The Puffin In Bloom Collection edition of Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery.

I never read Anne of Green Gables as a kid, though I was vaguely aware of the movie which aired on PBS in the mid eighties.

I had no idea what I was missing.

My daughter, attracted like a moth to a flame by the cursive gold letters and the lavender-with-pink-flowers cover, clutched this book to her chest while we were shopping for holiday gifts and literally wouldn’t put it down. So we bought it, and started to read it together the next evening.

Written in a breathless and exuberant manner that perfectly reflects the main character, author L.W. Montgomery draws us into the lovely and enchanted world that was Prince Edward Island at the beginning of the twentieth century. The story centers around an eleven year old girl who is reluctantly adopted by an elderly couple who had been hoping for a boy to help them on the farm. Her extraordinary lust for life and vivid imagination combine to create a series of adventures that do cause some trouble but mostly endear her to everyone she meets… including the reader.

But I’m sure you know all of that already, because everyone on earth has read this book (or seen the movie). I seem to be one of the rare few who missed out.

The short chapters make for perfect pre-bedtime reading (my kid is 8 which is a perfect age for this story) and the characters are as compelling as anything one might hope for. Anne’s interactions with her schoolmates are a great way to begin to open up discussions about the complexities of friendships during those crucial developmental years (and believe me, we parents can use all the help we can get) Plus I am always all for a book that celebrates imagination and creativity and the outdoors (with nary an iPad in sight!)

But most importantly, Anne of Green Gables is another one of those classic books that is secretly about girl power in all of it’s wondrous forms, whilst being cleverly disguised as a friendly Canadian from the early 1900′s. Anne is strong, adventurous and first in her class, while also being into the latest fashions and dreaming about forests full of fairies.

The story comes in all shapes and sizes, but this Puffin In Bloom Collection version, with beautiful illustrations by Anna Bond, take the experience to a whole new heirloom quality level.

Wonder (by RJ Palacio) is a book about an ordinary kid with an extraordinary face. And while his “facial difference” has prevented him from going to school for his initial 10 years, he is about to enter fifth grade, and the “normal” world of middle school life, for the first time. This book is the story of that extraordinary year and how everybody in the school community is affected.

It deals with bullying, fear-of-other, the “popular” group, kindness, empathy, and learning how to recognize and cope with difficult, challenging and conflicting feelings. It is also beautifully written, funny, moving, and incredibly entertaining. Middle school kids can read it alone, but it’s also a great read aloud for slightly younger kids. It has instigated so many important conversations in our household… Anything that helps provide kids with the tools they need to navigate those tween years with grace is a welcome addition to our arsenal.

Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story tells the intersecting stories of two 11 year old kids living in Sudan, one from 1995 and the other from 2008. It is a story of survival, friendship and resilience that humanizes the politically complicated refugee situation that continues to be a part of the news today.

And while on the one hand, the refugee crisis feels very remote, it is so important for us to help our kids to understand all of the complex and not-so-great things that are happening in the world these days. Encountering these difficult subjects through stories helps to create a safe place for the potentially difficult topics to be digested. And hopefully we help foster a more empathetic future through understanding.

Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Jonah Winter and Shane W Evans is a beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the story of Lillian, an elderly African-American woman, and her walk up a steep hill to the voting booth in her town.

During her climb, she remembers the stories of her enslaved great grandparents, her uncle being forced to take absurdly difficult qualification tests in order to vote, and her own memories of being chased away from voting booths by angry mobs. The hill becomes a metaphor for the struggle that African Americans experienced during their fight for the right to vote.

The book is a celebration of the Voting rights Act of 1965, which is currently under fire again in many states. The right to vote still needs protection and this book helps us remember how central this right is to being a citizen of a democracy like ours.