Miss Grainger Suggests (TM)

[binkie]

Following on from masses of threads about book recommendations for particular kinds of children, and the depressingness of school library resources: a suggestion: we pool our knowledge and put together a range of booklists.

First step is to decide what categories to cover. Suggestions that I can remember so far are:

• a very advanced early reader (so 4/5/6 - reception/year 1)

• a reluctant older reader (let's say 8-9)

• an advanced older reader (8/9/10) not yet ready for "teen" or "worldly-wise" books. Would split this one into girls and boys, I think

• we could do thematic - like horse-mad, ballet shoes, dungeons & dragons, funny.

Any others? (And votes as to whether the above are good?)

(And PS, I know there's a Mumsnet Best for books, but that's a Top Ten For Everyone sort of list. Idea of this is that it's targeted.)

Hello Binkie and please count me in. This is an excellent idea.

hello my dear Biscuit.
hausfrau, I so wish you had been about three years ago - "hang on your every word" is so rare!

And thanks to yet more helpers too!! - mummypercy, a CAT is a way of sending a private message to someone - you click on "contact another talker" at the top of the page & type in who you want to contact & what you want to say. It's v quick. Though how quick I am to get at my other system is moot ...

I read the beginning of this thread - and now then end - not all in between . Would love to get involved - what do you need me to do?

Currently i'm strugging to find books that encourage my newly reading 5 yr old to want to try and read on his own (or to us). His tendancy is to decide what he thinks the words should be as opposed to what is actually written!

Can you please add me in as I am trying to find books to read to my 2.5 yaer old DD that she can 'join in' with. Great idea by the way

Binkie, have emailed you, with a great long list attachment!

Good qu, flatmouse. What I think it'll boil down to is people choosing categories they are themselves interested in - eg I was going to do "For an able and inquisitive 4 year old boy" as a sample - & coming up with a list for each one. I am thinking each list should be limited to say about 10 items, as we can always do "More for ...". My idea is that the lists should be very easy to find your way about in/read/print.

Anyway, will send a white paper (or is it green at this stage?) to those who've sent me their details, then once approach decided we can post the outline on here. Need to liaise w/ MN HQ too, to make sure technical bits (links etc) work.

Black window - some suggestions from me for 'joining in' books

gruffalo
room on a broom - one of my favourites to read out loud, the rhythm and language is briliant
pig in the pond (lots of farmyard noises)
bye bye baby - Ahlbergs - repetitive so children can pick up and join in
little re train books - join in with the train noises
We're all going on a bear hunt

Black window - some suggestions from me for 'joining in' books

gruffalo
room on a broom - one of my favourites to read out loud, the rhythm and language is briliant
pig in the pond (lots of farmyard noises)
bye bye baby - Ahlbergs - repetitive so children can pick up and join in
little re train books - join in with the train noises
We're all going on a bear hunt

Can I be added in too please. I have a bookworm/dd aged 7 who has a reading age of at least 10 and has been at that stage for quite awhile. It difficult finding appropriate books for her, its a good job she's happy reading cereal packets

my other dd4 has just started getting reading books from school and I'm confused about what to do as dd1 had already taught herself to read at this stage!

Does anyone have any opion about "A series of unfortunate events"?

Binkie - can you add me in? Happy to be on round robin emails - you've got my address.

Are we going to have a moderator or something? Or are we confident that we all have exactly the same tastes!

Agree that we may need to re-read some old favourites and not pick on the basis of pure nostalgia. I was devatated to find recently that something I had adored as a child just wasn't really suitable now for DS - nothing too "little black sambo'ish" about it, but some things really didn't chime right with today's world. TBH I think children's books are a whole lot better than the were 35+ years ago when I was starting to read: funnier, punchier, generally more multi-layered than, bless her, boring old Milly Molly Mandy.

The Gruffalo is one of our favourites (daughter is 22 months) as is Each Peach Pear Plum

Wondering if anyone could help re a book I read a lot as a child (I was about 7 - 9ish) It was set in Cornwall, a young girl went off exploring in some caves and found a dragon who took her back in time to King Arthur's round table. No-one else seems to remember it and I would love to have it for when my daughter gets older (of cours once I re-read it I may discover its really bad and decide not to!).

Please help me if you know what I'm talking about!!

Anchovy - re the moderator thing - what I thought is that each list would have an "author" credit. So that you can get a sense of whose tastes chime with yours & you'll know what lists to look at next.

Obviously nervous about anyone having to be an Arbiter of the canon.

binkie and everyone else, just noticed that the guardian books section has a wonderful book list sorted by age - worth a look. I agree with pretty much all of it so far

DD loves The Gruffalo and a couple of others by the same author. My school libarian got me to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings at 7 to slow me down a bit (I still have a book or 2 a day habit despite being a working mum).

Mishw - I think you are referring to a series by Rosemary Manning - there were 4 books in the series - Dragon in danger, The Dragon's Quest, Dragon in the Harbour and Green Smoke. They were my son's favourites when he was little (he's now 16). I have had a rummage in the loft and found them. If they are going to go to a good home, I would be happy to let you have them.

Binkie - yes, I'm in, and am happy with round robin emails. I'm quite busy atm, but will contribute as much as I can.

I'll email you just in case you haven't got my address.

princesspeahead I'm having problems looking at that list of books by age could you post a link? pretty please

Hi,
I've been reading with interest, and would also like to join in. I guess withnew readers, and advanced early readers (Charlottes Web is on its second readingfor my DD) possibly also the not too adult older readers - I too read everything by Agatha Christie but had to have permission from my parents as the village librarian wouldn't let me get it ou on a childs ticket. I was 11/12.
Will look back and find out who to CAT when kids are in bed later.
Up to read another installment of the Secret Garden - not really recommended but DD1 loves it.

there is a quick and easy way to work out the reading age of a particular book.....
my notes are at work, but I can get them on monday.
would this be useful to anyone?

binkie - have just skim read the thread..
email me at [email protected]

Popsy - do you mean the FOG readability index? I have the instructions here, if anyone is interested.

oooh FOG readability index sounds interesting...could you let me into the secret?