Jump to content

Menu

Suggest a good read aloud for my 10 year old dd and I


Recommended Posts

My son just doesn't have the time or desire to be read aloud to. He's busy with school and computer, but my dd really misses read aloud!!

 

So ...suggestions very welcome. She doesn't like anything scary or gory or depressing. Neither do I. We have loved many types of books. I bought two books off the sonlight eastern list and they were a real fail, too depressing. I don't want biographies or missionary stories...just something good to read, but not twaddle obviously.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about something really fantastical and beautifully written, like The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge? Here are my thoughts on it: http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2012/11/29/read-aloud-thursday-the-little-white-horse-by-elizabeth-goudge/

 

If realistic fiction is more her thing, you can't go wrong with Eleanor Estes. We've enjoyed the Pye books (Ginger Pye and a Pinky Pye) and The Moffats.

http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2010/09/09/read-aloud-thursday-ginger-pye-by-eleanor-estes/

 

http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2010/10/14/read-aloud-thursday-pinky-pye-by-eleanor-estes/

 

http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2013/01/31/read-aloud-thursday-the-moffats-by-eleanor-estes/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fear this is out of print, but perhaps you can find it at your library.

 

The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious Sky Pie Angel Food Cake by Nancy Willard with illustrations by Richard Jesse Watson

 

From School Library Journal

 

"A young girl, wishing to make her mother a birthday surprise, searches for her great-grandmother's secret recipe for the cake of the title. The recipe is found in an old diary, the secret ingredient turns up under the grand piano, and at midnight the cake is baked. Following directions, the girl spells LOVE backwards in the sugar, and three angels appear in the kitchen to add a spectacular icing and a golden thimble to the birthday morning surprise. Willard's considerable talents are confined here to what appears to be a marketable gift book, perfect for birthday parties. Watson decorates the story with full-color, realistically detailed pictures that rely heavily on stars, feathers, butterflies, and flowers to set the mood of magic and mirth. The mainstream American family of the story is balanced by three eccentrically ethnic angels: one a white-haired male in patchwork, one a Japanese beauty, and one a small black child with cornrows. Fine quality paper and gold-leaf endpapers provide the glossy packaging for this lighthearted, sugar-coated bit of whimsy." --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

 

You might also look for books illustrated by Jane Ray. She has some wonderful collections of folk tales, etc.

 

Regards,

Kareni

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Momo (hard to find, I had to order my copy from the UK)

Howl's Moving Castle

Thimble Summer (almost anything by Elizabeth Enright, actually)

Ozma of Oz

Mio, My Son

Ballet Shoes

Nurse Matilda

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

At the Back of the North Wind 

Peter Pan and Wendy (or Peter Pan in Scarlet, if you've read the original Peter Pan already)

The View from Saturday

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Twig

The City of Ember

The Night Fairy

Tumtum & Nutmeg

The House Above the Trees

The Wind Boy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dd10 suggests the Melendy books by Elizabeth Enright, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Anne of Green Gables or Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series.

 

Have fun!

 

Mama Anna

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like she's read a lot of the young kid standards out there already...

 

Have you done The Saturdays books?

 

How about something by Wendy Mass, like Eleven Birthdays?  Wendy Mass has a lot of books that are a nice tween bridge between younger kid middle grade novels and older kid YA novels.

 

We recently read and enjoyed Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, which was light and fun.

 

Seconding the fantasy suggestions Alte Veste made.  Or maybe something by Diana Wynne Jones?  Or Shannon Hale's Bayern series?  Those are a little older, but not inappropriate and would be fine as a read aloud, I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, she read every single book already suggested,but some of them are quite good books! ...

 

I don't think that anyone has mentioned the books found here.

At first you may think these are all historical fiction, and they do have great stories set in ancient and medieval times! The Hittite Warrior, for instance. 

But they also have just old-fashioned good stories set in the modern era. If you would like something about charming, rich family life, check out the author, Hilda Van Stockum. Here is one of her popular books.

Most of the Bethlehem Books are so well done, but not very well known! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Series of unfortunate events are fun read alouds. Tale of Despereaux is great to read aloud. 

 

Family under the Bridge is short and sweet.

 

Classics like The Hobbit, or even LOTR. 

 

Historical fiction like Secret of the Andes or Julie of the Wolves. 

 

 

Something modern like Calpurnia Tate.

 

Nurse Matilda or Mary Poppins books are fun.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the Patricia St. John books? 

 

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews is a favorite of my girls, too.

Thanks Donna!  I actually started reading the Last of the Whangdoodles aloud....and was totally concerned about a message it sent...my son even said he felt it was sending a really awful message.  I ended up trashing it rather than giving it away....Have you read it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...