K in MI Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Yes, I know this is the high school board, but we still read-aloud ----- I just can't give it up! My baby of 6 is 15yo. He is the son of bibliophiles, and his 5 older siblings are, too. He seems to have come without that gene. :) His ability to read is just great, it just isn't an interest. I think part of it is laziness. He, like his siblings, loves to be read to, and he is improving with his own reading. He loves books like the Eregon series and those by Percy Jackson. Can you recommend any books that I could read out loud that might spark an interest? Also any that he could read by himself. I'd like to get some of the college-bound classics, but I'll be happy with anything that will challenge him. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Other interests mean that we seldom read aloud books in our family but we still listen to books together in the car, does that count? Suggestions based on that listening: I Heard the Owl Call my Name -- Margaret Craven Iron and Silk -- Mark Salzman Just a couple for now, I'll edit this if others come to mind later. HTH ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 We just finished Treasure Island. HUGE HIT! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 We just finished Treasure Island. HUGE HIT! :) Last year, my ds did LL7/8 and enjoyed Treasure Island via audiobook. We also did A Christmas Carol and Alice in Wonderland via audiobook. Knowing any of those types of "well known classics" would probably be a benefit to him. My 15 yods sounds similar, in that he reads well (taught himself before K) but would rather be with people than a book. I have him in a boys' book club, where they read slightly easier books, and he enjoys them. So far this year they've read A Single Shard, Canoeing with the Cree, and Ides of April, all of which he's enjoyed. A big hit in the past with all the boys was Rosemary Sutcliff (Black Ships Before Troy, etc). Those weren't read-alouds, but they very well could have been. If I had time, I'd do more read-alouds from the Little Britches series with my ds. We also like biographies, including good missionary bios. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K in MI Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Other interests mean that we seldom read aloud books in our family but we still listen to books together in the car, does that count? Suggestions based on that listening: I Heard the Owl Call my Name -- Margaret Craven Iron and Silk -- Mark Salzman Just a couple for now, I'll edit this if others come to mind later. HTH ~Moira Thanks for the ideas. He does listen to books-on-tape often; I have a tendency to fall asleep easier and sooner while reading than I did 15 years ago! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn On the Border Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 We are listening to the audiobook of Treasure Island (a hit so far for grades 6 and 9). Ds12 likes scary stories, so we are reading aloud classic scary stories, by authors like Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. They are great for vocabulary, and use many of the words he is learning in Caesar's English. Ds15 loved the Lord of the Rings (yes, we read the whole series aloud). Both kids enjoyed the James Herriot books- All Creatures Great and Small, etc. I think read-alouds are great for older kids. They can expose kids to books that are above their reading level. Also, it is nice to read with them, so that you can pause and discuss ideas and vocabulary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K in MI Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 We just finished Treasure Island. HUGE HIT! :) We read that one 3 or 4 years ago. One thing I have found, though: the good books are enjoyable multiple times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K in MI Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Last year, my ds did LL7/8 and enjoyed Treasure Island via audiobook. We also did A Christmas Carol and Alice in Wonderland via audiobook. Knowing any of those types of "well known classics" would probably be a benefit to him. My 15 yods sounds similar, in that he reads well (taught himself before K) but would rather be with people than a book. I have him in a boys' book club, where they read slightly easier books, and he enjoys them. So far this year they've read A Single Shard, Canoeing with the Cree, and Ides of April, all of which he's enjoyed. A big hit in the past with all the boys was Rosemary Sutcliff (Black Ships Before Troy, etc). Those weren't read-alouds, but they very well could have been. If I had time, I'd do more read-alouds from the Little Britches series with my ds. We also like biographies, including good missionary bios. Julie Those sound good. I had forgotten about the Little Britches books -- even Dad loved listening to those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Here's an older thread on the same topic: Anyone read aloud with highschoolers? On a recent drive, the audio version of the Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet was a hit. We've also listened to audio versions of Dracula and The Hobbit in the recent past. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 On a recent drive, the audio version of the Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet was a hit. We've also listened to audio versions of Dracula and The Hobbit in the recent past. Regards, Kareni Ooh, did you follow it by watching the new BBC version of A Study In Pink? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Ooh, did you follow it by watching the new BBC version of A Study In Pink? Well, drats. We don't have cable television. Did you enjoy it? I'll have to keep an eye out (horrible expression that!) to see if it comes out on video. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Well, drats. We don't have cable television. Did you enjoy it? I'll have to keep an eye out (horrible expression that!) to see if it comes out on video. Regards, Kareni Well, you could keep your eyes peeled, instead.... We're big on reading aloud here, and audio books. I was just mentioning the other day that my fantasy is to have speakers installed in the ceilings throughout my teeny tiny house (I saw this in the home of a Microsoft tycoon) so that when we're listening to audiobooks, we don't have to shout "PAUSE" when one of us needs to run to the bathroom. I tend to do chores when listening, so I don't have that falling-asleep issue. Some that we've really enjoyed reading aloud are the Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett, which are just for fun. Also fun are the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, which were mentioned. We've also enjoyed many classics. I can't stand reading Thomas Hardy with "my eyeballs" but listening to Alan Rickman read Return of the Native was the highlight of our summer a few years ago. There is also an excellent version of Kidnapped! read by a fellow who does a wonderful job with accents: http://www.amazon.com/Kidnapped-Robert-Louis-Stevenson/dp/1587886081/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294196674&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 (edited) Well, drats. We don't have cable television. Did you enjoy it? I'll have to keep an eye out (horrible expression that!) to see if it comes out on video. Regards, Kareni We don't have cable, either. It was on our public station, PBS. so that when we're listening to audiobooks, we don't have to shout "PAUSE" when one of us needs to run to the bathroom. There is also an excellent version of Kidnapped! read by a fellow who does a wonderful job with accents: http://www.amazon.com/Kidnapped-Robert-Louis-Stevenson/dp/1587886081/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294196674&sr=8-1 LOL on the speaker in the bathroom! Thanks for the tip on another good audio. Julie Edited January 5, 2011 by Julie in MN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Well, you could keep your eyes peeled, instead.... Ouch! I think I'll just keep a lookout. We don't have cable, either. It was on our public station, PBS. I guess I should have said we don't have any TV reception at all. But, I'm glad to hear that it was good. Someday .... Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Ouch! I think I'll just keep a lookout. I guess I should have said we don't have any TV reception at all. But, I'm glad to hear that it was good. Someday .... Regards, Kareni Good thinking, about the eyes. You can watch some PBS shows online, at PBS.org. Or so I've heard. Maybe this is one of those shows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in CA Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Good for you. My youngest just started K and I realized I hardly read aloud to her, compared to the oldest. Any tips on making it happen with the youngest? So many pressing needs esp. when I have 2 high schoolers.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in CA Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I enjoyed reading Ivanhoe w/one of my high schoolers, and it would have been hard for him at that age to read it alone (maybe he was in 8th). Also seconding Treasure Isl. and Kidnapped, oh the Hobbit too! What about The 39 Steps The Scarlet Pimpernel? Both are very exciting... I always recommend those two. I hope I don't sound like a broken record, but the 39 Steps was the book that took one son in particular from juvenile fiction to adult fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Good for you. My youngest just started K and I realized I hardly read aloud to her, compared to the oldest. Any tips on making it happen with the youngest? So many pressing needs esp. when I have 2 high schoolers.... Bedtime? It's so much easier to read at bedtime with little ones than with olders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee in MI Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 These caught my eye in the bookstore, partly because, OK, I admit it, the covers are gorgeous. But they're fun to read aloud. They were not written as children's books, but there isn't anything in them that a mom would be uncomfortable reading to a teen-aged son. The best of them were The Prisoner of Zenda, 39 Steps, and The Man Who was Thursday. Penguin Boys Own Books These books are all available in many editions, but the cute Penguin editions are available from The Book Depository. We also liked Rupert of Henzau and Greenmantle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 My college freshman is reading The Odyssey to us over her break because she needs to read it for a class next semester. Once the semester starts, she knows she won't have time to do more than skim it, so she wants to do it now while she has time. We might try to go back to The Scarlet Pimpernel after this is done (um, summer, maybe?), but we're only a few chapters into that one and so far everyone is finding it a little dull. Does it pick up? This past year, we read Wuthering Heights, The Dinosaur Heresies, a couple of Canterbury Tales, How to Attract the Wombat, and a few others that I can't remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQmom Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Good for you. My youngest just started K and I realized I hardly read aloud to her, compared to the oldest. Any tips on making it happen with the youngest? So many pressing needs esp. when I have 2 high schoolers.... Yes, I have a first grader along with a high schooler and two in between. I finally started reading to her at night after dinner and clean-up while the olders are taking their showers. I had to make myself put aside my own computer time for a few minutes every evening in order to get it done, but it has been so worth it! We are reading through the Little House series and enjoying it very much. It helps to choose something that YOU love to read--will motivate you to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yes, I know this is the high school board, but we still read-aloud ----- I just can't give it up! My baby of 6 is 15yo. He is the son of bibliophiles, and his 5 older siblings are, too. He seems to have come without that gene. :) His ability to read is just great, it just isn't an interest. I think part of it is laziness. He, like his siblings, loves to be read to, and he is improving with his own reading. He loves books like the Eregon series and those by Percy Jackson. Can you recommend any books that I could read out loud that might spark an interest? Also any that he could read by himself. I'd like to get some of the college-bound classics, but I'll be happy with anything that will challenge him. Thanks! Recorded books. Treasure Island was a hit here, too, and I think that you can get many classics on CD. Eregon has been recorded, I'm sure, and so has LOTR, etc. This is a great idea. We have a very scholarly friend who didn't like reading until after he finished high school, so I wouldn't give up hope yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in CA Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 great idea! Thanks. Just need to get creative. Wow, giving up computer time? You're a good mom. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in CA Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Oooh, thanks for the link! Beautiful vintage-style covers. I found some of them on Amazon marketed as "Penguin Red Classics" with other titles and well-designed (though not exactly the same...) cool covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 There are a lot of great suggestions here, but one I didn't see mentioned was Jules Verne. My sons liked 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. I bet a lot of his works are on audiobook and available at the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 We loved both of these, especially The Mysterious Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Just remembered that we enjoyed reading My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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