ErinMarie123 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) I originally typed this out as a reply to the thread about the American Girl author writing books for boys, but didn't want to hijack the intent of that thread when I have a more pointed question. *********************************************** Having only boys, I've really been on the lookout for books, toys, etc. that are "all boy" without apology. I just got an email promoting a store called J.M. Cremp's (http://www.jmcremps.com/), an "Adventure Store for Boys." What are these G.A. Henty books? I also get the Vision Forum catalogs (http://www.visionforum.com/browse/boysadventure/) but I've never ordered from them. They have books & toys geared toward boys also and think they carry the G.A. Henty stuff. Do any of you know if these books (or any series promoted on either the Cremps or VF websites) are worth checking out? Edited October 28, 2011 by ErinMarie123 I can't spell before coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I don't know. I've seen several of Henty's books on Project Gutenberg and I keep meaning to download them to my kindle. Maybe I'll do that this weekend. They definitely look interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 The Henty books are really well done. My oldest history-loving son has read many of them and enjoys them very much. They are historical fiction and are full of action and adventure and great vocabulary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 We just started The Cat of Bubastes as a family read aloud and we are enjoying it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 The Henty books are older adventure style books - foreign lands, historical fiction kind of stuff. I'm personally not a fan. I tried a couple and didn't get very far - I think they're really dry. Some older books really grip, you know, but others just feel old. I think the language is a barrier for some boy readers too as they are definitely denser than most stuff these days (good if it grips you, not so good if it doesn't, you know?). However, there are a lot of people here who really like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 You can sample some Henty books here. Reign of Terror was my oldest son's favorite but I didn't see it listed as a freebie. I saw the Cremp's website had Billy and Blaze books. Those are soooo sweet and my guys enjoyed them @ around ages 4-5. The Little Britches series is an excellent read aloud. We all enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Librivox has Cat of Bubastes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Here it is: http://librivox.org/the-cat-of-bubastes-by-g-a-henty/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robyn Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I downloaded the Henty books to my Kindle from Project Gutenberg. My ds12 loves them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) Most of the Henty books include reprehensible racist characterizations of Africans, Arabs, Asians, or other "native" peoples. It is not uncommon for blacks to be called "niggers" in Henty novels and there are plenty of stereotyped descriptions of non-whites being stupid, lazy, murderous, childish, and untrustworthy. The writing is hackneyed, and every novel is basically a variation of the same plot, just in a different historical context. The attitudes are "Victorianism" at it's worst. Thanks Vision Forum, but I'll pass. Bill Edited October 29, 2011 by Spy Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Most of the Henty books include reprehensible racist characterizations of Africans, Arabs, Asians, or other "native" peoples. It is not uncommon for blacks to be called "niggers" in Henty novels and there are plenty of stereotyped descriptions of non-whites being stupid, lazy, murderous, childish, and untrustworthy. The writing is hackneyed, and every novel is basically a variation of the same plot, just in a different historical context. The attitudes are "Victorianism" at it's worst. Thanks Vision Forum, but I'll pass. Bill The ones I had tried to look at were all medieval. Yuck. That really reinforces my view that he's not worth reading. A hundred years ago, parents were probably calling this stuff "twaddle," right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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