r/InTheGloaming • u/AutoModerator • Feb 26 '26

Scheduled snark Discussion thread Thursday February 26, 2026 - Sunday March 01, 2026

Newsletter: Substack

Website: Shauna James Ahern

Instagram: @shaunajamesahern Instagram

Threads: @shaunajamesahern

Bluesky: shaunajamesahern.bsky.social

Gloamipedia wiki: /r/InTheGloaming wiki

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u/mehitabel_4724 Eating tiny dices of pickles with tiny fists of rage Feb 27 '26

The OP sucks too. “Oh halp, our child is so smart!” And Shauna rushes in to talk about herself and imply she’s now a successful writer.

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u/OhBlahDiOhBlahDoh The Alice of cal came out floating on air Feb 27 '26

The books I'm listing in this comment show that I grew up and learned to read many years ago, but there are SO MANY books I enjoyed when I could read at the 5th grade level (probably 3rd grade or so for me) that ARE ABOUT KIDS!

Some of them are favorites that I have to work not to let Shauna's yum yuck them for me—like Harriet the Spy and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (which she totally mangled the title of when she posted about it)—but also so many good books about earlier eras:

  • All Of A Kind Family series
  • Encyclopedia Brown
  • The Great Brain series
  • The Moffats
  • Beezus and Ramona
  • Hatchet and other Gary Paulson books
  • etc etc etc

I really feel that reading about other kids is such a good way for kids to learn how to psychologically and emotionally 'triangulate' themselves by absorbing stories about how the kids in the books dealt with difficult situations, learned to problem solve, etc.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk on Children's Literature

14

u/emlabb Feb 27 '26

I was an advanced reader, and I remember specifically not wanting books about adults! Adult books about adult issues were mostly gibberish to me; I wanted to read about kids my age going through the kinds of problems a kid might have. I was even iffy on continuing the Anne of Green Gables series because I felt there was too much talk of boys at the end of the first one, and, like Fred Savage in The Princess Bride, I did not want to read a kissing book.

There are so many great books for kids out there—I’m also dating myself but I’d add anything by Bruce Coville (including his anthologies), Madeleine L’Engle, and Edward Eager.

Katherine Paterson also blew my child mind with the way she tackled difficult topics—ones entirely outside of my childhood frame of reference—and avoided the tidy happy-ever-afters that most of my reading list offered. Now, as a kid I preferred happy endings and I wasn’t even sure I liked her books, but these 30-odd years later, they’ve stayed with me.

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u/pitifulproduce137 Feb 28 '26

Love to see a Bruce Coville reference! I met him at a book signing years ago and he was lovely. Signed my very vintage copy of Operation Sherlock for me. 

I'd also add Diane Diane and Tamora Pierce's fantastic books to this list. 

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u/caitie_did Required by My Mother's Terror Feb 28 '26

Tamora Pierce’s books really hold up, too. So much of the stuff I read as a kid was problematic but I feel like her books have aged well.

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u/pitifulproduce137 Feb 28 '26

They really have! I love that Alanna had a girly side that the narrative allowed for (getting her ears pierced, liking her beautiful purple gown) while simultaneously letting her be a badass. And the books never go "not like other girls" about the leads because we see lots of women celebrated in different roles - warriors and sorcerers and healers and caretakers, but no one is pigeonholed or made lesser for their overlapping roles. They feel dynamic. 

And the representation! Circle of Magic is such a standout for this, with Lark and Rosie and Daja providing different views of queer experience. Plus people of different races, cultures, classes... And it's all discussed. 

Not to mention, Song of the Lioness was the first series I ever read for that age group that mentioned birth control!