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Children's books

100 fiction books all Primary children should read.

18 replies

Ausflug · 24/07/2015 18:56

link here

How many have your children read/had read to them, and how old are they?

DD is 7, and has read, or been read to, (parts at least, in the case of whole series) 23 of them.

I am thirty and have only read 53 of them.

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Takver · 24/07/2015 19:16

Roughly 58 (as in, she may have read others from the list that I don't know of). She's 13, so she's had a lot more time than your dd! Also of course plenty of the books on the list are definitely ones children are most likely to read at top end of primary or into secondary age.

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Takver · 24/07/2015 19:20

Actually, I've counted for myself, and I've also read 58 - with considerable overlap (mostly the ones for young children that I read to dd!) but not entirely. Unsurprisingly, she's read more of the modern ones - eg Wolf Brother - me the older ones - eg Tyke Tiler. (I'm 45)

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Takver · 24/07/2015 19:22

Just wondering why only one poem? I mean, it's obviously extremely well known, and I know these lists are always a bit names-out-of-hats, but still.

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Ausflug · 24/07/2015 19:31

Yes, interesting just one poem. Although quite a few of the books for younger children are in verse - The Gruffalo, Green Eggs and Ham, Hairy McClary, The Jolly Postman...

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Sgtmajormummy · 24/07/2015 19:48

Between them my DC (17 & 9) have read 28 of these, and not all at primary age. Me 41.
I notice Harry Potter has been snubbed!

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Takver · 24/07/2015 19:53

There's a few things I'm surprised not to see - none of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books, for example, also no Noel Streatfield at all (yet two EE Nesbit books). I certainly wouldn't rate Eragon over Harry Potter as a 'must read'!

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Takver · 24/07/2015 19:59

Here's another TES list - of teachers 100 favourite books this time. I've read 51 of these leaving aside ones I've started and not finished (Middlemarch, that means you Grin ) You get Harry Potter in this list! And Anne of GG, which is another surprising miss from the previous list.

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MrsKCastle · 24/07/2015 20:16

I think DD1 (almost 7) has read/heard around 24, DD2 (4) maybe 15-20. I think I've read around 70-75.

There's only one specific poem, but there are also books by both Michael Rosen and Benjamin Zephaniah- haven't checked but presumably these are both poetry?

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PlayingHouse · 24/07/2015 21:42

Could anyone tell me which of those books would be good to buy for upcoming Dd1's birthday and and Christmas?

She is 7 atm.

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Takver · 24/07/2015 21:46

The Worst Witch series is nice for that age, I'd say. You might remember it from your childhood? Very funny stories about a school for witches.

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Devora · 24/07/2015 22:06

dd has read 32, and I've read 48. These lists are always odd, though: some of those books are very old and will have stood the test of time (Narnia) though I'm not convinced the same can be said of all.

I think it's ridiculous to leave off Harry Potter. Also surprised not to see Anne of Green Gables, Noughts and Crosses, Little Women, 101 Dalmations.

I've read 62 of the TES list - but that's teachers' favourite books, not their favourite books for children I guess?

About my favourite children's book of the last few years is 'My Big Shouting Day' - has anyone else read it? Absolute genius. Also the Emily Brown series.

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schmalex · 25/07/2015 06:19
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schmalex · 25/07/2015 06:20
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nooka · 25/07/2015 06:54

I've personally read 63 off that first list, and read aloud 37 to my dc (they've probably read another ten or so to themselves). Several of the others I've read books by the same author but not that exact one. Some of the books are excellent, but then so are many books not listed.

However I have to say that any list that has two Enid Blytons on as 'must reads' is pretty dodgy in my book. Malory Towers was and is pap (can't remember if it's also sexist, racist and classist as most of her other books are).

I like the librarians books children might really like list much better! Except the Dark is Rising is not a trilogy - there are five of them, oh and the Chrestomanci series is good but not my favourite Diana Wynne Jones. I only recognised 16 of the picture books and 8 of the early readers, but my children are teens now so some of them might be too recent for us. Probably only read about half of the books for older children, and so might look out for some of the unfamiliar ones - but we could easily add tens if not hundreds more to that list. dd and I recently resorted our children's book collection, keeping all the ones we love and we ended up with a several hundred I think (two big bookcases) even having put away into storage all our favourite picture books and younger children's books too.

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motherwithheadache · 25/07/2015 14:30

dd 8 about 40 from first list, but hm only about 20 from second list. But she was counting with me for the fists list and she has disappeared for the second list.

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madamehooch · 25/07/2015 17:19

Schmalex - I find some of the list you refer to a bit strange eg The Astounding Broccoli Boy is recommended as a first reader. Good though it is, I think a first reader may struggling with it. ..

Would love to see a list of 100 books children would recommend to their friends:)

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NotCitrus · 25/07/2015 17:46

I was an advanced reader but never got into Streatfeild or Ingalls Wilder until age 12/13, though read Anne of Green Gables age 9 after it was read to us at school, followed by the sequels which mostly went over my head.
I'm finding reading WWII/postwar-set books to my kids requires huge amounts of historical explanation that wasn't needed when I was their age, so wonder if a lot of such books can't be counted as for primary age any more?

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NotCitrus · 25/07/2015 17:54

I've read 69 - counting series where I've read at least a few. Would be helpful to have them arranged by age group. Probably about 20 to ds age 6 - including most of the Mr Men/Little Misses. And the first couple chapters of the Faraway Tree, which isn't noticeably racist. Not sure whether ds was more shocked at the 8/9yos being allowed into the forest alone, or the idea of having to do a whole day of chores first, including their cousin!

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