Current events are discouraging, disheartening, frustrating.

I’ve turned to fiction for happy endings and characters with empathy.

Yup. That’s a cat on the kitchen table. I moved her before she got in my coffee.

I’ve added that one to Ellie’s future reading list.

I’ve been pre-reading loads of “middle grade” fiction lately since Ellie has hit an interest-level/reading-level conflict (meaning: her reading level is higher than the books written for her eight-year-old interest level). It’s becoming difficult to find material that challenges her reading skills (because sometimes you need a challenge and not another book about fairies) without challenging her experience.

My Rule of Thumb for Picking Books for an 8 Year Old (based on anecdotal evidence not science)
If the main character is 11, it’s almost always OK about Age Appropriate Topics and Situations.
If the main character is 13, it might be OK.
If the main character is older than 13, forget it. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good book. It’s just not a good book for the moment.