Kitty series and The Patron Thief of Bread
recommended by some very special guests
Hello and happy solstice! 🕯❄️ I know I’m behind on this post (and on my solstice greeting).
It’s because I jinxed myself when I shamelessly bragged to a friend about our family staying healthy all fall.
Of course, my son tested positive for RSV 48 hours later. He’s doing fine, watching Star Wars movies and eating steak, but he’s sad we aren’t skiing together to close out the year.
As for me, I’m giving 2022 a bit of side-eye as it leaves the room.
This year was really just…a LOT for our family. Not terrible, but just intense, with some major changes.
Still, we made amazing new friends and strengthened relationships with old friends. We settled into our new house, traveled a bit, and read a ton of books. Like I’ve said before, reading helps me make sense of the world, especially when so much is in flux. I can tell it is the same for my kids.
So, when I asked them if they’d share the best book they read this year, they were thrilled.
For context, Connor is almost 11 and a very strong reader. He prefers middle grade fantasy, but he’s the kind of reader to whom I can hand a book and say, “read this; you’ll love it” and he’ll give it a go. Note: he is not as easily persuaded in other areas of life.
Piper is 8 and in 2nd grade. She’s old for her grade, and her independent reading really took off last year. She’s in that sweet spot where she’s still interested in chapter books AND is able to read younger middle grade fiction.
I hope you love their selections. Have a happy (and healthy) holiday, and I’ll see you in 2023!
Kitty (series), by Paula Harrison, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022-)
Girl by day. Cat by night. Ready for an adventure.
Kitty is a little girl with catlike superpowers that she inherited from her mother (👍🏻). In the first book, Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue, Kitty wants to be a superhero just like her mom but isn’t sure she’ll be brave enough to go on daring adventures at night. However, with help from her new feline friends, Kitty develops confidence in her own special powers.
📚Piper says: I remember reading all the Kitty books even though it was a really long time ago. (Mom note: it was four months ago). They are short books, but I loved them. They are an awesome pick for kids under 10. I like that Kitty is a hero. I felt like I was on the adventure with Kitty and her cat crew. My favorite character was Figaro because he is smart and brave and helps Kitty. Other kids my age would like this book because some people like adventures and some people like cats and animals, and this has both those things. I loved the pictures and how the illustrator only used a few colors, but they were so bright and fun to look at.
Recommended for kids 6-8
The Patron Thief of Bread, by Lindsay Eagar (2022)
In a crooked alleyway along an unmapped street in Odierne, a group of dirty children scrambled to form a single-file row, facing a wall of sunburned bricks.
If you thought they were orphans, you’d be more or less correct. If you tried to count them, they’d scatter and dance around until you lost track of their exact number.
If you thought they were poor, needy beggars desperate for alms, then you ought to check your pockets.
They’d have gotten you.
Fished from the river as an infant and raised by a roving band of street urchins who call themselves the Crowns, eight-year-old Duck keeps her head down and her mouth shut. It’s a rollicking life, always thieving, always on the run—until the ragtag Crowns infiltrate an abandoned cathedral in the city of Odierne and decide to set down roots.
It’s all part of the bold new plan hatched by the Crowns’ fearless leader, Gnat: one of their very own will pose as an apprentice to the local baker, relieving Master Griselde of bread and coin to fill the bellies and line the pockets of all the Crowns. But no sooner is Duck apprenticed to the kindly Griselde than Duck’s allegiances start to blur. Who is she really—a Crown or an apprentice baker? And who does she want to be?
Meanwhile, high above the streets of Odierne, on the roof of the unfinished cathedral, an old and ugly gargoyle grows weary of waiting to fulfill his own destiny—to watch and protect. Told in alternating viewpoints, this exquisite novel evokes a timeless tale of love, self-discovery, and what it means to be rescued.
I haven’t read this one-yet-so the summary above isn’t my own. However, this was Connor’s very favorite book of the year, and that’s really saying something.
📚Connor says: I chose this book because it was so interesting. The book was different from anything else I normally read. For example, it wasn’t totally fantasy, and it wasn’t exactly an adventure book…it was a mix of a lot of types. (Mom note: this book is considered historical fantasy). I liked reading Duck’s point of view but then the gargoyle’s point of view. Ash was my favorite character-even though he wasn’t the main character-because he was very resilient. Even though this was a really long book, I couldn’t put it down. I would recommend this to any kid my age or older.
Age recommendation: 10-14