Books

Tell us: What are the best books with young narrators?

We want to know what adult books with child or teen narrators have moved you the most.

Characters Scout Finch and Atticus Finch in the 1962 film adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Image by AFP

By Zipporah Osei

When writing about complex global issues like violence, oppression, and survival, authors often turn to the perspectives of young people. 

Scout Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Liesel Meminger in “The Book Thief,” and Amir in “The Kite Runner,” are all fictional children grappling with adult problems much larger than themselves. As young people, they’re able to tell powerful stories with an innocence and honesty that adult narrators often lack. 

Recently, Boston got an example of how children can be used as artistic devices to create strong emotional responses through Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child. For two years, the art has traveled the world to spread compassion for displaced people young and old. 

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This month, the Boston.com Book Club is reading two books with young narrators. “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng and “Borderless” by Jennifer De Leon are both stories of adolescents facing unrest in their personal lives and in the worlds around them. In “Our Missing Hearts,” 12-year-old Bird Gardner searches for his mother, who is a dissident both for her poetry and her Chinese-American background. In “Borderless,” 17-year-old Maya makes the harrowing journey from Guatemala to the U.S. border after experiencing gang violence in her hometown. 

Both books use their young narrators to inspire empathy for the marginalized groups at the center of their stories. 

We want to know: What are your favorite adult books with child narrators? 

Tell us your top picks and why you love them and we may feature your selections in an upcoming Boston.com book guide. Fill out the survey below or email us at [email protected] to tell us your recommendations.

What's your favorite adult book with a young narrator?

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