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?

Also wanted to recommend Libby Scott with Rebecca Westcott "Do You See Me?" and the sequels. These feature an autistic girl grappling with the transition from primary to secondary, family life, friends, feelings, told from her POV.

Maybe a bit too female focused but as the mum of a ND year 6, and a secondary teacher, I found them kind, funny and realistic.

Perhaps someone knows if there's a similar series with a male main character.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

if he likes fantasy my DS in year 6 loved the Erragon series on audiobook. They are long! In my opinion more interesting than The Hobbit. Lots of characters are both good and bad or change sides. The audio books are well read too so you could listen together on car journeys etc if they were too big for you to read.

For something more simple The Explorer by Katherine Rundell.

My DD loved Maze Runner and Divergent and Hunger Games but DS not so much.

I would absolutely second this. I'm a primary teacher and my upper primary kids have all really; loved Orion Lost (also Alastair Chisholm is super nice and wrote my class a lovely letter). The characters all have flaws and good sides, and have to face this to survive

Also the Dark is Rising series addresses ideas of good and evil head on and is brilliant.

Wonder
Boy at the back of the Class
Orphans of the Tide series (my ND 10 year old LOVED these!)

My son has just started on Eragon series. I'm not sure about the characters presented but the language is definitely a step up from many 9-11 type books and worth looking at.

Oh yes Silver sword is excellent! And lots of the flies. Personally I'm not a fan of Phillip Pullman books but millions are so they are worth a read!

What about The Dark is Rising, which I loved at the that age. Or if you want something a little bit scary The Time of the Ghost was brilliant.

Smith by Leon Garfield

For a 9 year old rather than The Hunger Games I'd recommend The Underland Chronicles. They're still by Suzanne Collins so have a similar theme but are written for a younger age. Gregor the Overlander. by Suzanne Collins

All of the characters are three dimensional and as the books progress you find out slightly more about the characters which sometimes changes your opinion of them.

Gregor the Overlander is the first book.

The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine - two female characters but definitely complex and not a long read. Bit depressing before bed though. It’s about accountability and personal morals, how we can feel pushed to do things by friends, but also how a person tends to grow into someone with lower empathy and how someone with support tends to make better decisions in the end.

I came to say Harry Potter

My child is a bit younger but we have had some interesting conversations about Danny Champion of the World (Roald Dahl). The dad is lovely..but is also breaking the law. For older ones I think it would be interesting that all the respectable people of the village (policeman, doctors wife etc) are in on it too.

@ThreeFeetTall have you also watched the film? I found it interesting that they'd had to change the setting and do work on the backstory of the dad to get around that issue and make it work. Made me think too!

"In the Beautiful Country" by Jane Kuo is a less conventional book recommendation for 11-year old, but may be worth having a look at

The Swallows and Amazons series. 12 books, so plenty for him to get his teeth into! And some really thoughtful characterisation. Lots of stuff about how different characters see the others.

Harriet the Spy is also brilliant for what you're after - Harriet is a bit of an antiheroine in many ways (and quite possibly ND, I think), but you do really root for her.

The Hobbit has surprisingly nuanced characters at a level he'll find accessible.

Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series are excellent for that age and the teenage characters all have a mix of strengths and flaws.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy