Fast Five Fiction: Family History Month

It's Friday and time for Fast Five Fiction! Each week I share five fiction books: new books, notable books, books around a common theme. October is Family History Month so today I'll be sharing series featuring some of my favorite families in juvenile literature!

Click the title to be directed to the book in our catalog. Book descriptions are from Goodreads.

The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser

Return to 141st Street and Harlem's favorite family, The Vanderbeekers! Join Isa, Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney as they attempt to make their neighborhood a better place, one heartfelt plan at a time.

The Murry Family in The Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle

The Time Quintet consists of A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time.

A Wrinkle in Time is one of the most significant novels of our time. This fabulous, ground-breaking science-fiction and fantasy story is the first of five in the Time Quintet series about the Murry family.

A Wind in the Door—When Charles Wallace falls ill, Meg, Calvin, and their teacher, Mr. Jenkins, must travel inside C.W. to make him well, and save the universe from the evil Echthros.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet—The Murry and O'Keefe families enlist the help of the unicorn, Gaudior, to save the world from imminent nuclear war.

Many Waters—Meg Murry, now in college, time travels with her twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys, to a desert oasis that is embroiled in war.

An Acceptable Time—While spending time with her grandparents, Alex and Kate Murry, Polly O'Keefe wanders into a time 3,000 years before her own.

The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall

When The Penderwicks burst into the world, they quickly became a beloved family and a modern classic. 

The Penderwicks, where the Penderwick girls visit the state of Arundel and make an unlikely friend.
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, where Mr. Penderwick considers dating again, but the girls know they can't let that happen!
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, where the girls go back to Maine and hijinks ensue!
The Penderwicks in Spring, where Batty is saving up her dog-walking money for an extra-special surprise for her family
The Penderwicks At Last, where Rosalind gets married and everyone is back together.

Filled with humor, family, and high jinx, these stories are as breezy and carefree as a clear June day.

The Tang Family from the Front Desk series by Kelly Yang

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets.

Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.

Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.

Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?

It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?

Baxter Family Children series by Karen Kingsbury

The Baxter children, Brooke, Kari, Ashley, Erin, and Luke, work hard to make their parents proud of them. Each has their own talents, and they are always there for each other over the years. Through the good and hard days, the family has what’s most important—their faith and their love for one another.

Much-loved storyteller Karen Kingsbury’s Baxter Family books have captured the hearts of millions who have come to think of the Baxter family as their own. See how the Baxter siblings grew up in these funny and poignant books from the #1 New York Times bestselling team Karen Kingsbury and Tyler Russell.

Happy Friday and happy reading!