Browsing: Chapter Books

Even with the ability to enjoy visually stunning film adaptations of much of his work, and the recent revival of many of Dahl’s creations, it’s important to recall not just Dahl’s ludicrous stories and plot twists, but also the wonderful fun of his unique writing style.

This should be a sad tale but instead is up-lifting. Much of that is due to the protagonist’s wry voice: Twelve-year-old Bee (short for Beatrice) is an orphan and works for a traveling carnival, living in the back of a truck with nineteen-year-old Pauline.

Claudia Mills is the author of many chapter and middle-grade books, including 7 x 9=Trouble!; How Oliver Olson Changed the World; Kelsey Green, Reading Queen; and, most recently, Zero Tolerance.

Mills shares a wonderful list of her family’s favorite books that feature girl protagonists—she encourages you to share them with both boys and girls, alike.

Catherine Gilbert Murdock, author of six acclaimed novels, is an avid reader of books that aren’t for grownups. Her latest middle grade novel, Heaven Is Paved with Oreos, is written as 14-year-old Sarah’s journal. Murdock shares her brilliant “how-to” musings on fictional journal writing … or, as she likes to put it, the real stories of fake people.