Read-aloud Books for DS11 - well presented "complex" characters (not black and white)

[Rekka]

DS is ND and has a good heart, but with a tendency seeing things with a bit of "black-and-white" lens. Sometimes, things/people could upset him disproportionally, because he has a strong than usual sense of "fairness" or "justice".

It's all alright when he's young. But when he's getting older and especially will start secondary school in just a few months time, I would like him to be exposed to more complex characters to be prepared for the wider social circle and the path towards independence.

I'm ND too, so a bit of the same. Sometimes I'd be overly self-protective whilst some other times, I lay my trust in people too quickly. So it's not the most natural thing to teach him how to handle.

I still do bedtime reading to him and think maybe stories could be the best vehicle to discuss and learn together.

I found stories for primary school children are very much morally correct (understandably) and very much good v.s. bad. We just started Little Women because it's one of those classics. But I then realised there's fair amount of preaching in the story and that probably would only reinforce the "black v.s. white" thinking and might be best to put it aside?

Any suggestions please?

obvious one - harry potter
also michael mupurgo books, good historical context too
the worst witch is a fantastic series as well
famous five

maybe a bit early but maze runner, hunger games (was in school curriculum when dc were that age), ink heart.

The London Eye Mystery. It’s about an ND boy and his sister who get involved in a mystery. It’s brilliant.

Ive found the newer Cressida Crowell books good. the Wizard of Once and Which Way ones rather than how to train your dragon.

The characters are flawed and do the right thing for the wrong reasons and the wrong thing for the right reasons. There is a reasonable discussion of motivations etc and my border line ND 8 year old enjoys them as bed time stories but my 11 year will ahppily read them too.

They are much better written than the HTTYD books I think

Or what about Terry Practett? The Wee Free Men/Tiffany booksare a great old laugh and lots of morally complex and/or dubious characters throughout!

Alex Rider adventures, especially the early ones.
Alex is the good guy, but in order to survive he has to make some difficult decisions.

What about Narnia? The Magician's Nephew or The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe have characters who aren't just "good".

And I wonder if he might enjoy the Swallows and Amazon series. The children have to make decisions on their own and don't always make the best ones!

DD (same age, also ND) is enjoying "Skellig" a lot. She also liked "Wonder". They are "doing" these in English.

An old one but a good one is Noel Streatfield's "Apple Bough". Lots of dilemmas and character stuff, but very relatable.

Or how about "His Dark Materials", or Phillip Pullman's earlier The Ruby in the Smoke series?

DD watched all of Tracy Beaker and all the spin offs. She was quite obviously using them to figure humans out. We had a lot of good conversations about the characters. CBBC is a mine of good stuff. Ghosts (BBC) has been good to discuss character motivations too.

Terry Prachett. Carries war is an excellent one. Toms midnight garden. Huger games when he's a little older.
Ohh the hobbit and LOTR. I read them aloud to my 7 year old, the whole lot, Elvish and all! They were an absolute pleasure to read aloud.

DD also made me watch Goodnight Mr Tom. It was super sad! But excellent for complex characters.

The Skandar fantasy series is also good for this if he likes that, and maybe the Morrigan Crowe books?

Orion Lost is a brilliant book. It's about a group of kids who find themselves in a 'kids need to save the world' kind of situation in space. But I loved reading it with my son as the characters were complex and conflicted and the book outlined their emotions and inner turmoil in the scenarios.

Lots of Diana Wynne Jones - Charmed Life, or The Lives of Christopher Chant. Or Witch Week.
The Wizard of Earthsea, and The Tombs of Atuan

I’d look at Nina Bawden and not just Carrie’s War.

I am David, My side of the Mountain, The Crysalids, Lord of the Flies, Children of the Oregon Trail, Goodnight Mr Tom

Thanks, everyone!

DS is a bookworm and has chewed through lots of books since the pandemic. But there are still so many titles you suggested I've never heard of.

Will do some proper research through all and make a list.

I think 11 years old is a tricky age, too old for some 9-11 category, but too young for the 13+.

Love all the suggestions. Thank you!

I read Children of the Oregon Trail aloud to my kids late last year! Such an intense read and none of the kids in the story are perfect. I thought I was the only person in earth who knew of this great book (read it when I was a child). I had to adapt some of the casual racist language about native Americans but on the whole, thought the book was ahead of its times in explaining why the Native Americans were so upset about the settlers.

Jonathan Stroud books - bartemeus series and the Lockwood series if a bit older.

Skellig
My sister lives on the mantelpiece
His Dark Materials
Animal Farm
Harry Potter
The Hunger Games
The Gone Series

All books my ND DS lived me reading to him

I think books are a safe place to discuss how attitudes and language have changed and why. Children of the Oregon Trail, is a brilliant book to introduce the idea if how hard it is to be the leader. It’s a good moment to appreciate that idea as you hit puberty.

Definitely look at books by Louis Sachar. Holes is fantastic. Small Steps, the sequel is good. And There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom is literally about what you describe. A really annoying, unpopular kid who you grow to understand and care about as the story progresses.

Historical, but The Silver Sword is superb. Edek steals but only to feed his friends escaping the Nazis.

Impossible creatures by Katherine Rundell

Look at Elle McNicoll- she's ND and her books are superb at addressing some of the issues ND people may face. I loved like a charm and a kind of spark. There's also a beautiful TV series of this!

Holes, The Silver Sword, as pp have mentioned.

No one ever mentions the series by Lemony Snickett but they are very well written and superior to the Dark Materials and Harry Potter.

Great thread

My dc loved The Silver Sword.

Gosh yes - even reading-rejecting ADHD child managed the first 7 pages of The Silver Sword before tossing it to one side and adding it to the pile of things for me to read her. She said it was very exciting!

Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) superior to Phillip Pullman?! Takes all tastes I guess. And depends how you feel about tongue-in-cheek re historically-based fantasy.

Phillip Pullman was a secondary school English teacher and knows his stuff I think regarding what's accessible/a good stretch at different ages.

You tend to get a sense from different authors of whether they really care about their characters or if they're a means to an end.