Books written from a child’s perspective or with a child as the protagonist offer a limited but yet unbiased and honest view of the world around them. In this case when it comes to fiction, particularly adult fiction, adult readers typically have a better understanding of what is happening in the story, which is what makes the child’s viewpoint interesting, especially when touching on issues within books such as familial, mental health, world tragedy, and war.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Written in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel with the story taking place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama and following Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, who is six years old when the novel begins and nine when it ends. Herself and her brother are raised by their widowed father, Atticus, who is a lawyer and the majority of the action takes place when he represents Tom Robinson, a man accused of rape.

The Client by John Grisham

Mark Sway and his younger brother, Ricky, witness a suicide attempt by Romey Clifford, a lawyer for a mafia hitman. Romey confesses his secrets to Mark before he dies and Mark must do everything he can to avoid the cops, the mob who are now looking for him, and the FBI. He needs serious help and legal representation which introduces Reggie Love, a recovered alcoholic and a children’s rights expert. She goes above and beyond the call of duty to help and protect Mark. Together, they tackle court proceedings while avoiding attacks from hitman Barry ‘the blade’ Muldano. It’s a truly gripping suspense story with a child at the heart of it. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

This historical fiction book is set in Germany with an unusual narrator—Death. The story follows a young girl named Liesel who must stay with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, as tragedy has struck her family and war is escalating with a constant worry of food shortages. Liesel befriends Max, a Jewish man who her foster parents are sheltering whilst also discovering a love of books and the power of words.

Wonder by R.J Palacio

Ten-year-old August (Auggie) Pullman is the hero of this powerful story as he struggles with his facial anomaly while starting mainstream school. His family are his support system as he tries to make friends. The book has multiple points of view which tells the story from different perspectives to outline the importance of being kind and accepting. This book sat at number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list for 140 weeks.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Written in 1988, this story is a children’s literature classic for all ages, young and old. Matilda Wormwood is a bookworm who is extremely intelligent, but lives with her nasty parents and brother. At school, she meets her lovely teacher, Miss Honey, and her horrible headmistress. Matilda discovers she can move things with her mind which gets her out of trouble. Unfortunately, you can’t pick your family, however Matilda is a special girl. The happy ending of this novel is unexpected but wonderful. 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Oskar Schell is a nine-year-old boy who is devastated after his dad died during the 9/11 attacks and suffers from extreme anxiety. After discovering a mysterious envelope with a key inside, Oskar travels around New York City to gather clues. Alongside this story, the story of Oskar’s grandparents runs parallel. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Christopher Boone investigates murder of his neighbour’s poodle, Wellington, by questioning potential suspects and in turn goes on a journey of self-discovery. He is 15 years old and in some ways, he is wise beyond his years, along with his love for maths and lists. There are many unexpected twists in this novel that makes the reader empathise with Christopher as he comes to terms with his discoveries. The conversational tone and matter-of-fact dialogue makes it an enjoyable read.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Irish writer, Emma Donoghue, writes about the ultimate bond between parent and child whilst also including the harsh reality of the world in her story. It is told from the perspective of five-year-old Jack which means the dialogue is direct. Ma and Jack live in a room that belongs to Old Nick, it’s home to Jack since he was born, but it’s been a prison for Ma for the last seven years. This book is an emotional story of survival and escape. 

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

This story is unforgettable as it explores the intricacies of the mother-daughter relationship. It is about Ingrid, a poet who is imprisoned for murder and her daughter Astrid moves to various different LA foster homes. Astrid grows from being a girl to becoming a woman over the course of this novel. White Oleander is beautifully written with lyrical language that reads like poetry.

All The Lost Things by Michelle Sacks

Dolly Rust is seven years old and the narrator of this suspenseful story. She is overcome with excitement when she realises herself and her dad are going on an adventure, just the two of them. It’s all fun and games in the beginning until her father’s mood starts to change and paranoia sets in. Clemesta, Dolly’s toy horse, is the voice of reason as she only speaks to Dolly. She tries to get Dolly to understand what is happening. An interesting read from a child’s perspective.

The post 10 Fiction Books With Child Narrators and Protagonists appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which one you are most excited for!

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox
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New Oldbury, 1821 In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia, and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline. All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end…

A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts by Therese Anne Fowler
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The riveting novel of iron-willed Alva Vanderbilt and her illustrious family in as they rule Gilded-Age New York, from the New York Times bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.

The Winters by Lisa Gabriele
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After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded Long Island mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter—a wealthy politician and recent widower—and a life of luxury she’s never known. But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell.

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
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The much-anticipated new novel from the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author of 1Q84 and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Killing Commendatore is an epic tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art–as well as a loving homage to The Great Gatsby–and a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers.

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher
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A captivating novel following the exploits of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, the forgotten and rebellious daughter of one of America’s greatest political dynasties.

House of Gold by Natasha Solomons
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The House at Tyneford, an epic family saga about a headstrong Austrian heiress who will be forced to choose between the family she’s made and the family that made her at the outbreak of World War I.

The Reckoning by John Grisham
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Pete Banning was Clanton’s favourite son, a returning war hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbour, and a faithful member of the Methodist church. Then one cool October morning in 1946. he rose early, drove into town, walked into the Church, and calmly shot and killed the Reverend Dexter Bell. As if the murder wasn’t shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete’s only statement about it—to the sheriff, to his defense attorney, to the judge, to his family and friends, and to the people of Clanton—was “I have nothing to say.” And so the murder of the esteemed Reverend Bell became the most mysterious and unforgettable crime Ford County had ever known.

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
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In the stories of Adjei-Brenyah’s debut, an amusement park lets players enter augmented reality to hunt terrorists or shoot intruders played by minority actors, a school shooting results in both the victim and gunman stuck in a shared purgatory, and an author sells his soul to a many-tongued god.

You Were Always Mine by Nicole Baart
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A harrowing story of tenacious love and heartbreaking betrayal, You Were Always Mine is about the wars we wage to keep the ones we love close, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult.

What Have You Done by Matthew Farrell
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When a mutilated body is found hanging in a seedy motel in Philadelphia, forensics specialist Liam Dwyer assumes the crime scene will be business as usual. Instead, the victim turns out to be a woman he’d had an affair with before breaking it off to save his marriage. But there’s a bigger problem: Liam has no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder.

We Were Mothers by Katie Sise
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A scandalous revelation is about to devastate a picturesque town where the houses are immaculate and the neighborhoods are tightly knit. Devoted mother Cora O’Connell has found the journal of her friend Laurel’s daughter—a beautiful college student who lives next door—revealing an illicit encounter. Hours later, Laurel makes a shattering discovery of her own: her daughter has vanished without a trace. Over the course of one weekend, the crises of two close families are about to trigger a chain reaction that will expose a far more disturbing web of secrets. Now everything is at stake as they’re forced to confront the lies they have told in order to survive.

Winter In Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
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Irene Steele’s idyllic life-house, husband, family is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead, but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life. Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John only to make another shocking discovery: her husband had a secret second family. As Irene investigates the mysterious circumstances of her husband’s death, she is plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit belied by the pristine white sand beaches of St. John’s.

A Cloud In The Shape of A Girl by Jean Thompson
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In A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl we see these women and their trials, small and large: social slights and heartbreaks; marital disappointments and infidelities; familial dysfunction; mortality. Spanning from World War II to the present, Thompson reveals a matrilineal love story that is so perfectly grounded in our time—a story of three women regressing, stalling, and yes, evolving, over decades. One of the burning questions she asks is: by serving her family, is a woman destined to repeat the mistakes of previous generations, or can she transcend the expectations of a place, and a time? Can she truly be free?

Little by Edward Carey
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The wry, macabre, unforgettable tale of an ambitious orphan in Revolutionary Paris, befriended by royalty and radicals, who transforms herself into the legendary Madame Tussaud.  In the tradition of Gregory Maguire’s Wicked and Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Edward Carey’s Little is a darkly endearing cavalcade of a novel–a story of art, class, determination, and how we hold on to what we love.

Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink
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From the New York Times bestselling co-author of It Devours! and Welcome to Night Vale comes a fast-paced thriller about a truck driver searching across America for the wife she had long assumed to be dead.

The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosnay
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The Rain Watcher is a powerful family drama set in Paris as the Malegarde family gathers to celebrate the father’s 70th birthday. Their hidden fears and secrets are slowly unraveled as the City of Light undergoes a stunning natural disaster. Seen through the eyes of charismatic photographer Linden Malegarde, the youngest son, all members of the family will have to fight to keep their unity against tragic circumstances.

Check out what else is coming out this month on our Goodreads list!

What book are you most excited for? Tell us in the comments below!

The post October Book Releases: Fiction appeared first on The Nerd Daily.