Children's book recs sought! Queer Narrative Fictional Client Revealed!

[rachelmanija]

I need recommendations for books which are likely to appeal to an 11-year-old who likes sf, fantasy, and the Alex Rider series, AND to a 10-year-old who likes mysteries and Lemony Snicket. To clarify: a single book must appeal to BOTH kids.

On a completely different topic, I double-checked with my Queer Narrative professor, and got an okay to do a fictional therapy session with a queer character from a historical work. He said to just insert myself-as-therapist into their historical context. I am leaning toward one of the heroines in Sarah Waters' Fingersmith. Lots of issues regarding social narratives, personal "stories," "problem-saturated narratives," queerness, and "madness" there! (I could also counsel them as a couple, but we haven't yet gotten into couple's counseling so I don't feel on firm ground with that.)

Comments

[lionpyh.livejournal.com]

The Ear, The Eye and the Arm! YES.

I love the Dido Twite books, but perhaps do not recommend them if you're looking for just 1 book, as they are best appreciated as accumulatively surreal.

The first book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series is fairly complete in itself, and I feel all children should be issued copies of the series before their morals have quite closed up, like fontanelles.

My favorite mystery ever (which I reread so many times in fifth grade that I can recite stray sentences) is Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game. It does not have super-serious spy action, but there is an immense amount of sneaking around and also several times things blow up.

(Gosh, what is going well in Sue and Maud's relationship that they'd like to see more of? As much as I love Fingersmith, I have never been able to believe in the ending.)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Gosh, what is going well in Sue and Maud's relationship that they'd like to see more of?

Sex?