Need sad or depressing books

[Joyofsixreboot]

My 6th grader reads at a high level but only enjoys books that are sad. Very sad. I forced her to read Nory Ryan's Song and my daughter thought the book would have been much better f the father had died 😦 For fun she almost exclusively reads anime so I need some sad books, preferably with death, that have actual literary merit. Help, I'm a happy go lucky sort.

[Loesje22000]

Read Flemish or Korean books...

They never seem to be happy ...

[TarynB]

Has she read The Book Thief?

 

Also, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Old Yeller. My DS reports those 3 as the saddest he's read.

Edited January 12, 2016 by TarynB

[fourisenough]

I was JUST going to say Book Thief, but another poster beat me to it! DD11 begged to stop reading it this week because, "It is so sad and nothing ever really happens." I thought it was a fabulous book and am waiting to see the movie until DD finishes the book.

[basketcase]

Ha, such a funny topic. Look through the lists of Newbery winners. Many of them feature the loss of a parent or other tragedy. Seriously, they're so sad.

 

Bridge to Terabithia, A Separate Peace, Jacob Have I Loved, Little Women...

[Kareni]

My daughter mentioned "dead dog books" as well as Bridge to Terabithia as well as The Giver.

 

ETA: Lord of the Flies (though it has a happy-ish ending)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[almondbutterandjelly]

Aren't most of Charles Dickens' books sad?

[rebbyribs]

The Arm of the Starfish (Madeline L'Engle)

[RootAnn]

I don't know about literary merit, but my kids thought Carry On, Mr. Bowditch was very sad. His wives keep dying and other things keep going wrong.

[KSinNS]

Navigating Early, though an 11 year old may not get why it's so sad. I was bawling my eyes out while my kids patted me on the head with that "Mommy is losing her mind" look.

 

Johnny Tremaine 

[Penguin]

My 6th grader reads at a high level but only enjoys books that are sad. Very sad. I forced her to read Nory Ryan's Song and my daughter thought the book would have been much better f the father had died 😦 For fun she almost exclusively reads anime so I need some sad books, preferably with death, that have actual literary merit. Help, I'm a happy go lucky sort.

I am sorry, but your post made me chuckle. My reading taste is just like your daughter's. Even more so with movies. I would take dark and depressing over romantic comedy any day...

 

I think my favorite books in middle school were Go Ask Alice, the Diary of Anne Frank, and some book about a runaway (title escapes me *). :ohmy:

 

 

ETA:

* Curiosity got me to figure out that it was The Runaway's Diary.  Apparently, I had a thing for both runaways and diaries. :lol:

I will see if I can think of some more modern titles(and with less drug use!) for you.  Maus comes to mind.

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2016 by Penguin

[Pen]

The Yearling, Call of the Wild, Lassie Come Home (even though ending is happy), and some Terhune dog books have a lot of angst even if eventually ending more happily--Terhune's short story about a dog named Biscuit especially so to me, the One and Only Ivan (and read about the real animal it was based on for even more sadness and depression), The Divergent series has a main character die. Early Mark Twain is "happy" but late ones he became sad and so did his books become more sad. Maybe My Sister's Keeper -- if I have title right. Sounder. My Name is Not Easy (happy-ish ending, but lots of sad stuff in it, incl brother of a main character dies)...

 

We have the opposite usually here, so I'll try to watch for books that were too sad or depressing for us.

[deerforest]

Oh my gosh, this is totally the thread of books that my DD and I cannot read. Ever. I can't tell you how many of these are on my DNF (did not finish) list. I threw the Ivan book across the room at one point when we were reading it aloud, and we looked at each other and just started bawling.

 

 

 

 

[MinivanMom]

Olive's Ocean

Out of my Mind

The Hunger Games series

[Pen]

Island of the Blue Dolphins, Ishi last of his tribe, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

 

perhaps?  

 

The last book of the Little House series gets somewhat sad and depressing--she did not manage to pretty it up like the others had been made more "happy" for kids-- as Laura's baby dies (after which she cannot have another) and their house burns down and Almanzo gets sick with something he never gets completely better from.

 

I found the Old Man and the Sea excruciating, as I recall--have not had dc try it...

 

 

Some harder books: Most of Dickens is pretty upbeat, but maybe something like Hard Times (though it is tougher reading than most of the other suggestions). Cannot recall for sure if appropriate for her age, but Tom Brown's Schooldays I recall being pretty depressing. Brave New World?

[Momling]

Since your daughter likes manga... My daughter recently read the graphic novel Maus and loved it and cried.

[Guest NoWordsMouth]

I finished middle school, and the only books we read seem to be sad. Trying to hide crying in class is the hardest part of reading them. I suggest

-Old Yeller (A bond between a boy and one dog and what happens to them)

-Where the Red Fern Grows(A bond between a boy who was dying for hunting dogs and got two brother and sister and his adventure to the point of death)

-Call Of The Wild (A poor dog changing owners and being sold until he himself is connected to the reader almost too close)

-Of Mice and Men (Be aware of the language, but it is a bond between a snappy man and a special needs man, who struggle for a job and end up -----)

 

personally, these arnt only challenging to read, but they are enjoyable and have drama. Please look up the books for further information :) enjoy!

[Kareni]

I was reminded of this thread when I came across this post.  It pertains mostly to adult books but there might be some titles that work.  Do read the comments, too.

 

A Happy Ending Isn’t Necessarily the Best Ending

 

Regards,

Kareni

[lmrich]

Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern grows are some of the hardest books to read without seriously crying. 

I cry easily so I cannot comment on others, but those two books, I just refuse to read again. 

[Caprice]

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloane. Incredible book, really sad in the beginning (sudden death of parents, girl becomes essentially homeless for a while) although it ends on a more positive note. The main character is wonderful, a quirky amateur botonist, and she creates a pseudo family out of other outcasts or loners she encounters.

[Seeking Squirrels]

My first thought was Lurlene Mcdaniel but that was before I got to the "literary merit" comment. I don't remember them too clearly, but they would fall more in the fluff and stuff category. They are all terribly sad. At least the ones I read as a teen, I'm not sure if she still has more coming out that are different. Each one was about a really sick kid, usually terminal IIRC.

[fourisenough]

Since your daughter likes manga... My daughter recently read the graphic novel Maus and loved it and cried.

I pre-read these before handing over to DD11. I chose not to have her read them now (too sad and graphic for her sensitive nature), but WOW! did I ever love them! Very, very personal and moving. Highly recommended for 13+ readers interested in WW2 era.

[Tanaqui]

Thought of something else - have you considered books on the Armenian Genocide? There are several of them out right now that are sold for children and young adults, and they're all quite sad.

[LanaTron]

The Yearling, by Rawlings. Watership Down.

 

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[Raifta]

On the Beach by Nevil Shute?  An adult book that is often read in high school classes and probably not suitable if your DD has any fears about the nuclear apocalypse but definitely depressing - everyone dies and the world ends with a whimper not a bang.  If she still wants depressing in a couple of years that might be a better time to introduce this one.

[wintermom]

The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket, is something we're listening to on audio narrated by Tim Curry. It's very good. Not sure if this is the exact kind of "sad and depressing" book you are looking for, as the kids orphaned in it seem to be so resilient, and there is definitely a degree of humour in the book, but they are so unlucky that bad things just keep happening. If your dd likes death, houses burning down, kids having to go live with mean relatives, it's perfect. 

Edited January 22, 2016 by wintermom

[cintinative]

I just read At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald and I think it was sad (and very well written). It is written to be a children's book. it is in the public domain

Edited January 22, 2016 by cintinative