“Have you read Goethe?”
I had not. For my “reading degree,” we stuck to the American and British classics, except for forays in the Odyssey and Dante. But German literature?
His comment made me think.
But I think the same phenomenon continues. American books get sold all over the world, but it’s rare to see books from other countries even in translation here.
So, today I’m highlighting a few kidlit books I’ve enjoyed in translation.
Young Adult:
An Innocent Soldier by Joseph Holub (He's a Czech author, but the book was originally in German.) A German farmhand is conscripted into Napoleon's Grand Armee to brutally march to Russia in 1811. There's few books in English about this time period, and even fewer for kids.
A Time of Miracles by Anne-Laure Bondoux (France) After the Soviet Union collapses, a young boy, along with Georgia, his guardian, leave Georgia for France. I featured this book in this post. A lovely, thoughtful book.
Ruby Red by Kersten Gier (Germany) A time travel fantasy series about a teen girl who takes a spin through time to 18th century England. This book has everything: time travel, teen angst, romance. A fun read.
Middle Grade:
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke While there are many books about characters from books entering the real world or vice versa, this book is one is a classic and one of the best. The world building alone is amazing.
The Apprentice Pilar Molina Llorente (Spain)--A thirteen year old apprentices to a moody, vengeful painter during the Renaissance. My son enjoyed getting an insider view of the Renaissance.
Jane, the Fox, and Me (French Canadian) I reviewed this more in depth here, but this is a contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre in graphic novel format!
(This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thank you for your support!)
Have you read any books in translation that you've enjoyed?
To check out more Marvelous Middle Grade suggestions, check out Shannon Messenger's blog.
I've seen a couple of those before and didn't realize they were translations. I wonder why so few are translated to English?
ReplyDeleteI think part of it is that there are so many amazing writers in English, but it could be that foreign books aren't not as popular here.
DeleteThank you for sharing these great titles. I believe I've seen The Apprentice. I've seen a few picture books translated into English from Austria, Latin America and Japan. But, it would be nice to see more.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see more too. I'll have to look out for picture books as well that have been translated.
DeleteThanks for the list. I've read many books from England and a few French Canadian, but these are all new to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you heard of some new ones here. I enjoy books from England and Canada too.
DeleteI loved the Inkheart series. I found it years ago when I started reading MG fantasy. Glad you really liked it too.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love Inkheart. Such a great fantasy. I loved the movie of it as well.
DeleteThe only one of these I've read is Inkheart. It's a shame more books aren't translated. But the Brothers Grim were German, right?
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh when you mentioned Goethe. I've never read him either. When I was in Regensburg, Germany recently, I saw a brass plaque on a building that mentioned him. Asked our tour guide, was Goethe born here? He said no. The plaque translated to "Goethe slept here one night." So it's like saying in this country, "George Washington slept here."
What a cool story, Joanne! A few years ago I watched a German film of one of Goethe's stories, so now I do want to read him sometime. I'm glad I'm not the only one who hadn't read him.
DeleteThe only one of these I've read is Inkheart. It's a shame more books aren't translated. But the Brothers Grim were German, right?
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh when you mentioned Goethe. I've never read him either. When I was in Regensburg, Germany recently, I saw a brass plaque on a building that mentioned him. Asked our tour guide, was Goethe born here? He said no. The plaque translated to "Goethe slept here one night." So it's like saying in this country, "George Washington slept here."
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ReplyDeleteI LOVE the Inkheart series. You are right. We don't get a lot of books from other countries, and even fewer that are translated. Occasionally I read books from other English speaking countries, but other than Inkheart I can't remember any translated books. Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for throwing a few more awesome books on my radar! Time to go update my TBR list!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post!
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