tld Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 I'm almost done with my son's 5th grade reading list. I do feel it's lacking a good funny book and also a good fantasy book though. Any favorites at your house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Fantasy for 5th grade: The Hobbit Any of the Madeline L'Engle books The Giver Funny: Beetles Lightly Toasted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Other comedy: The Mouse that Roared Ooooohhhhh! Almost forgot my favorite: The Phantom Tollbooth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tld Posted July 4, 2017 Author Share Posted July 4, 2017 I have The Phantom Tollbooth! I'll have to take a look at it as I haven't read it myself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 (edited) Funny: - The Whipping Boy (Fleischman) - By the Great Horn Spoon (Fleischman) - Trumpet of the Swan (White) - Fortunately, The Milk (Gaiman) - Hoot (Hiaasen) - Frindle (Clements) - Fake Moustache (Angleberger) - The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Angleberger) - The 13-Story Treehouse (Griffiths) - Owls in the Family (Mowat) - How to Eat Fried Worms (Rockwell) Fantasy: - Half Magic --or-- Knight's Castle (Eager) -- much re-read by DSs here - The Book of Three (Alexander) - Peter and the Starcatchers (Barry) - Dragon Spell (Paul) - one of the Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) - Fablehaven (Mull) - Wings of Fire (Sutherland) - The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster) -- a favorite of one DS in 5th grade - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Aiken) -- more of a Charles Dickens-like adventure, but a real favorite of DSs when they were in 5th grade Edited July 4, 2017 by Lori D. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 (edited) Funny book: How Tia Lola Came to Stay Pickle by Kim Baker The Great Greene Heist Misadventures of the Family Fletcher Save Me a Seat Mission Mumbai Fantasy book: Ambassador (this is sci-fi) Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer Zahrah the Windseeker The Conch Bearer The Savage Fortress Mars Evacuees (this is also sci-fi) Starry River of the Sky Edited July 4, 2017 by Tanaqui 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Some fantasy ideas: The Iron Ring The Dark Is Rising The Golden Compass The Princess and the Goblin Tom's Midnight Garden A Wizard of Earthsea Funny: Dahl books, including the biographies for kids The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleynne Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Funny: The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog (Gidwitz) Has historical and fantasy elements. Fantasy: The Wee Free Men (Pratchett) Also funny. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Pratchett) This is funny too. The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) Peter and the Starcatchers (Barry) Dealing With Dragons (Wrede) Also funny. Mairelon the Magician (Wrede) This one is funny too. Harry Potter (Rowling) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtoVA Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 Funny: Surviving the Applewhites Fantasy: The Dragon of Lonely Island As I am completing a list for my rising 4th DD, I would love to see your whole reading list......... : ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistachio mom Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 We just finished The Waterhorse, which is quite a bit different from the movie. It had a lot of humor. This would be easy reading for a 5th grader. You might also have fun looking at Eats Shoots and Leaves - which is about grammar, but seriously funny. This is not literature, but might be fun to reinforce grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 (edited) You might also have fun looking at Eats Shoots and Leaves - which is about grammar, but seriously funny. This is not literature, but might be fun to reinforce grammar. Very amusing book! :) Just an FYI for parents of elementary/young middle school ages: the author does use some 4-letter words, plus 2-3 adult situations as examples in the book, so you may wish to preview. Or if doing as a read-aloud, just so you don't get caught mid-sentence in a few brief spots with something you may prefer to skip over for now. Just me, but I would feel uncomfortable handing this book off to a student below age 13/high school. Again, just our choice, but a few of the suggestions above are more typically slated for late middle school or early high school due to interest level and more mature topics (examples: The Giver, Wizard of Earthsea, The Dark is Rising, Hitchhiker's Guide). If you have a very typical 5th grader, you might want to wait a few years on some of these. Self disclosure: I am very conservative, and we were more delayed about moving in to exposure of mature content and PG-13 materials than others. ;) We certainly DID do difficult books and movies, and have great discussions on difficult topics -- we just felt our DSs were not ready for that until into high school. YMMV. :) Edited July 8, 2017 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistachio mom Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 I have not finished reading the Eats Shoots and Leaves. I was not aware of the inappropriate language and content. Evidently I did not get to it yet....So sorry for recommending. :crying: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 I have The Phantom Tollbooth! I'll have to take a look at it as I haven't read it myself. If you end up using this one, Litwits just sent out a free car bingo game to go with the book. I wish we had had it last year! Even so, our next trip I may print it out and hand it over to the kiddo. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 (edited) I have not finished reading the Eats Shoots and Leaves. I was not aware of the inappropriate language and content. Evidently I did not get to it yet....So sorry for recommending. :crying: So sorry! It's just in a very few spots. I didn't mean to make it sound so dire. :) I just remember it taking me by surprise, because it seemed so unnecessary and so antithetical to the whole concept of the book of expressing oneself well. That's probably why it stands out in my memory. Edited July 9, 2017 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtoVA Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Also for the funny: Slacker and/or Ungifted by Gordon Korman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Also for the funny: Slacker and/or Ungifted by Gordon Korman Gordon Korman is a bit of a genius, though there is some argument as to whether his early works or his later works are better. Objectively, the later ones are better, but kids seem to laugh more reading his early books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAtoVA Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 (edited) Tanaqui, I've heard that same thing!!! I'm just not sure how easy it is to find the earlier books (from the 1980's, 1990's etc.)? I know with my library, if an author has written something like 40-50 or more books (as I think Korman has) and many are older, they seem to only have the more "modern" ones, go figure. For example, If I want to read his book I Want to Go Home (recommended to me as very funny) I would have to get it through interlibrary loan or purchase it. Edited July 9, 2017 by chiefcookandbottlewasher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 Some of his older books have recently been reprinted, though I worry that they've been "updated" at the same time. So they might be available. (And yes, I Want to Go Home is very funny!) Somebody many years ago posted in a fandom community a link to download all his old books as one e-text file, and I gleefully did it without worrying about the implications. After all, I'd already purchased all of them at least once, so it was just backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenecho Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 (edited) FUNNY Holes The Enormous Egg The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (if he's a Star Wars fan...but regardless, the books are great--humorous but also good for making kids think about things in different way. My sons all loved them, the whole series). The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (a little on the young side maybe, but if he hasn't read it, it's wonderful). Humorous but kinda deep too. FANTASY I agree with others who mentioned... The Hobbit Madeline L'Engle books Also... Watership Down Edited July 10, 2017 by goldenecho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 OP, have you decided yet? I always want to hear my suggestions are the bestest know what people picked! (And I bet I'm not alone, either.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 FUNNY Holes The Enormous Egg The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (if he's a Star Wars fan...but regardless, the books are great--humorous but also good for making kids think about things in different way. My sons all loved them, the whole series). The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (a little on the young side maybe, but if he hasn't read it, it's wonderful). Humorous but kinda deep too. FANTASY I agree with others who mentioned... The Hobbit Madeline L'Engle books Also... Watership Down I got Holes for my 4th grader last winter and he read it and LOVED IT. He loved it so much he absolutely insisted I read it. I have to say, after reading Holes, I was so absolutely and totally satisfied, in a way only a few books allow. What a story! What a full circle! It is definitely in my top 10 for children's literature now. I can't talk it up enough! I don't know that it's comedy, but there are some funny parts. I was also reading Code Name Verity (not for children) at the same time, and I remember being struck with just how beautiful both books were, each on their own level. How absolutely satisfying the plots were, though one ends very sadly and the other ends well. Anyway, back on topic now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.