I’ve joined the Classic Young Adult & Middle Grade Challenge hosted by Wendy and the rest of the folks at The Midnight Garden. It’s a year-long challenge that accompanies their monthly Classic YA/MG Read-alongs. To enter the challenge, you commit to reading (or rereading) at least 8 classic YA and/or MG books by the end of the year, review them wherever you review books, and share what you’re reading on the monthly discussion posts, which take place on the last Friday of the month. (Classic is defined pretty loosely, so there’s some room for interpretation.)
You don’t have to read the read-along book each month, though the hosts hope you’ll join in the fun! April’s book is Anne of Green Gables, one of my all-time favorites, so I’ll definitely be participating. And in May, they’re reading A Wrinkle in Time.
I love this idea — both the read-alongs and the challenge! I’m a frequent re-reader, and I love revisiting childhood favorites as well as discovering new-to-me YA and MG books to love. I’ve always felt that a good book remains a good book no matter how old you are.
Here’s a list of some of the other classic MG/YA books I’d like to read or revisit this year:
Linnets and Valerians (Elizabeth Goudge)
The Perilous Gard (Elizabeth Marie Pope)
The Children of Green Knowe (L. M. Boston)
The Saturdays and the rest of the Melendy books (Elizabeth Enright)
A Ring of Endless Water (Madeleine L’Engle) — somehow, I’ve never read this one!
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth George Spear)
I’m leaving room for other read-along books, and hoping that along with old favorites, I meet some new friends. But first I’m off to visit a very old friend: Anne Shirley. Care to join me?
Elisa Bergslien
Oh – want to play too! I have started reading Anne of Green Gables last night.
Lark @ The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Hop on over and sign up! I need to re-read it this week. It will be a nice break from all the mysteries I’ve been reading — not that I haven’t enjoyed them, because I have! But I’m ready for a change of pace.