Blessedfamily Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 My dd is sensitive to really sad themes in books and movies. In fact, when I was looking at homeschool curricula, I was going to go with Sonlight until I previewed some of the books- waaaay to sad. She is not as sensitive as she was, but I still hold off on books that are too tragic. (We're getting ready to start Black Beauty, which I'm ashamed to say I cannot remember at all. ) Can we start a list of book recommendations for late elementary/early middle school age that aren't too "dark" or tragic? (A little misfortune is OK) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Uh-oh... Black Beauty was SO sad. It seems like everyone mistreats Beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I can totally relate. My oldest is 10. She watched her first cartoon when she was 3 or 4 (puppy gets left behind and in the care of a family of rabbits) and bawled, begging me to turn it off. Now at 10yrs, last week she came down crying and mad. I asked her what was wrong. "Every book I read has someone dying in it!" It was really frustrating for her. This is the kind of girl that would love to live in a Pollyanna world (hmm, wonder what other 10yr old she reminds me of...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Uh-oh... Black Beauty was SO sad. It seems like everyone mistreats Beauty. :001_huh: Oh no! I knew I should have pre-read it before we started. I can totally relate. My oldest is 10. She watched her first cartoon when she was 3 or 4 (puppy gets left behind and in the care of a family of rabbits) and bawled, begging me to turn it off. Now at 10yrs, last week she came down crying and mad. I asked her what was wrong. "Every book I read has someone dying in it!" It was really frustrating for her. This is the kind of girl that would love to live in a Pollyanna world (hmm, wonder what other 10yr old she reminds me of...). I admit to being a bit of a Pollyanna myself. Maybe that's where my dd gets it from? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I was also. So totally understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 I need to read up on the classics to remember what happened in which book. I seem to have forgotten them (the few that my slack school required). Reading Wagon Wheels, she became instantly upset because it says they went out west because the mother died. I inked out "died" and wrote "went to visit her Aunt" on top of it. Then, I made the mistake of getting some Charles Dickens "for kids". Well, it looked like it was for kids because it had cartoon drawings. She came to me upset about Mr. Krickle(sp?) or some teacher who gave David Copperfield a caning. (Though she says he did better at his new school.) I know I should pre-read, but it's not always possible. That's why I thought I might at least get a few recommendations so I can make a short list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 You may simply need to sit down and discuss these things with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Yes. Unfortunately, with the baby getting into everything, and Dh working so much, our read aloud time has fallen way off. That means she reads books by herself that I intended for us to read together. Some of them I found for great bargains and didn't intend for her to read for quite some time. She will not leave a book unread if it's in the house. She has to read everything, and then gets upset by some of it. (She's getting a little better.) There was a thread on the board a few days ago about things you thought you'd never say. I was one of the people who responded "Put that book away and do_________!" I never thought I would say that to a child. I think this is one more reason you don't just let a child "off on their own" because they can read and comprehend well. I'm learning a lot in the few months we've been homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 My oldest ds is almost 10 now, and isn't as sensitive as he used to be. He still doesn't like books that have deaths in them though. I've avoided Black Beauty because I will admit that I remember crying over it. He loves animals though and stories with animals, so I imagine at some point he'll read Black Beauty. Some of his past favorites are: Freddy Goes to Florida (and all others in the series) by Walter Brooks Wind in the Willows (there is some fighting in this, but I don't think anyone actually dies) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (but Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator gave him nightmares). The Trumpet of the Swan (but he found Charlotte's Web upsetting and refused to listen to me read Stuart Little) He also read (and continues to read) a good bit of non-fiction. I hope this helps, Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 A few more favorites: Mr. Popper's Penguins A Cricket in Times Square Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Dealing with Dragons might be ok, and Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. What about the Jeeves books? Those are pretty light, although they are meant for adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) Yvette, You didn't say how old your dd is, but we have gone through this and I even had to preread the Little House on the Prairie books in case something sad happened so I could prepare her before it happened and let her know that it got resolved. Still, I'd preread any of those, too. Black Beauty is way too sad, and dd read it when she got older. Cobblestreet Cousins (about people) series by Cynthia Rylant. Just before that in reading level is The Lighthouse Family series by Cynthia Rylant (about a 3.8 reading level, or so I read somewhere). They have some sad beginnings but are such a sweet, happy, loving family who are always helping other animals in distress Dd liked the Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars book and its sequels. Betsy-Tacy books may be good. My second dd remembers one sad thing (my eldest didn't care for Betsy-Tacy), but it might have been the second book. Pollyanna does have some sad parts as she has that accident, but it ends up happy. You may wish to try Heidi, which has a happy ending. I can't remember the others, off hand, that haven't already been recommended. Oh, wait, perhaps The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I should add that we couldn't even say the word "die" in front of one of my dd for several years, but at 13 she's handling To Kill a Mockingbird, which would have been too upsetting for her at age 10, even though she could have read it. My 10 yo cried buckets reading Elsie Dinsmore, but not from death, but over the strain in the relationship between Elsie, a Christian, and her Dad. We don't usually read those kind of books, but wanted to try them out. OTOH, she was able to read a book about the gladiator fights in Rome. My dc are all sensitive, but not always to the same things. Edited January 30, 2009 by Karin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Swiss Family Robinson might be a good choice. I also loved - still love - My Side of the Mountain. The Three Musketeers might work (and a history lesson about French history to go along with it?). The "Indian in the Cupboard" series is good. Ditto Heidi. Then there's Around the World in 80 Days (I don't think anyone dies in this), Robinson Crusoe... actually, if you search for "great illustrated classics," you'll probably be able to find quite a few more that might fit the bill since there are a lot of books on that list. DD may not like all these books, since I know most of them seem more masculine than feminine, but I was an adventure reader as a kid. Oh, and one last recommendation... Sarah, Plain and Tall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Swiss Family Robinson might be a good choice. I also loved - still love - My Side of the Mountain. The Three Musketeers might work (and a history lesson about French history to go along with it?). The "Indian in the Cupboard" series is good. Ditto Heidi. Then there's Around the World in 80 Days (I don't think anyone dies in this), Robinson Crusoe... actually, if you search for "great illustrated classics," you'll probably be able to find quite a few more that might fit the bill since there are a lot of books on that list. DD may not like all these books, since I know most of them seem more masculine than feminine, but I was an adventure reader as a kid. Oh, and one last recommendation... Sarah, Plain and Tall. Some good suggestions here, but I think Robinson Crusoe might be too much for some sensitive children, so I suggest prereading there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 The family members are the only survivors of their shipwreck - which could be traumatic. Also, there is an awful lot of hunting and killing of animals in the book. I don't know if that would bother your child. Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 The family members are the only survivors of their shipwreck - which could be traumatic. Also, there is an awful lot of hunting and killing of animals in the book. I don't know if that would bother your child. Jean Yes, and it's highy unrealistic. We never finished this, but not so much over the hunting as the fakeness of it (all those animals on that island, etc.) It's my ds that would be the most upset over hunting, but he and I have never read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) Well, today we tried the Black Beauty beacuse it's the only thing on the bookshelves she hasn't already read. By the third short chapter a horse and horseman were already dead of broken necks. (I read the part about the horse, but quickly flipped the page about the young man's funeral.) Feel free to say, "I told you so." It's a shame, really, because the story would otherwise be perfect. Just the right level- not too complicated and not "talking down". Karin, DD is 5, but definately into med-length chapter books. I'm going to jot down the titles here and try again. Read aloud time together was short but very sweet today. :001_smile: Edited January 30, 2009 by Blessedfamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Have you read the Shoes books by Noel Streatfeild? I'd start with Ballet Shoes (the best of the lot). We also enjoyed Circus Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Theatre Shoes (read Ballet Shoes before this one) and Party Shoes. These books are girly, but not frilly. There are no princesses; the kids in the books workt their butts off, especially the kids blessed with natural talent. The pastel covers kept me away initially, but both DD the Elder and myself been pleased with them. Her favourite is Circus Shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 But don't read the last chapter of A House at Pooh Corner (where Christopher Robin is being sent away to boarding school) - it always makes me cry. The Paddington Bear novels are fine, as are the Milly-Molly-Mandy books. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 DD is super sensitive in some ways, completely blase in others. We are not allowed to sing or hum 'You are my Sunshine,' she despises that song, but we can read Poe. Anyway, she loves Jack London, there are parts that make her cry, BUT she says it is worth it, for the story. Maybe that is the key? Finding a story so good your dd will cry, but keep going? I would say Wrinkle in Time, Chronicles of Narnia the first few books (there are some partings, but nothing I can remember as being TOO sad, except that they have to come to an end). Also, Alice in Wonderland, excellent fantasy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chai Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I have a very sensitive dd. She hates any movie or book that makes her cry. When she was first starting to read, we had to use non-fiction books--especially science--sometimes history gets a bit rough. She has enjoyed humorous series like Miss Pickerell, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Encyclopedia Brown, and anything by authors like Roald Dahl and Beverly Cleary. She has loved Chronicles of Narnia for years, even though there are some sad parts in these, it has a happy ending. If your dd likes horse books, try anything by Maguerite Henry. For history, dd likes Dear America and My America books, but when she was younger, she was disturbed by how many children were motherless. If any book is questionable, I read it aloud so that I can skip or stop as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 I have a very sensitive dd. She hates any movie or book that makes her cry. When she was first starting to read, we had to use non-fiction books--especially science--sometimes history gets a bit rough........ Woo yes! The history does get rough. I had to ink over chopped off heads in her Usborne history book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plimsoll Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 In addition to the many books already recommended, I would add the Doctor Doolittle books, the Wizard of Oz books (some witches die...), books by E. Nesbit and Edward Eager. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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