(Part 2) Best orphan books for children according to redditors

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We found 219 Reddit comments discussing the best orphan books for children. We ranked the 90 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.

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Top Reddit comments about Children's Orphans & Foster Homes Books:

u/littlebutmighty · 8 pointsr/booksuggestions

You seem to have two types of books here, fantasy YA and classics that span the genres.

For fantasy YA-type books I recommend:

  1. The Monster Blood Tattoo series by D.M. Cornish.

  2. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud.

  3. The 3 volumes of the Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones.

  4. The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett. It's not technically YA but would be very complimentary to YA, I think. The books are mostly standalone, though set in the same universe, so you can start anywhere. I started with "Small Gods," and it was great, so I recommend it as an entry to Discworld.

  5. The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix.

    For non-YA I think you might enjoy from the other books you've included, I recommend:

  6. Watership Down by Richard Adams

  7. The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings by Tolkien

  8. Since you're interested in Sherlock Holmes, I wonder if you might be interested in The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. It's the first in a set of novels reimagining Sherlock Holmes after his retirement, when he takes on a young woman named Mary Russell--his match in intellect and observation--as a protege. I first read The Beekeeper's Apprentice at about your age and loved it.
u/SlothMold · 7 pointsr/booksuggestions

Tamora Pierce! She's almost the perfect age, and if you start her off on the clunkier fare (sorry, Alanna), it will only get better from there!

A Series of Unfortunate Events is also Worthy, but they're a one-time read for me: not something I return to as brain candy.

u/SmallFruitbat · 6 pointsr/YAwriters

I think voice and tone are the main markers of YA, and those are incredibly hard to nail down.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, The Ranger's Apprentice, My Sister's Keeper, Miserere, The Midwife's Apprentice, The Catcher in the Rye, the His Dark Materials trilogy, Ella Enchanted, Catherine, Called Birdy, Fangirl, the Mistborn trilogy, Girls Like Us, various Tamora Pierce books, and Incarceron are all books that could be considered YA in some markets, but not in others (some are marketed up as adult literature, others down as children's books).

If you went solely by "characters being teenagers for most of the book" to define YA, (and even threw in caveats like "coming of age" and "no explicit sex") you'd get titles like Wild Ginger, The Poisonwood Bible, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Into the Forest, or The Year of the Flood on the YA shelves, possibly disappointing a lot of people who aren't interested in such a dreary world view and often a pervading sense of melancholy (which is perhaps coming from the slower pace, even if things are happening all the time?).

Endings seem to play a role too: those adult examples were all unhappy ends that could make the characters' entire journey seem pointless. YA doesn't necessarily shy away from the unhappy ending (The Fault in Our Stars, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and Feed come to mind), but there's always a spark of hope and the books were more upbeat up until that point.

YA doesn't necessarily shy away from cynicism or ennui and/or despair either: there was plenty of that to go around in The Hunger Games, Looking for Alaska, Graceling, Delirium, and The Archived, but those tended to be character traits coming from character voice rather than the tone of the narration itself.

Bonus MG vs YA distinction: Does he liiiiike her and maybe kiss her or marry her or are they dating or secretly lusting?

tl,dr: Gut feeling. I know it when I read it, and I don't always agree with the official designation on the spine.

u/natnotnate · 6 pointsr/whatsthatbook

Could it have been The Invention of Hugo Cabret?

u/treelets · 6 pointsr/ghibli

I'm really looking forward to "When Marnie Was There" since I loved "Only Yesterday", "From Up On Poppy Hill", and all the slice-of-life elements of "Whisper of the Heart". I know from experience that some adolescent friendships are better defined purely as relationships because they blur the lines between romance, affection, and companionship.

For those of you interested in the book, it's being republished in the beginning of 2015, which is nice because copies of the book have gone for some very strange prices on the market since the movie was announced.

Priscilla Ahn's series of blog posts about the movie and meeting Miyazaki were very sweet. I can't wait to see the film and will enjoy and support whatever creative direction Ghibli decides to take.

u/LoonBalloon · 5 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Alright, kid. You're 12. You like to read. Good work. It's useful for exploring new interests. A few recommendations for life in book form:
Yoga for Dummies
Chinese: Crash Course
A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Phantom Tollbooth
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Case Closed, Vol. 1
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Those should get you started on an introspective teenagehood. If any of those strike your interests, let me know and I'll do a little digital dumpster diving.

u/RapidRadRunner · 4 pointsr/Fosterparents

It seems like you are on the right track! You were able to create an environment where you mostly stopped this behavior until it was triggered again. Have confidence in yourself and what you have done to get to this point.

It sounds like visits are causing her trauma cup to overflow with pain. To reduce the level of trauma in the cup, she needs empathy and positive support. Try validating her feelings: "sometimes it can be hard to remember how things used to be; it's ok to miss your mom and be mad at her at the same time" etc...Giving her her wishes in fantasy can help sometimes: "I bet you wish you could stay in the backyard all night playing!" and then allow her to talk about what she would do before transitioning back inside. The classic book How to Talk so Kids will Listen has great advice for supporting children's emotional needs: https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Kids-Will-Listen/dp/1451663889/ref=asc_df_1451663889/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312610812881&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11106678324434262084&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9006806&hvtargid=pla-406475557415&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61194519294&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312610812881&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11106678324434262084&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9006806&hvtargid=pla-406475557415

I've had some luck with playful engagement for snapping kids out of the "bad kid" role they sometimes learn to play in their attention starved homes. I'll act shocked and aghast and pretend to look all over the house for the "real" child's name. Or I'll pretend we are acting in a play and they are playing a role and then transition to the "scene" ending. TBRI has advice on this or read The Connected Child. https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/

First-then statements can help with predictability, trust, and felt-safety. "First we are going to clean up our toys, then we will go to the park etc..." If-then is also helpful for stating consequences when needed.

Reading her books at bedtime that explain the foster care process (she may have anxiety about returning home or suddenly being moved to a new family) and reassure her that you care about her no matter what. I absolutely love the book "Love you From Right Here." https://www.amazon.com/Love-You-Right-Here-Keepsake/dp/163296029X

Building in some sensory/regulation support proactively would probably be a good idea. Google sensory diet. You could also make a routine with a picture chart for her to help her sense of predictability. This is why playing outside likely calms her down. http://www.psychedconsult.com/uploads/5/5/2/7/5527771/9060909_orig.jpg The idea is that you do something every two hours like hopping on a hopper ball or carrying something heavy to help keep her brain and body calm.

Spending 5-15 minutes every single day no matter what to play with her one on one and use the PRIDE skills can cause remarkable change in just a few days. You can't ever take the time away though, no matter how poorly she behaves that day. http://www.impactparenting.com/storage/post-docs/PRIDE%20handout.pdf

Using time ins instead of time outs is a better practice whenever possible. Of course, as an adult, sometimes I am really the one that needs 30 seconds to get myself in a good place so I can be effective, so taking a quick time out first is sometimes needed for me. https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/userfiles/Downloadable%20Handouts/COS_Time-In.pdf

u/wanttoplayball · 3 pointsr/tipofmytongue
u/SharkReceptacles · 3 pointsr/tipofmytongue

Book 2 has got to be 'Brainboy and the Deathmaster'.

u/pandas_mom · 3 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

The school district the kids goes to allows that if you have one of a few certain digital book devices you can download your textbooks and not carry any books in your backpack! Totally awesome. My daughter saved all her babysitting and yardwork money last summer and got one and it has totally saved her back. Now my middle son will be switching classes next year, and with all that plus his sensory issues I was really hoping to get him a Fire or Nexus ( two on the list) so he could enjoy the same benefits!

As far as books, he is on Series of Unfortunate Events #6

u/Zapchic · 3 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Not quite but that is a good one. I keep thinking it's something like The Orphan Train or something to that effect but when I search that name it doesn't give the results I am looking for.

edit: Found it!!!!

Orphan Train Series - A Family Apart A good quick read and once you read the first one, you can't help but reach for the next.

Thank You!!

u/Luckystar812 · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

This one if you haven't read it yet. :) I'm reading it again for the first time in years right now. And apparently there's three now (I think).

u/maerchen · 2 pointsr/tipofmytongue

Pretty sure this is The Orphan Train. Loved these as a kid. The oldest girl disguised herself as a boy so she'd be able to stay with the youngest kid.

u/[deleted] · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I have a lot of bookshelves
Oh, and as for recommendations I would highly recommend What is the What by Dave Eggers. I finished reading that recently and it was excellent. It was sad and funny and insightful.

Bibliophile

edit: If I win can I have The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls I think my daughter might like reading this. It's not on my wishlist but my e-mail address is.

u/cuppycake10-4 · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

This is one of my favorite by Dean Koontz, if you like Stephen King you may like him.

This is a really creepy one that I loved!
These are some that my daughter is reading, I'm going to start reading them soon.

u/MetroAndroid · 1 pointr/tipofmytongue

Two months later, and I've found it!

Bird by Rita Murphy. 160 pages. Released October 14, 2008. Coverart

I asked my friend who went to the same elementary school as me, and as it turns out, the first reading fair project that she did was on this very book. :)

u/viper_in_the_grass · 1 pointr/harrypotter

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

u/emeyesee · 1 pointr/whatsthatbook

Could this possibly be the Mysterious Benedict Society?

u/I_See_Dead_Redditors · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon
u/fembecca · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

You should absolutely read Foundling, and the cost makes it a great use of an audible credit. The story, while it starts with your typical odd orphan out setup, is one of the most original I've read. The worldbuilding is amazing, and unlike anything I've yet experienced elsewhere. The main characters are well rounded and intriguing, and some of that mystery clings and draws you on, further into the trilogy, all the way to the end.

It's about a boy named Rossamünd, who lives in a world where monsters are real, and the people who kill them get a tattoo with the monsters' blood as the ink. But are the monsters really what they seem? And is Rossamünd, or the people he meets on his journey? Everything keeps you guessing, and keeps you reading.

I stumbled on this one at a used bookstore, and originally bought it for my kids. I ended up loving it so much I bought the whole trilogy for myself!

u/juliet1484 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon