Looking for a really positive and uplifting reading/literature program for 7th

[Greta]

My daughter has had a rather rough time the last few months, and she's easily brought down. We're in need of a new literature or reading program, and I'd really like to find something uplifting. Christian-based would be preferred, but I'm open to secular suggestions as well. I would like recommendations both for programs based on a collection of short stories and poetry (Rod and Staff? CLE?) and also some based on individual novels (Progeny Press? Memoria Press?). Thanks for any help!

[SilverMoon]

.

Edited September 10, 2023 by SilverMoon

[Lori D.]

Positive/Uplifting books, with gr. 5-8 Progeny Press guides:

- Amos Fortune, Free Man

- Anne of Green Gables

- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

- Holes

- The Horse and His Boy

- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

- The Magician's Nephew

- Prince Caspian

- The Secret Garden

- Swiss Family Robinson

- Voyage of the Dawn Treader

 

 

Unit-Study Programs:

- Further Up, Further In, based on the Chronicles of Narnia (gr. 4-8)

- Where the Brook and River Meet, based on the Anne of Green Gables books (gr. 8-12)

 

 

Farther afield from being overtly Christian or uplifting, is Lightning Lit. 7, which is composed of 8 units: 4 novels, 2 short stories and 2 poetry units. The literary lessons are written in a positive, energetic manner. A "break-down" on the mood of the works:

 

novels

- Treasure Island (an adventure, but gloomier/serious rather than fun/exciting)

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (humorous, light)

- Adventures of Tom Sawyer (adventure; mostly humorous)

- All Creatures Great and Small (biographical sketches; many humorous, a few sad/poignant; overall very positive)

 

short stories

- "Rikki Tikki Tavi" (exciting adventure)

- "Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" (humorous; a poignant ending)

 

poems

I don't remember anything horribly bleak or sad; there were a few humorous poems, a battle poem, some very imagistic poems about aspects of nature.

 

 

General Book Ideas:

 

Christian:

- Hind's Feet on High Places (Hurnard)

- The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis)

- The Light Princess (MacDonald) -- short story

 

Uplifting:

- Summer of the Monkeys (Rawls)

- Little Women (Alcott)

- A Little Princess (Burnett)

- The Secret Garden (Burnett)

 

Fun and/or Humorous:

- The Twenty-One Balloons (DuBois) -- Jules Verne-like story, 1800s inventor

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll)

- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Robinson)

- The Open Window (Saki) -- short story

- Ransom of Red Chief (Henry) -- short story

- Farmer Giles of Ham (Tolkien) -- short story; mock epic

 

Charming:

- The Ordinary Princess (Kaye)

 

Positive:

- Enchantress from the Stars (Engdahl) -- fantasy/sci-fi

- My Side of the Mountain (George) -- wilderness adventure

[Greta]

Thank you both so much - this is hugely helpful! I loved Anne of Green Gables when I was her age, so that might be a fun place to start. The Twenty-One Balloons sounds like something she would really enjoy too. Lots of good titles in the Progeny Press guides. So much fun stuff to check into - thanks again!

[Hunter]

At least the 1st volume of Anne has at least one of her triggers in it I think, unfortunately.

 

Literature can be such a trigger when people are hurting. When my PTSD first hit, selecting reading material and movies became so hard for YEARS. 6 years into this, it's a lot better, but it's been a long road to get here and I still need to be careful. I had a horrible nightmare a few nights ago after watching a Discovery Channel Gold Rush Alaska episode, of all things.

 

The first year, a friend was going nuts popping in DVD after DVD, demanding that we were going to find a movie that didn't freak me out. She resorted to her niece's Disney movies before giving up. I cried hysterically over Beauty and the Beast teaching young girls that domestic abuse is romantic, and then actually started seizing when the big ghosts were being mean to Casper. :lol:

 

It's tough, really tough, predicting the triggers in literature at the beginning of a fresh hurt. Be careful of spending too much money or spending too much time planning. Things probably are going to take some frustrating and surprising turns, before you get a good feel for things.

[Greta]

At least the 1st volume of Anne has at least one of her triggers in it I think, unfortunately.

 

You're right, of course. I had completely forgotten that.

 

Literature can be such a trigger when people are hurting. When my PTSD first hit, selecting reading material and movies became so hard for YEARS. 6 years into this, it's a lot better, but it's been a long road to get here and I still need to be careful. I had a horrible nightmare a few nights ago after watching a Discovery Channel Gold Rush Alaska episode, of all things.

 

The first year, a friend was going nuts popping in DVD after DVD, demanding that we were going to find a movie that didn't freak me out. She resorted to her niece's Disney movies before giving up. I cried hysterically over Beauty and the Beast teaching young girls that domestic abuse is romantic, and then actually started seizing when the big ghosts were being mean to Casper. :lol:

 

It's tough, really tough, predicting the triggers in literature at the beginning of a fresh hurt. Be careful of spending too much money or spending too much time planning. Things probably are going to take some frustrating and surprising turns, before you get a good feel for things.

 

(((hugs))) It is very hard for me to predict what is going to upset her. Things that seem so mild to me that they pass underneath my radar, undetected, are a very big deal to her. So pre-reading is not even that helpful. Maybe we should spend more time on our Bible studies (the gospels), because that seems to go very well. We could add in the Psalms and Proverbs. That should be pretty safe territory. She really loves adventure/mystery type sci-fi as long as it's kept pretty light-hearted. (She HATES dystopia type sci-fi.) The Lucky Starr series by Isaac Asimov is her favorite book series ever. I wish I knew of more things like it out there. I'm sure they exist, I'm just not sure where to find them.

 

Your advice is well taken: no big investments or detailed plans for now. We'll just take it a day at a time and see how things go. Thank you!

[Hunter]

You're right, of course. I had completely forgotten that.

 

 

 

(((hugs))) It is very hard for me to predict what is going to upset her. Things that seem so mild to me that they pass underneath my radar, undetected, are a very big deal to her. So pre-reading is not even that helpful. Maybe we should spend more time on our Bible studies (the gospels), because that seems to go very well. We could add in the Psalms and Proverbs. That should be pretty safe territory. She really loves adventure/mystery type sci-fi as long as it's kept pretty light-hearted. (She HATES dystopia type sci-fi.) The Lucky Starr series by Isaac Asimov is her favorite book series ever. I wish I knew of more things like it out there. I'm sure they exist, I'm just not sure where to find them.

 

Your advice is well taken: no big investments or detailed plans for now. We'll just take it a day at a time and see how things go. Thank you!

 

 

Bible is a good idea, for her right now I think. Also other forms of non-fiction. Poetry study might be good.

 

Don't worry so much about predicting triggers, as much as how you handle the effects of them. That's why you don't want to be too invested in materials. You need to have room to fly by the seat of your pants for awhile.

 

And just remember YOUR best is always good enough, even if it isn't enough to meet HER needs in the moment. When the pain starts, we are no longer doing our best and have started practicing self-neglect. When we practice self-neglect, we are bad examples and we lose our ability to be dependable, so aren't even doing our dependents any favors.

 

There are some good suggestions here, but I can't look at even one and say, I think it will be smooth sailing. Fiction is very tricky when the hurt is fresh. Maybe Swiss Family and My Side of the Mountain.

 

I'm thinking maybe give the Famous Five series a try. It's a mystery series set in England, quite a few decades ago.

 

I'd try rereading books from younger years. Little House in the Big Woods maybe.

 

And sometimes books that you think would be a huge trigger will be tolerated, because even though the book is stirring things up, it's healing at the same time.

 

You have a decent library right? I'd spend some time reading THERE. Bits and pieces of books. Finishing books isn't important now. Let here explore a bit, and see if SHE can find her way a bit.

 

Nightmares after a book are not necessarily a sign of having overdone. Nightmares are actually a sign of recovery and signal the ability to process events. When a trauma is too bad and too fresh, the person often stops dreaming all together. For me, the total absence of dreams and flashbacks that I experienced for years was a major concern. I remember my first flashback, although very upsetting in the moment, was greeted with much excitement. It meant my body was recognizing my current environment to be safe enough, to start digging up old stuff to process. If nightmares get too frequent and intense, they are destabilizing, but they are a necessary part of recovery. No nightmares, no recovery. So pace them, rather than try to prevent them.

 

Good luck Greta.

[Lori D.]

Agreeing with Hunter -- hard to predict what could be a trigger. And most of the books I listed DO have characters who have suffered loss of loved ones. What makes the books so good (in addition to solid writing) is how the characters choose to deal with the circumstances thrust upon them. But this may be too soon for your DD to be a good idea.

 

Perhaps this would be a good time to just let DD read old familar favorites -- they can be like warm blankets to pull around us. We know what we will find in them, and rereading old favorites can help stabilize the emotions, precisely because we KNOW what is already in them; it reaffirms our world. Perhaps DD would enjoy just re-reading through the Lucky Star series? Maybe enjoy curling up with some favorite books you read to her when she was young -- and read aloud together again...

 

 

If you want new books, Hunter mentioned the Five series; I was thinking something similar -- instead of pushing ahead into more mature classic literature, perhaps this is a good time to stay with some pre-teen works -- adventures, or humorous works; anything not too serious.

 

 

One last thought on Anne of Green Gables: even though a person close to Anne dies in the book, it is handled with such gentleness and healing, that -- IN THE RIGHT TIME for your DD, even though tears will flow, they could be healing tears. Perhaps not now, but in 6 months or ...? could be a good time to read the book then.

 

:grouphug: Surrounding you and DD with hugs and gentleness. Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Greta]

Hunter and Lori, thank you both so very much! There is so much kindness and wisdom in what you both said, and you've given me a lot to think about. I particularly appreciate you both pointing out that it's okay to re-read familiar favorites. That is probably PERFECT for her right now, and yet it never occurred to me. Thank you! :grouphug: