bedtime stories for 6-8 boy and girl

[Helmetbymidnight]

I've always read to both the kids together for 20 mins. Increasingly they are becoming very choosy about what I read - what one wants, the other hates. Ho hum. I could do one night, her choice, the next night his, but I miss reading to them when they are both gripped.

We've read the lighter Roald Dahl, loved Pippi and Karlson, loved Claude, Mary Poppins, Alice...Faraway Tree.

Any suggestions that might please both of them!! Thank you.

[Itshouldntmatter]

Narnia books. Great read out loud books for that age.

[Helmetbymidnight]

That's a great idea - and I have a copy somewhere too!

[BlueChampagne]

How to Train your Dragon series

[mrsmortis]

Swallows and Amazons? My DD 6 loved that.

[mrsmortis]

Sorry that was meant to be that my DD is 6 years old, not imply that I had six of them...

[imsorryiasked]

The Terry Deary books are great (not the horrible history type ones) he's written loads of kids stories.

[momb]

Secret Seven, boys, girls excitement and a dog. The children are about 9/10 so just the right age.

[keely79]

Reading Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men to DD (6) at the moment - she's enjoying it a lot. It's the first in a series too, so if it goes down well there's a fair bit there.

More Enid Blyton - Famous Five or Secret Seven books?

Paddington books (perhaps a bit young for the 8 year old).

Box of Delights.

[mamapants]

Spiderwick chronicles
Series of unfortunate events

[Helmetbymidnight]

We've read none of these! So this is really great- thank you.

[dinkystinky]

Famous 5

Fortunately the Milk

Wee Free Men

[BlueChampagne]

Time Hunters

[emmaMBC]

anything by Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve ... they have created some great chapter books for this age group.

[IAmAPaleontologist]

Ds (8) has recently enjoyed Neal Gaiman (Fortunately The Milk, Odd and the Frost Giants etc), Phillip Pullman "Adventures of the New Cut Gang", I have yet to get more Pullman but I think his fairy tale type stuff will be a hit, Some Pratchett though he doesn't seem to like it as much as Gaiman. We are currently on Harry Potter (GoF).

Dd (almost 7) has been reading Charlotte's Web,Heidi and we are now working through the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

Have you done Mr Gum or Fizlebert Stump if they like Roald Dahl?

I've given up on reading to mine together, some stuff they both like but they mostly like different things so I'll set one to have a shower while I read to the other or one does their reading book etc.

[Helmetbymidnight]

Ah, some more great ideas, thank you.

We've been reading Lion, Witch, etc, and I'm gripped - never mind them!

They both seem to recoil from anything with a gothicky(?) drawing on the cover so I'm not sure if they will try Neal Gaiman. (I would like to!)

They've read Mr Gum but not Fizlebert Stump...

I have Charlotte's Web and didn't read it as a kid, however DH fears it will turn them vegetarian. Is this a likely outcome?!

[IAmAPaleontologist]

One of dd's ambitions in life is to raise a pig and kill it. She is a rather odd child though. Just follow it with little house In the big woods to knock any sentimentality about animals out of her!

[Onlyonamonday]

As a child I read and re- read "Brownie Tales" by Enid blyton.. Read this to my own dc and they loved it. Both grown up now and still remember enjoying the story.

[VegetablEsoup]

michael mupurgo?
astrid lindgren?

[Helmetbymidnight]

IAmAPaleontologist - DD sounds like an interesting kid!

We all love Astrid Lindgren. I'd been waiting a bit for Michael Murpogo - although by the time, they're ready, they won't want to be read to anymore, I imagine!

[Helmetbymidnight]

I've never heard of 'Brownie Tales'. I'll have a look. We abandoned the Wishing Chair a couple of weeks ago.

[mrsmortis]

How about Swallows and Amazons?

[mrsmortis]

Whoops, I thought this was a new thread - obviously it was a good idea though as I suggested the same thing twice grin

[Helmetbymidnight]

You Really like Swallows and Amazons
I/they haven't read it. I will give it a whirl- I love doing my posh voice impersonations.

[happyjustobeme]

Usborne does a lovelybrange of hardback collections of illustrated abridged stories. They are the Illustrated Arabian Nights stories, Illustrated Classic Stories for Boys, Illustrated Dickens Stories ... There are a good few to choose from. They are about 200ages long, nicely illustrated in colour, and between 6 and 8 stories per book. Some stories are split into short chapters.

I am reading the Arabian nights collection with my 7yo now. I think his reading is good enough for him to read them himself, but he really enjoys me reading to him, and these are new stories for us. Tonight, he really enjoyed Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. RRP is £12 or so, but I got it for about £8 on amazon, and the whole range is good value at this price.