Your thoughts on this reading list?

[Leftyplayer]

My 10 year old has always been a reluctant reader, although he reads well. I'm setting up a reading list for each child for this coming year and I'm hoping to assign him high quality books (pretty subjective, I know) that are HIGHLY engaging, which for him means books that have adventure or humor of some sort. I spent a lot of time sifting through story lines that are too heavy, since he's very emotionally sensitive and tends to suffer from anxiety (obviously, any book will have drama and conflict, but some of the classics had too much heavy trauma for my boy). Wondering 1) what your thoughts are on this list and 2) for any suggestions on additional books at this reading level and in this type of "mood" that you may have:

 

Crenshaw

All About Sam

Mary Poppins

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

The Phantom Toolbooth

Li Lun: Lad of Courage

Where the Mountain Meets Moon

[Lori D.]

1) Totally just my take on these books, since you did ask for thoughts on the list :) :

 

- Crenshaw -- not read it, but in reading the reviews, the subject might be a bit too dark and difficult for a sensitive child with anxiety triggers

- All About Sam -- not read it, but it looks to be for younger readers in writing style and content 

- Mary Poppins

FYI: it's not as fun and playful as the movie -- in the book, at times she is kind of dark, vain, and eccentric -- I would consider doing this as a read-aloud instead of assigned reading, and if you both aren't enjoying it, substitute a different older classic as a read-aloud: Five Children and It; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; The Jungle Book

- Charlie & the Chocolate Factory -- fun, creative adventure

- The Phantom Toolbooth -- fun, creative adventure

- Li Lun: Lad of Courage

I think Call It Courage (Armstrong) is a better-written book with virtually the same theme; another possible substitute is one of the two books about a real 1850s Japanese teen shipwreck survivor: Heart of a Samurai (Preus) or Born in the Year of Courage (Crofford)

- Where the Mountain Meets Moon

I REALLY wanted to like this one; the Chinese myth aspect is fine and interesting things happen, it's just that the writing itself is not very creative or strong -- just average/competent, so it felt more like a duty to finish it rather than a pleasure to read it; if you find it is not going over very well, here are ideas for possible substitutes: The Ch'i-Lin Purse; Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet; Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH; The Mysterious Benedict Society

 

2) You also asked for suggestions of additional books at this reading level and that are highly engaging with adventure or humor, and not too heavy so as to trigger anxiety. The following is a list of books that our DSs really loved at that age that are all well-written -- also high on humor and/or adventure, as those aspects were very appealing to my DSs as well. ;) I did include two books I have not yet read (Mysterious Benedict Society, Peter and the Starcatchers), which have received good reviews from others on this board.

 

BEST of luck in coming up with the reading list that is engaging and encouraging and fun for both your 10yo and you! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

Readers

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Dahl)

The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster)

Trumpet of the Swan (White)

By The Great Horn Spoon (Fleischman)

My Side of the Mountain (George)

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken)

The Toothpaste Millionaire (Merrill)

From the Mixed of Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Konigsburg)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien)

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (Lord)

Half Magic (Eager)

The Incredible Journey (Burnsford)

Sign of the Beaver (Speare)

The Mysterious Benedict Society (Stewart)

Peter and the Starcatchers (Barry)

 

Read Alouds

The Hobbit (Tolkien)

Five Children and It (Nesbit)

The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame)

The Black Stallion (Farley)

The Jungle Book (Kipling)

The Secret Garden (Burnett)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain)

The Twenty One Balloons (duBois)

The Great Wheel (Lawson)

Edited August 17, 2016 by Lori D.

[Mergath]

I recently read Crenshaw, and while it's a great book, it's also really depressing. It's more about what it's like for children to live with poverty and homelessness than it is about a big cat. I don't think it would be a good choice for a 10yo with anxiety issues.

[Leftyplayer]

Oh my! Lori, thank you so much for your reading suggestions and your point by point thoughts on the books I've looked at so far. That is exactly what I was hoping, as I haven't read any of the books, which makes it so hard to assess what is appropriate.

 

Also, thank you both for letting me know about Crenshaw - it really gives the impression of being a light-hearted book about a cat! Good to know otherwise.

[KathyBC]

A couple more that might fit your list:

Homer Price (McCloskey)

The Secret World of Og (Berton)

 

Maybe more of a read-aloud:

Ginger Pye (Estes)

Pinky Pye (Estes)

Edited August 17, 2016 by KathyBC

[happypamama]

I'm not familiar with some of those, but my 11yo son loved My Side of the Mountain last year. It's an adventure story about a boy who goes off to live in the woods on his own. Nothing too heartbreakingly sad, IIRC.

 

He's reading The Door in the Wall right now and loves it. I thought it was a really good story. The boy has some hardships to overcome, but he's cared for well, and it's a sweet story without being too saccharine. I think it might be good for a sensitive sort of child.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

A few more ideas because I'm not familiar with the ones on your list:

 

Indian in the Cupboard and Return of the Indian

Hatchett (probably the "heaviest" on my list, but def a great adventure story)

By the Great Horn Spoon (Such a wonderful book!!!)

The Whipping Boy

Harry Potter series

Narnia series

Henry Huggins books

The BFG

 

 

[deerforest]

I usually agree so heartedly with Lori's recommendations, but Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is one of my daughter's forever favorites. She didn't like the 2nd one (Starry River in the Sky), but she weeped and weeped when Where the Mountain.. ended because she just didn't want it to ever end. She is a sensitive soul too, and she read it when she was about 8, and it really cracked open the door for her to be braver about trying new materials.

[Haiku]

My dd read Crenshaw last year when she was 13 and said it was very depressing. She was irritated with the librarian who suggested it to her.

 

I would add Frindle to the list. My kids loved it. It raises some really interesting questions about kids' freedom of speech and authority but is still very light-hearted. We actually like a lot of Andrew Clements' books.

 

Your son might like The Saturdays. It's the first of a quartet, and we liked them all.

 

My son really liked Socks and Kenny and the Dragon (a retelling of The Reluctant Dragon).

[Leftyplayer]

Thank you all so much for the additional suggestions.

 

As for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, maybe that's one that I'll read first and then decide or wait on since I imagine he'll be more emotionally sturdy as he grows.

[deerforest]

Thank you all so much for the additional suggestions.

 

As for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, maybe that's one that I'll read first and then decide or wait on since I imagine he'll be more emotionally sturdy as he grows.

 

Just to make sure I was clear--DD was sad because the book ended! She wasn't sad about the book. She loved it and wanted it to go on forever!

[Lori D.]

I usually agree so heartedly with Lori's recommendations, but Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is one of my daughter's forever favorites. She didn't like the 2nd one (Starry River in the Sky), but she weeped and weeped when Where the Mountain.. ended because she just didn't want it to ever end. She is a sensitive soul too, and she read it when she was about 8, and it really cracked open the door for her to be braver about trying new materials.

 

Thank you all so much for the additional suggestions.

 

As for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, maybe that's one that I'll read first and then decide or wait on since I imagine he'll be more emotionally sturdy as he grows.

 

Just to make sure I was clear--DD was sad because the book ended! She wasn't sad about the book. She loved it and wanted it to go on forever!

 

deer forest:

SO glad your DD loved the book! :) My thoughts were from first-time reading it as an adult -- which just goes to show that adult reviews are not always the best guide to making a booklist. ;) WtMMtM came out when my own DSs were graduating from high school, so I didn't have a live child's response to that book, just my own.

 

And it IS absolutely magical how a book can be that key to crack open the door for a child to try harder materials. :) My similar story involves DS#2  who was a bit of a delayed reader, and who really wasn't that interested in reading as a free time activity up through age 9 -- until he found the Warriors series. Not great lit. by any stretch of the imagination (what I like to think of as a "popcorn book" or "snack food book"), but it fired DS's imagination, and was the book series that clicked for him and made reading exciting. :)

 

Leftyplayer:

Did not mean for my thoughts to dissuade you from reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon -- just was throwing in ideas for alternatives IF WtMMtM turned out to not click for you guys. Hope it does, and that you have a SUPER reading journey with your DS this year -- that this is the year he finds something esp. meaningful and exciting to *him* in his literature. :)

 

Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Lori D.

[Incognito]

My kids and I loved Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.  We liked the sequel too.  I'm actually quite excited, the third book is coming out this fall. 

 

FWIW, we listened to them as audiobooks, so that may have altered how we experienced them, but we have listened to them multiple times (to see how the different parts from the different stories fit together).