Wiritng a term papaer on how children books look at the character of the loner or the outsider, do you know of any that deal with this kind of character?
You’re taking me back a ways, but I recall that Beverly Cleary did some great work on the outsider child. Particularly her Ramona books.
For more middle-school or junior-high age children, there is a great book called "You Don’t Know Me" by David Klass. It’s about a 14-year-old boy who is very much in his own head and often makes up stories for himself to believe in order to escape his reality.
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You’re taking me back a ways, but I recall that Beverly Cleary did some great work on the outsider child. Particularly her Ramona books.
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Many of the Jacqueline Wilson books which are for children and teens look specifically at the outsiders/loners. Most of her stories also discuss the deeper issues about why they are loners i.e their backgrounds and their home life.
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"Sitting Ducks" by Michael Bedard. It’s about an alligator and his dinner – a little duck. He winds up befriending the duck instead of eating him, thus becoming an outcast.
"The Ugly Duckling"
"Horrace and Morris but Mostly Delores" by James Howe – three mice are best friends, until two of them form a "boys only" club, excluding delores
"Stella Luna" by Jannell Cannon – a bat is adopted by a bird family. They can’t understand why she does weird things like hang upside down.
"The Story of Ping" by Kurt Weiss – a rebel duckling has a big adventure
"Frederick" by Leo Leonni – while all the other mice gather food for the winter, Frederick uses his imagination.
"The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes" by Dubose Heyword – a little bunny mother wants to become an easter bunny. All the other easter bunnies laugh because she is so little and a girl.
For more older readers, try
"Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzgerald
"Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
"The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
"The Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
"Island of the Blue Dolphin" by Scott Odell
"The Outsiders" by SE Hinton
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