books to read aloud to siblings age 6-12

[Evelynismyformerspyname]

I know that people will probably fall over themselves to insist that this is a weird thing to do, because their children choose their own books and wouldn't want to be read to, and their 12 year old is reading Finigans Wake and their 6 year old is reading the Hunger Games etc...

However knowing that some people will be desperate to tell me that, I'd still like to ask:

Does anyone read aloud to mixed age (but old enough to read to themselves) siblings? If so what do you recommend?

My kids do read to themselves, but they are growing up with two languages, and their education and friendships are not in English - neither are the books in the school library for the younger ones (secondary school library does have a lot of foreign language books but mainly either aimed at older teens). I've always read aloud to them and they enjoy it and show no signs of wanting me to stop, and it is excellent for their English vocabulary to be read to, I want their English to stay native speaker standard so I'm going to keep doing it.

It's getting harder to find books though, so I'd love suggestions. We read before bed and they don't really do scary. They don't really take to sci fi either, which limits us a bit.

It's ok to go about young for bedtime when everyone is tired as all the kids, but especially the older two, have very vivid imaginations and tend to visualise what we read and think a lot about it. They have been troubled by books which they've not long after watched the film of with total nonchalance. I think it's also because reading aloud spreads the book over a couple of weeks so there is a lot of time for unresolved storylines to play on the mind, unlike films which leave little to the imagination and are over before you can think too much! They found the first Harry Potter book scary but the first 3 film's not scary!

I guess I'm looking for books aimed more at older primary age for those reasons.

Things they enjoyed together in the past include

Wilf the mighty worrier
13 etc story tree house
A boy called Christmas
Jane blond
Ramona Quimby

I'd like to move them forward a bit, but what on earth will be a bit more advanced without being difficult for the 6 year old to follow, or scary!

The William books by Richmal Crompton. They still make me (literally) laugh out loud and I'm 40.

Oh!
First Aid for Fairies (series by Lari Donn) might fit the bill
Also Jessica Day George's Castle on Tuesdays series or Dragonskin slippers series.
Enchanted forest chronicles ( dealing with dragons etc) Wrede
Accidental pirates.

DH tried Terry Pratchett (I assume in German as he reads to them in German usually) and the kids struggled to follow who was who and asked to stop because they were lost, but it might be better in English, and I don't think he's as tolerant of them constantly interrupting with questions. He was about put out as he loves Terry Pratchett. I'm not sure what he read either, as he only reads to them if I'm on lates so I was never home.

What would be the most child friendly Terry Pratchett novel to start with?

I must say I've never really been a Terry Pratchett fan, just an author I never got into, so I might not do it justice.

My 3 kids are 6-10 and all loved the Tiffany Aching books by Pratchett for reading aloud at bedtime - start with Wee Free Men.

Also they don't like scary/too exciting at bedtime(Harry Potter was too much for youngest who has also seen the first 3 films) but have enjoyed Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (lots of silly humour) and the Danger is Everywhere series (very silly). And over Christmas, Nevermoor.

I'll try to remember what else has worked for them all but agree it's tricky as books that are fine for reading to themselves don't work (no way could my younger two handle His Dark Materials for example)

My DC have both not enjoyed Truckers by terry pratchett. But dd read the first discworld and loved it so much she wants the whole series. I think he is an acquired taste and possibly not very good at writing for children.

I know you say you want to stretch the older ones, but what about reading classic children's books that can appeal to all ages?
That way the youngest who isn't an independent reader in either language gets age appropriate books and the older ones can reflect on the characters they already know?

My bilingual kids (8 years between them) loved first and second readings of:
The Wind in the Willows, a personal favourite
Classic Winnie the Pooh (plus the ghost-written recent books) which DC1 only got as an older child.
The first three Narnia books
Roald Dahl
The Hobbit.

When DS became too old for stories at bedtime, he still used to listen through the open bedroom doors to what his sister got. She's still asking for reading aloud at the age of 12. We've just finished La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman, a huge success.

Both of them have turned into bookworms. (Result!) And either language will do.
Fortunately our local library provides plenty of material in their other language. We use Kindle and Amazon for English books. When I think how difficult it was even 20 years ago, coming back from the UK with a suitcase full of jumble sale books for DC1...

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, The Animals of Farthing Wood, the Knitbone Pepper Ghost Dog series, Charlotte's Web and the Mrs Pepperpot books would all be good bets for reading aloud to a mixed age group.

I agree with the ^^ suggestion of the Just William books.

Some lovely ideas here.

Just to be clear in case anyone thought I was recommending Hunger Games for this age group, I wasn't. It is NOT suitable for middle childhood. It is a proper teen/young adult dystopian book.

Evelyn, the female lead is called Katniss. The younger girl, her sister, is called Primrose.

Sorry meant to say, my teens got the horror of the Games and the oppression of the districts by the capital. I think I may have been more disturbed by the state removing children.

On a totally different note what about the Moomin books?

Ooh yes to the Indian in the cupboard. I used to adore those books! They are lovely and I loved the little fantasy world they created.

What about Mrs. Pepperpot? :) And the Worst Witch is a bit like Harry Potter without the scary bits. Aimed at younger children, but I def re-read them until I was older than twelve.

What about the old classics - The Railway Children? 5 Children and It?

Try Andrew Norriss's books as well. He wrote some of the really good ones which were adapted for TV in the 90s like Aquila, Woof! and Bernard's Watch.

I came on to say older books too.

Some that haven't been mentioned

My naughty little sister
101 Dalmatians (the Dodie Smith original not the Disney version)
Little house in the big woods
Naughtiest girl in the school
The wolves of willoghby chase
What Katy did

I do this a bit. Road Dahl, David Williams and the big hit, Wonder.

Also reading to dds books such as Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. Lots of similar books around at the moment. My dds are 11, 9, 7 and 5 - 5 yo not interested yet!

My 11 yo is enjoying the hunger games read aloud... I wouldn't want her to read it by herself tbh and I make sure we end each session on a bland point rather than the end of the chapters!

Thanks everyone

I've just ordered:

Spy Dog
Alcatraz versus the evil librarians
The invisible dog
The Wee Free Men
Toms midnight garden
The borrowers
How to be a pirate
Danger is everywhere
Five children and it
Swallows and Amazons
Tuesdays at the castle

We already have

Wonder
The whole Series of Unfortunate Events series
The first Artimus Fowl

but so far the kids have not wanted to read them, so will persuade them to give them a try.

Have to accept some things don't work and sometimes give up on things, but there's a real mix there so hopefully some of those are the right balance (ideally a series or a prolific author!)

Thanks so much for all the suggestions, helps get out of a rut to have outside input!

If I ever do read the Hunger games aloud it won't be for several years! But it's really too harrowing for a bedtime story imo and best read faster.

DD (the 12 year old) asked me last night to read to them more during the day - but then got up and went straight out :o Maybe we'll try something new and different this afternoon, perhaps Wonder.... The smallest hashish best friend coming over so could just read to the eldest/ older two. I did once read War Horse just to the eldest on holiday - wouldn't have worked at bedtime as it's too sad and there's a lot of tension - also too old for dc3, but we read the whole thing over two days, which did work.

Thanks all.

Came on to suggest the dark is rising for the older ones

Also demon headmaster for the older ones is very good

Anyone who says reading aloud to any age, despite them being able and avid readers is daft. OP seemed to think she'd get a lot of that kind of comment, but fortunately hasn't.

Being read to it great for all ages of kids. If often exposes them to a story they wouldn't choose for themselves and gets them beyond a tricky start and grabs their attention - sometimes they continue reading it themselves and sometimes have the whole thing read to them. It stretches their reading too because they may well listen to classics, with the broader vocabulary, when they might not choose them for themselves. Having the stories read aloud gives a chance to discuss ideas, vocab and also to have really great quality time together, often curled up in bed. It's a very precious time and just because children are capable readers, is valuable for as long as they enjoy it.

Yes to Just William for the full age range you need to cover. It's got simple slapstick for the younger ones and stuff that's a bit more subtle for the older ones.
How about Enid Blyton Mystery or Adventure series too - more for the middle one, but okay for older and younger too.

What about E Nesbit - The Railway Children or 5 Children and It?

I remember more every time the thread pops up!
Penderwicks (4 books)
Cue for treason
King of shadows (another susan cooper but very different from DiR)
All huge hits here.

Evelyn i just wanted to say thank you. I'm inspired to read to my youngest who is 11 and dyslexic. We'd got out of the habit.
I think we'll start with Book of Dust

The Pseudonymous Bosch series - The Name of This Book Is Secret - was the last series we read together, kids of 8 and 11 both loved it (and so did I, used to secretly read on after they had gone to bed!)

Chocolate yes you're right, I didn't get those responses, which is great! I rather suspect there would have been a few if I hadn't mentioned it in the OP though. Most threads about books for children over about 8 gather at least a couple of those nasty bragging by shaming posts where people think their child/ way is best and brag about it through telling the op her children are immature or she is parenting "wrongly" ...

I agree, being read to has benefited and comforts at every age - if it didn't adults who can read perfectly well wouldn't listen to audio books! Pre television aristocratic families who could all read often used to read to one another as evening entertainment too, I believe...

Chilli glad it's been useful.

For mine (four-ish year gap) the memorably successful ones were:

Swallows and Amazons (the little one was sometimes asleep before the end of the chapter, but didn't seem to mind!)
Bernard's Watch, about a child with a watch that stops time; and Matt's Millions, both by Andrew Norriss
Watership Down, which surprised me
How to Train your Dragon, as everyone else has said

Plus some of the old classics, despite the slow pace: Secret Garden, Little Princess, Phoenix and the Carpet, Five Children and It.

how about non-fiction? When my Ds was between 8 and 10 i read him most of the James Herriots and some Gerald Durrells - the corfu stories and some of the older animal collecting ones. Both very funny, but interesting enough for your older DC - they're timeless/ageless really - a farting boxer dog is funny at any age surely! You would have to do some quick editing as you read i.e. leaving out some swearing (herriot) and some inappropriate sex references (durrell) and a few of the durrell chapters aren't appropriate but by and large there's much less grimness than in lots of contemporary children's fiction.