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The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books |
| The Bulletin Dozen is a monthly
theme-based booklist available as an online-only Bulletin
feature. Since we're awfully fond of bakers here at the Bulletin,
we thought we'd adopt their philosophy of generosity and throw in an
extra one or two when we have them to offer--so don't expect an even
dozen. Please feel free to copy, download, or link to these lists. We
ask only that you cite the source. See the archive
for
lists
from previous months.
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Select double-sided option when printing or print out both pages and
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Discussions with Dad: A Paternal
Dozen
Last month we gave you a list of
mom-friendly book club
suggestions, so this month we’re doing our best to be an equal
opportunity
provider with a Dad-centric Dozens.
Enjoy. |
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Almond, David
Slog’s Dad; illus. by Dave McKean. Candlewick,
2011. Gr. 5-8
After Slog’s dad, the beloved hymn-singing garbage
collector
of their small English village, finally loses his battle with cancer,
Slog
spends the spring awaiting his father’s promised return in this
wondrous and
captivating tale. (BCCB 5/11)
Brandeis, Gayle
My Life With the Lincolns. Holt, 2010. Gr.
5-7
When an attempt to save her parents’ failing
marriage goes
awry, twelve-year-old Mina finds herself in the middle of Chicago’s
equal
housing movement in this touching coming-of-age story that captures
both a
moment in history and a moment in adolescence. (BCCB 7/10)
Christopher,
Lucy. Flyaway. Chicken House/Scholastic, 2011.
Gr. 5-8
Animal lovers will be drawn to this story for the
engaging
bird rescue story, but they’ll be as equally moved by the skillfully
turned
human drama that follows thirteen-year-old Isla and her relationship
with her
ailing father. (BCCB 12/11)
Couloumbis,
Audrey Lexie; illus. by Julia Denos. Random
House, 2011. 3-6
In this invitingly accessible exploration of
family
frailties and strengths, ten-year-old Lexie is stunned and disappointed
to find
that her special vacation by the sea with her father will be shared
with his
new girlfriend and her two sons. (BCCB 6/11)
de la
Peña, Matt.
Mexican WhiteBoy. Delacorte,
2008. Gr. 7-10
Shy Danny Lopez struggles to connect with his
Latino
father’s family despite his Anglo upbringing, and it looks like his
prodigious
baseball skills may be the key. (BCCB 10/08)
Frazier, Sundee
T. Brendan Buckley’s Sixth-Grade Experiment.
Delacorte, 2012. Gr. 4-6
Science geek Brendan Buckley’s is gunning to win
the sixth
grade science fair, but when he overhears his jock father calling him
an
“egghead,” he wonders if he shouldn’t be pursing more athletic goals
that might
finally earn him Dad’s favor. (BCCB 3/12)
Look, Lenore Alvin Ho:
Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and
Other Natural Disasters; illus. by LeUyen Pham. Schwartz & Wade,
2009. Gr.
2-4
Anxious primary-grader Alvin Ho isn’t an outdoors
kind of
guy, so he’s got serious misgivings about a jolly, male-bonding camping
trip
with his father in this comedic yet sympathetic story. (BCCB 9/09)
Lynch, Chris.
Hothouse. HarperTeen, 2010. Gr. 8-12
Russell, whose firefighter father has just died in
a
conflagration along with his best buddy, finds that the firefighter
culture
he’s grown up in hides some secrets in this moving story of heroism,
community
opinion, the evanescence of reputation, and father-son love. (BCCB
10/10)
Meehl, Brian You
Don’t Know about Me. Delacorte, 2011. Gr.
7-10
In this stylish contemporary road story inspired
by
Huckleberry Finn, Billy Albright finds himself on a cross-country
treasure hunt
for his inheritance from his father, guided by a man who forces Billy
to
examine his own prejudices. (BCCB 6/11)
Mills, Claudia.
How Oliver Olson Changed the World; illus.
by Heather Maione. Farrar, 2009. Gr. 2-4
The fate of the ex-planet Pluto and the
independence of
helicopter-parented third-grader Oliver Olson are brilliantly tied
together in
this hilarious, perceptive, and understanding story. (BCCB 4/09)
Pérez,
Ashley Hope. What Can(t) Wait. Carolrhoda Lab, 2011.
Gr. 7-10
Generations clash in this story about Marisa, a
gifted
student, who struggles to convince her Mexican-immigrant father of the
value of
her academic goals. (BCCB 4/11)
Vernick,
Audrey.
Water Balloon. Clarion, 2011. Gr. 5-8
The painful transitions that often come along with
adolescence are portrayed here with startling clarity and tender humor
as
thirteen-year-old Marley must come to terms with her parents’
separation, her
estranged connection to her father, and her disintegrating
relationships with
her best friends. (BCCB 10/11)
Wallace, Rich.
Perpetual Check. Knopf, 2009. Gr. 7-10
Brotherly rivalry and an overbearing father make
this account
of a chess tournament as taut and compelling as any contest on gridiron
or
field. (BCCB 4/09)
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This page was last updated on June 1, 2012.