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One of my favorite parts of summer reading is seeing all the children check out their books, excited to start logging their minutes reading! Seeing what children are checking out also helps me to get to know them. Did they check out The Wild Robot? They like an adventure! Diary of a Wimpy Kid? This kid has a funny bone! Seeing all the books checked out this summer has made me reminiscent of the books that I loved as a child. In this post, I will share some of my favorite children’s chapter books from my childhood and from my time as a librarian.

Then: Judy Moody by Megan McDonald

What I loved (and still love) about the Judy Moody series is that Judy felt like a real girl. She went through different moods, was really funny, and aspired to be so many different things. It is a fun series that I recommend to early chapter book readers all the time.

Now: Amina Banana and the Formula for Friendship by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

Just like Judy Moody, Amina Banana is a typical third-grader that learns to navigate family, friendships, different interests, and her emotions in this heartwarming and relatable series. I love that this series focuses on an immigrant family and how things like going to a new school and learning a new language are challenging, but can yield amazing results.

Then: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

This is another realistic fiction book that I adored as a young reader! My favorite element of this book was the intergenerational relationship between Rosie and her grandmother. This certainly was a comfort read for me!

Now: Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd

This graphic novel also focuses on family relationships and how they stay strong, despite their challenges. This book is beautifully written and illustrated. I especially love the family gatherings in the book, as they are realistic and are sometimes funny!

Then: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

This is a classic children’s book that I’m sure most of us have loved at one point or another! This book beautifully weaves fantasy and sci-fi elements in a story about a family wanting to reunite with each other. I could not put this book down as a kid and I think it is why I am drawn to books that have supernatural elements.

Now: Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

This book brought me right back to A Wrinkle in Time in the best way possible! Similar to A Wrinkle in Time, the main character of Alice is looking for her missing father in a dangerous land called Furthermore. This book contains fantasy and dystopian elements, making it a great middle grade novel for fantasy fans.

Now it’s your turn! What were your favorite chapter books as a child and what are your favorite chapter books today?

This post is intended to address the following ALSC Competency:  IV: Collection Knowledge and Management.  

The post My Favorite Children’s Chapter Books: Then and Now appeared first on ALSC Blog.