Classic bedtime stories for 8yr old DS - what are your must-reads?

[Grockle]

I still read to DS every night but need some inspiration. He's a good reader and loves listening to longer books. We've recently read:

Roald Dahl - almost all of his children's book
Harry Potter (1-4, 5 will be next but I need a break)
Other JK Rowling, HP-related ones
Moomin books
The Mouse & the Motorcycle (Beverley Clearly)
Treehorn
Flat Stanley
Famous Five/ Secret Seven

I tried to read:

Swallows & Amazons but the language was too old fashioned. Maybe when he's a bit bigger.

The Faraway Tree books (Enid Blyton) but he wasn't ready for them. Might be worth a try.

I also want to try Pippi Longstocking

What else?

[Iwearblack]

My 8yrold daughter loved Mr Gumm and also Diary of a Wimpy Kid (and I found them funny too!)

[Iwearblack]

Oh sorry just realised you meant 'classics' well they probably will be now!

[BramblyHedge]

My 7 year old loves the How to train your dragon series.

[feelthis]

Surprising as there is a picture of a girl on the front, the little house on my prairie trilogy has been a big hit with my dss. They are very practical evocative books and the matter of fact practical way of life in them seemed to grab my boys. Little House on the big woods is the first one - worth a try from the library.

[feelthis]

We too have tried some of the other classics like swallows and amazons and the railway children but the language has been a barrier.

Spydog dog books are exciting too. Found the David Walliams themes too grown up for my Ds who is only 7.

[neolara]

My 8 year old loved the Lemony Snicket books.

[Louise1956]

Stig of the Dump by Clive King. One of the best children's books ever written, and perfect for eight year olds. Absolutely marvellous book.

The Professor Branestawm books by Norman Hunter are very funny, most boys would probably enjoy them.

The Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. you can either start with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, the first one to be written, or The Magician's Nephew which is the first chronologically.

The Phantom Tolbooth by Norton Juster, a funny fantasy story with lots of Interesting characters.

All of these are books my sons loved when they were around eight years old.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

My DS loved Enid Blyton's Naughtiest Girl series, we're halfway through St Clares now.

[Louise1956]

The Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge are good fun, set in a boys' prep school, if he likes Harry Potter he might enjoy them. Although they are quite old, they are not really dated, and the language is not difficult.

[SavoyCabbage]

The Indian in the Cupboard series.

[Grockle]

Great suggestions, thank you.

DS was born in America & I love Little House on the Prairie so maybe we'll give that a go. It's a nice easy one to read. I've made a list of all these suggestions

I have Stig of the Dump ready to read him, I'd completely forgotten about it so thank you! I loved it when I was his age. And the Phantom Tolbooth too but I don't remember the story at all.

[13loki]

DS is nearly 8 and has read all the Harry Potters and the Faraway Tree books. He also loved the Narnia books. Not classics, but he has read all the Percy Jackson books and is now on the Kane Chronicles, written by Rick Riordan, like Percy Jackson but with Egyptian gods. He loves the Astrid Lindgren stories, but I am holding off reading them with him (he's learning Swedish so I want to wait until we can read them in Swedish)

Non-fiction, but he loves the Horrible Histories books, and the Terrible Science collection.

[lostintoys]

My 6-year-old DS loved Five Children and It, despite the rather dated language. He also loved Charlotte's Web. Have you tried Tom's Midnight Garden and The Secret Garden?

[Takver]

Definitely the Little House books, but in particular I would read the one about her husband (Farmer Boy). I never read it as a child, but it is fantastic to read out loud, and it covers a year in Almanzo's life from 8 to 9, so especially interesting for dc of that age.

I love the Jennings books, but hard not to giggle when reading them aloud :)

[BlueChampagne]

Rosemary Sutcliffe's The Adventures of Odysseus (I think)
Lucy M Boston The Children of Green Knowe
Susan Cooper The Dark is Rising
Joan Aiken The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

[maillotjaune]

I'm currently reading Tom's Midnight Garden to 8 yo DS2. It is great (we have previously read Mrs Cockle's Cat by the same author which he also loves) - and his big brother is listening too.

Philippa Pearce is the writer - classics but while they are charmingly old fashioned the language is much less annoying than Enid Blyton. Don't inflict the Magic Faraway Tree on yourself

[fuzzpig]

So glad to see Phantom Tollbooth mentioned! Hardly anyone I know has heard of it.

I was in a local theatre performance of it age 11. I was the spelling bee :o

Only just realised it was you grockle!

I wonder if he would enjoy Artemis Fowl.

[MoonlightandRoses]

If he was born in the States, he might also like:
My Side of the Mountain (Jean George)
The Wheel on the School (Meindert de Jong)
The Children on the Oregon Trail (A.Reutgers Van der Loeff)
Year of the Black Pony (Walt Morey)

From this side of the water how about:
The Hobbit
The Alan Garner Wierdstone series (although The Owl Service may be a little scary for him)
Second the Susan Cooper recommendation too.

[fuzzpig]

Have you seen the film Hugo? The book it is based on is The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It is really lovely, it looks really big but actually lots of the story is told in pictures. It also sparked my interest in automata and the film maker George Melies as the book takes a lot of inspiration from these.

Also if he enjoys famous five then there's other series by EB - island of adventure, mystery of the burnt cottage, secret of moon castle, ragamuffin are examples but they are varying lengths so some might be too simple. My favourite stand alone book by her is The Boy Next Door, though it's out of print so I had to buy it on amazon to fulfil my nostalgia need!

Am I right in thinking you have a kindle app? You can get all 14 wizard of oz books for free or cheap on kindle/iBooks. Also Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass which of course has much more detail than the film (much as I love the old Disney version :o)

Thinking about popular children's books at the library - I haven't actually read any of these, I am just remembering what I see borrowed a lot, so some may be wrong level (some easier ones might be better for private reading if you prefer doing more ambitious ones at bedtime, some might be a bit too dark if he's sensitive) but they are all in the junior section at work -
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
Wednesday Brothers series by Anthony Horowitz
The London Eye Mystery
Lion Boy series
Midnight Library series by Nick Shadow
Soul Eater series by Michele Paver
Avantia Chronicles by Adam Blade
Anything by Michael Morpurgo
Abridged versions of classics - Dickens etc
Books by 'Pseudonymous Bosch'
Island Mystery series - Cora Harrison I think (publicised as a modern famous five)
Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Simon Scarrow's younger books (gladiator I think)

Is that enough :o

He sounds liked very well read lad :) I have only managed to read a couple of chapter books to DD (6 in 2 weeks!) as she is often too tired to concentrate.

[fuzzpig]

Oh and:
Diana Wynne Jones books
Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence

[fuzzpig]

Oh sorry the Anthony Horowitz series is Diamond Brothers (but one of the books is called I know what you did last Wednesday :o)

Lauren St John is popular too

Also the Island thing is Adventure Island series by Helen Moss, goodness knows where I got the other name from - I'm sure there is a similar series by Cora somethingorother, no joy on Amazon so I'll look on Monday... Serves me right for thinking about work on a Sunday morning :o

[Grockle]

He loves reading & is a very good reader. He will sit & get through a Horrid Henry book in half an hour or so & he really enjoys me reading more challenging books.

I cannot read The Hobbit. ExP read it to me earlier this year & it is the hardest book ever. I don't know why I can't manage it but I can't.

I have a Kindle app and DS has requested books on his Kindle app too. I've got quite a few of the free children's books.

Not seen Hugo but sounds good. I now have a mega reading list! Thank you so much.

Stop working, Fuzz.

[fuzzpig]

Just wanted to add Corydon and the Island of Monsters by 'Tobias Druitt' - written by a 14yo child genius and his mum :o

[IdaBlankenship]

Good thread! I have a DS of about the same age and I've been reading some of my favourite books to him at night (he normally lets me start just to indulge me, then he gets into the story!).
We have done Roald Dahl, the Moomins, Charlottes Web, I was thinking of Pippi Longstocking next.
But whoever said Stig Of The Dump - I'd completely forgotten that book -good call.

[IdaBlankenship]

Just remembered - a book called Jennie by Paul Gallico about a boy who turns into a cat - my memories are fairly hazy but I remember it being very good!