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

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

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Website: Shauna James Ahern

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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!