Welcome to the Five Fall Favorites blog party, hosted by Kate at Once Upon an Ordinary and Katja at Little Blossoms for Jesus! I am so excited to be part of FFF this year. There are a lot of exciting things happening, including book recommendations from several bloggers every day, freebies, and a giveaway! This year’s theme is “Blessings of Life,” and the theme for today is “Community.” Today, I am going to be sharing 5 books about community/neighborhoods that I have enjoyed!

NOTE: All cover images link to the book’s/series’ Goodreads page.

1. The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser

I love this middle grade series so much! Not only do I love the Vanderbeekers’ strong family ties, they also have several friends who live in their brownstone and around their neighborhood, whether that’s the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Jeet, their landlord, the curmudgeonly Mr. Beiderman, or best friends their own age. The close-knit community in this series is so much fun, and all of the characters have their own unique personalities. The first book in the series is The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, and there are 7 books total, all of which I have enjoyed. Read my review of The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street here.

2. Candle Island by Lauren Wolk

I always love Lauren Wolk’s lyrical writing, and Candle Island is no exception. This middle grade novel centers around Lucretia trying to fit into her new home in Candle Island, Maine, after the passing of her father. This book tactfully deals with themes of grief and belonging. There is some community drama between the summer visitors and the year-round islanders, but it is sweet to read about how Lucretia finds her way into the community with the help of some friends and an osprey chick.

3. Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

When I first read this book as a tween, I devoured it in just a couple days! The story of Hattie, a sixteen-year-old who inherited her uncle’s homestead during WW1, is very exciting. Hattie befriends many people in her community, including a couple of German ancestry who face prejudice from the not-so-kind members of their town, who help her as she tries to make it on her own. I have since reread this book, and I greatly enjoyed it the second time around, too.

4. Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace

This is a lovely young adult novel from the author of the Betsy-Tacy series. The novel is a standalone, though it does have tie-ins with some of Lovelace’s other works and is set in the same town of Deep Valley. This story follows Emily after her high school graduation. While all of her friends are going off to college, she stays in her hometown to care for her elderly grandfather. Life isn’t as boring as she thinks it will be at first, though, as she finds love and gets involved with helping the Syrian immigrants in her town. I love the community aspects–all of her friends as well as the connections she makes with the immigrant community.

5. Village School by Miss Read

Village School takes place in Fairacre, a small English village in the mid-1900s. The main character/narrator is Miss Read, an elementary school teacher in Fairacre’s school. The story follows a year of Miss Read’s life as she teaches in the school, and it also follows along with the lives of several of the other townspeople. Fairacre has the perfect small town vibes, and there is a great cast of characters (though I did have a hard time keeping track of them all at first!). Read my review of Village School here.

I hope you enjoyed reading about 5 of my favorite books about community! For more fun recommendations, check out the posts from my fellow members of Team Squirrel!

Alexis @ AlexLinnInspired

Anna Grace @ Full of Grace

Hannah @ Hannah Foster

Stephanie @ Books Less Travelled

To see the whole list of bloggers participating this year, find more fun book recommendations, and find today’s freebies (!!), check out the hosts, Kate’s and Katja’s, blogs by clicking the buttons below!

And one last thing: Be sure to enter the Five Fall Favorites giveaway! We will be offering one international and one U.S. prize, and the giveaway will be open for all 6 days of the party, from September 21st to September 26th (11:59:00 P.M. EDT). You can check it out here!

I will be back tomorrow with more book recommendations!