2013 is over, and so is our Kid-Lit challenge but I think I can speak for us both when I say we both really enjoyed it. Here are the twelve books we read with the links to my reviews! Please check out Chrissi’s blog HERE for her fabulous reviews.
JANUARY – Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
FEBRUARY – The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
MARCH – The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
APRIL – Stig of the Dump by Clive King
MAY – Heidi by Johanna Spyri
JUNE – A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
JULY – Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
AUGUST – The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat
SEPTEMBER – A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
OCTOBER – Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
NOVEMBER – Northern Lights/The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
DECEMBER – The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
So, in the style of the “Talking About…” reviews we normally do, we thought we’d answer a quick few questions about our first year blogging in Kid-Lit.
1) What was your favorite Kid-Lit book of 2013 and why? BETH: This is tough, there were quite a few that I really enjoyed. I think it would have to be A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, simply because I had forgotten how beautiful the story was. CHRISSI: This is a tough question. I’m torn between two that I thoroughly enjoyed. They are The Railway Children and A Little Princess. I think I’d have to go for A Little Princess, because it just gave me such a lovely warm feeling when I read it. The writing is beautiful. 2) What was your least favorite Kid-Lit book of 2013 and why? BETH: There were a couple that also fitted this category! Probably The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley as I found it quite odd, and was bitterly disappointed by the story in general. CHRISSI: We seem to have similar answers Beth! Mine would be Children Of The New Forest though. I was disappointed with it. I really thought I’d enjoy it! The Water Babies was an odd read. 3) What was the Kid-Lit book that surprised you the most? BETH: This has to be Northern Lights/The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. I loved the imagination behind this story, and some of his ideas (like having your own personal daemon) just blew me away. That reminds me, I must put the second book on my Coming Up list soon! CHRISSI: I was surprised at how long Oliver Twist was. I think I’m so used to the film which condensed the book quite a bit. 4) Have you been inspired to read any other books from a Kid-Lit author of 2013? BETH: I have! After The Little Princess, I decided to look into what else Frances Hodgson Burnett has written, as I know only of this book. I then went on a trip to Persephone Books in London, and found a copy of her novel The Making of A Marchioness, which I am looking forward to getting round to at some point! CHRISSI: I want to read more of Frances Hodgson Burnett. Other than that I don’t think I’d read books from the same authors, besides Dickens, who I will hopefully read more of on the future. It has made me want to continue this challenge, and also think about other features around children’s literature! Coming soon…. (Thursday to be exact) Beth and Chrissi do Kid-Lit – The Twelve Titles for 2014!
