Top Ten Moms in YA Lit (And also in MG lit because I'm a cheater {probably [hint: it's likely} } )
Hello, everybody! Today's post is once again Top Ten Tuesday (I'm really liking Top Ten Tuesday, in case you missed the memo). And, in honor of Mother's Day (which was on Sunday), the theme is The Top Ten Mothers in YA Books. (At least for me. Other people might be different.)
I love books with good parents in them. I do! They're some of my favorite things to encounter. But good parents (and, more specifically, good moms) are hard to come by. So here is a list of my favorite moms in the books I've read recently-ish. I may cheat a little bit. You have been warned.
1. Nia Igiby from The Wingfeather Saga
You knew you weren't going to be able to avoid it :)
The Igiby kids have no memory of their dad, who died when they were really little in the Great War. So Nia and their grandpa serve as their only guardians. Nia is a very strong woman. She's stern, authoritative, and brisk, and she acts like she's made of steel, but when you see her smile at the kids or ruffle their hair or break down at some new revelation... my heart. It breaks. She reminds me of my mom, which is some of the highest praise I can give :)
2. Grace Thompson from The Five Stones Trilogy.
Grace Thompson is a normal mom of today- she has three sons, a workaholic husband, and some serious PTSD from losing her brother as a girl. But she soldiers on, and although she isn't in the books much, she makes a huge impact. I really can't recommend these books enough - there's a little bit of weird spirituality in some parts, but the fantasy world is so well-developed and the characters in general are AMAZING.
There's another mom in this book who I would mention, but #SPOILERS so I won't.
3. Doug's mom from Okay for Now.
As Jonathan mentioned in a comment last week, Okay for Now is serious goals. I love all of the stuff by Gary D. Schmidt that I've read so far, and Okay for Now is no exception.
Doug's mom is an incredibly strong woman. She raises three sons, one of whom is in the army, one of whom is kind of a nasty kid accused of multiple crimes, and one of whom is - um- how do I say this nicely? Sorry, Doug, you're a chump. XD And her husband isn't the greatest guy, either. I don't remember if she had a name (#Whoops) but I admire her. And that's wonderful.
4. Conor's Mom in A Monster Calls.
I'll be honest with you - I don't love Patrick Ness. But this book is so good that even my own mom liked it. And it's not horror, regardless of how it might look. :P
Conor's mom is slowly dying of cancer, but she's able to stand strong and firm despite it and hold on to the end. She protects Conor and is just a sweet woman all around. She radiates quiet strength, and it's beautiful to behold.
5. Katherine Krupnik in Anastasia.
Okay. Raise your hand if you know Anastasia. If you do, here's some cookies. *passes out cookies to the one person who raised their hand* Moving on...
The Anastasia series is hysterical, and while her dad and brother usually contribute to the madness, Anastasia's mom manages to remain sane and a tower of strength to her dysfunctional family. I need to get Anastasia from the library again because I loved her when I was younger. *eyes TBR ruefully*
6. Julie Murphy in One for the Murphys.
Okay, Julie isn't actually Carly's mom, she's her foster mom, but whatever, okay?! This book is so sweet and so tearjerker-y that I can't read it without breaking down. You heard that right - me. If you haven't read this one, you should. Carly comes from an abusive household and she's in foster care while her mom's in the hospital. She's loathe to trust these strangers she's living with, but then she does. And they don't disappoint :)
7. Joy Martin and Gemma Ebworthy in Martin Hospitality.
So I'm a cheater and put two of them in here. But Mrs. Martin is a wonderful mom, like all the others, and needs to be mentioned because she wrangled - what, nine kids? Ten? - and was still willing to take in a pregnant teenager who needed help. I've known lots of people just like this XD
And Gemma? She's eighteen when she gets pregnant, and she has no money, but she keeps her baby. Applause from this ardent pro-lifer. She's brave, strong, and utterly committed to her child. That's beautiful to me.
8. Mrs. Vey in Michael Vey.
I don't remember what her first name is... I think she has one, but I don't own these books so I can't know for sure.
But man, this mom and son sure love each other. She works like twelve hours a day to provide for them, and Michael is willing to go to the ends of the earth to rescue his mom. And she'd do the same for him. It's awesome. :)
9. Miranda's mom in When You Reach Me.
This is another book where, if you haven't read it, you should. SO GOOD. I love this one. Miranda spends a lot of the time out in the city and at school, but when she's at home, she's with her mom and mom's boyfriend Richard - and they're all happy to be there. It's got a very sweet family dynamic, and they're helping Mom to train for The $20,000 Pyramid. (It's set back in the '70s.) So good.
10. Marmee in Little Women.
See? I read classics!
Although it's been a very long time since I read this book, I've seen the movie recently, and it's still one of the best. This book may diverge from reality quite a bit, but the parents are still amazing and Marmee is one of the sweetest mothers in any fiction time era. (Also: these are nearly all contemporary [even Little Women {for its time period}] Motion for better mothers in YA fantasy!!!!!!!!!!)
I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the women whom I think are some of the worthiest moms in fiction. Feel free to list your choices below!
Do you agree with my choices? Have you read any of these books? If you have, serious points. Some of them are really obscure. However, you do need to read them all... like right now...
~Faith
34 comments
All these are great, but OHHHHH YES, Marmee from Little Women <3<3<3
ReplyDeleteYes I love Marmee:)
DeleteI want to read One for the Murphys! It looks like I book I'd like. The books I cry for are usually the best, :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to read ALLLLLLLLL summer........you just helped me along! ;)
Aww, that's great! One for the Murphys is really, really good :)
DeleteThat's making my anticipation all the more harder to bear. Lol
DeleteIT'S AT MY LIBRARY!!!!!! Thanks for that, Faith. You made my week. *dances around room to contain excitement*
DeleteHee hee. I'm glad! Hope you enjoy!
DeleteI most definitely will! :)
DeleteThanks again! I'm like.....dying of anticipation. Lol
Oh, all those moms are GREAT! Marmee is the best, don't get me started on Little Women. =)
ReplyDeleteYes!!!!
Delete#6, #8, and #9 are three of my favorite moms in books too! Especially Julie Murphy - she is THE best :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't she, though? I wish every foster kid got the opportunity to have a mom like her.
DeleteNia, OMIGOSH, YES. I LOVE Nia!!!! xD
ReplyDeleteAnd stuff gets so bad for her later... *sobs*
DeleteOut of all these books, I've only read the Wingfeather Saga. I agree, Nia is an awesome mother!
ReplyDeleteReally? You should read some of them! They're AMAZING!!!
DeleteCaroline Ingles didn't make the list? Tough field, I guess. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah. That and I forgot. :p
DeleteI adore Marmee. She's so sweet and wise.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading When You Reach Me a while ago, and I really enjoyed it, but I can't recall the majority of what it's about... I should reread it.
She's wonderful. And she really reminds me of my mom :)
DeleteWhen you reach me is really good. I enjoyed it enough to buy it, which is saying something. XD
I've never heard of most of these, but I used to have a friend named Grace Thompson. (:
ReplyDeleteThat's fun :) These are all really good books :)
DeleteThis is probably really bad, but the only book I've read here is Little Women. :| (Marmee is awesome, by the way. She reminds me of my Mum.)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and read Martin Hospitality and When You Reach Me soon. May I ask what age group they're for? My mum hasn't read either of those books, and she's very protective with what we read and watch. I know there won't be anything BAD, but I'm just asking if there's any adult scenes or ideas that Mummy won't want me reading about. Yet.
lol.
Martin Hospitality deals with pregnancy out of wedlock (the circumstances aren't described in detail, but it's a major part of the story.) That's about it for that one.
DeleteWhen You Reach Me is for the 10-15 age range or so (I think) and there's a little street violence (a traffic accident, some punching, etc., but it's not too bad.) The mom has a boyfriend and isn't married, but they don't live together.
Alrighty! Thanks!
DeleteI'll save Martin Hospitality for when I'm a LITTLE older. Either that, or let my Mum. XD
OH YEAH!!!! I'm going to read When You Reach Me SOON. After we're COMPLETELY done with school. *cringes* (We're finishing late because of some time off we had to take when SOMEONE got "sick". *rolls eyes*)
THE WINGFEATHER SAGA!! It makes me happy that you listed that, since it's not a super popular series. Awhh, now I want to go reread them. <3 (I actually haven't read the last one. *cough* But I got spoiled for it. -.-)
ReplyDeleteWhoops... that one is really easy to spoil :P was it the part with the thing... you know... that guy? XD You should read it anyway, it's totally worth it.
DeleteOHMYGOSH you read Michael Vey!? YAY! I totally agree, Mrs. Vey is so awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd Marmee, too, of course, is one of the best moms ever. <3
Michael Vey is the bomb. Pun intended. Have you read all six books yet? There's a title for the seventh one!! *squeals* Fellow Electroclan!!
DeleteAnd marmee is pretty awesome.
I haven't read all six yet, no...*hides* But I saw that seventh one has a title!! Eek!! :D
DeleteFinish them! The sixth is definitely the best so far!!
DeleteOkay so this has only 5% to do with your post (which was lovely and I adored it <3) but I READ THE FIRST WINGFEATHER SAGA BOOK. And I totally agree about Nia, she's goals. I'm glad all your raving got me to read it because OH BOY - it wasn't really my favorite (I'm giving it 4 stars, I think) but I NEED THE NEXT BOOKS. *runs away to the library to get them* xD
ReplyDelete~ Savannah @ Scattered Scribblings
Yayayayay!!!! *happy dancing* four stars isn't so bad, but I promise they get better. This one is mostly Andrew spreading his wings. It gets so good as time goes on. I hope you enjoy the rest of the books. :) Keep me posted!!
DeleteConor's mom from A Monster Calls is so amazing. <3 Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post <3
ReplyDelete~ Zoe @ Stories on Stage
Hello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)