would also recommend Mabel Opal Pear and the Rules for Spying for a fun mystery book. Both books are perfect for the fall.
Mia: I recommend Keepers of the Lost Cities. It is a fun adventure story of a girl who lives in CA but finds out in the first book that she is an elf. She moves to live with the elves. There is some romance but in a middle-grade way. There are 7 currently in the series and she’s is still writing more books. Also, the gold-seer series. The first one is called Walk the Earth a Stranger. It’s a historical fiction around the gold rush era. There’s advenutre and a bit of romance. It’s a triology
I recommend Nevermore for both girls! An amazing series thus far!
For Micah since she likes action, adventure, and a good mystery series try The 39 Clues. Various authors contribute to this series including Rick Riordan of the Percy Jackson books.
I have a recommendation for Micah – The Dark is Rising Series. I read this series many moons ago when I was about 11 and LOVED it. It’s still in print, and on my list of books/series to re-read now that I’m retired! Full of adventure and magical realism I highly recommend it.
Suzanne Collins wrote another series called Gregor and the Overlanders which is also fabulous. It is a little bit fantasy but very fast paced and, like The Hunger Games, you love the characters.
I have three kids, a girl and two boys and we read this out loud as a series when they were 8,7, and 4. They have re-read them over and over again. My oldest can recite the first page off the top of her head. This was a great episode. More kids please!
This was one of my most favorite episodes! Mia and Micah are both awesomely articulate and I loved hearing from them – especially since we have very similar reading tastes 🙂
I’m not sure what’s appropriate for what age, so here is my list, unspecified:
• Spinning Silver and Uprooted – both by Naomi Novik. They’re not a series but have a similar feel and wonderful world building.
• I second whomever mentioned the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett
• The Dark Crystal series by J.M. Lee – it ties into the recent show on Netflix (and the original movie of course) and I believe some graphic novels as well, but can also be stand-alone.
• Carry On (soon to be a trilogy!) series by Rainbow Rowell – my most favorite fantasy book/romance – and I usually don’t go for romance at all.
I think Mia might enjoy The Host by Stephanie Myers. Its a Sci Fi with romance touches. Also the Divergent series, those were wonderful.
Loved this episode. The girls were great guests. For Micah I’d recommend the Chronicles of Narnia series. For Mia I’d recommend the Jo Tulip series by Mindy Starns Clark.
I think Mia may like A Curse So Dark and Lonely, it is a loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast, lots of adventure, a sassy, strong willed heroin and a chaste teen-age romance. It has dragons, castles, and a very relate able city in a modern setting.
Great suggestion!
This episode was fantastic! I host a book club for my 7th grade daughter and her friends and I’m always on the look out for great book recommendations for them.
A few I’d suggest include The Secret Zoo series by Brian Chick; The False Prince series by Jennifer Nielsen; Resistance by Nielsen; Words on Fire also by Nielsen; The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta; Entwined by Heather Dixon; the Twice Upon a Time series by Wendy Mass
Brandon Sanderson has some great books for young readers. Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians might be good for Micah while Mia might like his Steelheart series. My oldest son read voraciously and above grade level so I sympathize with trying to find enough appropriate books, but these were two he loved that I haven’t seen mentioned.
For michah. I also have an advanced young reader, shes 8, and we LOVED The Uncommoners series by Jennifer Bell. I can’t remember how we found this but it has been one of the best series we read together in the last couple years. There is magic, action, a strong female lead, a little bit spooky but no sad tears. We flew through the 3 books and are so sad there are no more.
Listening to two youngsters discuss their reading life was charming and inspired hope to this high school English teacher. Bravo Mom to Mia and Micah; bravo to Ann for inviting the girls in the show!