Play 2026 Book Bingo
Intergenerational Novels: Books that Connect Generations
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.When we came up with the idea for our Lifetime of Reading Challenge, our primary goal was to encourage our readers to explore novels that highlight the joys and challenges of each phase of life. Throughout this reading challenge, we’ve seen the world through the eyes of characters of all different ages. Now, we’re excited to read about relationships between characters of different generations, emphasizing books about intergenerational friendships.
In selecting titles for our list, we’ve focused primarily (but not exclusively) on contemporary stories that feature intergenerational friendships between characters that are more than a few decades apart in age. We’ve curated a diverse list of recommended books, ranging from literary fiction to lighter reads. In addition to reflecting a wide range of life experiences, the main characters also vary in ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, class, background, lifestyle, and more.
Books with Intergenerational Friendships
Book Summary
For sixty years, eighty-one year old Elsie has lived on the same idyllic street. She’s equal parts cantankerous and witty, but no one would guess that she’s kept her real identity hidden all these years.
When her 93 year old neighbor passes away, Elsie becomes a “person of interest” to the police. They discover that as a child, she was known as “Mad Mabel,” due to a series of deaths around her, culminating in a murder charge when she is a teenager.
When Elsie agrees to be interviewed on Youtube, you’ll see her life story unfold in a dual time-line, including her present day friendship with her 7-year-old neighbor, Persephone.
Our Thoughts on This Book…
Melissa still thinks about the wide range of emotions, toxic family bonds, and twists in the first Sally Hepworth book she read, The Good Sister, and Mad Mabel lived up to her expectations as well. It’s more of a character study with mystery elements than a traditional thriller.
We recommend not reading any other reviews before picking this one up to avoid spoilers, but if you have any specific sensitivities, check for trigger warnings as some tough topics are included.
How to Age Disgracefully
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When Lydia takes a part-time job running the local senior center three afternoons a week, she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. In addition to a more rambunctious group of seniors than she expected, the council is trying to sell the building that houses both the senior center and the daycare.
Daphne has been reclusive for decades, hiding from a mysterious past that may still be trying to catch up to her. But her 70th birthday prompts reflection on her life, and she decides that MAYBE it wouldn’t be terrible to find a friend…or even a boyfriend.
What she finds at the senior center is not what she expects. Despite her initial reservations, she forms an unlikely chain of new relationships — including a teenage father, a dog, and some grumpy old men — that changes her life in every way.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Melissa rated this enjoyable story five stars. She loves a strong older character, especially when lonely people of different generations connect to form a new family. This novel does that well. It’s both heartwarming and funny, which is the best combination!
Great Big Beautiful Life
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Margaret Ives is the daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th century, but the former tabloid princess hasn’t been seen in years. Now in her 80s, this tragic heiress is ready to tell her story. She invites two authors to Little Crescent Island for a one-month trial period, after which she intends to choose one to write her memoir.
The two authors she has invited couldn’t be more different. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-Prize winner with the personality of a thundercloud. Alice Scott, on the other hand, is an eternal optimist still working toward her big break as a writer.
Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story, but because of their ironclad NDAs, Hayden and Alice can’t share what they’ve learned in order to put together a more complete picture. Whether her story is a mystery, a tragedy, or a love ballad is yet to be determined. The same can be said for the story between Alice and Hayden, who can’t deny the inconvenient pull between them each time they’re in the same room.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
We’ve always loved that Henry’s romance novels are more than just that, but Henry has entered new writing territory with this novel.
Angela picked up this book with a bit of trepidation after seeing very mixed reviews, including those from readers who felt it was too similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. But it didn’t take long at all before she knew it would work for her!
The book’s writing style is classic Emily Henry, but it’s even heavier on the plot and lighter on the romance. While on its face the storyline is quite similar to Evelyn Hugo, Henry has taken the concept of a reclusive socialite and combined it with a writing rivalry twist that we’ve seen her do so well before in Beach Read. The result is something truly original, providing fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses into writing, publishing, and fame.
Everything Is Probably Fine
Book Summary
Lorna had a difficult home life growing up thanks to the addiction issues of her older sister. As a forty-something adult, this has turned her into a hard and untrusting person, with her only companion being her dog Agnes.
She normally excels at work, but after a huge error, her boss sends her to a mandatory wellness program. As Lorna works through the program, we see what made her who she is today via flashbacks. Then, she begins to heal and understand herself and starts to open her heart to others, starting with Bean, the 8 year old boy across the hall who first befriended Agnes.
With Bean and his dad’s help, Lorna is forced to address things from her past in order to access her trust and save her grandmother’s house.
You May Enjoy This Book If…
Reviewers say this book would be a good fit for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, The Wedding People, or found family themes with an unlikeable character. Although Lorna isn’t likeable at first, this is balance with everyone’s favorite very-likeable characters, Bean and Agnes.
Calling Me Home
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle needs a big favor. She needs a ride from Texas to Cincinnati, Ohio, to attend a funeral… tomorrow. She asks her hairdresser, Dorrie, to drop everything to take her there, but she gives few details about why it’s so important she be there. Over the years, Dorrie, a 35-year-old Black single mom, has developed a friendship with Isabelle and agrees to drive the elderly woman across the country.
Dorrie has a lot on her mind between the new man in her life and her teenage son’s irresponsible decisions. But she’s also curious about Isabelle’s guarded past and hopes that along the way, she may be able to unlock some of her friend’s secrets. And she does…
Isabelle confesses that, as a teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell madly in love with a would-be doctor, the son of her family’s Black housekeeper. In the sundown town, where African Americans weren’t allowed after dark, theirs was a forbidden relationship with tragic consequences.
Reader Thoughts on This Book
This highly-rated debut novel is described as a very emotional read, so keep the tissues handy.
Tell Me How This Ends
Book Summary
Thirty-two-year-old Henrietta once wanted to be a librarian, but now her work transcribing life stories for terminally ill patients is the perfect distraction from her past. She’s usually good at separating fact from emotion, but when Henrietta meets 60-something Annie, who is both eccentric and terminally ill, she feels herself being drawn into Annie’s story.
When Annie reveals her sister’s mysterious drowning back in 1974, Henrietta begins methodically following the story’s loose ends. Annie, on the other hand, has long been afraid to look too closely into her murky memories of that terrible night. The push and pull between these two women will unearth a surprising emotional connection between them before it’s too late.
Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love
Book Summary
Eddie is 90 years old, and while he has lived a good life, he has never been kissed. Despite this, he remains a romantic at heart. He spends his days volunteering at a charity shop in his town of Birmingham, England, where he sorts through donations. He’s always careful to preserve letters and tokens of love that others may toss aside as not valuable.
At the shop, he meets 24-year-old Bella, who has just lost the love of her life. When Bella learns that Eddie is still waiting for his first kiss, it’s the perfect distraction from her own troubles. She resolves to help him find love, sparking an adventure that will take them to unexpected places. Their intergenerational friendship will make you wish the endearing Eddie were a real friend in your own life.
About the Book & Author
Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love is said to be an uplifting, funny, and powerful story of friendship and finding love in an unexpected place.
Author Marianne Cronin also wrote the much-loved novel The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, which would also be a great choice for this prompt!
How to Read a Book
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In Abbot Falls, Maine, three unlikely people are about to have their lives changed forever after connecting at a bookstore. Violet is only twenty-two but was just released from prison after nearly two years for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet is a retired English teacher who runs a book club at the prison. Frank is the handyman at a bookstore, and he had a complicated marriage to the woman Violet killed.
When Violet, Harriet, and Frank run into each other at the bookstore, they begin to learn about seizing second chances and the power of books to change lives.
Our Thoughts on This Book
We love books about book lovers, and this one in particular captured our hearts because of the life-changing connections formed between the characters.
Have You Seen Luis Velez?
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Raymond is a shy Black teen who feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere – not with his complicated family, and not at school. Mildred is a blind 92-year-old Holocaust survivor living alone since her caretaker disappeared. When Raymond meets Mildred in his apartment building, she introduces herself with the question, “Have you seen Luis Velez?”
Raymond begins to help Mildred with her weekly errands to the banks and the grocery store, and also hopes to help her track down Luis. In a short time, they’ve formed an unlikely friendship. Raymond demonstrates that for every terrible act, there’s a mirror image of kindness. And Mildred helps Raymond see that even when life is difficult, there is always hope.
What to Expect in This Book
This heartwarming story will overwhelm you with the kindness of the characters, give you new hope for humanity, and encourage you to be your best. Each page is a sweet testament to the rewards that can come when you take time for others – whether that be opening your door to their questions, or simply walking them to the grocery store.
The book balances these positive moments with struggles and very hard times for different characters. Melissa finished the book quickly because after every chapter, you can’t wait to find out what happens next.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Fourteen-year-old June shared a deep bond with her beloved uncle, Finn, a renowned painter. When Finn died in 1987 from AIDS (at a time when the illness was widely misunderstood), June was devastated.
Before his death, Finn completed a formal portrait of June and her sister, a painting that becomes both a symbol of his love and a lingering source of tension within the family.
At Finn’s funeral, June meets a mysterious man who was also close to her uncle. As June begins to form an unexpected friendship with him, she slowly uncovers more about Finn’s life beyond what her family has shared.
Through memories of Finn, his artwork, and the portrait he left behind, June navigates grief, loyalty, and the complicated truths that shape the people we love.
Thoughts on This Book
Our readers say this 2012 Goodreads Nominee for Best Fiction takes you back to the AIDS fears of the 80s and provides a great glimpse into the decade. That said, the book is more about the characters and relationships and has fewer details about the overall AIDS crisis.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In this charming debut novel, Widower Tova works at the Sowell Bay Aquarium to occupy her mind and time. She takes pride in cleaning perfectly every night, even though she doesn’t need the money. She loves all the aquarium life but forms a special bond with the intelligent (and curmudgeonly) octopus named Marcellus.
He’s just as surprised to feel friendly toward this human who visits him nightly. Soon, he connects the sadness he sees in her with something he saw in the ocean long ago. Can he help her solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance 30 years ago?
Our Thoughts on This Book
Neither of us expected to have a book partially narrated by a giant Pacific octopus on our best books of 2022 list, but Marcellus stole our hearts. Beyond that, we loved each of the human characters and their struggles in different phases of life. Young or older, so many people deal with loneliness and loss. Watching characters process and evolve through that was a heartwarming treat.
After reading, don’t miss the Netflix adaptation staring Sally Field as Tova.
Book Club Resources for Remarkably Bright Creatures
We have a great printable Remarkably Bright Creatures book club guide available on Etsy, including discussion questions, themed games, a Marcellus bookmark, and more!
You can also find free resources for your book club discussion about Remarkably Bright Creatures on our website.
The Turtle House
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This split-time historical fiction alternates between 1930s Japan, beginning in Mineko’s childhood, and 1990s Texas, where we see Mineko’s story as a grandmother through the eyes of her granddaughter, Lia.
In 1999, Lia is a 25 year old promising architect in Austin, but has just moved back home to the small ranching town of Curtain, Texas. Her new roommate is her prickly 73 year old grandmother, Mineko (Minnie). While the duo hadn’t been close previously, they began bonding through late-night conversations.
Mineko begins revealing stories of her childhood in pre-war Tokyo, along with stories of the war, a man named Akio Sato, and an abandoned Japanese country estate they called the Turtle House. As Lia begins learning about her grandmother’s past before becoming a war bride and coming to the US, she recognizes that she also needs to come clean about her own surprising return home.
Inspired By a True Story
The Turtle House was inspired by the life of the author’s beloved grandmother, a Japanese war bride. While most of the books on this list feature unexpected friendships between unrelated characters, this is a great story of how bonds can grow between adult grandchildren and their grandparents, even if they weren’t previously close.
West With Giraffes
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
West With Giraffes is a charming tale of adventure that takes you on the ride of a lifetime from the East Coast of the US to the West, alongside a rowdy 17-year-old, a grumpy older man, and two giraffes. The year is 1938, and no American zoo has successfully housed giraffes before. The female zoo director of the San Diego Zoo believes she can do it. The giraffes have just survived a hurricane en route to the East Coast, and Riley Jones, the zoo’s curmudgeonly head keeper, is responsible for safely transporting the giraffes from New York City to San Diego.
America is still in the throes of the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl conditions continue to ravage the drought-stricken Southern Plains states. A coast-to-coast trek with giant animals is no easy feat. Jones begrudgingly teams up with a starving teenager named Woody to help him make the journey. The adventures along the way include run-ins with circus con artists, being tailed by a female photographer looking for a big scoop, an emotional visit to Woody’s hometown, and so much more.
At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story. Now, at the age of 105, Woody recounts his 12-day cross-country trip with Jones and the giraffes and how it shaped his life.
Why You Should Pick This Book
After we both gave this book 5 stars, we recommended it to readers across a variety of ages. Everyone else has loved it too! In fact, Angela’s husband recently listened to the audiobook, and her 10 and 11-year-old sons begged to listen with him. It’s now a family favorite!
From the insights it gives into life across America in the late 1930s to the growing relationships between characters, including the humans and the giraffes, we can’t recommend this book highly enough!
The Heirloom Garden
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
After losing her husband in WWII and her daughter to illness, Iris walled herself off from the world. She’s spent many decades hiding behind the tall fence around her home. In place of human connection, Iris has surrounded herself with a family of flowers. She propagates her daylilies and roses and tends a garden that keeps the memories of those she loved alive.
In the early 2000s, Abby is a young mother whose husband has recently returned from military service in Iraq. When Abby’s family rents a cottage along Lake Michigan, next door to Iris’ property, the older woman can’t help but view the young family as a window to the life she once had.
As Iris and Abby are drawn together by their shared love of flowers, the friendship that blossoms between them is a testament to the healing power of both gardening and human connection.
What to Expect in This Book
This book is an interesting look at PTSD for soldiers returning from war, and its effect on the soldier’s family. The comparisons between the 1940s & 2000s add depth to this theme.
Readers particularly enjoy the audio version of this heartwarming book because of the two different narrators who read for Iris and Abby. Keep the tissues nearby as you read because you’re sure to shed a few cathartic tears during the ultimately uplifting tale.
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
98% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Do you dream of seeing the Venetian canals, the Amalfi Coast, or wandering through gorgeous Tuscan villages? This novel will transport you to all three dramatically different scenic Italian locations in vivid detail.
Two hundred years ago, Filomena Fontana cursed her sister. Ever since then, every 2nd born sister in the Fontana family has been unable to find love.
Some of the women believe in the curse, and others are skeptical, but when elderly Aunt Poppy invites two of the young second-born sisters to return to Italy with her, promising to have a plan to break the curse, they can’t pass up the chance. The trio of women travels throughout Italy, learning about their family history and uncovering secrets.
Our Thoughts on This Book
If you’re looking for a book to get lost in, this is a charming and light read filled with vivid atmospheric details! The narrator’s Italian accent makes the audiobook especially enjoyable.
Orphan Train
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
During the 80 years leading up to the Great Depression, so-called Orphan Trains transported children from cities on the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest. The fates of the children on board – whether they would end up with loving families or end up with a childhood of hard labor – were determined by pure luck.
Vivian, now 91, was one of those children, and the memories of her childhood are tucked away in trunks in her attic. Eighteen-year-old Molly is aging out of the foster care system and is assigned community service helping the elderly Vivian clean out her home. She will soon learn that the two have much more in common than she ever expected.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Melissa read Orphan Train a few years back and was shocked to learn about the Children’s Aid Society trains. While some have criticized the book as seeming like a young adult novel, Melissa enjoyed the story and characters.
The Library of Lost Love
Book Summary
Joan has grown a bit too comfortable staying inside her Notting Hill home alone now that she is in her upper seventies. Her recently widowed neighbor and friend, Pamela, encourages Joan to take on a young lodger for some company.
Twenty-something Jess loves her job running an independent cinema, but sales are down and she’s worried about her job. Worse, her ex-boyfriend just ran off with her savings, and she’s temporarily staying with her married friends. It’s time to find a new living arrangement, and Joan’s room for rent might be perfect!
Despite being from different generations, Joan and Jess understand each other. Soon, they’re testing out adopting each other’s lifestyles. Jess shows Joan how to use Facebook and email, while Joan helps Jess detach from the online world and look for love in real life.
What to Expect in This Book
Readers say this story is slow-paced and sentimental. It’s a good read when you need something sweet and a bit predictable. The heart of the story is friendship, but both characters are also trying to find love, so there are some romance storylines for each of them as well.
Harry’s Trees
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Thirty-four-year-old Harry has always loved trees, but he spends his days behind a computer as an analyst in a treeless US Forest Service office. After his wife dies suddenly and tragically, Harry can’t seem to move forward. One day, he decides to follow his wife’s advice – he quits his job and escapes to the remote woods of northeastern Pennsylvania to be with the trees.
There, he meets Oriana, a 9-year-old girl who has suffered a significant loss of her own. She spends most of her time in the forest with her book in the treehouse her father bought for her. They bond over their love of the forest and the trees.
The octogenarian town librarian gives Oriana a strange, handwritten book called The Grum’s Ledger. With this book as their guide, Oriana helps Harry believe in the magic, if only he’s willing to open his eyes and see it.
What to Expect in This Book
Because of its thread of magical realism, some describe this book as a fairy tale for adults. But it’s more than that. It’s a story of grief, sadness, and the power of friendship and connection set against the beauty of Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains.
This story is told from many points of view, including Harry and Oriana’s, as well as numerous others, but it’s written in a way that it’s easy to follow and understand.
The Lost Ticket
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Twenty-nine-year-old Libby is in her own world as she arrives in London, broken-hearted and newly unemployed. The first person she meets is an elderly man named Frank on a bus. Frank explains that he met a beautiful girl on bus 88 in 1962, and they made plans to visit the National Gallery together. But then Frank lost the ticket with her phone number. So, every day for 60 years, he’s ridden the same bus, hoping to run into her again.
Libby can’t just walk away from such a romantic and heartbreaking story. She enlists the help of an unlikely companion and creates posters advertising their search for the mystery girl. As they try to find her, Frank’s dementia is progressing quickly, teaching Libby important lessons about embracing happiness before it’s too late.
Our Thoughts on This Book
The search for the mystery girl pulls you in right away, but the side characters are just as delightful as Libby and Frank. The audio is excellent, with the narrator nailing the personalities of each character perfectly. There’s also an unexpected twist, so don’t read too many other reviews to avoid spoilers!
This book is titled “The Girl on the 88 Bus” in the UK.
Another fun option by this author that fits the prompt is Nosy Neighbors.
Take It From Me
Book Summary
Harper is a young author with one major best-seller under her belt, but now she’s in need of a career comeback. At her agent’s suggestion, she rents a house in New Canaan, Connecticut. Hiding her author identity from everyone she meets, Harper seeks to draw inspiration for a new novel about women in the suburbs.
Soon, Harper befriends her neighbor, an empty nester. It’s October, and Wendy’s son just moved away for college. She’s struggling with being all alone, but not just because she misses her son. Wendy is keeping a secret of her own—her struggle with kleptomania.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Angela was initially intrigued in by the kleptomania/mental health focus of this novel, which was very well done. Ultimately, however, it was the intergenerational relationship element of this story that she enjoyed the most.
The Library
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Teenager Tom and pensioner Maggie are unlikely friends who have an unlikely encounter at their local library. While Tom dreads his future, partly because his mom is gone, Maggie is dwelling on her past, partly because her son is gone.
As the duo works together to save the library, they prove that libraries are about more than just books.
Thoughts on This Book
Reviewers say that while this book addresses some heavy topics, it’s also a very sweet story full of heart.
The Summer Seekers
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Kathleen is living independently at 80 years old, and she’s rather impressed with the way she handled a recent scary situation with an intruder. However, her daughter Liza thinks this incident is a prime example of why Kathleen should move to a senior home.
Not only does Kathleen not want to move, but she’s also ready for a new adventure, traveling down Route 66 in search of an old friend. Liza’s already stressed and has no time to drive across the country with her mom. So, Kathleen publishes an ad for a driver and companion to travel with her across America.
When 25-year-old Martha sees the ad, she thinks it could solve all her problems. How much trouble could an 80-year-old be?
Why You Should Pick This Book
If you’ve ever considered doing a Route 66 road trip, this would be a great pick! It’s one of the most classic drives in the United States, and the author mentions the changing scenery as they travel across the country on the Mother Road.
This story is light and enjoyable, as three women, at various stages of life, have the courage to reassess, take stock, and make necessary changes. This work of contemporary women’s fiction also features a romance subplot.
The Lightkeeper’s Daughter
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Set on beautiful Lake Superior, this book explores a family’s history and deep connection to a lighthouse. Elizabeth lives in a senior home and has a sharp mind, but has lost her sight. She fills the void with music and memories, which spring to life when her late father’s journals are found in the ruins of an old shipwreck.
Morgan is a troubled teen assigned to community service at Elizabeth’s home. With her help, Elizabeth reads through her father’s journal, with each entry taking Morgan and Elizabeth back in time 70 years. He was the lighthouse keeper on isolated Porphyry Island. As the unlikely duo reads, they realize their fates are connected to the remote island and each other in unexpected ways.
Thoughts on This Book
Don’t miss the author’s notes at the end of the book! She explains more about the real lighthouse and Lake Superior.
Consider This Before Reading
One reviewer notes that there is more swearing than she expected based on the cover, so keep that in mind if you’re sensitive to language.
The Switch
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When Londoner Leena Cotton is forced to take a two-month sabbatical from work after a disastrous presentation, she escapes to her grandmother’s house in a small village in Yorkshire, England.
Her grandmother, Eileen, is about to turn 80 and hopes her next decade might include a second chance at love. Convinced that her grandmother will have better luck in the romance department if she heads to the big city, Leena convinces Eileen to swap places and move into Leena’s London apartment.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
This warm and charming novel is filled with vibrant descriptions of London and English village life as the grandmother and granddaughter duo aim to reset their lives after a difficult loss. Although Eileen’s search for love plays a role in this story, we wouldn’t describe this book as a romance. Instead, it’s a character-driven story about a wide variety of relationships.
We recommend the audio version for the full experience with accents!
Both Angela and Melissa are huge fans of English author Beth O’Leary’s debut novel, The Flatshare. While The Switch’s settings play a more prominent role, The Flatshare is one of our favorite rom-coms and offers a great look at modern-day life in London, including the challenges of the London real estate market.
The Reading List
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When teenage library worker Aleisha finds a list of little-known novels in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird, she decides to read every book on the list. Each story is magical to her for different reasons.
Widower Mukesh worries about his bookworm granddaughter, Priya. To connect with her, he visits the library and meets Aleisha. When she shares the found list with him, they begin to form an unexpected friendship and discover the healing that is desperately needed for each of them.
In Our Readers’ Words
“This is a great book. I have recommended it to many people, and it inspired me to keep reading and exploring classics I’ve always wanted to read but just haven’t.”
“As a librarian, I appreciated how this story showed the importance of libraries for connecting people and strengthening communities.”
“This is a warm book that has a list of real books as important ‘characters.’ I loved the intergenerational friendships and how even the oldest character changed a lot and learned new things.”
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Printable Version of the Challenge Booklists
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site as Inner Circle or BFF members can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update the Lifetime of Reading Challenges throughout the year according to the challenge schedule, the lists will become available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
We offer two membership levels. Both our BFF members and our Inner Circle members get access to the single-page printables for the year-long reading challenges. Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level.
Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
Book Lists By Character Age
Links to our book recommendations for all twelve of the Lifetime of Reading challenge prompts can be found below:
- Books With Characters in Their 50s
- Books With Characters in Their 60s
- Books With Characters in Their 70s
- Books With Characters in Their 80s
- Books With Characters in Their 90s and 100s
- Books with a Child Protagonist (Bildungsroman Novels)
- Books Spanning a Character’s Lifetime
- Books with Teenage Main Characters
- Books with Characters in Their 20s
- Books With Characters In Their 30s
- Books With Characters in Their 40s
- Intergenerational Novels: Books that Connect Generations
More Books to Consider
Because intergenerational relationships are such a beloved storyline, many of the books on the 60, 70, 80, and 90-100-something lists would also fit this month’s prompt. In many cases, it was hard to decide where to slot books. So, feel free to revisit those lists as well.
We hope you enjoyed this book list and found several books to add to your TBR (to be read list). If you’re choosing a book for our reading challenge, you are also welcome to read any other book that meets the challenge prompt.
If you have a suggestion for a book that you think would be a great addition to this list, please fill out this form.
Have You Seen Luis Velez by Catherine Ryan Hyde should absolutely be on this list! (I know it’s on the 90s list.)
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons also works for this month.
That’s one of our favorites! We have Eudora on the 80-something list, but she’s a great fit here as well.
Great list of books!