Help me plan a storming summer reading list for DC

[BookSnark]

I want to really get behind the reading challenge in DD1s school - and extend it to her brothers - even planning to put up prizes! All I need is a storming reading list for each DC covering different genres.

Ages are 11 (girl), 8 (boy) and nearly 7 (boy).

11yo is an ultra-speed reader (normal kids paperback chapter book read in a night). I thought to maybe put an extra condition on her reading challenge (eg all books must be 100+ years old).

8 yo was a keen and prolific reader at one point - but he was very conservative in his choices. Now he's read all the Mr Gum books and Mr Majeika books, he's kind of stopped reading. I don't know whether to just go down a 'books for 8 year olds' list - or maybe build a list around a theme (eg Prehistory...?)

Nearly 7 yo is fine with reading - but quickly defaults to 'its too haaaaarddd'. He's read a few of DS1s Mr Gum - but he generally defaults to comic books and joke books. I want to set him up with some sure-fire winners very easy chapter books to build his confidence. He's a sensitive soul who doesn't care much for Dragon Quest or Football.

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Ask school? We get a list of fifty books each year as suggestions for reading outside of class....

Lots of the YA are not about relationships. You can avoid Fault in our Stars and Forever but for an 11/12 yr old I can recommend
miss Pergrine has no romance it's fantasy,
Tiffin
the 13 Treasures,
Adrian Mole
The Boy in the Tower
I capture the castle

If you are looking for older books, how about:

Black Beauty
A Little Princess
Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" books
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (and others, but this is my favourite)
The Jungle Books
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
Elizabeth Enright books: The Saturdays, The Four Story Mistake, etc
Sherlock Holmes Stories
Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" books

These are all wonderful books, beautifully written and memorable. The ones for younger readers could also be enjoyed by an 11 year old (or an adult).

By older books, I meant books which have been around for a while and stood the test of time, not necessarily books for older readers.

I guess you really want them reading more children's classics that will stretch them a bit but also have good stories that engage them?

Have any of them read the Little House on the Prairie books? DD1 (7) loves them but so do her boy cousins (9 and 7). They all loved that they were about a real person. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit would fit into that category as well.

Historical fiction that I loved: Carrie's War, the Machine Gunners, The Secret Garden.

Timeslip Fantasy: Tom's Midnight Garden, A Traveller in Time, The Children of Green Knowe.

Poetry: Michael rosen is great and very funny. The ahlbergs did some good poetry for younger kids. The School Bag is a great big anthology but might feel a bit worthy, I can recommend the adult version The Rattle Bag though.

For the boys - I just want to add variety - but I think DD would benefit from 'classic' books.

OP, I wonder whether you're going about this the right way, though it's clear your intentions are really good.

I know when I read I like to find my own books and although I like recommendations (eg if someone's just finished a book and loved it) I don't like being told what to read. Could you not take them into a bookshop and see what they come up with themselves?

I think at this point just to have them reading is great. What's most important is that they love the books they're reading and that they've had some say in which books they'll read. When they're older they may download a list of Top 100 Books etc and work their way through them, but remember that every single reader would have a different set of top books.

As far as Agatha Christie is concerned, I loved reading her books because I liked the puzzle of trying to work out whodunit. As for Anne of Green Gables, it really REALLY isn't about plucky girls learning to be ladies! I don't know where you got that idea from. However, if she didn't like it, put it aside and she may like it when she's older. Or she may never like it.

I think when you love reading yourself it's very tempting to think you know what they 'should' be reading, but it's so, so personal and although I think sometimes a recommendation is great, sometimes it's not and the child feels a pressure to read something you like just because you liked it and they love you and want to make you happy.

Throw them into Waterstones with a £10 limit and each of them will come out with books they'll enjoy, which may or may not have been books on your list.

I do take them to the library - but they really don't have the knack of picking - we end up with a spread running from Punjabi picture books to Point Horror - none of which even get looked at at home.

I've settled DS1 down with the Wimpy Kid. Apparently I've really been underestimating DS2 - because I came to his room with a shortlist - and it turns out he'd read them all on the sly!

So WerePuppy (Jacqueline Wilson) he remembered from when we'd read 18m ago; the Twits he knew off an audiobook; 100 mile an hour dog & Flat Stanley he'd borrowed off DS.

So where now with DS2....? I'll order a later Paddington for him I guess and look online for some reading lists. Their schools subscribe to the 'death by Biff and Chip' philosophy of reading - but I know that some schools do publish recommended lists.

I wanted to start DD on something tonight - and did want to go a bit 'old fashioned' - so she's ended up with James Herriot (!) I'll see how that goes.

Judith Kerr. When hilter stole white rabbit?
Carries War- nina bawden

YY to Agatha Christie. They were the first "adult" books I read at about the age of 11-12 & I loved them. I was (and still am when I have the chance) an avid reader.
Also classics like Black Beauty & Little Women are good.

For poetry for the 11yo - does anyone know I wouldn't thank you for a valentine ? Is it 'too much' for an 11yo...?

My DS 8 loves Mr Gum

Others he enjoys
Tom gates,
Will Solvitt
Flat Stanley
Horrible histories
David walliams ( though we read those together as he gets overwhelmed by thick books)
Captain underpants

He has read the series of the magic faraway tree.

I can tell you I was reminded by someone who mentioned swallows and Amazons. Despite loving Tom sawyer as a child My Dad decided I was reading trash and until I read Swallows and Amazons he was cancelling smash hits...To this day I have no read swallows and Amazons ...

Ds8 has enjoyed percy Jackson

He loves history though so has lots of historical encyclopaedias and books about different eras. The two world wars are of particular interest.

To supplement he reads a lot of historical fiction. He likes the range called 'my story', when hitler stole pink rabbit, war horse, the roman mysteries, 1000 paper cranes, the boy with the bronze axe etc

Our library does a scheme where you have to read five but they all have to be borrowed from them and when returned there is a volunteer who asks them things about the book to make sure they've read them!!

Fantasy: The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin

Adventure:
Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Holes by Louis Sachar
Or any other by these two writers
Biggles are the ultimate adventure books or classics such as Treasure Island

For sci-fi, SF Said's Phoenix is a fantastic book set in space for about 9+.
I'm not so sure about Agatha Christie, to me it's very dated in style. Much better would be Robin Stevens mystery stories like Murder Most Unladylike, which are set in a 1930s boarding school but recently written. The first one has won lots of prizes and is aimed at 9+.
You could try looking at the Carnegie shortlist to find some great modern books.

Ds 8 enjoyed toms midnight garden and goodnight mr Tom. He's just started black beauty.

I think there is a lot of merit to reading a range of books from classics to modern. I woul include Enid blyton and agatha Christie in there within a range of eras.

For your dd try Helen forrester (especially the autobiograpgical trilogy - i rememer appreciatibg my parents a lot more after reading them!!) And even Catherine Cookson - v easy to read for that age group. Books written by female authors and focussing on female characters.

My 7 year old loves Mr Gum

He is racing through Tom Gates series and Diary of a wimpy kid- he laughs out loud and won't put them down!

Also david walliams
Tony robinson history series eg ww2

Update:

Philosophy Files was a hit - DD has been reading bits out over breakfast.

Sting of the Dump - DS1 liked it

Ramona made DS2 giggle and giggle (though we've been reading it together )

LittleHouse on The Prarie was judged 'too sad' after 4 chapters

Jeeves and Wooster was 'OK' according to DD1.

Glad to hear the Philosophy files went down well :)

Well - the 'should I eat meat' chapter was lasciviously read out by DD while DS2 was tucking into sausages.... So it's has succeeded for reading and thinking and traumatising little boys .....

I think your 11 yr old needs some leeway in choosing her own books. By 11 I was reading anything I could get my hands on - jackie Collins, my grandmas mills and boon, Charles dickens (was never a favourite), little women and the rest of the books, chalet school bits, Stephen king, point horror, sweet valley, Peter Pan (the original novel), the newspapers..I had already read all the children's classics and more and my parents just left me too it. I will say that Raymond E Fiests 'faerie tale' is far too scary for an 11 yr old though. I tried the rest of my dad's science fiction collection but it was a genre I never really got into. The staff in bookshops are generally very helpful. My mum had just discovered reading after never picking up more than a magazine, they are wonderful in recommending non fiction to her.

The book challenge idea is to help the kids expand their range.

DS2 target is to read 5 chapter books
DS1 target is to read 5 books from 'series' he hasn't tried before (so off this thread he also has, for example, Malory Blackman)
DD1 target is to read 5 books written before 1950

It's not displacing their other reading - just a little bit of scaffolding.

Your 11 year old would probably love the Wells and Wong books by Robin Stevens. They're Agatha Christie for young people.

What purpleflamingoes said. I think by 11 I'd nicked James Herbert's The Rats out of my dads wardrobe, done my mums Jackie Collins and moved swiftly on to David Eddings - which I've reread hundreds of times over the years.

I would also recommend a variety of things like Anne of green gables, sweet valley high and Tom sawyer!