CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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The Robber Girl

by Franny Billingsley

CCBC Review:

Raised since age six by a band of robbers, the Robber Girl has never questioned their leader Gentleman Jack’s story of finding her after she was abandoned by her mother. When Gentleman Jack is arrested during a stagecoach robbery, the girl, who was acting as a decoy, is taken in by the judge and his wife in the town of Blue Rose. People in Blue Rose worship the Seventh Sister, who grants boons to the faithful. The town long ago lost its songbird who sang praise to the Seventh’s Sister daily, but the townspeople continue to honor her. When the judge and his wife, mourning their two children who died of smallpox the year before, ask the girl to choose a name, she picks Starling without knowing why. In the attic of the judge’s house is magnificent dollhouse with a mother and father doll. The dolls ask Starling to bring them three things: a dog, a collar for the dog, and a baby. Starling is determined to grant their request, just as she is determined to free Gentleman Jack before his trial. This mesmerizing tale of manipulation and misplaced loyalty; memory and trauma; loss and healing and love; and learning to trust the voice inside oneself features characters presenting white, and a setting with the feel of the American old west but bound by unique elements of fantasy. At its heart, it’s a story so very human. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-13
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Community Crime Ethical/Moral Choices Faith, Spirituality and Religion Fantasy Greed Grief and Loss Historical Fiction Hope and Healing Kindness Memory Orphans Trauma

On CCBC Booklist: Fantastic Fiction: Great Fantasy Books for Ages 11 to 17

Publisher: Candlewick
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 404
ISBN: 9780763669560
CCBC Location: Fiction, Billingsley

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.