13 Books My Avid-Reader Daughter Highly Recommends (2nd edition)

This second edition of my daughters recommendations may only be the beginning.

My 10-year-old daughter reads constantly, so she has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of books she likes. This week I asked her to bring me just 13 more books that she'd like to recommend to my readers. If you missed her first edition of recommended reads, you can click here. (Unless otherwise stated, the book summaries are taken from the Amazon.com website.)

Sarah Bishop, by Scott O'Dell

From the back cover:

"Sarah Bishop isn't a Tory. She isn't a Patriot. Sarah Bishop is a fifteen-year-old girl.

The Revolutionary War has come to her village, and the Patriots have made her an orphan without a home. Now the British army is after her for a crime she didn't commit.

Running for her life, Sarah finds a cave in the woods. Alone, she makes her home there. The wild animals, the terrible hardships are not as bad as what she has left behind. Sarah Bishop vows never to trust anyone again.

The war will end. Peace will come. But will peace ever find Sarah Bishop?"

Gladys Aylward, by Catherine Swift

"The "Little Woman" whose great faith carried her to the people of China.

Gladys Aylward's life is remembered around the world as one that defied all expectations. Despite a poor education, a family that had no money, and the disappointment of being told that the China Inland Mission considered her too old to learn the Chinese language, her desire to be a missionary refused to surrender its call. She scraped and saved every penny she could earn and booked an overland rail passage to China on October 15, 1930.

What followed was one of the most remarkable missionary careers imaginable. Over twenty years of service would be given for the people of China, including remaining with her people through the torturous was with Japan. Before her death she would meet the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, in Europe she met the head of every state she visited, and a movie would be made about her.

One of the great missionaries of this century!"

The Great Good Thing, by Roderick Townley

"Sylvie had an amazing life, but she didn't get to live it very often.

Sylvie has been a twelve-year-old princess for more than eighty years, ever since the book she lives in was first printed. She's the heroine, and her story is exciting — but that's the trouble. Her story is always exciting in the same way. Sylvie longs to get away and explore the world outside the confines of her book.

When she breaks the cardinal rule of all storybook characters and looks up at the Reader, Sylvie begins a journey that not even she could have anticipated. And what she accomplishes goes beyond any great good thing she could have imagined…"

Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata

"When Pearl Harbor is attacked, the lives of a Japanese-American girl and her family are thrown into chaos. Sumiko, 12, and her younger brother, Tak-Tak, live with their aunt and uncle, grandfather Jiichan, and adult cousins on a flower farm in Southern California. Though often busy with chores, Sumiko enjoys working with the blossoms, particularly stock, or weedflowers (fragrant plants grown in a field). In the difficult days that follow the bombing, the family members fear for their safety and destroy many of their belongings.

Then Uncle and Jiichan are taken to a prison camp, and the others are eventually sent to an assembly center at a racetrack, where they live in a horse stable. When they're moved to the Arizona desert, Sumiko misses the routine of her old life and struggles with despair. New friends help; she grows a garden with her neighbor and develops a tender relationship with a Mohave boy. She learns from him that the camp is on land taken from the Mohave reservation and finds that the tribe's plight parallels that of the incarcerated Japanese Americans.

Kadohata brings into play some complex issues, but they realistically dovetail with Sumiko's growth from child to young woman. She is a sympathetic heroine, surrounded by well-crafted, fascinating people. The concise yet lyrical prose conveys her story in a compelling narrative that will resonate with a wide audience.–Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA"

The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss

From the back cover:

"When the German army occupied Holland, Annie de Leeuw was eight years old. Because she was Jewish, the occupation put her in grave danger — she knew that to stay alive she would have to hide. Fortunately, a Gentile family, the Oostervelds, offered to help. For two years they hid Annie and her sister, Sini, in the cramped upstairs room of their farmhouse.

Most people thought the war wouldn't last long. But for Annie and Sini — separated from their family and confined to one tiny room — the war seemed to go on forever."

Gentle Annie: The True Story of a Civil War Nurse, by Mary Francis Shura

From the back cover:

"When the Civil War began, Annie Etheridge, just sixteen, enlisted in the Union Army, one of only eighteen women from Michigan. She was prepared to sew and cook, but hoped to be a nurse. When the army headed into battle, the other seventeen women fled. Only Annie remained with the troops to face the danger.

Annie became known for her gentle manner, her gerat courage, and her devotion to duty. Never fearing gunfire, she risked her life again and again to nurse wounded soldiers on the battlefields. She was beloved by the men of her regiment, writing letters for them to their loved ones, and comforting them in their pain."

Chick Challenge (Animal Ark Pets #6), by Ben M. Baglio

"When Mandy's new friend, Libby, needs help cheering up her pet hen, the two girls make a plan to give the hen something to care for — baby chicks!" (My daughter is an animal lover, and since these books are so easy and short, she would sometimes read two or three a day.)

Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison, by Lois Lenski

"In this classic frontier adventure, Lois Lenski reconstructs the real life story of Mary Jemison, who was captured in a raid as young girl and raised amongst the Seneca Indians. Meticulously researched and illustrated with many detailed drawings, this novel offers an exceptionally vivid and personal portrait of Native American life and customs."

Rascal, by Sterling North

"Who could resist living for a year with a raccoon who is just about your best friend?

In this delightful memoir, Sterling North recalls his year with Rascal–a very mischievous and resourceful raccoon. Sterling, a boy of 11, watches in amazement as this baby raccoon, barely the size of Sterling's hand, instinctively washes everything before eating it. Sterling knows that every night Rascal will sneak into the house by hooking his claws onto the back screen door and head straight for Sterling's bed! Virtually everywhere Sterling goes, Rascal is there, and life is filled with one adventure after another."

Stormy, Misty's Foal, by Marguerite Henry

"A foal, born in the aftermath of a great storm, and her famous mother help raise money to repair the storm damage on Chincoteague Island and restore the herds of wild ponies on Assateague Island." (This is a book I also enjoyed growing up.)

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham

"Readers today are still fascinated by "Nat," an eighteenth-century nautical wonder and mathematical wizard. Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in a sailor's world—Salem in the early days, when tall-masted ships from foreign ports crowded the wharves. But Nat didn't promise to have the makings of a sailor; he was too physically small. Nat may have been slight of build, but no one guessed that he had the persistence and determination to master sea navigation in the days when men sailed only by "log, lead, and lookout." Nat's long hours of study and observation, collected in his famous work, The American Practical Navigator (also known as the "Sailors' Bible"), stunned the sailing community and made him a New England hero."

Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry

"On an island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her–that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without her. The frenzied roundup that follows on the next "Pony Penning Day" does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether.

Marguerite Henry's Newbery Honor Book has captivated generations of boys and girls both with its thrilling descriptions of true incidents from the tiny island of Chincoteague, and its realistic yet wonderfully magical atmosphere. This story of an animal brought into captivity poignantly reveals the powerful opposing forces of humans and nature." (This is yet another book I enjoyed as a child.)

Mustang: Wild Spirit Of The West, by Marguerite Henry

"Horses were in Annie Bronn's blood. For as long as she could remember, she had been fascinated by the spirited wild mustangs that roamed free throughout the West. So when greedy cattlemen started to round up the mustangs for slaughter, Annie knew it was up to her to save the breed. The true story of Wild Horse Annie's crusade to save the mustangs is inspiring. Readers will cheer her on, all the way to the White House, in her struggle to preserve these beautiful creatures from extinction."

This post is linked to The Book Basket at The Happy Housewife.