Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Top Ten Kids/Teen/YA Books That Broke My Heart

Happy Valentine's Day!  It's Tuesday and that means it's Top Ten day over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Today's very appropriate topic is Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart.

Ah, I love a book that can make me cry. I think that is a sign of a good book - one that can make you feel something, a book where you come to care about the characters so much that it breaks your heart when something bad happens to them.  A kids' or teen book that can wring out such emotion is a special treasure. You can also check out my grown-up list of Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart.


So, in honor of Valentine's Day, here are my Top Ten Kids/Teen/YA Books That Broke My Heart:

  • Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White - probably the first book to break every child's heart, right?
  • The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Coleen Degnen-Veness - I remember sobbing as I read this for my 7th grade English class.
  • Go Ask Alice by Anonymous - I only read this in recent years, but Alice's inability to stop her downward spiral is heartbreaking.
  • Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor - I cried so hard listening to this audio book that I almost drove off the road searching for the Kleenex box!
  • Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott - every page of this disturbing, haunting novel of a girl who's been kidnapped is heartbreaking.
  • The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo - how can a story about a stuffed bunny be filled with so much love and loss?
  • Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - a real tear-jerker.  My sons hated this beloved children's book because they don't like sad stories!
  • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - a book about a little girl during the Holocaust, narrated by Death, is sure to involve some heartbreak, though books save the day.
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowlings - the death of a main character broke the hearts of children and adults everywhere.
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowlings - the unexpected death of a minor character is even more heartbreaking.

Which children's/teen books have broken your heart?
 

2 comments:

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

Oh good...another audiobook recommendation: Waiting for Normal. I'll order it from the library once I'm done listening to Inheritance which will take me forever, no doubt.

Charlotte's web! Of course, I didn't even think of it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Anne

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

The Book Thief is one of my favourites.

I recently read & reviewed Wonder by RJ Palacio and now that is another favourite of mine.