Perfect children's or YA novel

[osprey_archer]

Via sineala, from the ask me questions meme - btw, you should all go ask me questions, because you know you’ve always secretly yearned to know all my thoughts about Golden Age Hollywood or girls’ series books or caramel or goodness knows what else.

Ahem. Sineala said: Describe your perfect children's/YA novel. (Bonus question: Does it exist in reality? If not, what comes closest?)

The heroine is a clever and imaginative girl, and the book focuses on her adventures with her best friend (who is, in the words of Anne of Green Gables, the patron saint of all these heroines, a kindred spirit)

She lives in a large and atmospheric house, possibly in modern times, possibly in history (as long as the author isn't using history to teach us a Very Important Lesson), or possibly in a fantasy world. There is an awesome garden and/or frightening but amazing forest nearby. Preferably, the house contains an awesome library that is somewhat eerie but so full of awesome books that she overcomes the anxiety that the massive mask and/or doll collection causes her.

The masks and/or dolls may turn out to be enchanted. I like all values of enchanted, from actual magic to gentle magical realism to the Frances Hodgson Burnett style of magic, where nothing technically magical happens except for people imagining glorious feasts. (Incidentally, glorious feasts are always a plus. All books are improved by cake.)

I have many such books listed on my 100 books list - seriously, half the books listed probably fit a loose version of this description - but probably the best examples that I've reviewed are The Egypt Game, The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang, and Becoming Rosemary. And clearly I need to write a review of A Little Princess.

The YA novel chronicles the adventures of the clever and imaginative heroine with her bestest best friend ever - or possibly, given that a longer YA book allows greater complexity, a whole posse of friends. Romance, if it's there at all, is subsidiary to the main plot: quite probably they're beset by political intrigue or war, and the book focuses on that.

It may also tackle the big questions, particularly questions of good and evil. Children's books do this too, but a slightly older audience allows for a more sophisticated discussion - teenagers are not necessarily going to get bored if someone quotes a couple lines of Locke or Arendt.

Code Name Verity, The Montmaray Journals, and Enchantress from the Stars (despite the fact that Elana does not have a bestest best friend ever) all strike me as good examples of this sort of story.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, review A Little Princess (a book I love)! And let's hear it for Enchantress from the Stars (what did you think of the sequel btw?)

And I must, must read Code Name Verity

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I loved the sequel, maybe even more than I loved Enchantress from the Stars. (I always felt the fairytale bits in Enchantress dragged a bit.) I'm meaning to write a review of it to, at some point...

You should ask me a question on the question meme!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

yeah, the sequel really influenced me. I should! What are the question-asking rules? (Point me to the meme entry, maybe?)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

The meme entry is here: Meme! (http://osprey-archer.livejournal.com/362843.html) The rules are up at the top of the entry.

[sineala.livejournal.com]

Thank you for answering my question. I would totally read those books, which means I suppose that I should track down the books you've reviewed. :)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Sadly Becoming Rosemary and The Secret Voice of Gina Zhang are a little hard to get a hold of (although it looks like there's a Kindle edition of Gina), but the others are pretty widely available!

[nagasasu.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, Enchantress from the Stars. I really should reread it now that I'm older! I loved it so much.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I hope if you reread that you still love it now that you're older!