The Headless Cupid
Big families are common in children’s literature, yet I am willing to argue that there is none more charming than the Stanleys, the stars of a four-book series by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Their story begins in The Headless Cupid, which won a Newbery Honor in 1972. Eleven-year-old David Stanley has a new stepmother, but it’s her daughter, 12-year-old Amanda, who really shakes things up for David and his three younger siblings. Amanda arrives wearing “ceremonial robes” and carrying a crow she calls her familiar, leading the Stanley children in occult rituals that feel like a game—until what might be an actual poltergeist shows up. Alongside that mystery and the hilarious antics of the younger siblings, Snyder explores the grief that follows a parent’s death and the growing pains of a blended family with subtlety and wisdom, making this series one that will continue to resonate with new generations.
—Trisha Ping, Publisher
Marie Antoinette
Like many a millennial nerd, the Royal Diaries were my entry point to the joys of history; finding a fellow fan is still a shortcut to friendship. A series of fictional diaries of iconic royal women such as Cleopatra, Elizabeth I and Seondeok, the Royal Diaries were as rigorously researched as they were highly entertaining. In Cleopatra: Daughter of the Nile, I learned that she shaved with razors made from seashells and breathlessly watched her foil assassination plots. Because the books always took place when their supposed authors were quite young, it was easy to empathize with otherwise intimidating figures such as Eleanor of Aquitaine or Nzinga. The books always included back matter that offered more information about the period and the later life of their main subject, which either thrilled or broke my young, optimistic heart. I was particularly enamored with Kathryn Lasky’s Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles and was devastated to learn of the fun-loving, light-hearted French queen’s ultimate fate. (Don’t even get me started on how I felt when I realized that my beloved Elizabeth I had another of the series’ heroines, Mary Queen of Scots, executed.)
—Savanna, Managing Editor
Sabriel
Growing up, my sister, Anna, and I were known in the neighborhood for our over the top, obscure Halloween costumes. We loved to read, and we chose our costumes based on which characters we most wanted to transform into—not what would be the most recognizable. After falling in love with Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series, and especially the amazing heroine of the first book, Sabriel, Anna dug up a beautiful blue coat, slung a belt across it diagonally, and pinned on seven bells hanging across her chest. I thought it was a slam dunk. When we trick-or-treated, however, our neighbors were nonplussed. Memorable comments included: “What are you supposed to be? A crumpled up Union soldier?” and “You look like you have the junk drawer strapped to your chest.” Ouch. But our enjoyment of the book was undented. Sabriel’s a wonderful character because she charts her own path and follows the call of her destiny—taking up the mantle of her necromancer father, the Abhorsen, using her bells to travel beyond the gates of death, fighting demons and saving souls—and we took after her.
—Phoebe Farrell-Sherman, Associate Editor
Into the Wild
The Warriors series by Erin Hunter (pen name for Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry) originated with Into the Wild, which kicked off a massive universe with dozens of installments, including supplementary field guides, graphic novels, novellas and more. Warriors follows the lives of four cat clans—ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan and ShadowClan—as well as StarClain, a fifth, mystical clan of cat ancestors who conveniently sends prophecies to help the living cats navigate conflict. Each clan has a leader, a deputy and a medicine cat, and they all operate under a set of rules called the warrior code in order to live separately but harmoniously—for the most part. They look down upon kittypets (housecats) and fear the dreaded TwoLegs (humans). The stories are filled with love and chaos, defending one’s home, and maintaining order in the charming brutality that one may imagine happens when large groups of feral cats attempt to coexist. Readers won’t ever find themselves bored, thanks to the massive series’ ever-shifting perspectives and clan rivalries. Hunter gives kids a sense of wild adventure from the perspective of a well-loved and familiar animal.
—Jena Groshek
