Tenaj Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 My 14yodd leaves on a trip to Asia in a few weeks and will be gone for over two months. She loves to read so I need to send some reading material with her but it's got to be paperback and not to "easy", if you know what I mean, so that she doesn't blow through the books too quickly. She loves the Eragon series and Brysingr was complicated enough that she enjoyed it but it took her quite a while to read it. Any ideas on a three or more book series that might fit the bill? She likes historical fiction and fantasy probably the best. Thanks so much for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. All the kids in my lit class loved it. It takes place in the early middle ages and involves Greek and Pagan gods. It has some fantasy type elements to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 (edited) You might consider a book or two by Bill Bryson; his work is well researched but entertainingly written. My favorite is The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way. My daughter is a huge fantasy fan. Her recommendations -- The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix (set in a world with magic and a different creation story in case that may not fit in with your values) she highly recommends; she says it is meaty. Timeline by Michael Crichton (historical fiction, not a series but lots of detail); occasional language. The Bloody Jack Adventures by L.A. Meyer (historical fiction, a faster read than the above, but it is a series of 6 the latest just out in hardback.) My daughter would like to know several of your daughter's favorites. That might give her some more ideas. Regards, Kareni Edited October 21, 2008 by Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 By Robin McKinley: The Hero and the Crown (prequel), The Blue Sword (written first) These are fantasy/epic/action/dragon books with a female protagonist and a very enjoyable read. Also, McKinley's Beauty and Spindle's End are wonderful retellings of Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty. By Cynthia Voigt: Jackaroo, On Fortune's Wheel, The Wings of a Falcon, Elske These are set in a fictional medieval kingdom. They also have female protagonists and are some of my favorites. Though they are a series, each one really stands alone. Just a caution about Elske--I believe there is a short scene involving a rape. I don't recall anything objectionable about the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisN in NY Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 How about The Scarlet Pimpernel and others in the series. I loved it. My dd just finished Last of the Mohicans which is fairly dense, but she loved it. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisN in NY Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 How about The Scarlet Pimpernel and others in the series. I loved it. My dd just finished Last of the Mohicans which is fairly dense, but she loved it. Lisa Lisa, Where did you find other books by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel? My oldest searched after reading SP in ninth grade, without success. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Has she read any Tim Powers? I think his work is called magical realism; I'd say it's most like historical fantasy. Declare, The Anubis Gates, Drawing of the Dark, Dinner at Deviant's Palace. He has several more, but these are the ones off the top of my head. Not easy reading, but great reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriM Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Has she read the Patricia Wrede books, Sorcery and Cecelia, The Grand Tour and The Mislaid Magician? I don't think the last one is available in paperback yet, but they might fit your "three books" and fantasy fiction preference. They are not terribly difficult reads, but they are fun and re-readable. (Patricia Wrede wrote The Enchanted Forest Chronicles--Dealing with Dragons, etc. If she's missed that series somehow, then you can buy all four of them in one boxed set.) I also love the Robin McKinley books, but they aren't really a "series" as much as just good strong reads. My favorite is Outlaws of Sherwood but I also enjoyed Spindle's End. I bought Chalice last night. :c) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMCassandra Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Slightly off-topic, but not really . . . Under these conditions I would strongly recommend something like a Kindle. That way she won't have to waste precious luggage space on books . . and then still have to lug them around with her when she's done with them . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Lisa, Where did you find other books by the author of The Scarlet Pimpernel? My oldest searched after reading SP in ninth grade, without success. Thanks! There is a list of follow on titles here at Wikipedia. You can search World Cat to see if any libraries near you have a given title. (You'll need to enter your zipcode.) If no libraries are near you, see if your library can get a copy through inter-library loan. My daughter was able to read most of the sequels this way. The one exception was The Scarlet Pimpernel looks at the World which seems to be in only four libraries around the world. (If you're in Bowling Green, Ohio, you're in luck!) Just as an aside, my daughter also loves the musical version. See: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_m?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=scarlet+pimpernel Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriM Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 I want a Kindle for Christmas!!! (But wouldn't it be nice to have a device that allowed you to buy books from *anywhere* not just amazon???) I thought last night as I bought 6 hard-back books that I'd spend half as much (or less!) with a Kindle. It would pay for itself pretty fast. Lori Slightly off-topic, but not really . . . Under these conditions I would strongly recommend something like a Kindle. That way she won't have to waste precious luggage space on books . . and then still have to lug them around with her when she's done with them . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 How about "A Tale of Two Cities?" That's a really entertaining, dense historical fiction book about the French Revolution. "Christy" is great--Christian content. Takes place in Appalacia during the early part of the 20th century. "Exodus" is outstanding. It's about the events leading up to and during the founding of the State of Israel in 1946. "That Hideous Strength" by C. S. Lewis is not really historical fiction, but it does have that kind of 'feel.' And it is really, really well-written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenadina Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 Slightly off-topic, but not really . . . Under these conditions I would strongly recommend something like a Kindle. That way she won't have to waste precious luggage space on books . . and then still have to lug them around with her when she's done with them . . . I totally agree...I have a PDA and there are lots of free e-book readers available for it. I can read any book from project gutenberg for free or buy e-books from other places! It's so nice and lightweight! I'd love to have a Kindle, but the PDA is nice because I can do lots of other stuff on it too, besides reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted October 22, 2008 Author Share Posted October 22, 2008 I had investigated Kindle idea but unfortunately the money just isn't in the budget right now. In fact, we would love to buy her a laptop before she goes, but we can't do that either. The Kindle would be perfect though . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted October 22, 2008 Author Share Posted October 22, 2008 Thanks for all the book suggestions! I ordered a few used for her and hopefully it will keep her entertained enough during her down times. I suggested that if she had extra time she could work on her Algebra book but she didn't seem to think that was a great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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