![]() ![]() Unhappy but unable to do anything about it, Pacy and Melody vow to keep in touch. For Pacy, that means learning that her best friend Melody is going to be moving away soon. ![]() But the fact that this Chinese New Year is The Year of the Rat means that there are also changes afoot. The start of the New Year is supposed to be a time of happiness and anticipation. Without ever becoming trite or saccharine, Lin hits gold yet again with The Year of the Rat, the sequel to her justly applauded (and popular) The Year of the Dog. Grace Lin’s semi-autobiographical stories of Pacy and her life in New Hartford contain just the right balance of sweetness and story. Few books or series fit the bill, but one definitely sticks out in my mind. ![]() Think hard now… how many chapter books can you think of that have that same balance of sweetness, family, love, and friends in a perfect little package with a classic kind of feel? "Classic", in the sense that it’s a book that will age well and be beloved for generations. The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace are one of the finest examples o f this, and it’s hard to find a modern day equivalent to Lovelace’s throne. Classic children’s literature used friendship as a focus as well. Think of The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley High, or any of their modern incarnations. Friendship binds children’s literature together. The new kid in class/on the block/in the family. Think of the great themes found in children’s literature. ![]()
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