109. Reading classic children's literature with Alice, Anne and Aslan

Novel Pairings

This spring semester, we are trying something a little different. We hope you all are up for venturing into uncharted territory together as we spend a few months reading Classic Children's Literature! From fantasy to historical fiction to adventure, we will explore the influences of children's stories on contemporary literature. Using our signature literary lens, we intend to reflect on some of our favorite books as young readers while scrutinizing how well they hold up to the modern kid lit canon.

We will discuss each of these selections on the main feed, but if you'd like to dive deeper into the themes, history, and connections between these texts, consider joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/novelpairings.

A quick note: we don't share which books are our book club selections for each month, because we haven't chosen them yet! We'll put out a poll on Patreon.

Novel Pairings Spring 2023: Classic Children's Literature

February: Fantasy

• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
• The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
• Patreon Lecture: Reading Children's Classics with a Literary Lens

March: Historical Fiction

• Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
• Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
• Patreon Seminar: Should Grown-Ups Read Twilight?: The role of children's literature in the adult reader's life

April: Orphans and Scamps

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
• Patreon Lecture: From Alice to Amari: The Hero's Journey in Children's Fiction

May: Books in Translation

• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• The Wild Book by Juan Villaro
• Patreon Office Hours