Books to read out loud to 7-year old

[IceandIndigo]

DS is nearly 7. We like to read out loud at bedtime, but I'm running out of books. I find myself leaning towards classics, because that's what I know and trust. He likes Roald Dahl and we have just finished The Hobbit, which he also loved. We've tried a few more contemporary books but I've found some of them to be poorly written. The Wild Robot was ok.

Any suggestions for appropriate books for this age group? For reading aloud I'd prefer books that are intended for slightly older children rather than ones a 6-year old would read to themselves.

Came to suggest The Hobbit - and you have just finished it.

I would push back against DH on Narnia - I don't remember any of the religious themes (which most fantasy books have to some degree...) even registering with me when my mother read them to me as a young boy. What did register was a cool fantasy world, talking animals, young children on adventures etc.

If he is enjoying fantasy, maybe try some sci-fi as well.

H.G. Wells, the time traveller, war of the worlds - I enjoyed being read those when I was younger.

Honestly I am struggling to recall titles because they just blur into one for me. I find myself going back to the classics because so much of the contemporary stuff we've attempted just feels quite mass produced and driven by a plot concept rather than the author having any particular way with words. One we recently finished was called Dreamweavers I think? I have a degree in English lit and read a lot myself, so I can't help noticing things like poor sentence construction, clumsy metaphors, clunky dialogue etc.

The Ikabog, the Borrowers, the Faraway Tree

I'd leave things in basic language, like Wild Robot or celebrity authors for when he's reading them himself.

Re celebrity authors

I recommended Tom Fletcher because I actually think that he's a good writer; I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. I enjoyed the Christmasaurus series myself, was disappointed when DS read on without me

However, I'm not fan of David Walliams AT ALL.

I assume (perhaps wrongly), that your husband doesn't want your child exposed to religious ideas. Fair enough. But how does he suppose your child will be able to link Narnia to religious themes, unless the child is aware of the religious themes in the first place?? Why would your child perceive Aslan to be a God-like being, but not Dumbledore, for example?
I grew up with BBC Narnia, and didn't make any connections to religion. I read some of the books as a child, and any religious connotations went right over my head. I'm now re-reading the books to my children, and they don't seem to have made any connections. They've likened aspects to Harry Potter though!
It's all just fantasy. You could be cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Katherine Rundell is a good modern author.

The Jungle Book is another good one. It’s not just the Mowgli story.

Second the Pamela Buchard recommendation- v entertaining!

Pamela Butchart
The Marge in charge series (may be suitable for him to read himself depending on reading ability)
Just William
My naughty little sister
Dirty Bertie

My children loved ‘I swapped my brother on the internet’ and other books in the series. They thought they were very funny. Agree with PP about the Christmasaurus.

my daughter loved Narnia and Famous Five at that age and also The Worst Witch.

Diana Wynne Jones - Chrestomanci series might be a good starting point. Some are more for older children. Beautifully written.

One that went down really well with my DC at that age was Moondial by Helen Cresswell.

Those vintage Choose your own Adventure books (there may also be modern versions, not sure) were also a hit, with really exaggerated accents to match the absurdity of the stories. They loved the interactive element and often wanted to chime in with the reading so they could do the accents and sound effects too!

I haven't discussed it in any detail with DH, but I'm not sure it's worth an argument given there are so many other authors to read. We are atheists but DS has learnt about different religions at school.

I have a really good list of recommendations now, thanks everyone 😀

I like the look of Katherine Rundell, although it looks like some of her books are for slightly older readers? Any in particular you would recommend?

If you’re atheists and enjoy decent writing would the His Dark Materials trilogy be a goer, or is he too young?

Also my son quite enjoyed Artemis Fowl.

We've just done the Faraway Tree books and Stig of the Dump.
Borrowers next.

I've got the Railway Children, Bedknob and Broomstick and The Phoenix and the Carpet lined up.

The Explorer.

Yes The Explorer, as above, is good for a read aloud. Also her Rooftoppers.

'You're a bad man, mr gum!' is hilarious, really fun to read out loud, and it's the first of a funny series of books. The first one is the best though!

I’m in the process of getting my first book published would you like a couple of the stories to read and give me a review and if you like them I can send you more.

Series of Unfortunate Events- Lemony Snickett?