Father's Day Roundup

Chris Rock has a point: fathers and Father's Day don't stir up quite the commotion of Mother's Day.  Now those moms do a lot, but I've always had a thing for dedicated dads in fiction (translation: I start to cry).  So here's a book list featuring standout dads!*

Beat the Band by Don Calame

Many fathers would give their son the big ol’ eyeroll when informed of his plan to win Battle of the Bands.  Not Coop’s dad, who unearths his old band equipment to school his son in the ways of rock.

Beige by Cecil Castellucci

Sent to live with her punk drummer father over the summer, Katy learns more about her dad, her mom, and of course, herself.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

Vera was in love with Charlie, but now Charlie is dead.  Haunted by his ghost, she struggles through her last year of high school.  Her father, a recovered alcoholic, places high expectations on Vera, but the chapters he narrates reveal how much he fears for his daughter’s survival in a tough world.

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman

Korman excels at writing funny stories, often by plunging his protagonist into a wildly alien situation.  A Young Republican and Harvard student,  Leo discovers that his biological father is the punk singer King Maggot.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Atticus Finch, most awesomely righteous dad of all time.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

After her mother’s death, Ruby moves from Boston to Los Angeles to live with her father, Hollywood star Whip Logan.

Haters by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

After Paski’s father’s comic book is picked up by a Hollywood studio, they move to California, where Paski has to cope with mean girls, scumbag dudes, and her burgeoning psychic powers.  Luckily she has the best dad ever -- the sort of guy who’s not afraid to cry, tells his daughter he loves her, and gives her a Hallmark card to celebrate her menstrual cycle.

 

*yeah, Father's Day -- did you buy a card and socket wrench set yet?  I didn't think so.