We're dabbling in Juvenile Fiction these days. Some of the JuvFic books are very similar to Juvenile Picture books just with more prose. For some books, it seems like a coin was flipped to determine whether to classify them as JuvFic or JuvPic. We've really been enjoying books by Emily Arnold McCully recently.
We'd read the Mirette and Bellini series, about a couple of aerilists (tight-rope walkers). Those are classified as JuvPic. There are at least three of them and they are enjoyable stories, if a bit suspenseful for those who don't like heights.
Our recent McCully selections have been from JuvFic, though they look pretty similar to the Mirette and Bellini books. I think McCully writes a nice story in a historical setting.
Beautiful Warrior -- The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu is an enjoyable read about a young girl in China who must marry the leader of the local gang. She seeks out a nun to teach her Kung Fu. There is a lot of Eastern philosophy and how to deal with adversity in this book.
The Bobbin Girl is about female factory workers in the 1830s. They work under harsh conditions and when the factory owners try to lower wages, they protest. There's a nice little reference to Emerson and self-reliance in there and a peek at labor before it organizes. I can't say that my 4 1/2 year-old was moved, but I was.
The Ballot Box Battle references one woman's attempt to vote and society's preference of boys over girls. Its a nice story in how it shows the indifference of a young girl who gradually understands why an older friend of hers desires to vote and that there is no reason for women to be inferior to men.
I checked my library's holdings and there are plenty of other books by Emily Arnold McCully.
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