Books to read to my 7 year-old DD (similar to C S Lewis, Roald Dahl....)

[Rockdoctor]

DD is a good reader but she still likes me to read "harder" chapter books to her. We'd been through The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by the time she started school. We've done most of Roald Dahl and most of Enid Blyton (she loves Malory Towers but seems to have outgrown Secret Seven/Famous Five). So... where next? I'm tempted to introduce Harry Potter at this stage, partly because I haven't read them.... and I've also thought about the David Walliams books but am wondering if the themes in these are still too old for her. Any suggestions?

[mankyscotslass]

Try the Susan Cooper "Dark is Rising" Series?

Or LLoyd Alexander "Taran" series

Alan Garners Moon of Gomfrath books are good but slightly darker.

[Icedfinger]

The Borrowers could be good.

Some Michael Morpurgo books- be careful though as some are quite dark.

5 children and it.

Skellig

[Showy]

DD loves the classics. She's just read Tom's Midnight Garden and Stig Of The Dump from my bookshelf. She has worked her way through lots of my childhood books. Swallows and Amazons, Tom Sawyer, Wind In The Willows etc. Really good starting point.

DD is 7 and read most of the David Walliams books while still 6 (she has the new one for Christmas in fact) so they would be fine. The grizzly nature of a few of them is quite appealing in the way that Dahl is. Ratburger we listened to as an audio CD and I was quietly horrified by the end, but the dc cheered!

I dislike Jacqueline Wilson but dd has read a few of them as her best friend is a fan. You need to be VERY careful with them though. Some of them you need to avoid like the plague. Jeremy Strong's good too. DD loves them.

Some short story collections are good too. Terry Jones' fairy tales and George Layton's The Fib and other stories are good.

DD has read the first 5 Harry Potter (number 5 quite recently) and I am making her hold off on the others for a fair while yet. The first three I'd completely encourage you to read out loud.

[DieselSpillages]

My Dc loved Michael Morpurgo's books

[Rockdoctor]

Thanks for the ideas.

The classics are a good bet - she loved The Secret Garden and there's some other good ideas there.

I'm avoiding Jacqueline Wilson as she's addicted to Tracy Beaker on the TV and I got the feeling I needed to approach them with care.

Never heard of "The Dark is Rising" series - I must look at those.

Thanks again

[EElisavetaofBelsornia]

Yes Dark is Rising, Borrowers, Swallows and Amazons. Philip Pullman is great - maybe not Northern Lights for a year or so but ones like I Was A Rat would be good at 7. Anne is Green Gables maybe? As she liked Malory Towers, what about the Chalet School ?

I am really looking forward to my DCs getting to the age when I can read all of these to them.

[Showy]

Well done on avoiding Wilson. Ones like Cliffhanger are fine but some of the others are for much older readers and in some cases, completely inappropriate for any child ever.

[mankyscotslass]

EElisavetaofBelsornia have you escaped from your uncle Cosimo then? Assisted by a girl with eyes like pansies and a bounding St Bernard?

I would agree with the Chalet School books.

Also the Anne Books - and some of the classics like a Secret Garden.

[Takver]

I'd second Swallows and Amazons.

Also what about Ballet Shoes and other Noel Streatfeild books - ideal for reading aloud to a 7 y/o.

Other classics that read well out loud - the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books (I particularly enjoyed reading Farmer Boy, her husband's story), The Little Princess (but be prepared to sob). Jennings is very funny, especially for grown ups as the characters are just so very true to life, but dd liked them too. Professor Branestawm is also very funny.

More modern - what about the How to Train Your Dragon books?

[wearymum200]

101 Dalmations and The Starlight Barking. 5 children and it. My family and other animals. Worst witch. Children of Green Knowe.

[EElisavetaofBelsornia]

Yes manky - knocked a couple of Nazi heads together and ran over the border to Switzerland. Did you know there's a whole clique load of Chalet fans over in the Children's Books thread?

Little House books of course. And Charlotte Sometimes.

[EElisavetaofBelsornia]

Sorry - Charlotte Sometimes is by Penelope Farmer.

[kelda]

What about the Worst Witch books?

[mankyscotslass]

EElisavetaofBelsornia I will have a look for that thread, thanks.

The Little House on the Prairie books went down well here with DD too - and it meant I re-read them, which I really enjoyed.

The How to train your Dragon books are good, as are the "Mr Gum" series.

I've been trying to get hold of the Mary Poppins books from our library - still waiting for them but I think they will go down well too.

[ChocolateHelps]

Shamelessly page marking. Dd1 aged 9yrs loves chapter books but needs new ideas.

[fuzzpig]

We are reading the borrowers ATM. Have already done bedknobs and broomsticks.
Green smoke was nice, and she loved the wizard of Oz and Peter Pan.

[girliefriend]

The Daisy and the Trouble with... series are great and make me laugh as much as dd!! They also were fab for getting dd independently reading.

My dd is 8yo and loves the David Walliams books but has just got into them this year, we have read Gangsta Granny and apart from me sobbing at the end I would say is fine for a 7yo.

The Holly Webb books are o.kay, dd enjoyed the naughty little puppy series although I found them slightly annoying after a while dd loves dogs though!

She also enjoys the Winnie the Witch books and these have been popular goblin series

[girliefriend]

Oh yy to the Mr Gum series -although I find them so random, dd loves them!!

[imip]

Ottoline and goth girl, chris riddell - my 8 and 6 yo love them!

[meglet]

The Phantom Tollbooth (which is my most favourite book ever)

Mr Gum and How to train your dragon are fun to read out loud.

I've read the first 2 Harry Potters out loud to now 8yo DS. Each book took the best part of a year to read, we dipped in and out of it. I even did voices for all the characters which was bloody hard work.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Weirdstone of Brisingemen
Toms midnight garden
Swallows and amazons

[girliefriend]

Meglet wow at doing the voices - that is dedication

Have just bought The Phantom Tollbooth due to your high praise!

[fuzzpig]

The phantom tollbooth is amazing. Actually I might make that one of the books I buy this Xmas. I was in a local theatre play of it when I was 10, I was the Spelling Bee :o (I can still spell antidisestablishmentarianism in under 4 seconds because of that )

[BiscuitMillionaire]

Charlotte's Web - another classic

[DeWee]

I'm reading ds aged 7yo books that I liked as a child, plus some that passed me by but are in his interest (WWII).

These are ones I've read in the last year that I can remember off hand:

Noel Streatfield: When the Siren Wailed , Caldicot house (I think it's called) Tennis Shoes
Malcolm Saville: Mystery at Witchend, Saucers over the Moor, (am saving Wings over Witchend for Christmas reading) Nettleford series, Ambermere Treasure
Monica Edwards: White Riders, Hidden in a dream, Storm Ahead, Dolphin Summer
Violet Needham: Black Riders, another I can't remember in the Stormy Petral series-the one that introduces the little girl he marries
Arthur Ransome: Swallows and Amazons, Winter Holiday, Peter Duck, We didn't mean to go to sea
Geoffrey Trease: Cue for Treason (this was his favourite and he keeps going back and rereading it), No Boats on Bannermere
Laura Ingles Wilder: Farmer Boy, Little house in big woods, little house on the prairie, Long Winter
Cecil Baldock: Demon Island
Richmal Cromton: Various Just William books (was surprised how funny he found them, I thought they'd go over his head)
Michael Momp(however you spell it): War horse, butterfly Lion
Various Biggles books.