PeterPan Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 audiobooks for an extremely strong-reader 7th grader? She's crazy into mysteries, but it doesn't have to be mysteries. All I can think of is Agatha Christie. Someone in another thread mentioned The Monkey Paw by Jacobs, so I have a book of his stuff on hold at the library to look through. Shake my brain up a bit here and throw out some things she'd LIKE to listen to. Engaging is the key, not informational/educational. I'd like it to be well-written enough to stretch her vocabulary and sentence structure. What am I looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) Sherlock Holmes stories, either read as is or made into radio plays for the BBC, which dd greatly enjoyed. Father Brown stories. I know your dd also enjoyed The Hobbit, so she may like: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. These are worth looking for even on old audiotapes, which is what we have, and which dd has almost played to ribbons over the years. Patricia Wrede also wrote, with Caroline Stevermer, some fantasy/mysteries set in Regency England: Sorcery and Cecilia: or the Enchanted Chocolate Pot; The Mislaid Magician; and The Grand Tour. The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White. Anything by P.G. Wodehouse. A wildly funny British series: Just William and all the sequels. You can never be too old for these, truly. Edited to add: There's a creepy but haunting book called The White Darkness by Geraldine MacCaughrean, a mystery, fantasy, and extreme geography (Antarctica) book all in one. It got mixed reviews on amazon, but dd was fascinated. And it occurs to me from what I know of her that your dd might really enjoy listening to Jane Austen, a consummate stylist. Northanger Abbey is a spoof of Gothic mysteries, but Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma are also great fun. Edited August 3, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Sherlock Holmes is fun. Phyllis Whitney I love Agatha Christie. On a much, much lighter note, how about PG Wodehouse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) Sorry- double post. Edited August 3, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 What about E.F. Benson's Lucia/Mapp books? I adore these! Great suggestion. We have the books, and I just bought the first set of DVDs to stash away for Christmas. Great suggestion. Another brilliant mystery writer who now comes to mind is Josephine Tey. Dd liked Brat Farrar, about horses and identities; Daughter of Time, about Richard III, is also wonderful and might be right down your history-loving dd's alley (plus she can fact-check afterwards!). Some of Mary Stewart's older books seem to be in the process of being reissued on audible. She's a wonderful stylist. There can be a lot of kissing in some of them, but one I recall as more G-rated is The Moonspinners (later made into a movie with Hayley Mills -- I haven't seen it). I know the Lady's Detective Agency books are also on audible (Alexander McCall Smith). I haven't read them, but you might give the first one a look and see what you think. They have also been filmed and the reviews of the series were superb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 What about the Number One Ladies Detective Agency? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 The Cat Who .... a series of mysteries that are G-rated and pretty entertaining. Stick to the stuff before 2000 though because the later ones are horrible. Also George Guidall reads them on audiobooks and he's just wonderful. I can't recommend these enough. I listen to them over and over again because I just love them. The Woman in White is a great book and should be available on audiobook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Well this is wonderful! You've given me a ton of new names to research! Thanks!!!!!!!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 (edited) You said that your dd listened over and over to the Narnia books, is that right? I know she's read the Lord of the Rings, but dd loves to re-listen to those, and they're LLOOONNNGGG. They keep her occupied for quite a a while. A few other ideas: I recently bought dd a pack of CDs that are chapters/books from the King James Bible read by Martin Jarvis, one of our favorite narrators. And also, you can get a lot of Shakespeare read aloud. Might your dd enjoy some of those? My dd also got a big kick out of re-released CDs of old radio shows: The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, etc. My mom would tell dd about how she and one of her brothers used to hurry with farm chores so they could huddle around the radio and listen to the Lone Ranger. It's a glimpse into another era, really fun. Edited August 3, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 We have enjoyed the Father Brown mysteries (GK Chesterton). Also, Focus on the Family has some classic works (Les Miserables, Silas Marner, Screwtape Letters, etc.) We have enjoyed those as well. My oldest loved the Rafael Sabatini works like Captain Blood and Scaramouche. They kept him company as he drove back and forth from college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msk Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 She might enjoy Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, they are classics. I remember really enjoying Michael Gilbert at around that age too. And I second (third?) Josephine Tey (Brat Farrar was one of my favorite books at that age) and Mary Stewart (old fashioned Gothic mysteries with the kind of light, non-physical romance I enjoyed as a teen). All of those are older and British, so she'll get a slightly different sentence structure and word choice, but none of them are "heavy." I hope some of them are around as audiobooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Wow, I'm looking over these on amazon, and you've brought us into a whole new world! Fabulous!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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