Victoria Murgante
So, you've read a great book. Congratulations! It is so wonderful to be reminded of the pleasure of slipping away into a book that wasn't just 'okay' or 'not bad,' but earth-shatteringly magnificent. Maybe it's been a while since you've read something that good. Maybe it came after a long reading slump or maybe this book happened to be such a cut above anything you've read lately that you start to wonder if there are any more books out there like it. So, how to replicate the experience? How do you find your next great read?
Enter the read-alike: a book that (hypothetically, because of its similar qualities to a book you have loved in the past) stands a higher chance of being a book that you will love if you try it. I'll be genuine with you: I haven't always had success with read-alikes. Often, it is hard for me to identify what it is about a book that makes me love it, at least not in a way that is reliably transferable. Sometimes, it's the way the story feels like it always existed and the author just lifted it out of the ground, carefully brushing off each piece and turning it over in their hands before they reassembled the bones; sometimes it's the gentleness and quirkiness of the book, or the way something touched or surprised me, or simply how it surpassed my expectations, or struck me as beautiful. It's hard to replicate that.
More often (for me), a reading list really helps if I'm looking for something to read. I think that this is because the essential unifying factor among the books on such a list is the especial enjoyment of one particular reader with whom I may share similar sensibilities. For example, I love children's books, and I have drawn MANY satisfying titles from Gretchen Rubin's list of recommendations for children and teens; my own extensive sampling of this list has produced such a high ratio of stratospheric excellence (compared to an exceedingly low instance of flops) that I really must share with anyone who may love children's books, too.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that if you want to find something new—if you want to brazenly embark on a quest for a book that was not written by one of a few select authors upon whom you already know you can rely—read-alikes are often the first line of defense when it comes to filtering out all of the hundreds of thousands of books that won't suit, in the hopes of finding those titles that might.
It is possible to use a helper like NoveList (or ask a librarian!) if you are in desperate need of a new read (usually, this need sets in about 5 minutes following the conclusion of a previous great read). NoveList is available for anyone to browse (free with your library card!) and it is often the database a librarian will use if she is trying to find titles that are similar to something that you have liked before. You can filter by genre, browse by appeal, or explore based on a preferred theme. There is even a tutorial about how to find read-alikes using the site.
The remainder of this article is mostly my cheeky take on the concept of read-alikes. I'm bringing together some super-specific similarities that I have found across titles, organized by date of publication in each section. These are all children's books (because that is most of what I read, right ahead of adult non-fiction and—in small doses—adult fiction). If I were to recommend any of these especially, I'd suggest:
Rooftoppers (I loved Rooftoppers)
The Enormous Egg (right up there with Charlotte's Web as a great first novel for reading with young children)
From the Mixed-Up-Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which was a gem (and one of the books that I got from Gretchen Rubin's list)
Without further ado!
Books wherein a character named Sophie is separated from her family and taken in by a new one.
Howl’s Moving Castle, 1986
Diana Wynne Jones
In this story, our protagonist, Sophie, is transformed into an old woman by a conniving witch. Sophie is consequentially separated from her family (who cannot recognizer her) and goes off to live with the wizard Howl, his young apprentice, Michael, and the ‘fiery’ Calcifer. They come to care for her and become her new family.
Baby, 1993
Patricia MacLachlan
A baby named Sophie is abandoned by her mother, left in the care of a family who lives near a popular beach.
Keeper of the Lost Cities, 2012
Shannon Messenger
11-year-old Sophie must be separated from her human family to join her own kind: the elves living in secret all over the world. Everyone in her human family has their memory altered so that they no longer recognize her. Sophie is taken in by an elvish couple and learns to develop her special abilities at a school for elves.
Rooftoppers, 2013
Katherine Rundell
A one-year-old child is found floating in a cello case after a shipwreck. She is taken in by a loving (if eccentric) guardian named Charles Maxim. Many years pass and Sophie, now 11 years old, spends most of the novel searching for the long-lost mother whom she believes survived the shipwreck ten years prior.
Books wherein a child (or children) spend a lot of time in a museum outside of business hours.
The Enormous Egg, 1956
Oliver Butterworth
When a chicken lays an egg that hatches into a living, breathing triceratops, Nate Twitchell's family farm becomes a hub of activity. Visitors from all over come to see this scientific marvel and Nate makes friends with a paleontologist named Dr. Ziemer. Eventually, Uncle Beazley (that's what Nate decided to name his dinosaur) gets so big and difficult to care for that Nate and Dr. Ziemer move him to live in the National Museum up in Washington, D.C. Nate is still on summer vacation and continues to take care of Uncle Beazley, coming to the museum to pick him up and take him out for walks every morning (early enough that most people are still snug in their homes). After the walks, Nate spends time in the museum learning about different things ("like the life cycle of a butterfly or the formation of coal"). He carefully studies the exhibits, perhaps drawing a picture of what he sees. Aside from a watchman or two (and Dr. Ziemer, of course) Nate has the place to himself!
From the Mixed-Up-Files of
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, 1967
E. L. Konigsburg
Claudia and Jamie Kincaid decide to run away, intending to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. They covertly take up residence in the museum and especially enjoy having the run of the place overnight. What they did not expect was to uncover a dazzling mystery involving a new exhibit.
Honorable mention goes to Milan Trenc's 30-page picture book The Night at the Museum, wherein an adult spends a lot of time in a museum outside of business hours.
Books wherein an unattended child drives a car
Danny, Champion of the World, 1975
Roald Dahl
Danny is the only one who can rescue his missing father after an unfortunate incident involving the poaching of Mr. Hazell's quails. Danny apprehensively borrows a recently repaired Austin 7 and drives it to Mr. Hazell's property in search of his father. One of Dahl's less-famous titles, and perhaps one of his oddest!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1998
J. K. Rowling
Ron and Harry miss the train to Hogwarts when the entry to Platform 9¾ is blocked. They decide that the best course of action is to commandeer Mr. Weasley's flying Ford Anglia and follow the Hogwarts Express from above. The instance of Ron driving his Dad's car is so iconic that it was chosen as the image for the original cover of the book and at least two of the new illustrated editions (both the Minalima and Jim Kay versions).
Ruby Lu Brave and True, 2004
Lenore Look
"Almost-eight-year-old" Ruby Lu spends time with her baby brother (Oscar), goes to Chinese school, performs magic tricks, and learns to drive. Near the end of the book, she drives Oscar and herself to Chinese school, sitting atop a dictionary to see over the dashboard and using a snow shovel to reach the pedals.
Have you ever noticed a strangely-specific overlapping element in some of the books that you've read? Write to me at vmurgante@essa.library.on.ca. I'd love to hear about it!
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