That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks, Paige!

Hey Jeremy,

In my humble opinion, the Wings of Fire series is pretty incredible. The characters are dragons, raised away from their families. They slowly return to each tribe to find their respective families and discover every tribe is drastically different as are the family constructs within them. It deals with racism, how to try to handle difficult situations with your mind and compassion before brute force or physical fights- though some physical interaction does occur. Bad people do bad things, but the main characters make a point of clarifying which decisions were well thought out and which were hasty or cruel. The themes covered in this series really blow my mind and the thoughtful, compassionate ways that issues are worked out by the heros and heroins is fabulous too. Later in the series, the author even takes on ideas of slavery, genocide, varying sexual identities, refugees & immigrants, caring for one’s environment, etc… The main characters shift every few books to give perspective from another tribe of dragons, or time in dragon history, or place in the world of dragons. At some point the new main characters come in contact with the previous heros and heroins and they all work together for a safe/kind/loving/just resolution to whatever huge issue they are trying to concur in the world. It may be a book for young adults, but I can’t wait for the book next in the series! I know this is just one series, but hopefully it leads you to more!

Click on the book title and it will take you to Amazon where you can order.

Jeremy,

I’m going to send you an email– if you don’t get it, let me know!

Melissa @imaginationsoup.net

My son is 9 years old. We read a lot of these books already. I am wondering if you could help me identify some books or authors that handle the following things well.

What books do you recommend for kids only living with one parent? There are a lot of books about missing Dad, but I can’t seem to find books about Mom’s that left. When there are, the Mom is dead. I know social-cognitive therapy is best, but if he could read about another kid, a story, I feel like my son would feel just a bit more normal.

What are some books that focus on empathy and non-violent solutions? There are a lot of books that practice the hero’s journey, but there is always violence. It would be great if we could have something more complex. What if instead of the hero fighting his/her way to a solution, he/she built a solution with their friends and foes. There are a lot of great examples in younger kids books, but I am just not seeing them for my son’s age range – especially for boys! Everything seems to be fight, fight, fight!

Are there healthy masculinity books for boys? I am not an expert, but there seems to be a particular dearth of literature for developing boys in how to treat women. Sure, we have books on how to be a gentleman, but even those books create love stories where the female character is so overwhelmed by the male character’s kindness he still wins the girl. There are a lot of “nice guys” out there in this world. They didn’t just start doing this. They learned it from somewhere, TV or books and I find both to set weak moral compasses on this. At least the popular ones.

Are there books that handle race and social justice well? Ok, maybe you’re not the best person to answer this. I don’t know. However, I know my white son is growing up in a more racial and gender diverse world. It’s happening and it is a reality. I want my son to feel way more comfortable than me in addressing race and social justice and know that he too has a role to play.

I really want my son to learn to respect people who are not like him. To ask way more questions than to assume answers and to work with other people to build solutions. However, I’m finding a lot of the literature, from a Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Percy Jackson to just be far short of helpful.

Thanks in advance,
A single parent just trying to find the right books.