Jeanne in MN Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I'm trying to read more classics with the kids and it's not going the best. They liked Huck Finn, but didn't like Swiss Family Robinson (neither did I), Animal Farm, The Giver, Oliver Twist or The Prince and the Pauper. I read them out loud and end up dropping some because of the complaints. Should I just keep reading them? Is there any way to help them appreciate literature like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChandlerMom Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 For younger kids, I'd say skip 'em. But by your kids' ages I'd personally be inclined to make them suffer thru. :D I think there is value in reading and thinking about lit we don't particularly like. Even just discussing WHY they don't like something and then maybe look into why it is considered such a classic is a good learning exp. A lot of books I didn't appreciate in MS/HS I think about a lot now and definitely influence how I think about things (Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, ...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) At those ages, it's a hard habit to get into liking classics. But do it anyway. Even if they give you a snarky report on why they hated it. I've received *many* of those but they also spark great discussions. It's when they start discussing that it comes alive. Edited May 17, 2011 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time for Chocolate Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I agree - keep reading. Some really interesting discussions can occur. Sometimes the classics my kids complain about the most in the beginning are the ones they are hooked on by the 4th or 5th chapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispa Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Even if they give you a snarky report on why they hated it. I've received *many* of those but they also spark great discussions. I like this a lot. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandty Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 There really isn't an easy answer for this. In our case if I make my son read a book he doesn't like it makes it very hard for him to read the next book I pick out for him. I guess it ruins his love of books for a short time or he doesn't trust my judgement. So, with that in mind I say no don't make them read it. But, I have learned to dig deeper. I also ask why he doesn't like the book and sometimes it is silly or something he doesn't understand and we can "fix" it and go on with the book. I have realized a few times that the book I have him read is above his reading level and it was simply too hard and he couldn't tell me that. Another problem we run into is he saw a movie based on the book and of course the book is different and he gets confused. I actually lied and told him he that he was wrong and we didn't watch that movie (we saw it a year ago) and told him he was confused and just needed to forgot about what he thinks it is suppose to be and just read it. Worked! New house rule is you have to read the book before you see the movie. :tongue_smilie: Sorry got a little off topic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) I make my son read some but let him pass on others if I'm feeling generous. I hated Swiss Family Robinson too and vividly remember an oral book report I did telling my classmates that it was an awful, boring, book, that they should avoid. I also could not suffer through Sister Carrie-ugh. I let my DS exercise a few vetos but not every time. I told my DS that he had to read some of my choices (classics) because he needs to learn to read and understand difficult material and not just the easier ones he picks (like Rick Riordan series). He needs to be able to read and complete books he dislikes because someday he may want to go to a school or university where a book he dislikes or finds difficult is assigned. If he isn't accustomed to reading and understanding difficult and boring material, he will have problems doing well in that class. It's not just about being able to read it, but being able to read it, understand it, and discuss it intelligently within a limited time frame. Also, I told him that once he is used to that type of book, and used to the vocabulary and pacing of the more classic books, and it isn't so much work, he may find that he is able to appreciate and enjoy them more. As the year has gone by, he is complaining much less about my choices. I'm not sure if it is more that I'm getting better at picking books he will like or if he is getting better at reading and appreciating them. I'd like to think it is a little of both. Edited May 17, 2011 by Paige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Sometimes, I've found, it takes a while to really get into a book -- especially the classics. The first few chapters (or even the first half of the chapters...) might be hard, but then something happens in the plot to draw you in. I say, stick with it until the end! You might all be surprised...there are good reasons these classics are considered classics. You might reject some or even all of those reasons, but that's really the whole point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 My opinion is that it depends. If it is most books that they don't like, then I'd be inclined to tell them to deal with it and keep reading. If it is only a few, then I'd respect the fact that they really don't like it and discuss the reasons for this (insisting on articulate reasons not just "cos"). Have you tried Audible? Some of the audiobooks are so well done that they drag me in even if I couldn't have got into it otherwise. Some books are just really important that they've read at least once. You can't make someone like something, and there are some of the classics that I can't stand. I mean, most of Mark Twain's (with the exception of Prince and the Pauper) I just can't stand. I don't get the fuss. I've read them once so that I'm familiar with them, but I'm not going back to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I would try to find more adventure stories- boys seem to like those better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted May 17, 2011 Author Share Posted May 17, 2011 I would try to find more adventure stories- boys seem to like those better. Any adventurous classics you can think of off hand? They loved, loved, loved the Secret Benedict Society series and the Peter and the Starcatchers series. I don't know if any classics quite compare to those, but would love ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Jack London's novels Alexandre Dumas' novels Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel Rudyard Kipling's Kim Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) Gently, it sounds like you are reading works that are too much above their age so they are really not ready for, and so don't connect with them -- or they may be books that just are not of interest. (For example, we found Swiss Family Robinson to be rather poorly written and dull; I personally do not consider it a "classic" in the same way I would Oliver Twist.) Of the works you mentioned, most we did in *high school* (NOT with 11yo students), AND we were doing them with lit. guides, discussing and analyzing as part of the English credit. Sounds like you are wanting to have well-written and classic books as read alouds (just for enjoyment), to help your children appreciate well-written works, so that when they are older and begin reading literature for analysis, they won't stumble over the language and vocabulary. I suggest backing down a notch, and save the Dickens and heavy-theme works like Animal Farm and The Giver for high school literary analysis, and enjoy some charming works from the 1000 Good Books list. Below are some wonderfully written, engaging books, some at or just about an 11yo, others at or just above a 13yo. BEST of luck in finding works to connect with the whole family -- and enjoy that read-aloud time! :) Warmest regards, Lori D. - The Jungle Book (Kipling) - Just So Stories (Kipling) -- funny - Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain) -- funny - Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (and others by Howard Pyle) - Treasure Island (Stevenson) -- younger children may not be up for this one - Call of the Wild; White Fang (London) -- exciting - Arabian Nights - Little Women (Alcott) - Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) -- funny - The Hiding Place (tenBoom) -- very inspiring; may be a bit intense for younger DC - The Golden Fleece (Colum) -- and other classics by him - The Twenty-One Balloons (DuBois) -- fun "tall tale" - The Secret Garden (Burnett) - A Little Princess (Burnett) - Mama's Bank Account (Forbes) -- short and sweet - Cheaper By the Dozen (Gilbraith) -- funny - All Creatures Great and Small (Herriot) -- funny - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken) -- exciting! - The Great and Terrible Quest (Lovett) -- inspiring, exciting adventure - Black Ships Before Troy; The Wanderings of Odysseus (Sutcliffe) -- gentle retellings of The Iliad and The Odyssey - Island of the Blue Dolphins (O'Dell) -- exciting survival story - Johnny Tremain (Forbes) -- Revolutionary War - Across Five Aprils (Hunt) -- Civil War - The Great Wheel (Lawson) -- building of the first Ferris Wheel in 1893; lots of humor, too - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Taylor) -- 1950s South - Eagle of the Ninth (Sutcliffe) -- ancient Rome/Britain adventure - Adam of the Road (Gray) -- Medieval England - The Bronze Bow (Speare) -- Ancient Rome/Israel - Otto of the Silver Hand (Pyle) -- medieval Europe - Where the Red Fern Grows; Summer of the Monkeys (Rawls) - Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt) -- your older student may connect more with this one - I am David (Holm) - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking Glass (Carroll) -- very fun and funny - Five Children and It; The Phoenix and the Carpet; The Book of Dragons (Nesbit) -- very fun and funny - The Princess & the Goblins; The Princess & Curdie (MacDonald) - The Hobbit (Tolkien) -- a family favorite - The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Tolkien) -- a family favorite; may be too much for younger DC - Farmer Giles of Ham (Tolkien) -- short story; very fun and funny - Golden Key, Light Princess, Wise Woman (George MacDonald) -- short stories - Wrinkle in Time; Wind in the Door; Swiftly Tilting Planet (L'Engle) -- 3rd one may be too much for younger DC (but NOT the 4th book -- Many Waters -- adult themes; not well written) - The Earthsea trilogy: Wizard of Earthsea; The Tombs of Atuan; The Farthest Shore (Le Guin) (but NOT the 4th book -- Tehanu -- very well written, but very adult) - Watership Down (Adams) -- a serious adventure/quest with rabbits searching for a new home; very well done - Wind in the Willows (Grahame) - The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame) -- short and very fun Edited May 17, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Depends. For younger kids, I would skip and pick another book. I would solicit their input what kind of book they might be interested in. For older kids, assigned reading has a reason behind it. I would require an honest effort and accept it if the occasional book was ditched if normally all assigned reading is completed (For instance, DD read a lot of Ancients this year, and Thukydides just did not click - but since she read Homer and Herodotus and Virgil, I let her abandon the one book.) I would not accept constant complaining though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Paige says: He needs to be able to read and complete books he dislikes because someday he may want to go to a school or university where a book he dislikes or finds difficult is assigned. If he isn't accustomed to reading and understanding difficult and boring material, he will have problems doing well in that class. It's not just about being able to read it, but being able to read it, understand it, and discuss it intelligently within a limited time frame. :iagree:---------------------------------------- Can you let the boys pick from a reputable list? Let them take turns picking from the list. After all, this is a book that they or their brother chose! Complain to brother, not to me!!! It is up to the boys to research whether a book would interest them or not. Lori D. has posted the 1000 Good Books link. ------------------------------------------- Or, you could limit the boys to Newberry Award and Honor winners. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm ------------------------------------------ Another worthy list is from *audible gasp* Cliffs Notes! This is especially a good list if you feel that your boys are ready to jump to a high school/college level reading. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature-study-guides.html If you go the Cliffs Notes route, consider splurging on the Cliffs Notes guide, too. There are often author biography and historical notes in Cliffs (which can put the book into context). Sometimes there is a summary of certain chapters (sometimes not) in case you get lost in the text. The literary analysis provides good discussion of what you have read; you could read the text of the book, and take a break by having one of your boys read the literary analysis for that section aloud to the group. There are also sometimes questions about content or for discussion. ------------------------------------------ Does your school system do Battle of the Books? See this website: http://www.battleofthebooks.org/ Students read grade level books, then compete by answering questions about the books. And we homeschoolers LOVE to win competitions. :D:D:D Oh, and there are recommended books by grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeinfl Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I haven't read any of the other posts, so excuse me if this is a repeat, but I just make my kids read the first 3 chapters and if after that they are not interested, I tell them they could put it down and start another book. There are too many wonderful books out there to get stuck on one that one finds boring. :lol: Just my humble opinion... Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 (edited) We stick with it for a little while and see if we can get into it. Often it takes a few chapters. DS has even started saying he's not enjoying something yet (when listening to it as an audiobook) but he's going to give it a chance to get better. If they really hated it after the first few chapters, I wouldn't force it at this point. If I felt they needed to be familiar with the story, I'd see if I could find a more accessible adaptation. This will probably change somewhat as they get older. For now, I'd rather they learn to enjoy classics. Edited May 17, 2011 by ocelotmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 I think what you are saying makes perfect sense. I didn't read Animal Farm until high school, but in Deconstructing Penguins, the authors used that book in a book group for elementary aged kids and The Giver is often read in 6th grade around here. I can see we may be jumping the gun, especially with our boys, so I'll look for better book selections. Thank you for advice and sharing your thoughts graciously. :) Gently, it sounds like you are reading works that are too much above their age so they are really not ready for, and so don't connect with them -- or they may be books that just are not of interest. (For example, we found Swiss Family Robinson to be rather poorly written and dull; I personally do not consider it a "classic" in the same way I would Oliver Twist.) Of the works you mentioned, most we did in *high school* (NOT with 11yo students), AND we were doing them with lit. guides, discussing and analyzing as part of the English credit. Sounds like you are wanting to have well-written and classic books as read alouds (just for enjoyment), to help your children appreciate well-written works, so that when they are older and begin reading literature for analysis, they won't stumble over the language and vocabulary. I suggest backing down a notch, and save the Dickens and heavy-theme works like Animal Farm and The Giver for high school literary analysis, and enjoy some charming works from the 1000 Good Books list. Below are some wonderfully written, engaging books, some at or just about an 11yo, others at or just above a 13yo. BEST of luck in finding works to connect with the whole family -- and enjoy that read-aloud time! :) Warmest regards, Lori D. - The Jungle Book (Kipling) - Just So Stories (Kipling) -- funny - Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain) -- funny - Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (and others by Howard Pyle) - Treasure Island (Stevenson) -- younger children may not be up for this one - Call of the Wild; White Fang (London) -- exciting - Arabian Nights - Little Women (Alcott) - Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery) -- funny - The Hiding Place (tenBoom) -- very inspiring; may be a bit intense for younger DC - The Golden Fleece (Colum) -- and other classics by him - The Twenty-One Balloons (DuBois) -- fun "tall tale" - The Secret Garden (Burnett) - A Little Princess (Burnett) - Mama's Bank Account (Forbes) -- short and sweet - Cheaper By the Dozen (Gilbraith) -- funny - All Creatures Great and Small (Herriot) -- funny - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken) -- exciting! - The Great and Terrible Quest (Lovett) -- inspiring, exciting adventure - Black Ships Before Troy; The Wanderings of Odysseus (Sutcliffe) -- gentle retellings of The Iliad and The Odyssey - Island of the Blue Dolphins (O'Dell) -- exciting survival story - Johnny Tremain (Forbes) -- Revolutionary War - Across Five Aprils (Hunt) -- Civil War - The Great Wheel (Lawson) -- building of the first Ferris Wheel in 1893; lots of humor, too - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Taylor) -- 1950s South - Eagle of the Ninth (Sutcliffe) -- ancient Rome/Britain adventure - Adam of the Road (Gray) -- Medieval England - The Bronze Bow (Speare) -- Ancient Rome/Israel - Otto of the Silver Hand (Pyle) -- medieval Europe - Where the Red Fern Grows; Summer of the Monkeys (Rawls) - Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt) -- your older student may connect more with this one - I am David (Holm) - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Through the Looking Glass (Carroll) -- very fun and funny - Five Children and It; The Phoenix and the Carpet; The Book of Dragons (Nesbit) -- very fun and funny - The Princess & the Goblins; The Princess & Curdie (MacDonald) - The Hobbit (Tolkien) -- a family favorite - The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Tolkien) -- a family favorite; may be too much for younger DC - Farmer Giles of Ham (Tolkien) -- short story; very fun and funny - Golden Key, Light Princess, Wise Woman (George MacDonald) -- short stories - Wrinkle in Time; Wind in the Door; Swiftly Tilting Planet (L'Engle) -- 3rd one may be too much for younger DC (but NOT the 4th book -- Many Waters -- adult themes; not well written) - The Earthsea trilogy: Wizard of Earthsea; The Tombs of Atuan; The Farthest Shore (Le Guin) (but NOT the 4th book -- Tehanu -- very well written, but very adult) - Watership Down (Adams) -- a serious adventure/quest with rabbits searching for a new home; very well done - Wind in the Willows (Grahame) - The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame) -- short and very fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 Jack London's novelsAlexandre Dumas' novels Anthony Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel Rudyard Kipling's Kim Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood Thank you for the suggestions; I'm printing them off. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 A number of good suggestions here. Thank you! I've never heard of Battle of the Books, but from what I read it sounds fun. :) Paige says: :iagree: ---------------------------------------- Can you let the boys pick from a reputable list? Let them take turns picking from the list. After all, this is a book that they or their brother chose! Complain to brother, not to me!!! It is up to the boys to research whether a book would interest them or not. Lori D. has posted the 1000 Good Books link. ------------------------------------------- Or, you could limit the boys to Newberry Award and Honor winners. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm ------------------------------------------ Another worthy list is from *audible gasp* Cliffs Notes! This is especially a good list if you feel that your boys are ready to jump to a high school/college level reading. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature-study-guides.html If you go the Cliffs Notes route, consider splurging on the Cliffs Notes guide, too. There are often author biography and historical notes in Cliffs (which can put the book into context). Sometimes there is a summary of certain chapters (sometimes not) in case you get lost in the text. The literary analysis provides good discussion of what you have read; you could read the text of the book, and take a break by having one of your boys read the literary analysis for that section aloud to the group. There are also sometimes questions about content or for discussion. ------------------------------------------ Does your school system do Battle of the Books? See this website: http://www.battleofthebooks.org/ Students read grade level books, then compete by answering questions about the books. And we homeschoolers LOVE to win competitions. :D:D:D Oh, and there are recommended books by grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 I like this. The boys are a young 12 and our 13yodd is a mature 13. BIG difference in how they approach and handle books they may not care for. DD could handle books she may not care for, but with the boys I'd kill their joy in reading if I pressed forward. Depends. For younger kids, I would skip and pick another book. I would solicit their input what kind of book they might be interested in. For older kids, assigned reading has a reason behind it. I would require an honest effort and accept it if the occasional book was ditched if normally all assigned reading is completed (For instance, DD read a lot of Ancients this year, and Thukydides just did not click - but since she read Homer and Herodotus and Virgil, I let her abandon the one book.) I would not accept constant complaining though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 Thanks for your help everyone!! I feel like I have a good direction now and am excited about where to go from here. Thank you SOOOO much for taking the time to advise me; I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I just want to chime in and say stick with it & it will work out. My dd 11 is, and ALWAYS has been, a very reluctant listener. She is extremely strong in math and science, but anything with WORDS is just hateful to her, and LISTENING is apparently the WORST :) She did all right when we were at the picture book stage, because she could look at the pictures, but once we got beyond that she started crying and pouting at read aloud time... I kept at it, we lowered the difficulty level, required that she listen to seven chapters before she could quit, looked for high-interest books - all the things that people are advising you here! :) And those things DID work, but not always right away, so be prepared to hang in there for a bit. One other thing that she really responded to was specifically looking for books that would tie in to a particular interest of hers. Even books about the period we just read about in history would be listened to with more interest than usual. Also, funny books help. The first books she ever listened to without complaint were the works of Roald Dahl, and this year she has started enjoying PG Wodehouse and Douglas Adams. After reading about the development of navigation, we read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and I was honestly kinda surprised at how much she enjoyed that, but then I realized it was in part because he made something of his life through math. If you can find stories of men or women who are successful in their lives and are pursuing a path your kids want to pursue, that helps with the interest level. There are a lot of classics out there, some are more important than others, but at the beginning when you are trying to lure your kids in, I'd say pick books that are light and have some 'hooks' that your kids can specifically relate to. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShellChelle Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Can you find audiobook versions of some of them? Often, when I am reading aloud a classic that doesn't thrill my children, I get the audiobook version. For some reason, it seems to work better because at least if they are complaining I don't take it as personally as if I am trying to read to them! Also, I'll take the CDs in the car along with clipboards and watercolor pencils. I ask my kids to draw something that relates to what is being read on the CD. They actually enjoy doing that...and we take care of literature and art in one fell swoop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 My 10 yo tends to like ones aimed a couple years younger that I really picked for his 7 yo sister and she has been most enthusiastic about the classic picture books from FIAR and SL 3/4 so maybe aim younger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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