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Not Famous Five ... What is it that we need?

54 replies

roisin · 04/02/2005 20:27

Ds2 is almost reading to himself in bed. We were reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it was so exciting he wanted to read on, so each night he read a couple of chapters in bed.

Please remind me what else is out there (other than Roald Dahl) of a similar length and complexity, exciting - a real page turner, but not too scary (as he's a sensitive little flower).

Michael Morpurgo seems a bit too heavy atm.
I can't face fancy Horrid Henry or Enid Blyton.
Olga da Polga didn't do the trick
He doesn't like books with animals as the characters - like many Dick King-Smith books.
Flat Stanley, young puffins and the like are a bit too short for what we're after.

I'm sure there's an author I must be missing for this stage/phase..?

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Original poster
roisin · 21/04/2005 13:05

Just wanted to post an update and say thanks again to everyone who made suggestions for us on here!

Every evening now as well as spending half an hour reading to each other, he's then been reading to himself for an hour every night

Also as ds2 is reading more widely, and more demanding books, ds1 is recommending books to him and they are discussing their reading together ... I LOVE it!

I can't remember who recommended what, but as well as his school books he's particularly enjoyed books by Sally Gardner, Dick King-Smith, Anne Fine, Eoin Colfer, LOADS of non-fiction, and is currently reading the Amazing Grace books by Mary Hoffman which Batters recommended to me on another thread.

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Original poster
roisin · 12/02/2005 18:52

Marthamoo - thank you! We started the Sally Gardner: Invisible Boy book tonight, and it seems spot on. We took turns reading the first few chapters to each other, then he chose to read on alone. I could hear him upstairs laughing at the jokes, and he kept shouting out "It's really funny mummy!"

Love it!

We read Michael Morpurgo: Cool, which he enjoyed, but he didn't want to read on alone.

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Marina · 08/02/2005 15:40

Roisin, ds is really enjoying Martin Jarvis' excellent "simplifications" of Just William stories. All the fun, no tinkering, but made more accessible.
Will definitely try The Thieves of Ostia etc. A friend had Caroline Lawrence come and speak at her school for World Book Day and she was just fabulous.

purpleturtle · 08/02/2005 15:34

That's CS Lewis, munnzieb. Lewis Carroll is Alice in Wonderland.

tarantula · 08/02/2005 14:56

Have you tried Paddington stories and the wombles books (are they still in print? Not the picture books the full stories) also Philip Pullmans books for younger kids I was a rat and Clockwork.

munnzieb · 06/02/2005 14:33

lewis carroll any good, or a bit too old? (i'm thinking lion witch and wardrobe/ cronicals of narnia type thing.)

Do they still do the mobile book club in schools where two cabinet type things come around and you can pick some books to buy.

WideWebWitch · 06/02/2005 14:32
Smile
Original poster
roisin · 06/02/2005 14:32

Did I mention he was 'in conflict' with his teacher, teaching assistant, dinner ladies, and the Head teacher within a month of starting school! Hmmm... Maybe it's all my fault after all!

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WideWebWitch · 06/02/2005 14:30

Trunchbull was probably not the best thing just before school!

Original poster
roisin · 06/02/2005 14:27

Thanks for all the responses on this - please do keep them coming!

He's only 5.5 btw, but fluent reader and very good passive vocab. So the obstacle is content rather than complexity iyswim. I'm looking for something 'exciting' that doesn't scare the living daylights out of him.

Tinygang - I'd forgotten about Phantom Tollbooth: ds1 loves it, and discovered it about this age, I think. (Personally I think it's just plain wierd!)

I think Matilda would be a bit too scary right now. I didn't know Matilda at all, and read it to ds1 as 'just another Roald Dahl' when he was 5 ... the week before he started school for the first time ... Oops!

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Original poster
roisin · 06/02/2005 14:27

Thanks for all the responses on this - please do keep them coming!

He's only 5.5 btw, but fluent reader and very good passive vocab. So the obstacle is content rather than complexity iyswim. I'm looking for something 'exciting' that doesn't scare the living daylights out of him.

Tinygang - I'd forgotten about Phantom Tollbooth: ds1 loves it, and discovered it about this age, I think. (Personally I think it's just plain wierd!)

I think Matilda would be a bit too scary right now. I didn't know Matilda at all, and read it to ds1 as 'just another Roald Dahl' when he was 5 ... the week before he started school for the first time ... Oops!

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munnzieb · 06/02/2005 12:59

edin blyton did an adventure series don't know the neam i'm afraid thou.

How about Matilda/ BFG (I used to love that book) both roald Dahl.

TinyGang · 06/02/2005 12:35

That last one was by Hilda Lewis - just checked on Amazon. Gosh, I want to read it again now

TinyGang · 06/02/2005 12:32

I haven't checked this thread properly to see how old your ds is, so not sure if these would be ok. I was about 7/8 I think when I read these.

I have happy memories of 'The Phantom Tollbooth' by Norton Juster.

Also 'Fattypuffs and Thinifers' by Andre Maurois.

'Stig of the Dump' ?King? Not sure of the authors name. Maybe a bit scary.

There was also a book I clearly remember reading when I was about 7/8 called 'The Ship that Flew' and was brilliant - a real old fashioned adventure - again the authors name is gone from my head just now.

sarahu · 06/02/2005 12:04

What about the Mr Majeika books?

marthamoo · 05/02/2005 16:32

I read a few FF books to ds1 - he quite likes them but they are a bit "samey" after a while. Some of ours were dh's - so date back to the 70s and I was shocked to read in one (the one with the "spook" trains) when the children get covered in coal dust - "they were as black as..." yes, you guessed it that word I assume they have removed that from recent editions.

Only other one I've thought of is Dick King-Smith?

tamum · 05/02/2005 16:27

I have a feeling I've mentioned him before, but how about any of the Philip Ardagh books, like the Eddie Dickens trilogy? Very witty and engaging but maybe too scary I guess. I would agree about Just William- I started reading them at about 7, I think. It might be worth having a look at Nina Bawden books, and I'm sure you've already thought of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

WideWebWitch · 05/02/2005 16:24

What a shame roisin. at 'officious young tart', though.

Original poster
roisin · 05/02/2005 16:23

Oh we've got those on the shelf Anorak - I'll have a look!

YG - thanks for the offer. I'll check out the school library first on Tuesday - it's huge and they have "just about everything".

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anorak · 05/02/2005 16:18

I know they're old but what about the William books by Richmal Crompton?

Yorkiegirl · 05/02/2005 16:18

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Original poster
roisin · 05/02/2005 16:16

Unsatisfactory visit to the library - neither of the two JW books you recommended YG, and the Molly Moon book ds1 had ordered was only one of those little 'World Book Day' taster books, so he wasn't chuffed. AND they didn't have either of the Dick King-Smith books we were looking for!

They were selling off some old stock though, and I got half a dozen Anne Fine books for 10p each!

I also had a stand-up row with some officious young tart in Vodafone shop

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Yorkiegirl · 05/02/2005 10:23

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Original poster
roisin · 05/02/2005 10:10

I don't know JW at all YG. I will have a flick through at the library or at school and see what I think about those.

I can't decide about Dear Olly and Cool ... they are both pretty emotionally heartrending in places. I love them, I'm just not quite sure if he's ready for that.

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Yorkiegirl · 05/02/2005 09:50

Message withdrawn