If you’ve read all your Anne books until their pages have loosened from their spines, Second Story Press has the answer: two Anne-ish books in their Gutsy Girls series. Caroline Stellings’ The Contest Second Story Press, 2010 For Avonlea-ish-ness, The Contest is delightful. Although Hamilton, Ontario is a long way
E. Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Hyperion, 2008 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks made my TBR list thanks to Erin Blakemore’s The Heroine’s Bookshelf, wherein Frankie is included as a literary sister to Jo March. (That’s for her ambition, largely.) And it was nudged up the list
This one was recommended by the Children’s Books Panel on CBC’s “The Next Chapter” December 20/2010, which consisted of Michele Landsberg and Ken Setterington chatting with Shelagh Rogers about some of their favourites. I think I could read for a solid year fuelled only by TNC recommendations! Adwoa Badoe’s Between
In my books, this is unmissable bookishness. At one point, I had fallen six months behind in my listening, but there was no question of deleting those episodes of The Next Chapter; it's a no-fail source of reading recommendations for me. Shelagh Rogers’ casual around-the-kitchen-table bookchat brings out a layer to the
L. Frank Baum’s The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1902) Illus. Mary Cowles Clark Dover Publications, 1976 Of course when I was young, I would read this any time of year. But as an adult, I revisit it on the holidays. The way that other readers turn to Dickens
