Guess what?
I am only human. I can only read so much at a time and even though I really had good intentions, I had to set aside some of these lofty goals. I have decided that during the school year is going to be a good time to read some of the younger stuff, works that don't take as much of my mind to complete and I can assess.
But Harmony made a good point and so now I am asking you, the reader, yes, even you lurkers, to jump in with books you would recommend for the under high school age. I am not going into this with the idea that every book that one kid (either presently or at heart) liked every child is going to like, so if you join, I would really like you to give just a little generic info about your reader - names optional. For instance
Will - 9 - reluctant grade level competent reader - not very happy with anything that involves a story outside of graphic novel form.* Lives and breathes for the non-fiction section. Will read stories if reading Catie's books to her.
Ellie - 7 - likes the books with words. Advanced reader with ability but still limited vocabulary. Very much into Magic Tree House and similar books.
Catie - 5 - starting to learn to read, likes bold pictures in her books. Likes to point out words she knows. Current favorite book is Pinkalicious and anything with princesses.
Here are a couple younger books that I'm hoping to get to very soon.
Series:
First book pictured with link to Amazon.
I do think that The Mysterious Benedict Society would be good for anyone who can handle reading that much - the material is perfectly child appropriate - there's just lots of it. And for kids who like lots of pictures and want the thrill of finishing a BIG book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret is delightful. I still need to read Harry Potter and Fablehaven but most avid reading kids may have completed those already.
As far as individual books go, I find myself endeared with the classics I read as a child (not linking to them, and I'm pulling the titles out of the back of my memory - we'll see how the brain is working...)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Hatchet
My Side of the Mountain
Sideway Stories from Wayside School
Mr. Popper's Penguins
The Indian in the Cupboard
Bridge to Terabithia (remember it has a bit of a traumatic ending - probably not appropriate for very sensitive kids)
A Little Princess
The Secret Garden
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
A Wrinkle in Time (I know, this should go in the series, but I only ever remember reading the first and not much of that anymore - planning to revisit)
The Castle in the Attic
So there is the launching pad. I'm going to retag any books that could be appropriate for kids to help a bit (I'm going under middle school age based on content as the qualifier). PLEASE, you know how I feel about reading and I'm sure many of you do too, and let's face it - there is just too much to do to be able to keep ahead of all our different kids and their reading levels and interests - let's help each other out.
5 comments:
Thanks Tash! My boys (9 & 11) are reluctant to read anything that isn't fantasy, so the first books you pictured look promising. I've completely lost track of which series they are in the middle of, so I'm not much help when we're at the library and they are looking for something. Guess I'd better start a list that I can carry with me. And then I should post it. :-) Thanks again.
30-something year-old female who read these at various stages of her life: (some are really good for boys, as well)
The Lightning Thief (series)
Danny Champion of the World
Summer of the Monkeys
Dandelion Wine
The Egypt Game
Holes
The View from Saturday
The Giver
Number the Stars
Dear Mr Henshaw
The Westing Game
Bridge to Terabithia
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Chronicles of Narnia
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Johnny Tremain
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
Stuart Little
Jacob Have I Loved
A Gathering of Days
The Whipping Boy
Maniac Magee
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Some of my favorites from the end of elementary school and middles school were
-Harriet the Spy (I wanted to be a spy after reading this in 4th or 5th and would carry around a notebook to take notes on people, though I never saw anything interesting enough to write down)
-The Westing Game (a great mystery)
- A Wrinkle in Time (the whole series was cool)
-Are You There God? It's me, Margaret. (girls would put their names on a waiting list in elementary school to get this book)
-Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing (I remember my 4th grade teacher read this to us and we would laugh out loud! Good for boys too)
-any Choose Your Own Adventure book. I cannot tell you how many hours I spent on those books, which are gender neutral.
- Any and all Nancy Drew (old and new), Babysitters Club, and Sweet Valley Twins series books
-In middle school especially I loved scary stuff, like R.L. Stein (not the Goosebumps series, but his other stuff), Lois Duncan, Richard Peck, and a little Robert Cormier, but they are all a little mature for elementary school age.
I haven't seen any titles by Avi, but he is one of my favorites. I think "True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" and "Wolf Rider" were the first I read. Some of his are more historical fiction, while others are fantasy and realistic. I haven't read any new ones, but recommend the old ones. Beyond the Western Sea, books 1 and 2 are very good. He also wrote Crispin, the Cross of Lead.
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