moonlight Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 i am looking for books for my boy who is 8...my problem is that most of the books we come across are all dragon, magic, pirate or mythology related in some way or another..i'm thinking of percy jackson, harry potter..he has read some of these books, but it's hard because i feel like the subject matter may be too much for him. what i am looking for is for good books that are NOT the typical books you find out there these days. he enjoys those books, but i would like to expose him to something different. he has also read the more tried and true classics also, but i'm willing to look into any title thrown my way! thank you. seema Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCoffeeChick Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Ds just recently finished Toys Go Out - he really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 The Melendys series by Elizabeth Enright: "The Saturdays" and ""five story mistake" Or by the same author: Goneaway lake. Edger Egar books are about magic but they are very gentle. My son is in love with the whole Arthur Ransome "Swallows and Amazons' series. It is a lot of camping and boating. Julie Andrews has some nice books that my son liked, I think one was called "the last of the really great wangdoodles" It was also fantasy but not intense at all. Jungle book and Captain's Courageous. Oh, the Tove Jansson series "Finn Family Moomintrol" yes, fantasy but very dreamy and weird. My son loved them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I don't have boys, but what about the Little Britches series of books by Ralph Moody? The Littles? Stuart Little? My 7 year old is really enjoying the Trailblazers biographies (Christian, hist. fiction, adventurous). We also really dig the Knights of Arrethrae series (Christian allegorical fiction), admittedly written for YA, and higher than DDs reading level, but we read it aloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 So, you feel like you're familiar with the "classics" and that all the contemporary lit you come across is magical so you want something more in the realistic vein? Slightly on the younger end, but one of my sons really likes Stink by Megan MacDonald and he's getting into Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon - both are slightly silly realistic boy books. For this age group, a lot of people really like both Dick King-Smith, whose books are mostly about animals (though they're not fantasy, talking animals is obviously fantastical...). Also, Andrew Clements is another author who writes realistic fiction with a boy slant. I'm not a huge fan because so many of his books are so "school" centric. But that's my own crazy hang up. Clements has a lot of stand alone titles (Frindle, A Week in the Woods...) but he also has a chapter book series called Jake Drake that's on the younger end. Other thoughts - things that are classics and popular titles from middle grades literature - Shiloh by Phillys Reynolds Naylor, Holes by Louis Sachar, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, the Crispin books by Avi, My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George... And then there are the books that are about "magic" but that aren't the sort of thing you listed above - like The Indian in the Cupboard or the Redwall series... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 my side of the mountain is wonderful. my daughter just read it & it would definitely appeal to a boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 My ds loved Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge and Fudge-a-Mania at that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 my side of the mountain is wonderful. my daughter just read it & it would definitely appeal to a boy. :iagree: Ds 10 just read this one and loved it so much he had to go get the movie from the library! He also found a couple of sequels to it that we didn't know about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 So, you feel like you're familiar with the "classics" and that all the contemporary lit you come across is magical so you want something more in the realistic vein? . Not the OP, but yes yes YES! My son has zero tolerance for magic, time travel, or talking animals and it seems as though there is very little fiction that is both suitable and of interest. Seconding the recommendation upthread for Elizabeth Enright. My son is loving The Melendy Quartet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2l&j Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I just started reading the old Hardy Boys books with DS8. He won't independently read and I was hoping that getting him in to a series would help. We're enjoying the vocabulary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) What about the Mad Scientists Club or The Mushroom Planet series? Or Freddy the Pig? Or Henry Reed? Adding some more. Half Magic? Dragon of Lonely Island? Or Castle in the Attic or Indian in the Cupboard? Try tons of Dahl and Steig. Maybe he would like some historical fiction. Of course, I can't think of any! Hmm..maybe some Sid Fleischman? Poppy series by Avi? Peggy Parish has a nice mystery series. Edited February 28, 2011 by lisabees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Not the OP, but yes yes YES! My son has zero tolerance for magic, time travel, or talking animals and it seems as though there is very little fiction that is both suitable and of interest. I know that books like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are the ones that have become the biggest blockbusters, but I actually think there are LOTS of realistic contemporary books coming out for boys in the last decade. Some more authors I didn't suggest above (a few of these are ones I think of as being more like 9-10 and up - though not inappropriate for younger kids): Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer and it's sequels - mysteries Carl Hiassen's humorous books for kids Jerry Spinelli's entire body of work - all contemporary realistic books Christopher Paul Curtis - boy historical fiction - great stuff There should be even more than there are, of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abigail4476 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 my side of the mountain is wonderful. my daughter just read it & it would definitely appeal to a boy. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) thank you for all the wonderful suggestions... part of my problem is a lack of a library system here so i have to do most of my book ordering online which makes it hard to browse! and most of the bookstores here have the current hits... my son is a huge reader so a lot of what has been suggested, he has read, but there are quite a few new things here we haven't heard of... ds has read bud, not buddy and elijah of buxton by curtis and has loved them both. and he's reading my side of the mountain right now! thanks! seema Edited February 28, 2011 by moonlight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The E. Nesbit books are fabulous and the 39 Clues were quite fun. Alex Rider books are like a 14 year old James Bond... What about the Hardy Boys? I still love those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome The Black Stallion series. I too loved My Side of the Mountain! Scribner's Storybook Classics are lovely illustrated (by N. C. Wyeth!) carefully abridged versions of classic works like Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island. The reading is still challenging, but the book seems less intimidating because it is a large, thin book like a picture book. Great boy books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicalTwins Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 This is a list of books called "For boys or children who'd rather build forts all day" http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/files/TB-Resources_0.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 i am looking for books for my boy who is 8...my problem is that most of the books we come across are all dragon, magic, pirate or mythology related in some way or another..i'm thinking of percy jackson, harry potter..he has read some of these books, but it's hard because i feel like the subject matter may be too much for him. what i am looking for is for good books that are NOT the typical books you find out there these days. he enjoys those books, but i would like to expose him to something different. he has also read the more tried and true classics also, but i'm willing to look into any title thrown my way! thank you. seema Homer Price The Mouse and the Motorcycle (and sequels) The Boxcar Children Swallows and Amazons (and sequels) [i waited quite a long time to read these with my kids and they loved them.] Maybe the Rosemary Sutcliff books about Roman Britain or King Arthur (the shorter Arthur trilogy that has The Light in the Forest). Jean Fritz chapter biographies Guns for General Washington Thieves of Ostia (and sequels) Detectives in Togas and The Roman Ransom Mystery Robert Heinlein juvenile science fiction (titles like Between Planet, Space Cadet, Farmer in the Sky, Have Space Suit Will Travel. Be forewarned that he also wrote very adult titles that you'll want to probably wait on.) Pegasus Bridge by Stephen Ambrose The Endless Steppe Escape from Warsaw (aka The Silver Sword) The Apple and the Arrow Do any of the schools near you do Scholastic Book Clubs? That might be a way for you to get ahold of less expensive children's books. There is an international division that some overseas schools use. Often the schools are open to outside families making orders because it helps them get larger orders (that earn them point they can use on other books or other teacher supplies). When we were overseas with precocious learners and not a lot of access to libraries, this was a godsend to us (though I was able to use a military address and order directly as a homeschooler). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 The Roscoe Riley series is wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msk Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 If he likes My Side of the Mountain, Call it Courage is in a similar vein. So are the Jim Kjelgaard books (Big Red, Stormy, etc); those are from a 50s-era "boy and his dog vs the wilderness" type series that he'll eventually realize is pretty predictable, but they're fun for light reading at an age when predictability isn't always bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I know that books like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are the ones that have become the biggest blockbusters, but I actually think there are LOTS of realistic contemporary books coming out for boys in the last decade. Some more authors I didn't suggest above (a few of these are ones I think of as being more like 9-10 and up - though not inappropriate for younger kids): Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer and it's sequels - mysteries Carl Hiassen's humorous books for kids Jerry Spinelli's entire body of work - all contemporary realistic books Christopher Paul Curtis - boy historical fiction - great stuff There should be even more than there are, of course... Thanks for this! Our librarian also recommended the Balliett mysteries, actually -- I'm just waiting for the first one to come in on hold. I have a feeling that Hiassen's humor is going to be over his head, and he was just OK on one of the Spinelli books he read (although I myself liked it quite a bit) so I've been holding off on those. I have never heard of Curtis, though, so am off to check that out now. Our librarian also highly recommends Gary Paulsen's books -- they're a bit too much for my son right now, but maybe they'd be suitable for the OP's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 -Sugar Creek Gang series (about 30 books) by Paul Hutchens. Get the 1980s or earlier editions, the newer ones were updated by his daughter. -Happy Hollisters series by Jerry West Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisainVirginia Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Do you have WWE 2 or 3? My DS9 would read an excerpt for a lesson then be interested in getting the book from the library. Lots of good titles. I also search on private classical schools' reading lists for ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jksponz Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My boys, aged 9 & 11, both loved the Gregor the Overlander series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMom Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I don't know how to quote someone else yet, but I second the person who said anything by E. Nesbit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) But, if a kid doesn't like magic series, would he enjoy E. Nesbit or Gregor the Overlander? I love both those series and all though... I'm less enamored with Roscoe Riley. It's like the boy Junie B. Jones... (though that implies it's bad... and it's not that bad...). It's also much younger than most of the rest of these suggestions. If a kid is into My Side of the Mountain, definitely hit the Gary Paulsen next. And possibly Scott O'Dell. There's a bunch of those wilderness books for boys... Edited March 1, 2011 by farrarwilliams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osaubi Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My 8 yo ds loves almost any book listed in WWE. He shot up in his reading so fast he missed a lot of the easier chapter books. So he will read multiple books at the same time. I have a book basket with different books I have found on sale that I think he might like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My son liked Sign of the Beaver ( I read it to him, but your ds could handle it if he's reading percy jackson or HP) Also Any Beverly Cleary book Classic Starts books (Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn especially) All the Roald Dahl books (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMom Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Not all of E Nesbit's books are magic-related. The Treasure Seekers is one that all of my kids have loved, and there is no magic in it at all. And it has a sequel - I forget off the top of my head what it is called. And The Railway Children, no magic in that one either. These are about "real-world" adventures of children. (Meaning, no magic involved.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 it's so hard to find books that my 8 yr old likes----he likes the Magic Tree House series----and the Jack Russell Dog Detective books (usbourne).....I'm going to go back through the posts and see if I can find any ideas for my little one..... :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Girl Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 We've enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society and its two sequels. They are mystery/adventure books, with no fantasy. They're based on solving puzzles, and showcase how people can have very different and yet complimentary gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TundraAcademy Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 The Great Brain series Anything by Clyde Robert Bulla Encyclopedia Brown Penderwicks Indian in the Cupboard Tucket's Travels series Gary Paulsen Henry Reed series My boys loved these, especially the Great Brain. Some of these may be on the 4th-5th grade level though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 We love Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books. Also, books by Gary Paulsen, Elizabeth George and Jean Craighead George. Series we like: Encyclopedia Brown Redwall Hank the Cowdog Others: Tornado Stone Fox Shiloh Old Yeller Where the Red Fern Grows Maniac Macgee Bridge to Terabitha Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM Cricket in Times Square Island of the Blue Dolphins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poke Salad Annie Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 We love The Three Investigators series, and also books by George Selden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My son really enjoyed The Great Brain series. Also the Little Britches series by Ralph Moody and the Hobbit, he loves listening to Jim Weiss recordings of the Henty books, such as the Cat of Bubastes, Wulf the Saxon, and In Freedom's Cause (we just finished that one, THANK GOD--it was such a boy book that dd and i had trouble enjoying it, but he loved it! Too many battles, "cloven helms" and arrows flying.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Try tons of Dahl. :iagree:We loves some Roald Dahl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlcc Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Many good suggestions here ... thanks for all the recommendations I've never heard of! A few other titles: Phoebe the Spy James and the Giant Peach The Silver Skates Ben and Me Mr. Revere and I Sign of the Beaver The Cabin Faced West The Toothpaste Millionaire Owls in the Family Cricket in Times Square Tucker's Countryside Poppy The Mystery of Pelican Cove The Treasure of Pelican Cove Red Sails to Capri Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan (Kellogg) The Sword in the Tree Bears on Hemlock Mountain The Apple and the Arrow The Reluctant Dragon Five True Dog Stories Rabbit Hill McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm Mr. Popper's Penguins Homer Price Henry Huggins The Great Turkey Walk Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway? Sable Stone Fox War With Grandpa Rascal The Wreck of the Ethie The Incredible Journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 My ds loved Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge and Fudge-a-Mania at that age. We read these in the past few weeks. My son enjoyed them. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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