Classics for 11yo DS

[daisydalrymple]

DS is an avid reader and has enjoyed books such as box of delights, tom’s midnight garden, Harry Potter, the explorer, sky song as well as many many football books.

He is now about to start a Christmas carol, after watching the film adaptation and asking if he could read it.

It made me start thinking are there some classics out there he might be ready to enjoy?

Still children's but has he read The Chronicles of Narnia? Also what about Cider with Rosie? Or, not a classic as such, but some of the James Herriot collections are more child friendly or indeed the originals as I can't remember anything awful.

Do you have any good 2nd hand bookshops near you that you could let him loose in?

I have the complete chronicles of narnia, but he’s not read them as yet, so that’s a good reminder. Also yes, I’ll suggest James Herriot to him, thank you 😊

Agatha Christie - not exactly classics, but good “in betweeny” books between children's and adult’s.
Some of the younger terry pratchetts - Maurice or The Wee Free Men?
More actual classics i remember liking in your teenhood - Maybe a bit young yet, but Catcher in the Rye and later To Kill a Mockingbird?
Daddy Longlegs or I capture the castle? (If he doesn’t mind female protagonists), and similar to Tom’s Midnight Garden is Charlotte Sometimes.
if he likes scifi or comedy, The Hitchiker’s Guide?

I have the complete Agatha Christie collection so he is very familiar with the works, although has not read any yet. Maybe Sherlock Holmes first??

I’ve got him a terry pratchet Santa’s beard, for his stocking, so yes, I’ll see how he gets on with that.
I’ll try out the others via the library, thanks!

Northern Lights, The Amber Spyglass etc...
Goodnight Mr Tom
Swallows and Amazons
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
A Wrinkle in Time
The Indian in the Cupboard trilogy
The Hobbit
My Family and Other Animals
Treasure Island
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole
Cue For Treason
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Tom Sawyer
The Sword in the Stone
The Book Thief
Private Peaceful and War Horse
Five Children and It
Swiss Family Robinson

Barry Hines. A kestrel for a knave. Read this in high school and have always remembered it. My DD 9 is really enjoying David Williams books at the moment

I've a 11yo.
He loved the James heriot books (though they convinced him not to be a vet)
He is currently working his way through Malcolm Saville's Marston Baines series. He loved his Lone Pine Series too.
39 Steps
Stalky and Co
Cue for Treason
Swish of the Curtain series
Swallow and Amazon series
Bannermere Series
Various Monica Edwards
Box of Delights (and the Midnight Folk)
Biggles
Alex Rider (not classics but he loved them)
Dark is Rising Series
Chrestomanci Series
Black Beauty

Bows against the Barons, Geoffrey Trease
Silver Sword, Ian Seraillier

Rosemary Sutcliffe, Eagle of the Ninth.

Marking place. How about the Wizard of Earthsea? Havent tried that on DS, can't quite remember what age it would suit. Watership Down?

Fab thread I've been trying to find more for my 10yo.

Lord of the flies (my sons favourite)
Maximum ride series
Maze runner series

The Little House on the Prairie books are fab and I think boys often miss out on them because of the saccharine TV series but they are full of life and death adventures. Try Farmers Boy first to get him into them.

Otherwise what about all those WW2 books we read as kids like The Machine Gunners, Carrie's War, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit etc. Or Susan Copper's The Dark is Rising series.

Gerald Durrell My Family & Other Animals
Jennings
The Day of the Triffids

Ooh wow. Thanks for the replies, I’d forgotten I posted this! I’ll go through extra suggestions now, many thanks.