Chris in VA Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 My heart was eased this week, WRT having to send dd to school this fall. I really wanted her to read quality literature--Little Women was first up in my lesson plans for history this coming year. Well, she read it this week anyway! I just spoke with her (she and my hubby are at our house in the Northern Neck of VA for the week) and asked her how she liked it-- She said, " I cried when Beth died!" and "It had such a happy ending!" She said she read the last half all in one day. "In the morning, it was cloudy (when Beth died), but in the afternoon, the sun came out!" matching the book. :D I'm so thrilled. What book do you look forward to your kids experiencing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Little Women and Anne of Green Gables for my girls. Lloyd Alexander for my boy. The Hobbit/LOTR for everyone. They all love(d) Narnia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I was so excited to read Narnia with DS. I had tried a couple of years ago and he thought it was too scary. This spring he fell in love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Little Women and Anne of Green Gables, definitely. We did them both as read alouds. Also, the Little House books---Farmer Boy especialy. One of my favorites that Ds still names as one of his favorites too, is Justin Morgan Had a Horse. Dd will read it at the beginning of this year, and I may make it a read aloud so I can enjoy her enjoying it. As they get older, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Pride and Prejudice are some I'm looking forward to them reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Anything Dickens and Austen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Anything Dickens and Austen. Ah...a kindred spirit. Ds is actually reading at least one of each this year. I'm wondering how he's going to feel about Austen. I may read some aloud to give him a taste of some of the subtle humor. One of my biggest problems as they get older is that I want to read everything aloud so we can share the experience...there just isn't enough time. Sorry to derail the thread. Oh! I forgot the James Herriot books and Agatha Christie as well as her autobiography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I just mentioned on another thread that we went out for ice cream and ended up talking about our latest book - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. My family life caved in when I was in middle school and I barely survived to adulthood. I remember nothing of middle school or high school. I don't remember reading anything other than The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, and I had a morbid fascination with The Vietnam War and read every book on the war that our small library owned. All that to say: I have been truly excited about every single book we have read over the years and continue to be excited about the books I have planned out for the next few years of school. I had not read Twain before now. I still have not read a single book from The Little House series. (I own them all, but my son hasn't been interested. I may just read them on my own.) I adored Anne of Green Gables. I find Shakespeare fascinating. Peter Pan was so charming, as was Mary Poppins. (Though I liked the later MP books better than the first.) I am very excited to start Wind in the Willows later this month. We read King Arthur earlier this year, the first time I had read anything from that time period. I found the knights and castles and such fascinating and kept talking to my husband about it like it was some wonderful new adventure. :lol: We will be reading Robin Hood later this year and I am looking forward to it so much. I am so thankful to be homeschooling, as I am now giving myself the education I wish I had as a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 It's been a big year for us with DD the Elder: Discworld (she's about 15 books in, plus the kids books) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy P. G. Wodehouse Earthsea Lemony Snicket (She was resistant for the longest time, bit no lore. It was a cut to the heart of my teenage angst years, but she says that Lemony Snicket allowed her to "get" The Smiths. Should I laugh or cry? ) Last year was Farley Mowat. We're on a Mark Twain jag with read alouds, which I'm enjoying tremendously as he wasn't the staple in Canadian schools and so I hadn't read much beyond a few short stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 So many! Narnia, Pride and Prejudice and then the Fitzwilliam Darcy series and the A&E series :) Tonight I was reading D'aulaire's Greek Myths to dd1 and told her I remember reading it as a kid. I told her I can't wait for her to read the Percy Jackson series. She got excited when I explained the basic premise, but I don't think she could quite follow it yet. :) And Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter, of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Little Women and Anne of Green Gables, definitely. We did them both as read alouds. Also, the Little House books---Farmer Boy especialy. One of my favorites that Ds still names as one of his favorites too, is Justin Morgan Had a Horse. Dd will read it at the beginning of this year, and I may make it a read aloud so I can enjoy her enjoying it. As they get older, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Pride and Prejudice are some I'm looking forward to them reading. I just got the book, "Justin Morgan Had a Horse" from a library sale for 50 cents. I have no idea what it is about, of if it will be a good read aloud for my boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 My eldest is enjoying Shakespeare at the moment. It makes me so happy, I can't even tell you. She quoted Macbeth today while the youngers were watching LOTR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 I just got the book, "Justin Morgan Had a Horse" from a library sale for 50 cents. I have no idea what it is about, of if it will be a good read aloud for my boys. It's about the first truly American breed of horse, named after its first breeder, Justin Morgan. I remember the Disney movie of the same name! Wish they still had those wholesome Disney movies made for TV (instead of the preteen/teen carp they show now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 My eldest is enjoying Shakespeare at the moment. It makes me so happy, I can't even tell you. She quoted Macbeth today while the youngers were watching LOTR. Oh, that's so cool! I remember reading Lamb's Shakespeare to dd. We came to The Tempest, and I realized I had heard of it first in The Witch of Blackbird Pond--Couldn't wait for her to read BOTH of them! (But Shakespeare in a totally different catagory, of course.;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 I couldn't wait to share the Little House books or A Little Princess with dd. I miss those reading aloud days! I so wanted to be there with dd when she read the part about Beth--but at least I know she was enough into the book that it grabbed her heart. LOVE books like that--the kind that take up residence in your heart and walk its halls in the middle of the night... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acablue Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Is it bad that my first thought was Harry Potter? :tongue_smilie: But really, I'm mostly excited for my boys to read the books I loved as a teenager - A Separate Peace, Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, The Grapes of Wrath, On the Road, anything by Mark Twain, etc. And, you know those books where you think you know the story, just from hearing about it, but when you actually read it it's completely different? Like Frankenstein? I can't be the only person who thought Frankenstein was the name of the monster. Those books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Oh, I read A Separate Peace in Jr. High. I just didn't get it--It was my first experience with that sort of book, and I was like, WTheck!! What a weird book! Wasn't used to a character dying like that, not even at the end of the book! LOL-- I loved Frankenstein, tho--and yes, it was very different than I'd thought, and told in such a cool way (with the letters, and the out of sequence parts, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Oh! I forgot the James Herriot books and Agatha Christie as well as her autobiography. I forgot too. I'm reading The Best Loved Stories by James Herriot right now and I keep thinking that my boys will like it. I should read it out loud. Is it bad that my first thought was Harry Potter? :tongue_smilie: Not at all. I can't wait for my younger two to be ready. I'll be able to go on the journey with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmgirl70 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Reading classics with my kids has been one of my greatest joys! Mine are 18, 17 and 15 and I've shared some and discovered many more. I grew up in the 70s--loving to read, but not super encouraged to read the classics. I've really loved it all. Recently, I've been doing a boys' book club with my boys and their friends. I've tried to choose classics that will appeal to these boys. The books we've read are not all ones I would personally choose, but I've enjoyed reading them with these boys and hearing their reflections and thoughts when we discuss--The Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on the Western Front, Lord of the Flies, The Odyssey. I've been mourning that our read aloud days are slowly coming to an end. My oldest, our daughter, starts college in the fall and I'm done homeschooling her. However, we're on vacation and the kids requested that we read "The Great Gatsby" aloud while we drive. That made this mama happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Farmgirl-- I loved that my son read so many books that I never had the chance to. I ended up without the mental energy to read all that I assigned to him, but I did go thru the Sparknotes/teacher guides, and, while that doesn't at all compare with reading thru the real thing, it did let me discuss the books with him; that discussion let me see the book thru HIS perspective, and see his heart thru the BOOK'S perspective--very instructive, and a dear and sweet time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I named DD after the Little House books, so I was so thrilled to share them with her. :) A Little Princess was another of my favorite books (because the heroine has *my* name), and I was a little bummed that DD liked it but didn't absolutely love it like I did. She started Little Women but got bored partway through; I hope she reads it when she's a bit older and loves it as much as I did. (However, I expect that she'll identify more with Amy, whereas Meg was my favorite.) And she's too young now, but Gone With the Wind is one of my favorite books, and I hope someday it will be one of DD's too. As a family, it is a Big Deal when we start reading the Winnie the Pooh books again, so that each new child can enjoy them. DD loved them; so did DS1. We're in the middle of reading them to DS2, and he loves them too. It is so much fun to reread our favorites! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I named DD after the Little House books, so I was so thrilled to share them with her. :) A Little Princess was another of my favorite books (because the heroine has *my* name), and I was a little bummed that DD liked it but didn't absolutely love it like I did. That's one of the reasons I love A Little Princess too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Beowulf is the first book that comes to mind. He's already read the others two that I had considered, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, To Kill a Mockingbird and Island of the Blue Dolphins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 And, you know those books where you think you know the story, just from hearing about it, but when you actually read it it's completely different? Like Frankenstein? I can't be the only person who thought Frankenstein was the name of the monster. Those books. Nope, not the only one.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EinsteinBlueprint Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Hmmmmm.....most of my favorite books are too adult for my little ones - because, well, being a typical school kid I didn't start reading seriously until years after *education* wore off. But my wife is LOVING reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH to them right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 It's about the first truly American breed of horse, named after its first breeder, Justin Morgan. I remember the Disney movie of the same name! Wish they still had those wholesome Disney movies made for TV (instead of the preteen/teen carp they show now). Those used to come on at 7:00. We'd get ready for bed before watching and then go to bed at 8:00. My kids would love something like that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 My favorite book of all time is From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler. My oldest DD loves this book. She has read it multiple times and we even have a kitten named Claudia after the little girl in the book. DD8 won't read it though. I think she is being obstinate because her sister loves it so much. I'll keep a copy at the ready though. I look forward to Sweet-Pea reading To Kill a Mockingbird though. I think she will love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I thought of another one that I got every reader (and even some non-readers) I know to read.... The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I've been looking at high school lit for the past few hours, so my mind is on books for the older crowd.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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