mamatohaleybug Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I have a friend who has requested my help, which means, I, in turn, need yours. :) Her granddaughter is a young teen and is blind. She is looking for recommendations for good books to listen to. They have access to good libraries. Specific requests: humorous or first love or musical Ideas? Hit me up, please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamatohaleybug Posted October 31, 2014 Author Share Posted October 31, 2014 Nobody has ideas I can pass on? Pretty please??! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 We listen to a LOT of audio-books but not a lot in those categories. :) My kids are also younger so these might not work for a young teen. My boys tend towards fantasy so that's what we listen to. Ones we've liked a lot... The Frog Princess (and the rest of the series) by E.D. Baker. It's funny and definitely has the first love plot but might be too young. Harry Potter is excellent as an audiobook. It's really the narrator Jim Dale who is wonderful. I'd listen to anything by him. The Saturdays and the rest of that series Peter and the Starcatchers series We're listening to the Gregor the Overlander series now which my boys love I also listen to audiobooks myself since I have to drive a lot for work. I really enjoyed Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson but the subject matter is rape so might need to be screened (it is a young adult book). I listened to The Fault in Our Stars on audiobook, I liked the audio version. I didn't love the book itself. I've listened to a lot of mysteries on audiobook, they are usually popular so the library has them. Our library has lots of classics. I spent the summer listening to David Copperfield and it was fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Young teen? I'd get Honey for a Teen's Heart and start looking through it. That will give you a lot of the basics and inspire her in a lot of genres. Also, on Audible you should be able to search by those specs (age recommended, genre, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamatohaleybug Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 Thanks! I sent the grandmother a list but my DD just turned 12 and isn't into those genres/topics. I'll pass your suggestions on. Thank you both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Has she tried PG Wodehouse? I'm assuming she can get that on audio. My dd enjoyed Wodehouse at that age. Also the Sam Campbell books, but they're less common, don't know if they'd be on audio. That's why I'm thinking it's actually easier to go to Audible and search. Anything Roald Dahl will be humorous. One bit of advice a friend gave me when dd was that age was to keep the books *positive*. I'm not sure I'd nurture the first love/romance interest (just me personally), but it DOES seem like she's liking things in that positive strain, not dark. That may shift later and lead to an interest in fantasy or something, but for now maybe if you see it as liking *positive* books, it might help you find more genres she'll enjoy that are also positive, kwim? My dd at that age really enjoyed reading uplifting devotional books (Chicken Soup series, etc.). There are some humor writers she enjoyed that might be on audio. I *think* she may have read Erma Bombeck then, so see if it looks appropriate. Have you thought about the Cynthia Levine books? They might be available on audio. Ella Enchanted was made into a movie that has a lot of music. Might hit a bunch of her interests and develop a taste for fantasy, satire, etc. I HIGHLY recommend fairy tales. There are volumes of international fairy tales (tales of Japan, France, etc.). They might capture her interest in romance but bump the reading level. The Lang fairy tales and those translated versions will be around a 9th grade reading level, great for a read aloud. They'll push her sentence structure and comprehension. Have you looked at the Sonlight lists? They go really dark later, but you still might find something. Missionary stories are a surprising place to find romance tucked in. My dd LOVED the Guardians of Ga'Hoole at that age. I've never read them myself to know what kind of genre they are, but I know the whole series is available on Audible because I got it a while back on a crazy sale. (My ds is dyslexic so I'm collecting audiobooks for him.) My dd was also very into humor, comics, etc. at that age, so I don't know if they're funny or just good adventures or full of satire or wry comments or what, lol. If your library has any of them, might be worth a try. Just in a TOTALLY DIFFERENT direction to go, have you thought about radio podcasts, iTunes U, BBC podcasts, that sort of thing? Don't think only fiction! An ipad can be configured to read everything on the screen to her, so she can touch and it will tell her what she's touching. I think if you look in the iTunes offerings you'll find podcasts you can download for free of old radio shows, BBC podcasts, etc. Some are really stellar, like the History in 100 Objects series. You just never know what will catch a child's imagination! Happy listening. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Btw, I assume you've thought about this, but are you getting mp3s of musicals? Les Mis, Phantom, Sound of Music, Annie, etc. etc. will be popular with kids that age. Also, she might enjoy the Teaching Company (Great Courses) high school level US history. I haven't listened to it myself, but people have said it's enjoyable. Just going lots of directions that are positive... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 I'm a long-time Audible member. Here are some that she may like - even though they may not meet her criteria, they are *very* good: Christy - Catherine Marshall Life of Pi - Yann Martel Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery True Grit - Charles Portis Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'dell A Single Shard - Linda Sue Park A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L'Engle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purduemeche Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Might be a stretch on musical, but the Lord of the Rings cycle unabridged recording with Rob Inglis is fantastic. One of my favorite aspects is that every one of the songs in Tolkein's work is put to music, which makes these scenes really come alive! http://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Ring-Lord-Rings-Book/dp/0788789813/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414964726&sr=8-3&keywords=lord+of+the+rings+audiobook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 As far as musicals go, we saw Into the Woods this summer and my kids loved it. If she likes fairy tales and music, I think listening to a recording would be fun. I enjoyed listening to The Fault in our Stars with my 12 year old. It is very good on audio. Humorous -- one of our all time favorite audios in The Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom or something like that. The narrator is amazing and I think he has narrated sequels as well. A Tale Dark and Grimm is good too though it is more on the dark humor side. I think that one is a Johnny Heller narration and he's a good narrator for funny books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 For a young teen I'd suggest the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. The best readings are by Barbara Rosenblatt. Mystery, romance and Egyptology. They're funny, smart, a bit over the top.... The author was a PhD in Egyptology and a very clever woman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 I loved The Scarlet Pimpernel as a young teen as did my daughter. The Scarlet PimpernelRegards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamatohaleybug Posted November 3, 2014 Author Share Posted November 3, 2014 Thank you all so much!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnTeaching Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I highly second the James Herriot books. The audio is awesome if you can get the ones read by Christopher Timothy. He is the same fellow who played James Herriot in the English TV series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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