Can you recommend some books for dd. She likes things like Narnia and Harry Potter, but...

[ISeeThreadPeople]

... I'm struggling to get the balance right between reading ability and appropriate literature. She's a fairly precocious reader but I need to keep suitability and comprehension at a level which fits.

She read the first Harry Potter herself and I've read the second and third to her as part of her bedtime stories but have stopped as I think the subject matter becomes too much at that point onwards.

She really likes worlds she can lose herself in in particular. So something like Harry Potter or the Chronicles of Narnia are good and she particularly likes fantasy. We have reams of fantasy but really it's not going to be suitable until she's 10 or older I think. DH reads lots of fantasy fiction and sci fi and she's going to be very happy in a few years time but there's sort of a gap now where she's hankering after longer chapter books, dissatisfied with shorter books but not really old enough for DH's dragonlance collection or things like Philip Pullman.

She's read or had read to her all of the Dahl books, have done Alice In Wonderland, Wind in the Willows and similar classic texts.

What don't I know about? What are the David Walliams books like for example?

[Noren]

www.goodreads.com/series/40371-the-chronicles-of-prydain are funny, silly and set in a coherent fantasy world. Most of my other suggestions have been done!

[Noren]

www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/diana-wynne-jones/ogre-downstairs.htm

[Noren]

Ignore me, trying to post the first link properly and ended up posting a link you don't really need. Will try again: www.goodreads.com/series/40371-the-chronicles-of-prydain

Though The Orge Downstairs is a good age appropriate DWJ.

[showtunesgirl]

Try The Hounds of the Morrigan It is a totally amazing book based on Irish mythology and I cannot for the life of me fathom out why it's not more popular. All those that I have made read it have been amazed by it. I think I've read it at least twice a year since I was about 7.

[QueenBOObread]

I devoured the Belgariad when I was about 8.

I can't think that there's anything in them that should justify her waiting until she's older, except that the series put together is very long?

[VivaLeBeaver]

How about Alan Garner's Weirdstone of Brisengemen? I loved it when I was about 8 or 9.

[TwllBach]

I am also having flashbacks to a book called Elidor. I'm sure it was brilliant...

[exexpat]

Just coming on to recommend Eva Ibbotson's books (as I always do). A 5-6yo who likes Harry Potter will probably love The Secret Of Platform 13, Island of the Aunts, Not Just a Witch, Which Witch, Haunting of Hiram etcetc (DS powered through them in the wake of Harry Potter when he was 6).

Also second the recommendations for Diana Wyn Jones. And have you come across the Madame Pamplemousse books?

[EugenesAxe]

I'm like a broken record but yes to Redwall, also The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. But that might be a little scary... read the chapter 'Mitching Mallecho' - that is spine-tingley/suggestive scary, and 'Maggot Breed of Ymir', which is more matter-of-fact scary to judge for yourself.

I read the Hounds of the Morrigan and found it boring... but it was after Weirdstone that also features the Morrigan and is a gazillion times better IMO.

101 Dalmatians is good, also, possibly a little old but Watership Down?

[EugenesAxe]

Ooops cross-post leBeaver.

[EugenesAxe]

Worse Witch of course! And I lived/breathed the three Faraway Tree books at that age. I still read them on the loo at my folks' [TMI].

[showtunesgirl]

EugenesAxe You're the first person I've ever heard who didn't like the book!

[EugenesAxe]

Well it doesn't mean much really; I'm only one opinion! I'm sure it's just because I was soooo into Garner. The same thing happened when I read Thomas Covenant being soooo into Tolkein... and loads of people like those books.

I don't think I thought it pants, it just didn't stay with me IYKWIM.

[howcomes]

Jill Murphy's the worst witch series, Rosemary Manning Greensmoke - I think there are three in that series and I remember loving a book called the stream that stood still but I can't remember the authors name.

[howcomes]

Also check out a book called Carbonel, sorry but I can't remember who wrote it, I think there are three in the series.

[madamehooch]

Don't mean to be a wet blanket but please wait until she's older before you give her Artemis Fowl. It's such a brilliant series with so much humour in it but she will have no way of appreciating it properly at 5.

Why not try Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series? Similarly, Cressida Cowell's 'How to Train Your Dragon.'

I would have thought that if the later Harry Potters were too scary for her, 'The Dark is Rising' is definitely best left!

[showtunesgirl]

Carbonel is by Barbara Sleigh. Loved those books!

[Naggity]

The unicorn chronicles by Bruce Coville is a good read. The first in the series is called 'into the land of the unicorns'. I read it to my children at bedtimes, We all greatly enjoyed the books. Unfortunately Amazon is the only place that sells his books.

The magic shop series by the same author is also a lot of fun. My children read these on their own, but I sneakily read them when they were in bed.

[wearymum200]

Not sure if already mentioned, but ds1 has just finished the secret kingdom by Jenny Nimmo. He was absolutely gripped by it and we are now awaiting the 2nd from the library.
Fwiw, I think he (at 6) is a bit young for chronicles of prydain, tho' I loved them as a child and can't wait for him to get there and deffo think dark is rising and alan garner are too scary yet awhile!
Anothe story worth a try is the adventures of jack brenin, which was available as a free e book from amazon; not sure if is still free!

[ProPerformer]

The secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0330398016?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Very much like HP in many respects, but also very different. One of my favourite kids books ever.


Great book. :)

[Zorayda]

Agree Diana Wynne Jones - also Anne Fine! She's brilliant, although across a range of ages, but you can tell from book length and font size

[showtunesgirl]

Ooh yes, Jenny Nimmo! I loved her Snow Spider Trilogy!

[quirrelquarrel]

Beverly Cleary
Judy Blume
Paula Danzigar
Babysitters Club

And the Queen IMO- Cynthia Voigt.

[quirrelquarrel]

Oh, sorry, didn't realise she was five!
Enid Blyton and Dick King Smith would be the obvious choices then.