Elizabeth Conley Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 You don't have to MAKE kids read these books: http://www.amazon.com/Franny-Steins-Crate-Danger-Boxed/dp/1416914021/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243941695&sr=8-3 http://www.amazon.com/Bunnicula-Collection-Three-Hare-Raising-Tales/dp/0689869363/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243942123&sr=1-10 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=alan+katz+and+david+catrow&sprefix=alan+katz+and+david+catrow and that's just for starters. Anybody else have some fun suggestions? I need some for 8th grade girls. SOS! Gimme some titles and authors PLEASE! One of us, the girl or the mom, has got to have some relief. Just kidding! But seriously, if you've got some FUN titles for 8th grade girls, please spill the beans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy in NJ Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 As an 8th grader, I was a huge Jane Austen fan. Also, Charles Dickens, and the Brontes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncmomo3 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Little Women and Anne of Green Gables are great for that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I don't quite understand your subject line....do you want them to just read, or do you want to stretch them a little to read good books that will actually not turn their brains to mush :) Are you going to assign books or leave them strewed around and hope for the best? Are you a teacher? A homeschooler? Did you mean 8th grade, or 8 year old? I do understand that sometimes, any book will do to get a child reading, but I don't quite understand the context of your statement/question and why you would ask here? My kids have just read and loved The Once and Future King. They have read Mary Stewart's Crystal Cave. We love all things Arthurian here :) The Eragon books are good. The Hobbit is great. I guess what it "fun" to one person is not so interesting to another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) classics - A Little Princess (Burnett) - The Secret Garden (Burnett) - Island of the Blue Dolphins (O'Dell) - Anne of Green Gables; Anne of Avonlea (Montgomery) - Little Women (Alcott) fantasy - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll) - The Ordinary Princess (Kaye) - Momo (Ende) - The Tombs of Atuan (Le Guin) - Ella Enchanted (Levine) - Hitty, Her First Hundred Years (Field) - Aurelia's Colors; Cyndere's Midnight (Overstreet) - Alphabet of Thorn; The Changling Sea (McKillip) - Howl's Moving Castle; House of Many Ways (Jones) - Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Wrede) - Swan Lake; A City in Winter; The Veil of Snows (Helprin) sci-fi - House of Stairs (Sleator) - The Green Book (Walsh) - Enchantress from the Stars (Engdahl) -- fantasy/scii-fi mystery - The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (Smith) - Chasing Vermeer (Balliett) - Crocodile on the Sandbank (Peters) historical fiction - Indian Captive (Lenski) - Catherine Called Birdy; Midwife's Apprentice (Cushman) - Naya Nuki: The Shoshone Girl Who Ran (Thomasa) - Behind Rebel Lines (Reit) - Turn Homeward Hannalee (Beatty) real life - Plain Girl (Sorensen) - A Year Down Yonder; A Long Way From Chicago (Peck) Edited June 2, 2009 by Lori D. fixed typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Ditto -- what exactly are we talking about here? 8yo or 8th grade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 The suggestions I made are appropriate for a very young reluctant reader. I asked you for some fun reads for an 8th grade reluctant reader. There's no need to be snippy. You either have some suggestions, or you don't. I appreciated the suggestion about Anne of Green Gables. I put it on hold at the local library. I'll be able to pick it up in a day or two. It's the ONE book on all the recommended classics list she HASN'T read. Lists of classics are easy to come by. What have your kids read that was FUN, and WASN'T on any of the recommended lists? If the idea of straying from the beaten path gives you heart palpitations, just breath into a paper sack while you search for a more soothing topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 I have an almost 13 year old stepson who is a very reluctant reader. I borrowed the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series to see what they were like.... and I ended up thinking they were a ton of fun. I'm planning to pick them up for his birthday. It's hard to remember exactly what I was reading myself at that age, but I think that's around when I started reading lots of mysteries. Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes might work for your dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 The suggestions I made are appropriate for a very young reluctant reader. I asked you for some fun reads for an 8th grade reluctant reader. There's no need to be snippy. You either have some suggestions, or you don't. I appreciated the suggestion about Anne of Green Gables. I put it on hold at the local library. I'll be able to pick it up in a day or two. It's the ONE book on all the recommended classics list she HASN'T read. Lists of classics are easy to come by. What have your kids read that was FUN, and WASN'T on any of the recommended lists? If the idea of straying from the beaten path gives you heart palpitations, just breath into a paper sack while you search for a more soothing topic. :confused: I didn't read anyone as being snippy but just asking for clarification. Sometimes it's hard to gauge what someone is asking. Maybe she would like Ted Dekker's trilogy Red, Black & White? My dd also loved the Promised Land series. She went through a Beverly Lewis phase also that killed me because I really dislike those books;), and sometimes she'll just go to the library and pick out something that looks appealing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 Thank you Jen and Sophia. I hadn't heard of Jack and the Olympians, and I think the idea of mysteries is awesome. My daughter never seems to find anything "right off the stacks" at the library. She is getting a little happier about reading, because I search for material according to her interests. You've both given me great ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Have you seen the Book Wizard from Scholastic? I think it's pretty cool. You can put in age or grade or reading level, interests, etc and it will find books for you based on your criteria. Now, they aren't screened for content, so then I do more research, but it's helped me find some new or off the beaten path titles. There are only so many times that I can have Secret Garden or Anne of Green Gables recommended! And it goes up to 12th grade. HTH!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Please forgive me if I sounded snippy. I have so little time on the computer that I tend to read and respond very quickly, and I didn't see your paragraph at the bottom of your post. Sorry about that! I have an 8yo daughter, but all my eighth graders have been boys so far, so I probably can't give very good suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveBaby Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 All of LM Montgomery stories are great. Kilmney of the Orchard is a good one. Many of them have a little mystery in them as well. One of my favorites is in the Anne series "Anne's House of Dreams". She solves a great mystery and you are *so* happy at the end when it is all solved. Alls well that ends well, and all that! There is a lot more to LM Montgomery than just "Anne of Green Gables". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhondaM. Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 No specific suggestion, but have you checked out this site? http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html Love this site. Rhonda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 It draws you in from the first paragraph, with an air of dangerous mystery. I recommend it highly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 Thanks Ladies. I'm going to try Book Wizard. My daughter likes humor. I'd like to find something for her along those lines. Number the Stars is a title I'm going to have to learn more about. Julie, I'd love to hear about what your boys like. My daughter is quirky. She is something of a tomboy too. You never know! Blessings, Elizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 The suggestions I made are appropriate for a very young reluctant reader. I asked you for some fun reads for an 8th grade reluctant reader. There's no need to be snippy. You either have some suggestions, or you don't. Actually, your post just didn't make sense to me and I was asking for clarification. I didn't get that she was even reluctant- or even your daughter. The books at Amazon said they were appropriate for 6 year olds and along the lines of Captain Underpants,so I wondered what you were asking. But maybe I am just having a stupid and snippy day, so just ignore me. My daughter has loved Tamora Pierce books, and my son has loved the Ranger's Apprentice series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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