SilverMoon Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) Yes, another one of those. Yes, I have been homeschooling for umpteen years and my living room looks like a library. :P My strong/silent, deep thinking, STEM guy liked Stargirl so much he reread it as soon as he finished reading it, carried it everywhere, and repeatedly tried engaging big sister in literary discussions over it. Other than science heavy books (Hawking, etc) I think he hasn't been this invested since devouring the whole Harry Potter series. Obviously the sequel is in the mail, and he looked over some other Spinelli on Amazon and requested a couple. This will be free reading for an 8th grader, fwiw. I think relationship development is a huge theme for him right now. Coming of age maybe? He adores humor, from mature to slapstick silliness. Science themes almost always go over well, but not necessarily science-fiction. HP is the only fantasy I think he's ran away with by himself. He really got into Narnia, Hobbit, and such when they were read aloud, but he never tried picking them up on his own. He's been enjoying "helping" his sister's Shakespeare course this year (relationships again). Edited November 7, 2016 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Hm. Flipped, maybe? Let me look at my shelves and try to remember to get back to you - right now my brain is completely eaten by NYC high school admissions, so it's hard keeping thoughts in my head. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Spinelli has a lot of good ones. Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass was my first thought of a book a bit like it. Or Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life if he turns out to like Mass. I'll second Flipped as well. It's a tricky thing... I mean, Spinelli is good at hitting a certain moment for some kids. Not too hard, not too heavy, but not too light either. How about The Wednesday Wars? That might be another one in that vein of everyday kids but with enough meaty issues. Or how about Wonder if he hasn't read it. Actually, I'll bet Wonder would be perfect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 Thank you both! I looked up every title and added them to his list. Each one sounded like good matches for him. :) Big sister added The Giver to his pile. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 I almost suggested The Giver. And Tuck Everlasting. They're just so different in tone and theme. But they're shortish books with straightforward prose that also have meaty issues presented in the right way for middle schoolers. So in that sense, they're in the same category. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 My daughter LOVED Stargirl. The Giver and Tuck Everlasting were also big hits. How about Konigsburg's The View From Saturday? I have a soft spot for that one; read it to two different boys so far, who loved it. About to read it to dd. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeannpal Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 A Separate Peace? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 Build Your Library 8 uses Stargirl, so you might want to look at their list and see if there are any similar titles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 BYL 8 is why Stargirl came to our home in the first place. :) He "accidentally read it ahead of schedule and finished it early"...lol Flipped was a win! It made him interested in checking out all the other recommendations in this thread. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Just in case you want another suggestion - Schooled by Gordon Korman was one that we enjoyed around the same time we all read Stargirl. How did your son like the sequel? My kids were kind of meh about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 Thanks. I'll look that one up too. :) DS read the Stargirl sequel twice in a row and carried it around lovingly for a couple weeks. He didn't talk about it as much but I'd say he genuinely enjoyed it. Right now he's devouring the Foxtrot comic collections he received for Christmas. lol 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Thanks for this thread! I added Flipped, Schooled, The Giver, and Every Soul a Star to my Amazon cart. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Thanks. I'll look that one up too. :) DS read the Stargirl sequel twice in a row and carried it around lovingly for a couple weeks. He didn't talk about it as much but I'd say he genuinely enjoyed it. Right now he's devouring the Foxtrot comic collections he received for Christmas. lol Foxtrot is a huge favorite at our house :) Glad your son enjoyed the sequel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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