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.)

1. Choose a sample text from the book. It should be exatly 100 words. (Handy hint mark the beginning and end of your sample text lightly with a pencil).

2. Count the number of complete sentences. Write this down. (a)

• Count the total number of words in these sentences, and write it down. (b)

• Calculate the average sentence length (b/a)

3. Count the number of words of 3 or more syllables in the sample text. (c)

4. Now calculate (b/a) + c (d)

5. The FOG index is 0.4 * d

To convert FOG to a reading age consult chart below.

FOG -> Reading Age
1 -> 6
2 -> 7
3 -> 8
4 -> 9
5 -> 10
6 -> 11
7 -> 12
8 -> 13
9 -> 14
10 -> 15
11 -> 16
12 -> 17
13 -> 18

That makes it look/sound complicated, but it's not. Basically in a sample of 100 words you add the number of words with 3+ syllables to the average sentence length, and multiply the result by 0.4.

Obviously for accuracy you need to analyse several different samples from the text.

Thanks, I'll give it a try...it doesn't sound too complicated

thats the one roisin

sorry, just wondering why you want to take this discussion off-board? why not just keep it here?

the advantages of keeping it here are that it's public and available to everyone who wants/needs it, doesn't clog up one's inbox and there's no implied pressure to contribute/respond that there would be with a round-robin email.

can't see any disadvantages!

bk I agree. It's getting far too complicated for me. All I want is to be able to read 'My 8/9yo is a fluent reader and has found the following books interesting and their content isn't too adult'

Sounds to me like lots of that complicaed stuff might already have been done by the Guardian, and the Book Trust mentioned earlier.

Oh, just because there's pages and pages of suggestions so far, and seems it would be better to do the sharing out of who does what somewhere where it doesn't clog up people's screens & the thread. It's not taking the discussion off-board, just the admin.

And the lists that come out of it, obviously, would all be public.

The Guardian books lists can be accessed fromthis page . You'll see on the lhs links to different age ranges. THey aren't hugely long lists but they are great choices I think. And all proper books - not a "animal ark" or other crappy series among them.

I agree with the idea of having the admin off board. Threads with long lists of any kind soon get tediously busy and clogged up and boring. It would be much neater for a group to work on some lists offsite and then bring a first draft back to the board.

aren't they? I just ordered a couple off that list for dd (7 and recently avid reader). It is great having a steer on newer books because otherwise you get stuck recommending things you enjoyed as a child which, although nice, is a bit limited.

Oh PPH, now I have to spend MORE money! Not fair.

Scattercat

Thank you soooooo much - yes they are the books - so pleased to hear I'm not going mad. Don't worry about sending them to me (though thank you for the offer) keep them for any future grandchildren as your son may love reading them to his own children when he's older.

Thanks again.

Thanks for the email - I am starting to get organised with ideas, and will hopefully sign up for a particular list soon.....

Just out of interest, I found a great website,
Th Federation of Children's Book Groups , who send out free info - book lists (for example 'picture books for older children'), guides to children's books, newsletter etc. It's not as specific or detailed as our proposed lists, but was interesting all the same. I just emailed them a couple of days ago, and the stuff arrived today. Brilliant.

@scattercat: hello, I am new here, I am from Germany and have been looking for those dragon books by rosemary manning for years! if you still have them I would be happy to give them a good, loving home! ;-)

dragongirl - if you can find out how to CAT me then please do so (see top of page - contact another talker)and I will send them on (sorry mishw!)

Time for an update, I think.

First thing: it turns out it may be a while before this project is up properly - reason being that MN needs to work on technology for having a "Links and Resources" page within Talk topics, and that's going to get done first for the Special Needs and Depression boards, where it's much more of a priority. In the meantime, this thread can be a holding pen, but it will be a bit unwieldy. Please be kind.

Next thing: not duplicating all those Lists of Bests (Book Trust, Guardian, etc.) that are out there on the web - links to those will be on the Links & Resources page when it arrives. Instead, idea is people come up with short pithy lists, targetted specifically at a particular age & type of child the compiler knows about, & post them on here for now. They'll get collated into a manageable index once the Links page is up.

A first list, from me, will follow in next post.

That will possibly be a short list then binkie
I agree with you utterly about Usborne and I see here you have not added any of the Leigh/Haw Puzzle...Planet/Island/Train etc series. Ds adores all of these and we have got him the more grown up looking ...Quest (Fantasy Adventure Series) also published by Usborne, for Christmas.
I will get started on a Carnegie/Greenaway List but will check around first to make sure a readily downloadable one does not exist elsewhere.

OK - this is my first offering. (PS Love your layout Binkie with very correct italics - but I can't be bothered!)

The number in brackets at the end (e.g. (+2) indicates this is the first book in a series, and the sequels are recommended to you as well.

TEENAGERS compelling contemporary fiction (not suitable for under 12s)
Malorie Blackman: Noughts and crosses (+2)
Garth Nix: Sabriel (+2)
Marcus Sedgwick: Witch hill
William Nicholson: Shadowmancer
Philip Pullman: Northern lights (+2)
Robert Swindells: Stone cold
Marcus Sedgwick: The dark horse (this does not have unsuitable content, but with a dual narrative is quite challenging reading)
Michael Morpurgo: Private Peaceful

I'm not sure what Private Peaceful belongs in this list. What age limit would you put on it girls? Ds1 has not read it yet, but just from lack of interest rather than parental censorship. But as it's just won the Blue Peter book award - overall winner, and the "book I couldn't put down" category, I felt it really had to be in here

Roisin, what do you think about Jamila Gavin's Coram Boy? I have just read the play based on it, getting rave reviews at the RNT, and it seems the books is very well thought of too. There is huge sadness in it, rather like the Philip Pullman novels, and I wondered whether it would fit with your list?