Seeker of Schole Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 The title says it all... Where the Red Fern Grows Call of the Wild Holes Wrinkle in Time Man O War Carry on Mr Bowditch TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I haven't heard of Holes, but I would say 6th for most of those books. Of course, there will always be differences. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch could be read sooner and Call of the Wild could wait until 7th or 8th too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I think I read Where the Red Fern Grows in 4th. I saw a stack of them in the teacher's lounge at my son's public school that houses K-5. I think Call of the Wild would be 7 or 8th grade. I am not familiar or can't remember much about the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 My 5th grader read A Wrinkle in Time and loved it. The others will wait till much later. Maybe never. I hate books where animals suffer, and I can't imagine making her read any of those - Red Fern, Call of the Wild, etc. If she decides to read it later on her own, fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Totally JMO: Due to either sadness level (dogs die in Red Fern, man dies in Call of the Wild), or more complex ideas (Wrinkle in Time), or older-interest topics (Holes, Mr. Bowditch), I would hold off until about grade 2 or 3 (age 7-9) on all of these titles for reading aloud. Most of those are right at a 5th grade (age 11) reading level AND subject interest level, and usually are best enjoyed about that age. Also, I can't imagine that any of those would have strong appeal to a girl, unless she's a big dog-lover. Instead, I'd go with some of the many wonderful works that will connect with a 4yo. Here's a nice list from book author Melissa Wiley. More ideas: - Betsy-Tacy books (Lovelace) - B is for Betsy (Haywood) - The Ordinary Princess (Kaye) - Grandma's Attic (Richardson) - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series (MacDonald) - James Herriot Treasury for Children - Pippi Longstockings (Astrid) - Black Beauty (Sewell) - My Father's Dragon (Gannet) - No Flying in the House (Brock) - Winnie the Pooh (Milne) - Beezus and Ramona books (Cleary) - Little House in the Big Woods (Wilder) - The Wizard of Oz books (Baum) - fairytales and fables - Cricket in Times Square (Seldon) - Trumpet of the Swan (White) - books by Thornton Burgess - Borrowers series (Norton) - The Secret Valley (Bulla) - Ivy and Bean series (Barrows) - A Little Princess (Hodges) Again, just my opinion! Happy reading! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Maybe 6th grade. Maybe never. I personally don't care for any of those books except Holes. I still wouldn't want to read Holes to a child younger than 6th grade due to the themes. It's just sort of a heavy book. It seems like a pretty heavy list overall. I guess I regard them all as "boy books", so I wouldn't think that the interest would be there for a younger girl to slog through them. I agree with the pp about animals suffering. I was really upset when I read Where the Red Fern Grows in 5th; I can't imagine reading Call of the Wild that young. Dh, on the other hand, loves all of those books. He only saved a handful of books from his childhood and both Red Fern and Call of the Wild are among them. Go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker of Schole Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 I'm planning for the future, and just trying to get a feel for when to read those. I know when I taught in public school Wrinkle in Time was a 6th grade book. I remember reading Where the Red Fern Grows in 5th grade myself. It is one of my favorites, and I still have my old falling apart first copy of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I'll echo the others and say at least 5th to 6th grade. I HATED Where the Red Fern Grows (also Sounder, and Old Yeller, and Bridge to Terabithia...). Some kids are fine with the death of animals or people. Some are not. You might need to wait and see how she reacts to things like that when she's a bit older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Totally JMO: Due to either sadness level (dogs die in Red Fern, man dies in Call of the Wild), or more complex ideas (Wrinkle in Time), or older-interest topics (Holes, Mr. Bowditch), I would hold off until about grade 2 or 3 (age 7-9) on all of these titles for reading aloud. Most of those are right at a 5th grade (age 11) reading level AND subject interest level, and usually are best enjoyed about that age. Also, I can't imagine that any of those would have strong appeal to a girl, unless she's a big dog-lover. Instead, I'd go with some of the many wonderful works that will connect with a 4yo. Here's a nice list from book author Melissa Wiley. More ideas: :iagree: I think, depending on the kid, that any of them could be fine after about 2nd or 3rd grade, but that many of them are worth waiting on because the perfect time might be a little later - more like 5th or 6th grade. I do think they're books that would appeal to many girls - A Wrinkle in Time was a particular favorite of mine around age 11. But surely the OP isn't asking in regards to her 4 yo? I assumed it must be academic... or planning too far in advance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilypoo Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I found Where the Red Fern Grows (among other similiarly themed books) quite traumatizing when read in grade school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 *shrug* My 5 year old has read an abridged copy of the Call of the Wild. If we had an unabridged copy in the house, she'd probably have read that too. I could see her enjoying Man O'War, since she just read the Black Stallion. We haven't read Where the Red Fern Grows because I'm a cry-baby. She would like it. She liked Old Yeller, which I stick in the same category. If you both want to read them, I would. There might be books that would be a great fit right now but she'll outgrow soon. If you like those, read them too. She can read something now and again when she's older if she'd like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker of Schole Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 But surely the OP isn't asking in regards to her 4 yo? No, I am not asking for my four year old. We are currently reading Mr. Popper's Penguins, after having previously read the My Father's Dragon triology and Charlotte's Web. I am just looking for opinions on age appropriatness, as due to my teaching background I know that my normal meter is off. For example, the school district I used to work for had The Giver as required reading in high school (sophomore), and I know that most schools consider that a middle school level book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccolopy Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 So much of this depends on the kid. DS read and enjoyed Where the Red Fern Grows, Call of the Wild, Holes and Carry On, Mr Bowditch in 2nd or 3rd grade and didn't have any issues with them. DD, on the other hand, would not handle Call of the Wild or Where the Red Fern Grows well at all and won't read them until middle school, if she reads them at all. She has enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time, Holes and Carry On, Mr Bowditch. For an average kid, I would suggest 3rd-4th grade for those three books and holding off another few years for Where the Red Fern Grows and Call of the Wild with a sensitive kid. I'm not familiar with Man O War. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I've seen some of those on booklists for 3rd & 4th. So 3rd + Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I read Where the Red Fern Grows in 4th grade and it scarred me for life. Seriously it's my go to memory for making myself cry (in acting class). Call of the Wild was not a problem in 6th. I wouldn't read aloud even under 5/6th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 The title says it all... Where the Red Fern Grows Call of the Wild Holes Wrinkle in Time Man O War Carry on Mr Bowditch TIA! Around age 9. We read A Wrinkle in Time and Where the Red Fern Grows to 9 yo DD in the last year. I'm sure Call of the Wild would also be fine. I think Carry on Mr. Bowditch is in Sonlight's core D or E (aimed to 8 to 10 yo). I haven't read the other titles, so can't comment on those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misty.warden Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I agree with most of the replies that it really depends on your dd's personality and interests. I read Where the Red Fern Grows in 2nd grade and was horribly disturbed, A Wrinkle in Time around 4th grade (didn't understand much but loved for years), Call of the Wild which I detested for reasons totally unrelated to the death theme around 5th (after White Fang, which I loved). Holes I didn't read until I was much older, probably 9th grade or so and I loved how the details fit together in the end, but not everyone picks up on the subtle wordplay and such and without it the book can be frustrating. All of those have themes of unfair rules, bullying, death, corrupt authority, etc which can be very difficult for children who don't know how to handle it. Obtuse adults refusing to listen to reason in books caused many a crying breakdown for me in ps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 So much of this depends on the kid. DS read and enjoyed Where the Red Fern Grows, Call of the Wild, Holes and Carry On, Mr Bowditch in 2nd or 3rd grade and didn't have any issues with them. DD, on the other hand, would not handle Call of the Wild or Where the Red Fern Grows well at all and won't read them until middle school, if she reads them at all. She has enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time, Holes and Carry On, Mr Bowditch. For an average kid, I would suggest 3rd-4th grade for those three books and holding off another few years for Where the Red Fern Grows and Call of the Wild with a sensitive kid. I'm not familiar with Man O War. This is so true. Younger DD (newly 8 yo) wouldn't be ready for those books for another couple of years, I'm guessing. Older DD *bawled* at the end of Where the Red Fern Grows, but a few days later asked to watch the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 No, I am not asking for my four year old. We are currently reading Mr. Popper's Penguins, after having previously read the My Father's Dragon triology and Charlotte's Web. I am just looking for opinions on age appropriatness, as due to my teaching background I know that my normal meter is off. For example, the school district I used to work for had The Giver as required reading in high school (sophomore), and I know that most schools consider that a middle school level book. Ah... That is more clear. :) From the thread title, coupled with the age of DC in signature, I assumed current reading for the DD age 4. :) My mistake. In that case here is the Scholastic reader grade level equivalence, and the "Just My Opinion" (lol) for reading aloud, and then for reader (solo reading) level. Cheers! Warmly, Lori D. Where the Red Fern Grows Scholastic reading level = 6.4 (grade.month) JMO read aloud level = gr. 4-6 JMO = reader level = gr. 6-7 Call of the Wild Scholastic reading level = 7.3 (grade.month) JMO read aloud level = gr. 5-6 JMO reader level (to also analyze as Literature)= gr. 7-9 Holes Scholastic reading level = 4.6 (grade.month) JMO read aloud level = gr. 5-6 JMO reader level = gr. 6-9 Wrinkle in Time Scholastic reading level = 4.7 (grade.month) JMO read aloud level = gr. 5-6 JMO reader level = gr. 6-9 Man O War Scholastic reading level = 6.5 (grade.month) -- (actually for The Black Stallion) JMO read aloud level = gr. 4-6 JMO reader level = gr. 5-8 Carry on Mr Bowditch Scholastic reading level = 5.1 (grade.month) JMO read aloud level = gr. 3-5 JMO reader level = gr. 5-8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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