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Original poster

Books you can read too, for 11 and up? To talk about together.

48 replies

alsoaperson · 06/03/2013 07:13

I'm thinking of doing a book club (of two!) with my eldest boy who's 11 and an avid reader, though I'm worried he'll lose interest if I don't feed him something good (and challenging) and fast. I wondered if some mums here might like to do it too.

The first book I'd like to read is called Wonder. It gets super excellent reviews (see link below) and I think he'll love it or hate it; so I thought it might be nice to get grown up opinions first :-)

Anyone interested?
englishtutorhome2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/books-for-eleven-year-old-boy-who-loves.html
I've put up the whole book list on here. Wonder is third on the list. If you take a peek at the others, I'd love to know if you (or your kids) have read any of these already and what you thought.

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alsoaperson · 08/03/2013 22:03

LadyIsabellaWrotham OMG I hadn't even thought of whether it was inappropriate probably because I wasn't concentrating properly. I read The Curious Incident myself and there's bad language and dog-murder, and other emotional stuff, but then I thought, actually, he's going to get more 'raw' stuff once he hits secondary and I didn't think it would hurt him, but now I'm thinking - what if it will?!?

It's a really interesting question. What's suitable for an eleven year old?
I guess I thought I was giving him a literary run-up to the horrors that await him in secondary and also when my other half bungles his way through giving DS 'the Talk'? We're divorced so unfortunately my kids have had some emotional stuff already for real (though we obviously shielded them from as much as we could).

Anyone got any opinions on what's suitable and what's not?

OP posts:
hardboiled · 08/03/2013 23:40

This is what you need: www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews

Original poster
alsoaperson · 09/03/2013 09:08

This is fab. I've never seen reviews like this before: basically what might freak a child out! Thanks

OP posts:
FriendlyLadybird · 09/03/2013 21:52

It's a modern classic, but my DS read The Lord of the Flies in a sitting. He said he found it gripping though he didn't like like it.

I'll tell you who I've just thought of -- John Wyndham: the Day of the Triffids, The Chrysalids, and that one with the children with golden eyes. I think I read a lot of his books at around that age.

I also loved The Children of the New Forest, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Count of Monte Cristo (though that might have been a bit later) and Sir Walter Scott. I was something of a Romantic, as you can see!

TapselteerieO · 09/03/2013 22:02

I tried reading Gulliver's Travels recently and gave up - I can read just about anything and rarely give up!

Huckleberry Finn is a classic, dh's favourite book, my dd read it and The Hobbit, without us knowing.

LadyIsabellaWrotham · 09/03/2013 22:07

DD is a great reader but I've not yet been able to tempt her with any classics apart from Nigel Molesworth - he counts, right?

I've read Ballet Shoes and The Hobbit to her, but she won't read them to herself.

FriendlyLadybird · 09/03/2013 22:18

The curse of st custard's and goriller of 3B? Of course he counts!

hardboiled · 09/03/2013 22:34

Oh friendlyladybird I read the Count Of Montecristo aswell at about 11 and in my case I developed a weird obsession with it, I ended up reading it about three times! I have to say in all these years I had never heard anyone who had had the same experience.

Lord of the Flies is so so upsetting...Sad I don't think I want DS to read it yet.

Startail · 09/03/2013 22:40

Lord of the Flies is the only book I would use to light a fire, truly vile.

I love Percy Jackson and could quote huge chunks if Hitchhikers at that she.

The later Philip Pullmans, need Very good readers to really understand them.

I liked Sherlock Holmes at 12, the short stories are more accessible.

Startail · 09/03/2013 22:43

DD1 likes animal farm, it's short!

I hated Brave New World because I had to do it for O'level, put interesting concepts and some very dodgy science.
Interesting discussions to be had as to how cloning is actually done.

Startail · 09/03/2013 22:44

At that she? Age Blush

ItsallisnowaFeegle · 09/03/2013 22:46

Anything by Terry Pratchett.

Tubegirl · 10/03/2013 08:21

Have you tried Rosemary Sutcliff? She writes historical novels, several on Arthurian legend, some on the roman empire.

jellybrain · 11/03/2013 18:09

Couldn't open the link but Ds loved the Book Thief and has (stolen) re read my copy several times. He is 12 and a keen reader.

ATeacherWritesHome · 15/03/2013 19:02

Interesting point. Would you let your kids read Lord of the Flies? I mean, it's a satire on a kids book, but it's so scary!

Startail · 16/03/2013 00:31

I almost bought a £1 copy of Lord of the flies, just so I could burn it.

It is a truly vile book, absolutely the book I least want to ever read again.

rockinhippy · 16/03/2013 01:07

Fantastic thread & links in replies, just what I have been needing for my 10 yr old DD - thank you :)

I recently posted a thread over in the G&T section asking for safe YA book recommendations as I didn't get many suggestions to an earlier thread posted in here a few weeks back, lots of classics, but she's just not interested at all - her tastes aren't at all "girly" whatever that isGrin - lots of good suggestions over there that might interest you - sorry I can't link.

Quite a few mentioned here & she is probably going to be reading Wonder soon too.

She has just finished James Pattersons Maximus Ride series - 8 books which she just couldn't put down & rabbit tend on & on excitedly to me about the plot :) - so I would recommend those & there's a couple of others she recently finished & loved that I have listed in my other post, but can't remember right now - Em Bailey wrote one, I think the title was Shift, but I'm not certain

I've been worrying about overly graphic sexual content, but otherwise I'm with you in that it will get grittier in secondary school, besides my DD is happier reading books that have her biting her nails with both fear & excitement & she's sensible & mature for her sge, so I'm happy to follow her lead with that.

Most older classics she pulls faces at though, but she is showing quite an interest in some George Orwell titles & does seem to realise they are old, so I've downloaded them & see how she gets on when she's finished her current book.

rockinhippy · 16/03/2013 01:09

Doesn't seem to realise...

rockinhippy · 16/03/2013 01:16

Just realised I've written George Orwell - I meant H.G. Wells Blush - War of the Worlds, Invisible Man & Time Machine

notnagging · 16/03/2013 05:18

Why not just do the classics? Dickens, Shakespeare you can get them in child friendly versions.

nooka · 16/03/2013 05:43

I have an 12 and 13 year old and we share lots of our books. Mostly YA sci-fi or fantasy at the moment, I'm also not sure how we'll move on to different types of fiction, although I think that both genres can be thought provoking.

Both dd and ds have found it frustrating to cover books at school that they have already read at home (I found it very annoying as a child too) so I'd say if you can it's better to explore stuff they might not come across otherwise.

ATeacherWritesHome · 16/03/2013 16:20

What are the best child friendly versions of Dickens? I've enjoyed blogging about my project to force persuade my kids to read Shakespeare. I'd so love to know what I can use to do the same for the second big man in my life. Shame his books are all so biiig!

ATeacherWritesHome · 21/03/2013 19:32

Hm? Might need to start this thread again! Dickens help anyone?

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