Good Reads for Winter!
Last week, we challenged you to guess the titles of these well-known books. If you were paying attention, you surely noticed that they all have winter scenes. So pick one or three or all seven (!), and snuggle down for some warm winter reading.
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Whether it's the magical winter scenes at Hogwarts, drinking butterbeer in Hogsmeade, or the presents (like a chess set with magically moving chess pieces), I think everybody wants a winter like in these books. Even The Deathly Hallows -- with Harry, Ron, and Hermione camping out with winter coming and no food -- is riveting.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
When a surprise blizzard hits, Greg and the Heffley family are trapped indoors. And just in time, as Greg is about to be nailed for vandalizing school property (of which he is completely . . . sort-of . . . innocent!). With no electricity, the family turns into crazy savages in the true DOAWK fashion that Jeff Kinney is famous for. Prepare to laugh this winter.
Call of the Wild by Jack London
This is probably Jack London’s most famous book, featuring Buck, a Saint Bernard Scotch-Shepherd dog, as the main character. He is stolen from his comfortable life, and sold as a sled dog in Alaska. He learns how to survive the cold winter nights and brutal owners. When I read this book as a kid, I remember crying with all the scenes of animal cruelty, so this isn’t for the faint of heart! But like the harsh winters which fade into spring . . . there’s a light at the end of the tunnel!
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
From the first time they step into Narnia with its dazzling white snow, and characters like the White Witch and Father Christmas, this classic by C.S. Lewis makes you feel like you’re actually there. I remember reading the whole series immediately one after the other!
His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
This trilogy of books (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) follows Lyra through parallel universes with armored polar bears, experiments on kidnapped children, and lots of unsettling winter images in the frozen Arctic. A "not to be missed" series!
Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
This autobiographical series of books starting with Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder later became a TV series. It’s about a young girl and her family in Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota in the late 1800s. From building their house from scratch, battling malaria, and working in harsh frontier winter conditions, these will keep you turning the pages as you gratefully sit by your cozy fireplace (or in my case, space heater!)
The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen
This Newbery Honor book is narrated by a boy who tells stories of what it was like growing up on a farm in the winter in the 1930s. The whole family gathers in the "winter room" to sit and knit, eat dinner, and tell stories, while staring at the glowing fire burning in the distance. One story changed everybody’s life. Want to know more? Read the book!
So cozy up and enjoy the winter. Even if you live in Southern California or around the world in a nice, hot spot, a good book can take you anywhere!
— Ratha, STACKS Writer
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