By Katelyn Fry

As winter comes closer and closer, we get colder and colder, and often find ourselves limited to the confines of our house or apartment. But “limited” really isn’t the right word – not when you can curl up in bed or in your favorite chair and get lost in a whole other world for a while. And I’m not talking about video games or the latest Netflix series or even a Kindle. I’m talking about good, old fashioned, turn-the-page books.

When you're hanging out with your middle school and older nieces and nephews this season, instead of picking out something to watch together, pick out a book to read together! If you're a long-distance Auntie, or simply can't get to see them as often as you like - choose a chapter book you'll both like, and keep in touch by sharing your thoughts reading it from your own comfy chairs!

To give you some inspiration, here are seven of the best-selling, award-winning, highly recommended children’s chapter books of 2016:


1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling - Goodreads #1



If you're a millennial like I am, you probably had an immediate bias and attraction to GoodRead’s number one chapter book choice because of how much this magical series played a factor in your own childhood. This unexpected eighth addition to the Potter series takes place nineteen years after the ending in the seventh book, and follows Harry, Ron and Hermione’s newfound adult lives.

Between marriage, children and their careers, the infamous trio has come to believe that they have finally achieved normalcy, but they quickly learn that “sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.” What could be better than sharing a world with your nieces and nephews that you loved as a kid, and simultaneously, one that you can discover together again for the first time?  



2.  Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick - Children’s Book Council #1



This cartoony book revolves around D.J. and Gina, two “totally normal kids,” according to the Children’s Book Council. That is, normal until a mysterious boy comes crashing down out of the sky – Hilo. On a mission to find out why Hilo ended up on Earth, the trio find themselves discovering a whole lot more than they expected. Compared with earlier comics like Calvin and Hobbes and deemed “fast-paced and furiously funny” by author Jeffrey Brown , the CBC awarded Hilo as the number one fifth-to-sixth grade book of the year.


3. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson - #5 on Top 10



Rated number five on Top-Ten-Store.com, this coming-of-age piece of fiction introduces us to Rafe Khatchadorian on his first day of middle school. He is mentally preparing to hate every minute of it, and so to ease his assumed suffering, he sets out with his best friend Leonardo to break every school rule he can throughout the year, and in return, Leonardo awards him points. Will Rafe remain determined to win against his adult superiors, or will his mischief backfire? A bonus to this novel is that it just became a movie this past year, so you and your nieces and nephews can keep the story going a little longer after you close the book!


4. Ghost by Jason Reynolds - National Book Award Finalist and #2 New York Times Bestseller



A National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature and ranked number two on The New York Times list of Notable Children’s Books of 2016, Ghost explores the life of middle school track star, Castle Cranshaw, also known as “Ghost.” He finds that his life revolves around running both literally and figuratively, and all he has to do is find out from what. After being joined by three other track stars in an attempt to make it to the Junior Olympics, the differences between them all force them to come to terms with the fact that they have way more to prove than their athleticism.


5.  Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo - PW "Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of 2016"




Having made it to PublisherWeekly’s list of “The Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of 2016,” this female-geared tween book will not disappoint. In it, we meet young Raymie Clarke, whose father has just run off with his mistress. Raymie comes up with this elaborate plan to enter and win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire contest in an attempt to get her dad to come home. Throughout her journey, we get to witness Raymie develop a friendship with two other girls, finding common ground in their pasts and helping each other overcome the present.


6.  The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge - BookTrust recommended




Little Albie Bright often finds himself lonely, his mom having passed away from cancer, and his dad always traveling now that he’s a successful scientist. Following in his father’s footsteps, Albie turns to science to comfort him in his times of solitude. During his experimenting, and with the help of a cardboard box and a black banana, Albie becomes determined to travel through space and time to see his mother again. According to BookTrust.org, Edge’s story offers the perfect, light-hearted blend of adventure, science, and the pain of losing a parent.


7.  Pax by Sara Pennypacker - Amazon Best Books of the Year



Rated by Amazon as one of the Best Books of the Year as well as a New York Times Best-Seller, this novel depicts the heartwarming relationship between a boy, Peter, and his best friend – his pet fox, Pax. HarperCollins describes that the two had been inseparable since they first found each other, but are forced to go their separate ways when Peter’s father joins the military. Despite the many physical and emotional obstacles ahead of him, Peter sets out to travel back to his buddy and be reunited, while Pax, patiently waiting for his companion, “embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own.”

Photo: dolgachov
Published: November 30, 2016