Classic to read to 8 year old

[sunshine75]

I still love reading to dd before bed, but I'm bloody sick of Harry Potter/kids books. Thinking of reading one of the classics to her when we finally finish the Goblet of Fire.

Suggestions please for one of the classics that would appeal to an 8 year old girl and her mum.

Ballet Shoes
Dancing Shoes
Swallows and Amazons series
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Howl's Moving Castle
Anne of Green Gables
E Nesbit books

Half Magic - Edward Eager

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower - Rumer Godden

the Kingdom and the Cave - Joan Aiken

Gobbolino the Witch's Cat - Ursula Moray Williams
Carbonel- Barbara Sleigh

Lion Witch and the Wardrobe

A Dog So Small - Philippa Pearce

Charlotte's Web - E.B. WHite

will be able to think of loads more and agree with Little House books too. Have fun

The Phantom Tollbooth was a surprise hit with DS1 at 8.

The Box of Delights, The Children of Green Knowe, and 101 Dalmatians would all be Christmassy books.

Also itching to get started on The Wolves of Willoughby Chase etc.

Another one here for The Borrowers. The Diddakoi is good, too.

An American classic called Nancy and Plum.

All the Ramona books by Beverley Clearly

My eight year old is obsessed by Percy Jackson but if I am reading to her I would rather go for something else. Anything by Diaa Wynne Jones, Joan Aiken or Eva Ibbotson would be worth a try.

Nice to see other fans of the Rumer Godden books. There is also one called Little Plum and a lovely Christmassy one called Holly and Ivy.

I wouldn't do Tom's Midnight Garden or Goodnight Mr Tom until about 10. They are two of my very favourite books but always read them to top end Y5 or Y6 rather than Y3-4.

Bogwoppit
Gobbolino
The Little Prince

Mary Poppins
Joan Aiken - Wolves of Willoughby (sp) series
Astrid Lindgren books are wonderful

Second Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. DS1 (9) has read it more than once; I think the off beat humour appeals, and the poems.

Just to show there's nowt so queer as folk, we're preferring The Water Babies to Five Children and It, which we found very dated. He enjoyed Swallows and Amazons but wasn't taken with Swallowdale.

Leon Garfield's Smith, or the Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris.
Some of his books are more suitable for older children, and I think the language is fairly complex to read to herself, but they're fantastic stories to listen to.

When I was that age I used to love to stay at my cousin's and in the morning I'd get in her bed and she would read Children of the New Forest to me.

We had done:

The Indian in the cupboard
Stig of the Dump
The Little Princess
Ballet Shoes
Five children and It
Borrowers
Swallows and Amazons
Swallowdale (sequel)
The Hobbit
Tom's Midnight Garden
First Harry Potter
The Secret Garden
Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIMH
Peter Pan
What Katy Did
Moondial
Box of Delights
Lion Witch and Wardrobe

I actually look forward to bedtime now because I get to read all the books I loved!

Next up: some Terry Pratchett (Diggers, Truckers etc) and Michael Morpurgo Why the Wales Came.

I can't read her Goodnight Mr Tom - it was the first book I cried while reading (as a child) and now I'd definitely be a blubbering mess!

Just realised our "Water Babies" is an abridged version ...

I had a read of some of my childhood favourite classics when DGD was little. I was surprised and disappointed how dated and boring they seemed now.
The only old books that haven't dated with regards to the way they're written are by...Enid Blyton. Sorry!
The American series of books called The Boxcar Children were written by an American teacher in 1924 and they're well-written and have good storylines.

If she can stand a bit of detail (on say, how maple syrup is made) the pehaps Little House in the Big Wood (first in the little house on the prairie series, before they moved out to the prairie). We read a few more but that was my favourite one. But it helps I think if DC like history/understanding how other cultures work.

I dont think Charlottes Web or Stuart Little have been mentioned?

We have Phillip Pullmans Grimms fairy tales on hand and read a few between books.

My boys loved My Fathers Dragon - simple language and story line so maybe better for a 4/5/6 year old but my 8 year old also liked it , but posting more for legacy.

Emil and the detectives

The Children of Green Knowe is up next on our list

Talking about old books becoming irrelevant to 21st Century kids, I had to work really hard with DD to understand Just William. The humour went down fine, but the references to Temperance League children's clubs and his sister's social circle went way over our heads.
With Treasure Island it was a mixture of seafaring language and the archaic turns of phrase that made DD say: "I hear the words you say but I JUST CAN'T UNDERSTAND them!".

I'm pretty sure she would have given up if she'd read them to herself.

Can I just hijack for a quick question? My sister wants me to get my 8yr old niece a book that she can read to herself? Any suggestions of books for her age with a few pics to keep her attention? Thanks in advance

Mrs Farm - anything by David Williams. Anything by Roald Dahl. Secret Seven or Famous Five by Enid Blyton. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Pippi Longstocking (there's a lovely edition with illustrations by Lauren Child).

Thank you wigeon. I think I have that pippilongstocking one actually that my now 15yr old had. Must dig it out. A few Rohl Dahls around too.

Also, David WALLIAMS not Williams! Hope you find something good for her.

Diana Wynne Jones is great to read aloud. I also really like hilary mckay particularly the porridge hall trilogy starting with dog Friday and then the exiles series (she's probably still a little young for the casson family) or joan aiders short stories (particularly all and more ; a small pinch of weather) another vote here too for the dark is rising