The Diamond in the Window

We Recommend: Facts + Captain Underpants = True Love

It's We Recommend, in which we use our superpowers to find readers the perfect book. Got a kid who needs a recommendation? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments.

All the brave young men! Not that this particular piece has to be about boys, really. As hard as I find it to believe, some kids somehow find themselves (or we find them) in the "not interested in reading camp." A very nice 10-year-old girl was at my house the other day, and while Chestnut and I were wrangling about how and when she would do her homework, overheard one of us say "And of course save the reading part for last as a reward."

She said, "Wait! You save the reading for last...for fun? I would rather do a thousand math sheets than do 40 minutes of reading." And bear in mind, this was reading a novel of your choice. I can't understand it or explain but I must acknowledge that this is somehow the case for many people.

Often, though, as with our question today, something happens that changes this person. And if and when it does, we would be wise to honor it properly.

My son (7 - about to be 8) was not interested in reading.  What books he brought home from the library were non-fiction - generally about animals.  He has always loved "fact" books.  We went to the library to try out some books and he fell in love with Captain Underpants.  He read every one in short order, then the 2 Super Diaper Baby books, then the Black Lagoon series - all of them in about 3 days.  I have been reading Wee Free Men (Terry Pratchett) to him, but those books are too old for him to read on his own and I am running out of ideas for him.  I just ordered a Stinky book (Megan McDonald) - hoping he will like it, but I would love some other recommendations. 

First of all: Captain Underpants, YES. Because: why not? What's tricky for me is that I don't know (exactly) what he liked most about the Captain. The silliness? The rudeness? The whole package? In any case, the question remains: what next?

I originally thought I should go with The Day My Butt Went Psycho, for obvious reasons. (Also, interesting to me at least, is that this was originally called The Day My Bum Went Psycho due to the author's being Australian, which because I am a stupid American I think sounds even odder and funnier.) However, it's not really a great book. I mean it's fine, but—I want to offer this young gentleman a great book.

So I went to one of the excellent resources out there for boys, Guys Read. Bear in mind: this is an excellent site for any kid. It offers a certain easiness that makes kids feel less like they are being scolded and more like they might just find something awesome to read. It is maybe not being as closely curated as one would wish (I spotted a few inaccurate titles) but it offers kids a chance to vote on how much they like a book by clicking buttons, and hey—when you're 7 that's kind of awesome.

And there I saw a book that is really and truly a great and silly book, that made me realize—duh!—why did he love Captain Underpants? Because it's funny! And so I would give him Sideways Stories from Wayside School:

Because it's great. And it's funny. 

I am, however, aware that I myself am not in possession of a 7 about to be 8-year-old son. So maybe others can chime in, and tell this kid what to read?

We Recommend: Chapter Books for a 2 1/2-Year-Old? Sure!

It's We Recommend, in which we use our (alleged) superpowers to find readers the perfect book. Got a kid who needs a recommendation? Write us atthediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments.

 This next one might sound a little crazy, but I actually think it's not, and am interested in hearing what you guys think. Besides, it mentions The Master (Roald Dahl), about whom I have been feeling especially reverential lately. Here's the email:

So I'm looking for chapter books that I can read to my 2 1/2 year old.

What happened is rather what happens at his age: the refusal to nap, and the parental scramble to find a new means to make a toddler get very-needed sleep.  One day, I thought that reading something long and without pictures - in the most droning voice I could muster - might lull him to sleep.  On the contrary; after I'd read the first couple chapters of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", he was enthralled.  He was asking pertinent questions, and could tell me (fairly) accurately what had happened.  So we continued.  And now we're almost done.

The problem is that I'm not sure what to read next.  I hesitate to read "The BFG", with the child-eating giants, and Charlotte's Web ends with Charlotte's death... Maybe "The Secret Garden", since he loves flowers, but there are a lot of rather tangential paragraphs that I remember as terribly boring, even at 10 or 11.  

What would you read to a very imaginative, slightly sensitive, 2 1/2 year old?

First of all: yes to chapter books for the tiny, in this case at least. As with all things, it all depends on the kid, and he wants it, so why the heck not? Second of all: The Secret Garden, lest we forget, spends quite of bit of time early on dealing with the death of her WHOLE ENTIRE FAMILY from cholera (I think). So maybe not that.

Truly, when my two were small, we loved to read longer books. With this caveat: the more episodic type books tend to work better. Ones in which each chapter is its own story, while they fit together into a longer arcing narrative (much like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). No cliffhangers. Just story after story after story. All in the context of a larger story.

Of course, the parent who writes in did, in fact, start with one of the best books in the world, which makes it hard as to where to go next, but never fear. Let's work with the very imaginative, slightly sensitive part. Two of my first thoughts were Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, which is so fun and silly and wonderful. Also: there are many of them, so if he likes them it's easy to know where to go next. But I am leaning towards something a bit odder. And quieter.

One of the best ones we read was All of a Kind Family. I have no good, logical explanation for why these books are so compelling to kids. It seems to have something to do with the kid's-eye view of daily life—how much the minutiae means to them, which I think we as adults sometimes forget. But in my experience, many of them, boys and girls alike, absolutely love these books. So maybe this in time? But really, I'm just dancing around here, because I KNOW what I think this person should have read to him.

Oh how I love this book! Each strange story, each random moment. His homemade tin-foil dimes, his dandy outfits, his boat! The way he repairs his souvenir canoe, then cuts down a dandelion with an axe and has dandelion milk and deviled ham for supper. It is—magic. 

But this will only get them through a few nap times. What great read-aloud chapter books for the sensitive and interested do you guys have to recommend? Put them in the comments, please!

We Recommend: Mythology, Boys & Beyond the Lightning Thief

It's We Recommend, in which we attempt to find readers the perfect book. Got a kid who needs a recommendation? Write us atthediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments.

The first thing I thought of when I got the following email was "This sounds so much like my friend's mythology-addicted son!" Here's what we have to work with: short, but sweet.

My son is 11 years old and loves Greek Mythology.  He has read The Lightening Thief series twice now.  He finished the Fablehaven series this summer and is just now starting The Beyonders.  Can you suggest any other series for him?

First of all, I would tell you to go to this previous post, where in my amazing readers offered up great suggestions in the comments along with empathy, sympathy, understanding and wisdom.

It all speaks to an essential and weirdly fascinating (at least to me) truth: kids love mythology.

Why? I don't know. I mean, I know but I don't know, if that makes any sense. Sure, the stories from almost all cultures's mythology are amazing. The crazy squirrel from Norse mythology, the resurrecting gods in Egyptian mythology, the insane and thrilling beasts in all mythologies. Creature with body of a snake, hind legs of a lion and front legs of a giant bird? Yes, please.

But the enduring power of them is almost as awesome as the myths themselves. Check out the section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art near (part of?) the new Islamic Wing where they have the Sumerian and Babylonian art, and see the aforementioned snake-bodied Mushussu. It's a mosaic. It's from something like 7,000 BC. 

How is it possible we are still entranced by this?

Anyway, perhaps that's enough digression? Let's find this young man a book series. I hereby nominate The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

Because it is fun. 

But readers, do you have other, better, more mythological ideas? Put them in the comments, please!

We Recommend: Inconsistent Animal-Lover's Edition

It's We Recommend, in which we attempt to find readers the perfect book. Got a kid who needs a recommendation? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments.

Perhaps you remember a We Recommend from a long time ago, when a teacher wrote in asking for help selecting presents for some kids who were leaving her class? First of all, you guys rocked the recommendations, because the presents were apparently a hit. And, the teacher wrote in AGAIN asking for help. Can you even deal with what an awesome teacher this is? But I've got to warn you all: this one is a challenge.

I've got a boy, ten years old but young for his age, with some learning difficulties, sweet and loving and quirky and silly. His reading level varies from day to day, so it's hard to pin down, sometimes he'll struggle with Dr Seuss and some other days he'll read sentences out of Natural History books fluently. We'd like to get him reading chapter books, which he has resisted so far. My plan is to find an easy chapter book series that he just won't be able to resist -- but I've no idea what that could be. He *loves* animals and wants to be 'a naturalist' when he grows up, and he also likes pirates and Star Wars.

Wow. And the nonfiction ones (at least sometimes) are easier than the fiction? Or at least the Dr. Seuss? Well it sounds like context helps. I'm going to go with the loving animals, and the naturalist side of things.

What's frustrating is that there are a whole lot of Junior Veterinarian and horse early chapter books, but they are pretty aggressively girl-oriented. I must say, he also makes me think of Hatchet, which is of course too hard. And of Trumpet of the Swan. The whole idea of wilderness and animals and all that. But a series is also requested (and with good reason, it sounds like) because if he is thrilled and inspired by one then the others will be all the more tempting.

But what?

I am thinking of Ranger Rick, to be honest. I know it's not a series, and it's not even a book, but it will entrance him I think, and there will be longer stories for when he's ready for that, and shorter ones for when things are not going that way. Though a quick look at the web site seems to indicate that Big Backyard might be easier.

OK, so here's what I'm doing—something I never do. I am going with an author I know, but a series I don't. I love Cynthia Rylant—she has the crazy ability to know what is compelling to kids. And these books look lovely, with a special emphasis on sea animals. That's right, it's the Lighthouse Series. (Sorry, the link is just for one, I couldn't find a good home for the whole series).

I fear I may have traveled too far from his Star Wars and pirates love, but I couldn't think of the right thing. All the lovely woodsy E.B. White is too hard I think. And this does look really sweet.

But what I'm really getting at here is: hey excellent readers, got any suggestions? Put them in the comments (please!).

We Recommend: 9-Year-Old Warrior-Fan Edition

It's We Recommend, in which we attempt to match kids up with their perfect book. Got a kid in your life who needs a recommendation? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments.

You know what's nice? That so many people write in who say, "My kid loves to read and...." All kinds of kids—boys, girls, young, old, silly, fearless. It reminds you that as much as you hear and see about the world going to ruin, there is another side as well. Now let's see if we can help this young lady:

I have a daughter who is an excellent reader. If given the option to do anything it is always to read. I keep hearing conflicting information. From some teachers they say let her read whatever she chooses. This is what I have been doing. Others say the books she reads are fluff or dessert books not great writing or substance. Her favorite series is Warriors. Her current teacher says it is fine no big deal. I am just curious: am I holding my daughter back and not challenging her enough or opening her reading up enough. Or would I just be forcing it on her? She does read other series so she doesn't just limit herself but I think typically she reads books that are easier for her than she could read. The only issue is once she starts more challenging books they are scary or don't interest her. Even Harry potter and Lightning Thief seem scary. And she started The Name of This Book Is Secret and The Mysterious Benedict Society but parts get scary and then she stops reading them.

OK, for the first part? The part where she wonders if it's OK for her to read whatever she wants? My answer is here, and it is always yes (so far—I suppose some intense porn habit might give me pause, but I have not yet encountered this). In fact, I am beginning to be highly suspicious of the very word challenging.

The scariness factor is something else. But I think it pretty much disappears if you let the kid read what she wants. When I asked Diana for recommendations, she said, "She's scared of The Lightning Thief and not Warriors? Why not?" And of course, I have no idea. I suspect it may just be she's not ready for it to be people who are in peril, only cats. And so I go with Diana's suggestion, which may not allay concerns that she's reading fluff but will likely bring her great joy, Guardians of Ga'Hoole.

I offer this up in the spirit of: don't worry, parent, you won't have to read it. But! It seems like it will fit the bill admirably. And there appear to be approximately one million of them in the series, though I can't vouch for the quality of the later ones (or these ones, exactly). I do think she will love them.

But help us out, readers. Do you have ideas for what other books might work for this reader? Put them in the comments.

We Recommend: Detailed Illustrations for the Younger Set

It's We Recommend, in which we attempt to match kids up with their perfect book. Got a kid in your life who needs a recommendation? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And all the good suggestions are in the comments, so be sure to look there.

How I think of myself: all-seeing. Wide-ranging. Flexible.

How I actually am: stuck in the confines of my life and circumstances.

For instance: I feel like I know a lot of children's books. But really? The books I know now seem to be only the ones my (constantly and frighteningly getting older) kids are interested in.

So it is with a bit of culture shock along with fond memories that I get a request like this one. Check it out:

My daughter is 3 1/2. She also loves being read to, and we do this every day, sometimes a couple of times every day. 
She has enjoyed board books in the past (Sandra Boynton, Taro Gomi) but for the last year or so is into what she calls "real" books, which means one made of regular paper (!). She has loved Alexandra Day's Good Dog Carl series tremendously, also Margaret Wise Brown, Oliver Jeffers ("Up and Down" and "Lost and Found") and some of Dr. Seuss (she loves the "drama" in Dr. Seuss I think). A current favourite is "I Live in Brooklyn" by Mari Takabayashi. 
We find that she is increasingly likes books with a 3-4 of lines on each page and incredibly detailed illustrations. 
We are a multilingual family, so picture books work as well because we can work with various different languages at the same time (books by Jan Ormerod--"moonlight," and "sunshine" are huge hits, and continue to be). "Season-related" books, especially those to do with very cold winters are a bit difficult to relate to because while we lived in NYC for ten years we have now moved to India where the weather is pretty much the same through out the year! 

She's 3 1/2! This used to be something commonplace for me, but now I feel like "Awww. She doesn't have homework!"

But let me not get awww-ed away from our task here, which is to find this sunny-sounding person something good to read. I must say I like her style: I, too, am an admirer of Good Dog, Carl. I too dig Mari Takabayashi. I too enjoy the drama of Dr. Seuss.

The trouble is, of course, that I don't know any of the new books, because people in my house don't read them. So I will be relying a lot on you, generous reader, to come up with a few good things in the comments.

I am thinking about the detailed illustrations, because that is one of the best things about reading with the tiny. They can spend so long analyzing what's going on! And it's reminding me of all my old favorites: Babar, and Marshmallow Kisses, and ALL of Richard Scarry with his excellent crazy accidents going on all over. She would do well to get these.

But the one my kids truly loved reading was Sidewalk Trip, also illustrated (if not written) by Mari Takabayashi. Particularly appreciated: it has tiny drawings of cakes and cookies.

But as I said, I am not hanging with the picture-book crowd. Help me out, readers, what should she get?

 

We Recommend: Love and Relationships and Families

It's We Recommend, in which we attempt to match kids up with their perfect book. Got a kid in your life who needs a recommendation? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And all the good suggestions are in the comments, so be sure to look there.

Can I tell you how wonderful it is to have an email account where you get heartfelt, thoughtful requests for great books? As opposed to, say, work emails about deadlines and missed comments and general misery? It is very wonderful.

Anyway, I think you will find today's request particularly affecting (though perhaps I am just tired and loopy?). You be the judge:

I have an 8 year old daughter who theoretically loves to read (she says she does) but in reality starts a lot of books but doesn't finish them.  She ripped through the first Harry Potter, but only got halfway through the second.  She started Mary Poppins but didn't get far.  She has loved reading (on her own) Ivy & Bean, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Betsy-Tacy.  Together we have read The Little House books, the Penderwicks, the Ramona books, most of Roald Dahl, and lots of Judy Blume. She is happy for more challenging books if we read them together, but on her own I think she struggles a bit and gets easily discouraged.  Today she said she wasn't that keen on the Harry Potter books because bad things kept happening and that she preferred books 'about love and relationships and families'.  Any suggestions gratefully accepted.

Love and relationships and families? What an appealing little person this is!

This email made me think several things. One: she is not ready to read full-on complex chapter books. When we read as grown-ups, I think we lose sight of the fact that it's not just difficult words that make a book hard to read. It's convoluted sentences, or sentences that jump from one page to another, or even just the prospect of 300 more pages. And when it's too hard, it's just no fun.

I know that reading parents get impatient. They want their kid to find all the awesome books that they themselves have loved—it's hard to wait. And I think we forget, too, just how old we were when we read things. We have this fuzzy image of "When I was a kid," and don't remember (maybe) that we were in 6th grade when we read Judy Blume or Harriet the Spy or whatever it was. Or maybe we were in 3rd, but it's different for everyone, and no one's interest is served by matching a kid with a book that is too hard. And Harry Potter? It's scary. I don't think I would ever have read it when I was 8. I couldn't even stay in the room to watch Batman.

So this parent is lucky: the kid is happy to be read to. To that end, I would say read aloud! Read all of the many stories in which bad things DON'T keep happening. Read her Ballet Shoes. Read her Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great! Read her Mrs. Piggle Wiggle's Magic! Read her All of a Kind Family, too.

But for her to read? I consulted with Chestnut, who is the absolute perfect person to talk to about a case like this. She thought about it and considered The Cobble Street Cousins. Which could be really great. But then she thought about it a little more and said, "I've got it!" And I think she does.

A kid wants to read about "love and relationships and families"? You can bet Chestnut will give her love and relationships and families. Sarah, Plain and Tall is excellent, and heartfelt, and sweet. My only worry? It might be too hard, but I don't think so. And if it is? Her mom can read it to her, and she can take the Cobble Street Cousins on her own, and curl up in her room, and read about love and relationships and families some more.

But maybe there are other great ideas? Put them, as always, in the comments.

We Recommend: Twelve-Year-Old's Fashion Edition

It's We Recommend, in which we attempt to match kids up with their perfect book. Got a kid in your life who needs a recommendation (or do YOU need one)? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments, so be sure to look there.

My friends, we have arrived. No, I don't mean riches, public acclaim, or a fabulous future. It's better than that! I believe we have reached the point where we receive We Recommend requests from—gasp!—actual readers.

Witness this, I say:

Age: 12 (but very mature)
Interests: Fashion/clothing, drawing (anime, people, dresses/outfits), reading, fantasy books, photography, animation, acting, singing, dancing, horseback riding, magic, Legos
Past books/stories has liked: The Clique series, the Uglies series (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras), The Mother-Daughter book club series, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson sereis, Diary of a Wimpy Kid series,  Black Cauldron series, Secrets of My Hollywood Life series, Princess Diaries series, Hunger Games series

That is, in full, the actual text of the email. Can I tell you how much "but very mature" absolutely kills me without being condescending? (Though no doubt, she is very mature.)

Anyway the real question is, of course, what should we tell this kid to read? Clearly, series are a thing. But the first-place position of "fashion/clothing" makes me think that clothes are what really matters. I wondered if Ballet Shoes might work, because I so much love the descriptions of the clothes in that, but I know it won't do for most 12 year olds. Too sweet and naive. A 12-year-old I know loved Philippa Gregory, but, I don't know, ick. Too soft porn, I think. So what? Well, as I do in times of need, I turned to Diana, who said with utter confidence, "Oh, tell her to read Cardcaptor Sakura." I won't trouble you with how many times I had to keep asking her to repeat the name so I could understand it, while I kept saying "Eh? What? I don't understand. What did you say?" like I was 90.

(Image Courtesy manga.about.com)

Diana says, "It's about a girl who has magic powers and her best friend is an amateur fashion designer, and the person who wrote in likes manga so...."

So there you go, that's what I got. But I feel like there must be some whole other genre of girl fashion designed fantasy books out there (maybe Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce? Isn't there a girl with fabric magic as her power?). 

At any rate, I'm fully willing to stand behind Diana's (admittedly insane-looking) pick. Anybody else have any suggestions? Put them in the comments.

We Recommend: Bar Mitzvah Books? Or, How Do You Tell Kids Over 8 Anything?

It's We Recommend, in which we attempt to match kids up with their perfect book. Got a kid in your life who needs a recommendation? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments (especially with this one), so be sure to look there!

This one is a little funky. We got the following lovely email from a reader:

My daughter (age 11) is increasingly getting invitations to bah mitzvahs, which she says she wants to attend because all her friends are going. Since my husband and I are atheists we've been having trouble explaining to her the whole concept of a spiritual journey to adulthood and what Judaism is about.  I don't feel good about letting her go to a bah mitzvah just for the sake of the party but if she goes to the service I feel like she needs some background information first.  Any ideas (fiction or non-fiction) about something she could read?

Trying to figure out a way into thinking about what sort of book might work here brought up a whole huge question, which is: how are you supposed to tell anyone anything? I mean, there's a whole wide world between Dinosaurs Divorce and Who Moved My Cheese (or whatever self-help books are now sweeping the nation: The Secret? Skinny Bitch? I don't read these so much, though I would no doubt benefit).

Sure, the American Girl books have moved in their juggernaut-like way to take up the slack, and I think there is even a section in A Smart Girl's Guide to Manners about attending religious celebrations of other faiths, but where are the books of yore! You know, the All About Christmas or All Dogs Have ADD or whatever fact-filled well-meaning book you put in the blank? Because the truth is—wait, well there are two truths. One truth: 11 year olds do need help in figuring out what the heck is going on in the world, whether it's Bar Mitzvahs or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Socialism—there is a world of things they have inklings about but don't fully understand. Another truth: they don't seem all that keen on having the information given to them.

Now that second truth there comes with many caveats. For instance, many kids are happy to get information from each other, as my daughter's encyclopedic but entirely second-hand knowledge of Dr. Who proves. Also, I did witness a rather thorough and diligent study of A Smart Girl's Guide to Middle School on the part of a 10-year-old cousin in our house. But it isn't as simple somehow. And there aren't all the books out there.

So? What I figure would help is a novel. A good, funny Judy Blume-esque novel about a girl (or boy!) preparing for a bat or bar mitzvah. With chaos. And shenanigans. And a troubling little brother/sister. Such a thing must exist, right? But I don't know it is.

So this is a call to readers far and wide: does this book exist? Does one a little bit like it exist? If so, put it in the comments!

And for what it's worth: Blubber, which is excellent, has an excellent scene AT a bar mitzvah, even if it's not exactly the point. It's a turning point in recognizing the humanity of others, though. And it's a book that is always worth reading. Also? It completely worth going just for the party. Everyone else is.

We Recommend: Books with Shy Characters

It's back to We Recommend, in which we attempt to match kids up with their perfect book. Got a kid in your life who needs a recommendation? Write us at thediamondinthewindow (at) gmail (dot) com with the age, reading tastes, favorite books, and any other relevant (or irrelevant) information, and we'll give it a shot. And really? All the good suggestions are in the comments, so be sure to look there!

Well, let's all stagger back from our various holiday indulgences and start thinking about books, shall we? Starting with this wistful request:

I'm looking for chapter books that deal with the subject of shyness and features a girl character. I have a second grade girl who is shy, quiet and loves to read. It seems that books for girls around this age have a lot of outrageous outgoing characters (Judy Moody, Clementine) and I think they're fun but yesterday we were talking about about shyness, how people see her as shy and she didn't like it. I was trying to say that some of us are just quiet and observe the action a little more before jumping in, and it's good to have more people in the world who are listeners, etc etc. I'd love it if she could see a good girl character in a book that deals with this well. It's not that I want to encourage her to stay "shy" but I'd love if she could see more of her qualities in a positive light in another girl. Girls with a quiet strength? Any ideas?

Interesting, no? Most general views of the shy and the bookish—well, let's just say if there was a Venn diagram involved it would have a lot of overlap. But shy characters as the main characters in kids books? That's a little more difficult, mostly because just like in regular life, shy people are not so good at grabbing our attention. Which is sort of what you want a book to do, no? So really, the shy girl books tend to work in one of two ways (how's that for a bullshit made up belief I just came up with?): either the shy narrator has a rich inner life to which we are privy, with lots of luminous/incisive visions of the world around them (think of Laura in the Little House on the Prairie Books, who talks often about her paralyzing fear when she goes into town and has to see and talk to people),  or, in the grand tradition of the seminal Ramones film Rock 'n' Roll High School, they have to have a PJ Soles to match the...whatever the shy girl's name was. Shy girl is matched with outgoing girl, so the story moves along but we are also able to experience shy person's vulnerability/sensitivity. Something like The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (oh how I love that book!). Or, for a sweet second grader like the one described above? This:

Here's what is sad: I don't remember which one of these girls is the shy one. But I know that one of them is! And what's particularly nice is that these books don't equate shyness with goodness or sweetness; they let the shy person have her own strong character, despite her reticence. And there isn't judgment of the "shy is better" or "why don't you just go introduce yourself!" varieties, simply description. One kid is one way, another is different, this is how they are in the world. Oh! Also Betsy-Tacy would work; Tacy is so shy!

But enough from us. Come on, all you shy ones—we know you're out there. What have you got for this girl to read?