Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) My 7 yo is a voracious reader. He also reads at a very high level, but I'm having trouble keeping him in books that are age-appropriate in themes. I'm just wondering if someone might have suggestions for books that I've missed. He has enjoyed The Famous Five, The Moffats, The Saturdays, Jenny and the Cat Club, Paddington Bear, Mary Poppins, Henry Reed, Homer Price, My Father's Dragon, Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Freddy books by Brooks, and many books by Dick King-Smith, E.B. White, William Steig, etc. He particularly enjoys scifi/fantasy such as Edith Nesbit, Edward Eager, Narnia, and the Peter and the Starcatchers series. I'm struggling because there is no way I can pre-read his books (unless that was all I did), and there are fabulous books that I would rather he waited to read until he is a bit older. The scifi/fantasy genre is particularly difficult to find appropriate books in. Suggestions for classics are great, too. Edited August 10, 2009 by Heidi @ Mt Hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Has he read the Poppy books by Avi? There are at least four of them. Is Redwall too intense/not sweet enough? My daughter started reading them at about that age. (But she'd already done most of the Harry Potters.) You might want to pre-read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 The Swallows and Amazons series! Written by Arthur Ransome in the 1930's. British kids having adventures in the summer. Lovely stuff. Nothing objectionable. He'll love the youngest who I think is around 7 & is for the first time allowed to join the older siblings on their campout adventure on a little island in the lake. The only danger in these books is that they may cause ardent desire to learn to sail though :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 I have Poppy on the shelf... maybe I'll hand that one over to him next. For some weird reason, I've tried to get him interested in Redwall and he wasn't going for it. Weird. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) I read Swallows and Amazons aloud to him and he read the second on his own. I really need to get more in the series... thanks for reminding me! They don't have them at our library and the books aren't cheap. Drat! Edited August 10, 2009 by Heidi @ Mt Hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Check out the books used in the Five In A Row curriculum. They are 100% age appropriate, touching, innocent, wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Great Brain books? I haven't read them yet, but I have one checked out of the library to look at. Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins? Mushroom Planet books are sci-fi from the 50s. I've read the first and we're on the second; nothing indecent in them that I can see. The Borrowers Konigsburg's books (From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler etc) Rats of NIMH Phantom Tollbooth? I really enjoyed the book Tom's Midnight Garden as a child, too. Children of Green Knowe series? Hope some of these fit the bill. Edited August 10, 2009 by stripe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 The Great Brain books are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 The Rats of Nimh. And, if you can find them, the Reader's Digest Young Readers Abridged Classics. They are typically 4 novels in one volume, all abridged to be 200-300 pages. Not all of them would be age appropriate, but most would as they have been deliberately made so. Although I must say, I was a bit shocked when I read some of the originals later as a teenager. :tongue_smilie: Of course, other than on my mother's book shelf, I have no idea where you would find them. Used books stores or online maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Building Up Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I have a 7yo daughter who is much the same way! Her tastes may be a bit tamer, and well, more girly...LOL! You listed some we haven't read so I'm glad for some new titles to look for. She is begging to read ahead in the Narnia series that dh is reading aloud to her and her younger brother, so more for her in that vein will be great. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread! How about the Dr. Dolittle books, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? Dd likes the Bobbsey Twins series a lot, but they might not have enough action for your ds. Hardy Boys? He might like Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Choc Factory, James and the Giant Peach. Dd also devours Boxcar Children books - they are quick reads for her but she likes the stories and the library has tons of them. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I don't remember all of the names, but they include "The Four Story Mistake" and several others, all good and very safe. What do you think of the Ramona books? Those are good reading for that age. I think that he might be able to appreciate the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. Those are safe. "The Secret Garden" and "A Little Princess" are older British books, with a similar 'feel' to the E. Nesbit books. Waldorf fairy tales are very sweet and quite safe. There are a lot of volumes of those--most of them clearly written by story tellers. For Christian books, I suggest "The Very First Christmas" and "The Very First Easter" by Paul Maier. Excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 We've read the 1st Great Brain book. They are hilarious, but, well... I read them as a kid and thought they were funny, but reading them as an adult to a small boy? I was slightly shocked at some of the stuff in there... He just finished The Borrowers last night. He loves Nesbit, read Mixed up Files. He might be ready for Phantom Tollbooth... that's a terrific one! And, wahoo, they have some Mushroom Planet books at the library! I'll be checking those out as well as a couple others you recommended. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Oh, my son doesn't mind the 'girly' books. :) He listened to The Secret Garden on CD (a *wonderful* recording), and it is one of his favorites. We just read Eight Cousins aloud. He read one Dr. Dolittle book... I'll have to check for more in the series! We haven't tried the Wizard of Oz books yet; I'll add that to the list. He read one or two Bobbsey Twin books, a million Boxcar Children Books :), many of the Roald Dahl books. Dad reads the Hardy Boys books to the boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 I checked out the 5 in a Row book lists. Looks like the ones he hasn't read are Sarah Plain and Tall and Skylark. I'll put those on the list. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 The Seven Year-Old Wonder Book, by Isabel Wyatt--very sweet, but never sappy. :) Neither my kids nor I got into Redwall; I feel like every other scene is a meal! :tongue_smilie: I second the Green Knowe stories; a couple are a bit scary, but not overdone. James Herriot? The Hobbit? MY little sis read LOTR at that age, so maybe that too? Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by J.L. Latham The Indian In the Cupboard series. Good clean fun. :) Eva Ibbotson's books, including The Secret of Platform 13, and The Star of Kazan, and The Beasts of Clawstone Castle Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord, and Igraine the Brave, and Dragonrider (wait on the Inkheart series--good, but sounds like too intense for your DS) Pippi Longstocking; Mio, My Son; Ronia, Robber's Daughter (my FAVORITE!); The Brothers Lionheart, all by Astrid Lindgren Tove Jansson's Moomintroll books--cute, funny, and unlike anything else I have ever read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 He has read the whole Saturdays series (love those!). We've read some of the Beverly Cleary books (Emily's Runaway Imagination and Henry Huggins, etc.), but so far I've held off on the Ramona books due to attitude stuff (he doesn't need any help in that department :) ), but I should re-read one or two to see if I might change my mind. He loved The Secret Garden, so I think I'll put A Little Princess on his list. I have the first two books in the Prydain Chronicles, but I haven't read them yet. The covers look, well, a little intense. Do you think they would be appropriate for a 7 yo? My husband loves them, but he likes a lot of scifi/fantasy that I would never serve up to my 7 yo. Blech. Maybe I'll have to put them on my own book stack. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Some good suggestions, here! My son would put The Thief Lord in his top 10 (along with the Peter & the Starcatchers Series). I'll have to check out the others you mentioned. I don't know if Inkheart would be too scary for him... it is more his mother who would like to keep him in the sweet, innocent books a little while longer. :) He is in the middle of the Indian in the Cupboard series (loves). He enjoyed Pippi, so I'll check out those other books by Lindgren. I love James Herriot! I wonder if he'd read The Hobbit? I'll check out the other books you mentioned! Edited August 10, 2009 by Heidi @ Mt Hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) Ginger Pie, by Elenore Estes is very sweet. She's the author of the very sweet books, The Moffats. Edited August 11, 2009 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) The Lost Prince and Little Lord Fauntleroy are by the same author as the Secret Garden. The Lost Prince especially is still one of my favourites. (Edit: She also wrote a book called "The Good Wolf", but I'm pretty sure it's far out of print. I love this book too. ) If he likes older British children's books, you could also try some of Noel Streatfeild's shoes books. Some of them are really, really girly (he might not be interested in ballet) but others are less so. Edited August 10, 2009 by kiana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 (edited) I forgot about Prydain! No, I think your son would be fine with those. The covers are not an accurate representation of the stories. :) My sisters and I wrote a dramatized version of the first book, and put it on for my parents. :) Most of Lloyd Alexander's books should be fine for him, I'd say. I enjoyed the Hobbit at that age, for whatever that's worth. :) And Tolkien did write it for his kids. ETA: has he tried the Freddy Pig books, like Freddy the Detective? He might like those if he enjoyed the Dick King Smith ones. And yes, definitely Rascal! Edited August 10, 2009 by Caitilin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 The Seven Year-Old Wonder Book, by Isabel Wyatt--very sweet, but never sappy. :) This is one of those Waldorfy fairy tale books I was mentioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Yes! Exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Eva Ibbotson's books, including The Secret of Platform 13, and The Star of Kazan, and The Beasts of Clawstone Castle Cornelia Funke's The Thief Lord, and Igraine the Brave, and Dragonrider (wait on the Inkheart series--good, but sounds like too intense for your DS) We love all of the above books, esp Ronia. Although Ronai leads a very unconventional life. She calls her parents by their first name, goes away with a boy to live in a cave (although it's very innocent) etc. I recommend Ronia to all my Unschooling, unconventional friends. lol Eva Ibbotsen books are fantastic, filled with magic and earth-worshipping themes, esp The Island of The Aunts. Ibbotson is very Brtish that way. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 We love all of the above books, esp Ronia. Although Ronai leads a very unconventional life. She calls her parents by their first name, goes away with a boy to live in a cave (although it's very innocent) etc. I recommend Ronia to all my Unschooling, unconventional friends. lol Eva Ibbotsen books are fantastic, filled with magic and earth-worshipping themes, esp The Island of The Aunts. Ibbotson is very Brtish that way. lol Some of them are heavy on the magic side, I agree, altho' the Star of Kazan, and the Beasts of Clawstone Castle are not so much. Ooh! I forgot--Susan Cooper's The Boggart, and its sequel, whose title escapes me at the moment. Very cool intersection of old-myth magic with technology (boy character is a big computer type). I love her books. My DH read all of the Dark is Rising Series to my kiddos this past year, with the youngest listener being my 6 y-o, so you might like those too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Some of them are heavy on the magic side, I agree, altho' the Star of Kazan, and the Beasts of Clawstone Castle are not so much. Ooh! I forgot--Susan Cooper's The Boggart, and its sequel, whose title escapes me at the moment. Very cool intersection of old-myth magic with technology (boy character is a big computer type). I love her books. My DH read all of the Dark is Rising Series to my kiddos this past year, with the youngest listener being my 6 y-o, so you might like those too. I'm thinking we share the same Library Thing account. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I'm thinking we share the same Library Thing account. lol :lol: We probably do--except that I don't have one! :tongue_smilie:Maybe I should?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 We haven't read any Thornton Burgess books. Must put those on the list! We listen to a good deal of poetry (on CD), but I don't know that he has really read any on his own. I'll put a book or two on his stack and see what he thinks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 I think we have Rats of Nimh. I'll have to pull that off the shelf. I'll have to keep an eye out for the RD Young Reader's books. I'm often at Goodwill searching for books. Maybe I'll get lucky. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 We might have to give Prydain a try, then. Yes, we have a couple of the Freddy books checked out from the library right now. I love them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 We love books by Eleanor Estes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 B is 8 and seems to have similar tastes to your 7 year old L. He does love Redwall, he listened to several of the dramatized audiobooks before he was ready to dive in and read them for himself. Have you guys discovered "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and its sequel? Those were probably the biggest hit for read-alouds this year. My kids just love them. Oz and sequels are also great suggestions, there are lots of those. There are a couple of sequels to "The Cricket in Times Square" that I know B has enjoyed. Also Dick King-Smith books (Babe, Martin's Mice, etc.) Both kids recently read a sweet book about two mice called "Tumtum and Nutmeg". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 I'll add The Lost Prince to my list. I checked Amazon and The Good Wolf is available new for $28 or used for $76. I think I'll wait for a stroke of good luck to find it at Goodwill. :) I've read Ballet Shoes, but I'll have to check out the other titles in the 'shoe' series. I bet he would enjoy them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thanks for chiming in, Jami! I had no idea there were sequels to Cricket in Times Square! I loved that book both as a child and as an adult reading aloud. I've read both The Mysterious Benedict Society and the sequel. I LOVED them. I know Levi could read them, but I was wondering if he would get more out of them when he was a little older. I bet he'd do really well with the first one, at least. The second one got kinda scary/intense (maybe I'm wimpy, LOL) with the Ten Men. Whew! I've put Oz on the list. We love Dick King-Smith around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 If he doesn't mind "girly books" he could try all the Alcott books--Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys, Eight Cousins, Rose in Bloom and Under the Lilacs. There are also all the Little House books, along with the Anne of Green Gables books. Has he read Mary Poppins? There is at least one sequel to that--Mary Poppins Comes Back, I think, and maybe even Mary Poppins at the Park? There are all the Chronicles of Narnia, and maybe even the Hobbit (my ds listened to the Hobbit as a read aloud at age 5 and LOVED it and he tends to be pretty sensitive. But the Goblins may be a little to much) The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, Caddie Woodlawn, The Princess and the Goblin by George Macdonald (anything by him acually) Hmmmm.... Thats all I can think of for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Ridley Pearson, the author of Peter & the Starcatchers series has another series above Neverland that is definitely age appropriate for your son. Pearson also has the Kingdom Keepers set but age appropriateness may depend on your son.....it's about teens who have had holographic duplicates made of themselves by Disney to interact with guests at the parks, but the villans of the parks are trying to take over the parks and the teens are pulled from their homes into their holographic personas in the middle of the night at Disney World to fight the villans. While it's wonderful sci-fi and totally implausable, lol.....a senstive child, or one with a young impressionable imagination might have trouble with the idea of being involuntarily pulled from your bed in the middle of the night. One of my kids was a bit unsettled about it and had a couple nightmares, but wasn't willing to give up our read aloud, lol. Eventually she settled down, but it is a bit intense at times. Since you say he loves sci-fi I'm guessing that magic type of storylines don't bother you (some families avoid it so just wanted to mention it, as obviously there is a lot of magic to make villans come alive and people become holograms). Another author we enjoy is Andrew Clements....not sci-fi, and usually set in a school, but his twists and turns in the plot are wonderful to keep up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Oh, I'm so glad you reminded me of The Princess and the Goblin! I need to get that one out for him. He reallly loved the Focus on the Family radio theater production of At the Back of the North Wind, too. We just read Eight Cousins and he like it, so I might hand over some other Alcott books. He has enjoyed the radio theater and movie versions of Anne of Green Gables. I don't know if he'd make it through the book, though. Maybe. He has done all the Narnia books and he just finished the Mary Poppins sequel. The Neverending Story sounds good. I was saving Caddie Woodlawn for when we get to that period in history, but I might just hand that over to him, too. We've read the first Little House book. I need to get the rest in the series! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 If he like the Princess and the Goblin, I believe there is a sequel (prequel? I don't remember) called the Princess and Curdie. He also wrote the Golden Key. Short book, but OH MY GOODNESS is it a wonderful one. I also remembered Heidi by Joanna Spyri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 You should check out the Ambleside Online curriculum literature selections--many of the books you mentioned are on the lists. The lists are generally great for sweet, old-fashioned type stories. http://www.amblesideonline.org/index.shtml Here is the site link. Click on curriculum, then year by year book lists come up. Pick one and scroll down to the Literature rec.s I bet your son could read most things up to year 3 or 4, but check a bit further--you never can tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Also Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I've never read this, but it sounds promising: The Wheel on the School by Meindert Dejong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Oh, Meindert Dejong is one of my favorite authors! I read several books by him as child. House of Sixty Fathers is fabulous, but I wanted Levi to wait on that one for a couple years. The Wheel on the School is wonderful. I think I might actually have that one... time to get it out! I loved Dirk's Dog, Bello (not in print anymore, I don't think). Ooh, I think my mom might still have it. I bet Levi would enjoy it! He has read The Last Little Cat, which is a good easy chapter book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Is Clements the author of Frindle? Levi read that one and I think he enjoyed it. I'll check for other titles by that author. I'll check out Pearson's books, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Oh, thanks for the Ambleside link. That looks very promising! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Has he read any Carolyn Haywood? Both of my kids just loved Betsy books, Eddie books and others. Very sweet and old-fashioned, but also funny and charming. So many of our other favorites have already been mentioned. I'll try to keep thinking -- I know there are others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Dog on Barkham Street & sequels Some Lois Lenski boys have male lead characters. Bayou Boy, IIRC, is one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 Oh, I was hoping you'd reply, Abbey! I always enjoy your book suggestions. He has read a couple Betsy books and one Eddie book, but I need to search for more. I'm pretty sure I picked those up on your recommendation a while back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spring Pea Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Is he too big for the Magic Treehouse series? How about Hank the Cowdog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 The Swallows and Amazons series! Written by Arthur Ransome in the 1930's. British kids having adventures in the summer. Lovely stuff. Nothing objectionable. He'll love the youngest who I think is around 7 & is for the first time allowed to join the older siblings on their campout adventure on a little island in the lake. The only danger in these books is that they may cause ardent desire to learn to sail though :-) :iagree: Also, my ds8 has enjoyed Mary Poppins by PL Travers and the Magic Umbrella by David Cory. The last one is about a boy taken on an adventure by a magic umbrella. It was published about 1928 and is part of a hard to find series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddhabelly Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Half Magic by Edward Eager? There are two other books by him that are sometimes packaged together in a nice little box, if your son is into stuff like that. My son looooooves boxed sets. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Half Magic by Edward Eager? There are two other books by him that are sometimes packaged together in a nice little box, if your son is into stuff like that. My son looooooves boxed sets. Julie Yes! Fantastic books! Also the Edith Nesbit books. And Birdsall's The Penderwicks! Similar in style to both, but set in modern US--really fun for all ages, but eminently suitable for that age. Also, The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsey; it's Australian, and one of the funniest kids books ever. See here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I got hardcover compilations of them-three books total for each. At seven, my ds loved these and they are very sweet-may not be to everyone's taste. They seemed pretty dated and repetitive to me, but he loved them and read both cover to cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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