Children's books in 1st person POV?

Cafe Society
1

I have the impression, which might not be correct, that most books for children in the eight to twelve-year-old range are written in third person. There are plenty of YA/teen novels (for kids at least old enough to be reading the later Harry Potter books and Twilight) and adult novels written in the first person, but are there many for younger kids?

My impression may well be false, considering I mostly read the children’s classics, which tend to be in third person, before transitioning to novels. Though I’ve read a lot of contemporary young adult books, I know I missed out on a lot of kids’ books written after the modern period.

If I am incorrect about there being a dearth of first person narrators in kids’ books, could you please recommend some in first person?

2

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (3 books and counting)

The whole Fudge series

3

Green Eggs And Ham.

4

The Cat in the Hat

5

Not really books for kids 8-12 :dubious:

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Danny, Champion of the World.
The Witches
Ivy and Bean.
Hurricane
How I Became a Pirate.
The Great Brain and all its sequels.

It’s especially hard for me to think of picture books written in first person, but there certainly are some.

7

Depends on the kid; I have second graders for whom The Cat in the Hat is appropriate reading. True, it’s simpler than the ones on my list, but it really does depend on the kid.

8

Island of the Blue Dolphins
My Side of the Mountain

9

Huckleberry Finn and Treasure Island are classic first-person stories that may be advanced for an 8-year-old but are within the reach of a bright 12-year-old.

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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

11

Ooh, I think The Watsons Go to Birmingham is first-person.
Many of Katherine Paterson’s books are first-person, such as Jacob Have I Loved, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Bridge to Terabithia are all first-person.

Similarly, Mildred Taylor often writes in the first person, e.g., Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

All of these books are very highly regarded.

12

Dear Mr. Henshaw is an epistolary (sp?) novel, written as a series of letters from a child to a favorite author, and may therefore qualify.

The more I think about it, the more I can think of children’s novels written in first person. Again, I think it’s rarer (though by no means impossible) to find picture books in the first person.

Daniel

13

The Babysitters Club books (not GOOD literature, but there you go)
The War with Grandpa
My Brother Sam is Dead
Shiloh

14

You know, I could have sworn it was in first person too, but I just reread it a couple of weeks ago, and it’s in third person. Her other book Jacob I Have Loved is indeed in first, though. Thanks for reminding me of one I own :slight_smile:

15

Many of Judy Bloom’s books were written in first person (ex: Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.) I think it was another way in which she was a really daring and authentic writer for children. She wasn’t condescending, and even more her writing style pushed the reader to see you could just as easily be that kid.

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:smack: I suppose I should add a disclaimer: while I tried to double-check that the books I listed were all first-person, I’m mostly operating from memory. It’s hard to find out the voice of a book from online sources. Thanks for the correction!

17

To Kill A Mockingbird is good for older children.

18

How about the Heinlein juveniles? All in 1st person, some are a bit dated but all “good reads”. Suitable for any reasonably bright 12 year old with any interest in science/technology and for quite a few 10 year olds.

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Oh, also the Phyllis Reynolds Naylor “Alice” books. Good call on Judy Blume up thread–a lot of her books were, too.

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Junie B Jones.