Need book ideas for a 10-year old reading at high school level

[Kareni]

Stories by O. Henry?

 

 

Regards,

Kareni

[lewelma]

Thanks you all for giving me some ideas to think about today. Here is just a bit of background to see my thoughts more holistically. Please don't take it as argumentative, but rather more contemplative. Happy to learn from you lovely ladies.

 

 

I just don't think about progression that hard, I guess. It has just come naturally.

does it tell a story? introduce new ideas? new perspectives? enrich my vocabulary? expose me to different styles of writing? As long as it fulfills at least one criterion...I don't really care whether the language is easy or tough.

As some of you may or may not know, I did not read until I was 12. And when I hit high school, I simply could not read the classics I was given in my honors English class (Don't know how I ended up in honors!?!?!) I could not read the words, I could not make sense of the diction, I could not comprehend the ideas. And I certainly could not *enjoy* them. So my experience was certainly not like AVA's where progression just comes naturally.

 

So when I started homeschooling, I swore that I would not do such a disservice to my kids. I wanted them to not just be able to read the books but to actually prefer classics to twaddle. So I chose to ramp it up little by little so that there would never be a big jump to high school reading. Clearly, we all work out of our own experience, and in contrast to ebunny, I *have* worried about the difficulty of the language. But perhaps I have over worried. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Life is not all about academics, reading is certainly not only about academics and literary devices

Isn't that the truth. This little boy is just a voracious reader, as in 4 hours a day. He just loves stories. I don't actually do any literary analysis until my kids are 12.

 

And just to put people's worries to rest, I just ran across this list from Lori, and my ds has read all but 3, and many more than once. He has certainly not skipped the children's lit.

 

Older Children's Classics

- A Little Princess; The Secret Garden (Burnett)

- Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery)

- Five Children and It; The Phoenix & the Carpet (Nesbit)

- The Wind in the Willows; The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame)

- The Princess and the Goblins; The Princess and Curdie (MacDonald)

- The Golden Key, The Light Princess, The Wise Woman (MacDonald) -- short stories

- Peter Pan (Barry)

- Rikki Tikki Tavi; The Jungle Book; Just So Stories (Kipling)

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking Glass (Carroll)

- The Twenty-One Balloons (DuBois)

- The Hobbit; Farmer Giles of Ham; Smith of Wooten Major (Tolkien)

- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken)

- The Swiss Family Robinson (Wyss)

- books by Howard Pyle

- A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls; Tanglewood Tales (Hawthorne) -- retellings of Greek myths

- Tales from Arabian Nights (Lang)

- fairy tales (Lang, and others)

- Little Women (Alcott)

- Tales from Shakespeare (Lamb) or Stories from Shakespeare (Nesbit)

 

 

I came to the realization that his time of reading children's literature was nearing its end. I wanted one more chance for him to live through some of those wonderful classic children's stories, when he could still identify with the children in the story. I myself like to revisit children's literature as an adult, but it isn't the same.

Fascinating. Will give this more thought

 

 

My basic feelings can be encapsulated by a C.S. Lewis quote: "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.†I take this point to mean that a good book is a good book, regardless of level. At the age of 42, I still read many children's books and enjoy them.

I agree. I still love Black Beauty and Wind in the Willows. But I guess what got this started was mentioning the Newbury award winners. I am just not convinced that a lot of them *are* worth reading at the age of 42. Now this is no slight on anyone else because I am certainly not a literary person and probably am missing all the subtleties, but one of the things I have found about Newbury award winners is that they are thin. Can't really describe it, they just don't stick with me. Most of the ones we have read were from the Sonlight and Ambleside lists, so perhaps those were chosen for historical reasons rather than depth of thought. But I, personally, would much rather read Five Children and It over Miracles on Maple Hill.

 

My little boy loves deep books. So besides the modern 'easier' ones mentioned, what other specific recommendations would you guys have that are lower in language but deeper in thought ?

[lewelma]

Rich Modern Books suggested so far:

 

One and only Ivan

The miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Evolution of Calpurnia tate

Sophies World

 

 

DS has read Where the mountain meets the moon. I will ask him what he thought about it.

[LaughingCat]

I read The Three Musketeers at 11 and all I remember of it is summed up in this one line from Wikipedia  :

Milady is imprisoned on arrival in England but soon seduces her guard, Felton (a fictionalization of the real John Felton), and persuades him both to allow her escape and to kill Buckingham, which he does.

 

I agree with others that there is something to be said about reading a book just because it's a good book not because it's hard or rich (although interestingly, Newberry's don't often hit that chord for me, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon being the only recent outlier).  

 

Since I also come from an avid/far and wide background myself, it's interesting to see the different perspective.    For my struggling reader DD I see benefit in your plan to push them to a higher level and am implementing it in modified form but without the 'twaddle' ban -  if only because I've had plenty of 'favorites' that would be considered twaddle but something in them resonated with me at that time of my life.  

[Alte Veste Academy]

Just to be clear, I was not criticizing. :)

 

My little boy loves deep books. So besides the modern 'easier' ones mentioned, what other specific recommendations would you guys have that are lower in language but deeper in thought ?

 

I wouldn't purposefully seek out lower level books either. LOL My point was just that I wouldn't focus on level. I understand your reasons for doing so. In your situation (and I imagine you have probably already done this), I would just have a nice chat with DS to explain your POV and talk to him about his POV. If you are both happy as clams, good enough. 

 

 

[idnib]

So when I started homeschooling, I swore that I would not do such a disservice to my kids. I wanted them to not just be able to read the books but to actually prefer classics to twaddle. So I chose to ramp it up little by little so that there would never be a big jump to high school reading. Clearly, we all work out of our own experience, and in contrast to ebunny, I *have* worried about the difficulty of the language. But perhaps I have over worried. :tongue_smilie:

 

Interesting.

 

Your desire to avoid adult situations and topics is understandable given the age of your son.

 

Have you given any thought to future readings about difficult topics but easier language? Where would those fit in? As an example, consider To Kill A Mockingbird. Very easy reading level, but deep topics for discussion. I am re-reading it now, having read it in high school, and am getting much more out of it, mostly due to an increased awareness of Southern culture. Some of the vocabulary has been instructive. The reading level, however is low. Would that be something you skipped when the time came because the reading level is already below what your son can currently process?

 

Not being argumentative, just thinking aloud. I hope that comes across as intended.  :)

[lewelma]

Interesting.

 

Your desire to avoid adult situations and topics is understandable given the age of your son.

 

Have you given any thought to future readings about difficult topics but easier language? Where would those fit in? As an example, consider To Kill A Mockingbird. Very easy reading level, but deep topics for discussion. I am re-reading it now, having read it in high school, and am getting much more out of it, mostly due to an increased awareness of Southern culture. Some of the vocabulary has been instructive. The reading level, however is low. Would that be something you skipped when the time came because the reading level is already below what your son can currently process?

 

Not being argumentative, just thin

 

king aloud. I hope that comes across as intended.  :)

My dh just read that to the boys last month :001_smile:   And they did have wonderful conversations!

 

Bridge to Terribithia would be a good example of difficult topics with easier language.  And my son loved it!

 

Perhaps he has just read so many books that I am running out of options without moving up? 

 

I will give some thought to your question.  Thanks for planting it in.

[lewelma]

Just to be clear, I was not criticizing. :)

 

 

I wouldn't purposefully seek out lower level books either. LOL My point was just that I wouldn't focus on level. I understand your reasons for doing so. In your situation (and I imagine you have probably already done this), I would just have a nice chat with DS to explain your POV and talk to him about his POV. If you are both happy as clams, good enough. 

 

I did not think you were criticizing, AVA.  I love the points you made.

 

My younger prefers rich language.  But then sometimes he wants just a good old easy one.  He just asked to read Eragon again, and I suggested he read Earthsea first and then Eragon over the 2 week school holidays.  He was good with that.  And has read Earthsea for about 6 hours in the last 24. He just really reads a LOT!

[lewelma]

 but without the 'twaddle' ban 

 

Not a ban. :001_smile:   Just an enthusiastic support of classics and modern classics.  Eragon is twaddle IMHO and that one is next.  :001_smile:

[ebunny]

Thanks you all for giving me some ideas to think about today. Here is just a bit of background to see my thoughts more holistically. Please don't take it as argumentative, but rather more contemplative. Happy to learn from you lovely ladies.

 

As some of you may or may not know, I did not read until I was 12. And when I hit high school, I simply could not read the classics I was given in my honors English class (Don't know how I ended up in honors!?!?!) I could not read the words, I could not make sense of the diction, I could not comprehend the ideas. And I certainly could not *enjoy* them. So my experience was certainly not like AVA's where progression just comes naturally.

 

So when I started homeschooling, I swore that I would not do such a disservice to my kids. I wanted them to not just be able to read the books but to actually prefer classics to twaddle. So I chose to ramp it up little by little so that there would never be a big jump to high school reading. Clearly, we all work out of our own experience, and in contrast to ebunny, I *have* worried about the difficulty of the language. But perhaps I have over worried. :tongue_smilie:

 

Isn't that the truth. This little boy is just a voracious reader, as in 4 hours a day. He just loves stories. I don't actually do any literary analysis until my kids are 12.

 

And just to put people's worries to rest, I just ran across this list from Lori, and my ds has read all but 3, and many more than once. He has certainly not skipped the children's lit.

 

Older Children's Classics

- A Little Princess; The Secret Garden (Burnett)

- Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery)

- Five Children and It; The Phoenix & the Carpet (Nesbit)

- The Wind in the Willows; The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame)

- The Princess and the Goblins; The Princess and Curdie (MacDonald)

- The Golden Key, The Light Princess, The Wise Woman (MacDonald) -- short stories

- Peter Pan (Barry)

- Rikki Tikki Tavi; The Jungle Book; Just So Stories (Kipling)

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking Glass (Carroll)

- The Twenty-One Balloons (DuBois)

- The Hobbit; Farmer Giles of Ham; Smith of Wooten Major (Tolkien)

- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken)

- The Swiss Family Robinson (Wyss)

- books by Howard Pyle

- A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls; Tanglewood Tales (Hawthorne) -- retellings of Greek myths

- Tales from Arabian Nights (Lang)

- fairy tales (Lang, and others)

- Little Women (Alcott)

- Tales from Shakespeare (Lamb) or Stories from Shakespeare (Nesbit)

 

Fascinating. Will give this more thought

 

I agree. I still love Black Beauty and Wind in the Willows. But I guess what got this started was mentioning the Newbury award winners. I am just not convinced that a lot of them *are* worth reading at the age of 42. Now this is no slight on anyone else because I am certainly not a literary person and probably am missing all the subtleties, but one of the things I have found about Newbury award winners is that they are thin. Can't really describe it, they just don't stick with me. Most of the ones we have read were from the Sonlight and Ambleside lists, so perhaps those were chosen for historical reasons rather than depth of thought. But I, personally, would much rather read Five Children and It over Miracles on Maple Hill.

 

My little boy loves deep books. So besides the modern 'easier' ones mentioned, what other specific recommendations would you guys have that are lower in language but deeper in thought ?

 

 

Off topic... I remember the look on my father's face when I picked to read a Mills&Boon over a book by Swami Vivekananda in the local library. He was not pleased. :lol:

 

Ruth, I applaud your high standards and it must be working because both your children have obviously developed a deep love for reading. And maybe you are right, he has read all child lit for his age, so there's nowhere to go but up. Let me know how you/he like/dislike the newberry recommendations... :001_smile:

 

ETA: I'm not quite sure if your children read "The silent Spring" by Rachel Carson? I would find it appropriate for a 10 yr old advanced reader.. Rachel Carson writes beautiful prose.

Another one is Michael Morpurgo.- Butterfly Lion, Born to run, War Horse..

[Kendall]

This certainly isn't high adventure, but I was surprised to find that all of my children aged 5,7,9,11,13 (granted, they are girls) and my 16 year old son, really enjoyed Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin.  They found it amusing and interesting and thought provoking.  I read Persuasion to the girls as well and they enjoyed that, too.   I was reading to them and stopping and discussing sometimes.  

 

Sophie's World has a small part in it that I wouldn't want my 10 year old reading. YMMV

 

I don't remember if Father Brown Mysteries by Chesterton are more or less scary than Sherlock Holmes.

 

Kendall 

 

[lewelma]

Thanks Kendall.  I might get my older to read Northanger Abbey.  I have never read it but you are not the first one to mention it as a good Austin option. 

 

Sounds like I need to preread Sophie's World. Thanks for the heads up.

[SarahW]

To add to what has already been mentioned -

 

Sir Gibbie by MacDonald. The version edited by Yates is fine. Lewis really liked it, and it is really nice. Deeply beautiful characters, who are interesting, and do good things, and who don't have their characters assassinated by the author in order to create a climax. I found it refreshing.

 

Speaking of Lewis - His space trilogy. Perelandra is okay, but That Hideous Strength I found enjoyable from beginning to end. You can read them out of order without much confusion.

 

On the same lines - L'Engle may be worth look into.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I might get my older to read Northanger Abbey.  I have never read it but you are not the first one to mention it as a good Austin option. 

 

 

 

He might want to read Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho before reading Northanger Abbey.

 

Northanger Abbey parodies Mysteries of Udolpho, so prior knowledge of Udolpho might make Northanger even better. (Or at least it did for me. :) )

[lewelma]

To add to what has already been mentioned -

 

Sir Gibbie by MacDonald. The version edited by Yates is fine. Lewis really liked it, and it is really nice. Deeply beautiful characters, who are interesting, and do good things, and who don't have their characters assassinated by the author in order to create a climax. I found it refreshing.

 

Speaking of Lewis - His space trilogy. Perelandra is okay, but That Hideous Strength I found enjoyable from beginning to end. You can read them out of order without much confusion.

 

On the same lines - L'Engle may be worth look into.

He has read the Lewis trilogy and the L'engle books.  But thanks anyway,

 

Will look at Sir Gibbie.  Thanks!

 

[lewelma]

He might want to read Ann Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho before reading Northanger Abbey.

 

Northanger Abbey parodies Mysteries of Udolpho, so prior knowledge of Udolpho might make Northanger even better. (Or at least it did for me. :) )

 

I just love this kind of thing.  Will definitely read both.  Thanks!

[Cammom220]

Wow. Your son sounds like a very gifted reader. How about some non fiction? Or poetry? Mythology? 

 

Ideas:

 

Biographies are interesting-- Benjamin Franklin or Leonardo Da Vinci is a good start. 

A Brief History in Time

Bomb

 

Poetry: I would get an anthology and see if he has a favorite

 

Mythology: Given your son's reading level, I would look for some original translations. 

 

If your son speaks another language- how about having him read books in the original language? 

 

Just ideas to expand horizons. 

 

 

[raptor_dad]

 

I would be careful with George's Julie of the Wolves if you decide to look into her.

 

We did "Julie of the Wolves" as a read aloud when DS7 was ~4-5yo. The attempted rape scene was an unpleasant surprise... oops. The middle part was delightful... I think this book could be fine for a 10yo. It doesn't have any explicit issues but does touch on some more complicated themes. In retrospect, I probably wouldn't recommend it as a read aloud ;)

[freerange]

Is this appropriate for a 10 year old? If so, it looks great.

 

I would have let mine read it at 10; YMMV. It's not explicit, but for example having two of your wives beheaded might not be everyone's cup of tea.

[raptor_dad]

Nancy Farmer's "Sea of Trolls" books might be good modern fantasy. It is easier than LoTR but is a rich mix of english and norse mythos. The 2nd and 3rd books in the series are weaker.

 

China Meivillie's "Un Lun Dun" is fabulous and should be at the right level. The arachnofenestranauts[1] alone are worth the price of admission.

 

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series is a rich retelling of Welsh myth. It would be quite easy but might still be worthwhile.

 

[1]  I hope lewelma will indulge me, anything involving the fenestrae root has amused me since highschool. It is a combination of the Avignon pope and one of my best friends from highschool. His dad was a building contractor. Despite being somewhat removed, he got the contract to replace the windows in a number of buildings on Duke's campus. One of these buildings was hosting TIP's summer french intensive course. None of us could afford that sort of thing...My blue collar, redneck friend at that point had an upper-level college grasp of french. He spent the week writing amazingly advanced, recondite constructions on their blackboard during lunch. It was all very "Good Will Hunting"(except during the 80's). Today, we are privileged enough afford CTY or TIP or MathCamp but these childhood memories still remind me that these experiences are wonderful but not essential.

[maize]

Ivanhoe was my favorite book when I was 11. There was another by Scott that I liked as well, about the crusades. Oh, the Talisman I think was the title.

[maize]

I haven't read the whole thread yet so forgive me if this has been discussed already, but if he gas not yet read Lord of the Rings that is definitely one to put on the list.

 

Has he read any Dickens?

[lewelma]

He has read Sea of Trolls and Prydain series, but Un Lun Dun looks great!  Thanks

[lewelma]

Thanks Maize.  Has read LotR and does not like Dickens.  He just doesn't see the humor and finds him very depressing.

 

Will look at Tailsman.

 

Thanks!

[lewelma]

Wow. Your son sounds like a very gifted reader. How about some non fiction? Or poetry? Mythology? 

 

Ideas:

 

Biographies are interesting-- Benjamin Franklin or Leonardo Da Vinci is a good start. 

A Brief History in Time

Bomb

 

Poetry: I would get an anthology and see if he has a favorite

 

Mythology: Given your son's reading level, I would look for some original translations. 

 

If your son speaks another language- how about having him read books in the original language? 

 

Just ideas to expand horizons. 

 

Yes, am trying to expand his horizons.  Right now it is mostly National Geographic for nonfiction.  But will look into poetry and mythology too. 

 

He is learning latin and chinese, but will be a while before he can read anything in the original language!  But my older might be able to read Harry Potter in Mandarin pretty soon and I just saw the entire set in our library!  In mandarin! 

[maize]

How about The Once and Future King? There are a variety of King Arthur and Robin Hood retellings that can be fun to read.

 

If he is studying Latin, take a look at Asterix the Gaul--I'm pretty sure there is a Latin translation, and it would probably be manageable without too much language study behind him.

[raptor_dad]

How about some of Guy Gavriel Kay's stuff... I wasn't impressed by the "Fionavar Tapestry" series... but single book works like "Song for Arbonne" and "Tigana" were very solid. There were certainly sexual themes but they were abstracted like in classical myth and  could easily be passed over by a younger reader.

 

ETA: On second thought, these are probably a bit mature in terms of interest level.

 

Further ETA: Eek! No this is horrible idea! Maybe I was thinking of "Lions of Al-Rassan", which is a reteliing of "El Cid" or the norse/saxon "Last Light of the Sun"... Rereading the 1st chapter or so of "Song for Arbonne", I would recommend it for 14-18yos... it is appropriate slightly before Bradley's "Mists of Avalon", a fabulous feminist retelling of Authurian myth. It is a judgement call on when it is suitable for the post-pubertal crowd, but it is clearly not good for 10yos... Sorry ;(

 

[raptor_dad]

Yes, am trying to expand his horizons.  Right now it is mostly National Geographic for nonfiction.  But will look into poetry and mythology too. 

 

He is learning latin and chinese, but will be a while before he can read anything in the original language!  But my older might be able to read Harry Potter in Mandarin pretty soon and I just saw the entire set in our library!  In mandarin!

 

I know you listed Aiken's "Wolves of Willloughby Chase"... If you haven't read the sequels, "Stolen Lake" is both a rip roaring yarn and has random snippets of latin dropped in since various characters are of roman extraction.

 

[maize]

A few more personal favorites from my childhood:

 

Rosemary Sutcliff books

 

 

A Load of Unicorn, Ring out Bow Bells, ugh can't remember the author's name at the moment but she is a British writer of excellent historical fiction

 

 

A String in the Harp

 

I think you said he's not interested in sci-fi, but another favorite was Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy and it brought up some interesting social and anthropological issues.

[maize]

Has he read Sherlock Holmes? How about Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (that was Twain right?) funny but had thought-provoking elements as well.

[maize]

Oh! Puck of Pook's Hill by Kipling.

 

I read and read and read around that age. This is reminding me I need to pull some of these out for my own 11 year old.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Ruth,

 

Do your boys read books of rotating levels in science, history, etc. as well, or do you keep the books mainly in the literature realm? I might have missed this discussion somewhere...

 

 I know your boys get through lots of literature, so I was wondering if they read an equal amount in science and history? If I recall correctly, older reads an hour or hour-and-a-half of literature in the evening. Does he have a time during the day when he's reading books on science and history outside of school time for those subjects?

 

Just trying to get a clearer picture...

 

 

[bakpak]

I just want to say that I have not read MOST of these books! What fun awaits as my vigorous reader moves ahead in a few years!! :)

[lewelma]

Ruth,

 

Do your boys read books of rotating levels in science, history, etc. as well, or do you keep the books mainly in the literature realm? I might have missed this discussion somewhere...

 

 I know your boys get through lots of literature, so I was wondering if they read an equal amount in science and history? If I recall correctly, older reads an hour or hour-and-a-half of literature in the evening. Does he have a time during the day when he's reading books on science and history outside of school time for those subjects?

 

Just trying to get a clearer picture...

 

No, not nearly enough, and it is a problem that I am working on. 

 

Younger reads National Geographic for 30 minutes a day, which covers social studies and science.  He struggles with nonfiction reading. So we backtracked from my plan this year for him to read physics books from the library and instead he is working through National Geographic which is easier for him because it is in narrative form. The words and concepts are more difficult than children's nonfictiton, but for him Nat Geo is easier. In addition, I have been working on outlining and summarizing nonfiction *with* him as a way to increase his skills. He can read the words, but just can't make sense of the text a lot of times.   So starting next term, I am going to slowly build him up in his science reading in the topic he likes the most - biology.  I'm hoping that this will then carry over to other sciences.  As for history, he reads historical fiction for his modern book choice and sometimes biographies, but history is not a big focus over here for him.  His dad reads to him at night so he gets history just does not read it independently.  Basically, something has to go when you are learning both mandarin and latin.  I think, however, that he will be a child who would really love books like Guns, Germs, and Steel in a few years, so will be aiming for those.

 

As for older, he reads science textbooks with ease, but nonfiction, not so much.  I have just started requiring him to read 1 essay a night (like 3 pages) from the Bedford reader or from the Language of Composition which are on a variety of topics.  Or have him read a Scientific American article. But he just really enjoys his literature at night, so he feels I am asking too much if it takes more than 15 minutes of his reading time.  And during the day, his schedule is FULL. I tried to get him to read Collapse last year, but he just lost interest.  I think that being a mathematician, he expects and almost needs nonfiction to be tight... as in really really tight... as in mathematical equations.  The blah blah blah of a book like Collapse just did not make its point fast enough.  So my next plan is to bring his pride into it, and get him to read classic nonfiction next year when we do the ancients. He loves that he loves classics, so I was just going to get out the WEM and point to the sections he has never dabbled in and tell him that it is time to expand his horizons. I'm thinking of the histories.  My main concern is that I'm not sure that *I* can read them. :tongue_smilie: I am still developing my own reading skills, sigh.  I have also thought to get him into nonfiction with something really dense like Godel, Esher, and Bach.  Seems counterintuitive to need him to read harder stuff, doesn't it? Good thing I am writing this on the Accelerated board because you guys understand. :001_smile:

 

So, point is, yes, I am working on it, but in different ways for each child. Slow and steady wins the race.  But sometimes I feel a bit like :toetap05:

[quark]

Coming in late...I might be repeating others' suggestions.

 

What about James Harriot?  And if so, which one?

 

DS has loved all that we've found (see list below)

 

It is always interesting to me how individual it is from kid to kid. It can be tough to predict. My son was on the pretty extreme end of caution as far as not liking scary books and from age eight he didn't find Sherlock Holmes to be scary.

 

Not exactly adventure but some other ideas...

Watership Down

Twain short stories

Does he like humor - P.G. Wodehouse was a hit here at that age.

 

Oh yes to all of these! DS also likes HG Wells but I think you did mention that your younger DS isn't into sci fi yet. Maybe something to keep in mind? DS also loves Ray Bradbury. Sorry if I missed something upthread with regards to Wells and Bradbury.

 

DS also liked The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and The Father Brown stories by Chesterton.

 

The Earthsea books?  Written by a woman, but not hugely gendered (the main character is a boy/man, after all), and they've got food for thought.

 

The first was okay but the subsequent books in the series have rape/ sex/ a child being shunned that might be troubling to a more sensitive child.

 

When I was 10 or 11, I was library helper once or twice a week at my school. I found stacks of dust-covered, forgotten books in the storage room and spent more time reading than helping... Anyway, that was my first exposure to Shakespeare. I understand this puts me firmly into the minority, but I truly enjoyed some of those even at that age. It was as much a puzzle as a story. "What the heck does 'wherefore' mean?" 

 

*note: Probably best to avoid Othello for a bit unless you relish the idea of explaining 'making the beast with two backs'...

 

What about Shakespeare?  I started reading Julius Caesar at 11 using a side-by-side modern english with the original.  They are not much altered but it helps.  DS hated Henty...slogged through it.  I expected complaints when I handed him Julius Caesar but he read it in one day.

 

DS loves Shakespeare and starting at about 9.5yo, has read and re-read A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth and As You Like It. We started randomly with (what I felt) were some of the slightly milder plays. He adored Hamlet and Macbeth over the comedies. He also really liked Moby Dick and Don Quixote.

 

I have misplaced last year's list I'm afraid. Some of the titles read this year (ages 10.75-11.5) (I've deleted the non fiction titles and only included lit and fiction in general...but let me know if you'd like non-fic too):

 

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (re-read number 4 or 5, can't remember how many times he has read this)

Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie (re-read number 4 or 5, can't remember how many times he has read this)

The Food of the Gods by HG Wells (s/ story)

The Purple Pileus by HG Wells (s/ story)

The Truth About Pyecraft by HG Wells (s/ story)

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (re-read #3)

Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome (re-read #3)

The Iliad by Homer (Robert Fagles translation)

The Odyssey by Homer  (Robert Fagles translation)

Fauna and Family by Gerald Durrell

Fillets of Plaice by Gerald Durrell

You Need to Go Upstairs by Rumer Godden (s/ story)

Gilgamesh The Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Greek Myths by Olivia Coolidge

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot (re-read #2)

The Woman Who Had No Eye for Small Details by W Maxwell (s/story)

As You Like It by William Shakespeare (re-read #2)

The Fifty First Dragon by Heywood Broun (s/ story)

Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil by Jean Shepherd (s/story)

King Vikram and the Vampire by Sir Richard Burton

Akbar and Birbaal by Amita Sarin

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Miss Peregrine's House for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

The Gates by John Connolly

The Infernals by John Connolly

The Creeps by John Connolly

The Aeneid by Vergil (Robert Fagles translation)

Fauna and Family by Gerald Durrell (re-read #2)

Fillets of Plaice by Gerald Durrell (re-read #2)

Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett

The Truth by Terry Pratchett

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Very Good Jeeves by PG Wodehouse

The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis

Dante's Divine Comedy (part)

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (in progress)

The Cinderella Theorem (Lily Sparrow Chronicles) by Kristee Ravan

 

 

[quark]

Yay, I found a partial list from last year (ages 9.75 to 10.5ish). There are also repeats as he re-reads the same books sometimes from year to year.

I forget to update from time to time so it doesn't have everything he read but hopefully you'll get some ideas, Ruth! 

I'm too lazy to take out the non-fics from this list, sorry.

 

Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat (Fiction)

Here's Looking at Euclid by Allex Bellos (Math, History)

Game Theory at Work by James D. Miller (Game Theory)

Theodosia and the Serpent of Chaos by L. A. Fevers (Fiction)

Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by L. A. Fevers (Fiction)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (Fiction)

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (Lit)

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus L. A. Fevers (Fiction)

Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh by L. A. Fevers (Fiction)

Optical Allusions by Jay Hosler (Science)

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot (Fiction)

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Fiction)

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Math, Fiction)

Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth by Jay Hosler (Science)

Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson (Fiction)

Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson (Fiction)

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Lit)

Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (Lit)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (Lit)

The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (Fiction)

The Amazing Mrs Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (Fiction)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Lit)

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (Fiction)

Luka and the Fire of Life (Fiction)

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (Fiction)

1001 Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean (Historical Literature)

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans (Fiction)

Attenborough in Paradise and Other Personal Voyages (Natural History)

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud (Fiction)

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud (Fiction)

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (Literature)

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (Historical Fiction)

What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke (Chemistry)

Momo by Michael Ende (Fiction)

Motel of Mysteries by David Macaulay (Fiction)

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (Literature)

The Best of Lewis Carroll (anthology - Literature)

Time Flies by Bill Cosby (Autobiography)

Egypt: Rediscovering a Lost Kingdom (video-World History)

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (Literature)

Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Literature)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Science - Biology)

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (Literature)

The Secret Life of the Brain (Science - Biology, Psychology)

The Complete Father Brown Stories by GK Chesterton (anthology - Literature)

Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Literature)

Shakespeare on Toast by Ben Crystal (Biography - Shakespeare)

41 Stories by O. Henry (Literature)

Tales From The Perilous Realm by JRR Tolkien (Literature)

Economix: How Our Economy Works by Michael Goodwin (Economics)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Literature)

Churchill and his Woeful Wars by Alan MacDonald (History)

How It Happens by Barbara Ann Kipfer (Science)

The Game Maker's Apprentice by Jacob Habgood (Game Design, Computers)

Tusk and Stone by Malcolm Bosse (Historical Fiction - Medieval India)

Simon: The Genius in My Basement by Alexander Masters (Math, Biography)

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (Literature)

The Illiad by Homer (History, Literature)

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (Literature)

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien (Literature)

Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Literature) - re-read

Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Literature) - re-read

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (Literature) - re-read

The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley (Fiction)

A Field Guide to Bacteria (Biology) by Betsey Dexter Dyer

The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley (Fiction)

The Big Kerplop! by Bertrand R. Brinley (Fiction)

The Big Chunk of Ice by Bertrand R. Brinley (Fiction)

War of the Worlds by HG Wells (Literature)

The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien (Literature)

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (Literature)

Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome (Literature)

The Einstein Paradox by Collin Bruce (Physics and Math)

Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman? (Physics, Biography)

The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien (Literature)

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (Literature)

Tales From The Perilous Realm by JRR Tolkien (Literature) - 2nd Time

Letters From Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien (Literature)

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain (Literature)

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson

The Annotated Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (Literature)

 

ETA: I think this was also the year that he read Hercule Poirot's Casebook by Agatha Christie and the Abarat books by Clive Barker.

 

[lewelma]

You aren't kidding about reading fiend!  Wow!  Lots of good ideas.

[omd21]

I love "Ronja, The Robber's Daughter" by Astrid Lindgren. It is my favorite book from childhood. :)

[knitmama]

OP,

 

Thank you for starting this thread!  I'm getting lots of great ideas.  Your list looked very familiar--I have a 10-year-old with similar interests/tastes, it appears!

 

Additional books my kiddo liked (that I don't think anyone else has mentioned):  Black Beauty, Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, Heidi, Children of Odin/Tales of the Golden Fleece/The Children's Homer (Padraic Colum).

 

Like another poster's kiddo, she thought Hound of the Baskervilles was super scary.  You just never know...

 

 

[maize]

I love "Ronja, The Robber's Daughter" by Astrid Lindgren. It is my favorite book from childhood. :)

We had that one in French! "Ronya, fille du brigand"

 

It was great. I should look for it for my kids-- in English :)

[omd21]

We had that one in French! "Ronya, fille du brigand"

 

It was great. I should look for it for my kids-- in English :)

I originally read it in Spanish, then read it several times in English as an adult. It's not as popular in the U.S. but I think it is a lovely story.

[Cammom220]

Yes, am trying to expand his horizons.  Right now it is mostly National Geographic for nonfiction.  But will look into poetry and mythology too. 

 

He is learning latin and chinese, but will be a while before he can read anything in the original language!  But my older might be able to read Harry Potter in Mandarin pretty soon and I just saw the entire set in our library!  In mandarin! 

 

I am coming back this- I have had several exchanges with friends who are working with their kids on poetry. I'm of the mind that it may be better to introduce it early-- seems that high schoolers (generalization) seem to be averse to poetry if it's first introduced as an assignment (I recall that I didn't love it until I read it for enjoyment). 

 

By original languages, I was imagining something like French or Spanish- Mandarin or Latin or Greek would be quite impressive! Barnes and Noble has a nice classics section with some mythology-- it's pretty easy to see which is the "cute, cartoon" version and which is substantial. 

[sunriseiz]

I just found this thread and want to say thank you so much for the discussion!  DD10 is a voracious reader and we are always, always on the hunt for books to try to stay ahead of her though it rarely works for us. :)  I don't think I have any to add other than the Kane Chronicles, which is a mythology based trilogy.  DD loves mythology, adventure and mystery with some time travel thrown in, lol.  Oh, you could add War and Peace to your list;  DD requested it for Christmas and has started working her way through it. :huh:

 

 

ETA: I probably just missed it, but I am curious about the criteria you use to sort the books from easy to hard. If you don't mind sharing, I'd appreciate it!

[ElizaG]

Sidney Lanier wrote several "junior versions" of famous books of legends, taking out the content that he considered unsuitable for young people, but keeping much of the complex language.   The Boy's King Arthur has been reprinted many times; the others are available via print on demand.  You can also read them online:  

 

The Boy's King Arthur

The Boy's Mabinogion

The Boy's Froissart

ETA:  The Boy's Percy

 

If you're open to speeches, poems, and excerpts, another place to find challenging literature would be in 19th century school readers of the McGuffy type.  The fifth and sixth readers would typically be at a high school or college reading level.  

 

Along those lines, I recently came across Five Hundred Books for the Young:  A Graded and Annotated List, which is arranged by "school reader grade" instead of by age.   The list was compiled in 1892, and just from my initial searching, it looks as if the vast majority of the books have been scanned.   The usual caveats about vintage works apply -- some might not have aged well, and others might be culturally insensitive by modern standards -- but there shouldn't be problems with age-appropriateness, at least with the recommended editions (I think some of them might be edited for children).  The introduction is an interesting read, too.