Any recommendations for some language rich books to read to my 11 and 10 year olds at bedtime?

[LePetitMarseillais]

Still reading to my 3 but want some ideas on books that will enrich their writing iykwim.They're all very able readers.

Probably haven't put the above well.

Tia

Toms Midnight Garden?
The secret Garden?
Anything by Noel Streatfield?

Little Women
Alice In Wonderland

The swallows and Amazon books. Children's versions of some of the classics (dickens, Jane eyre, brontes etc).
Railway children
5 children and it

We read the whole of the Series of Unfortunate Events books to our DC at around that age and they went down a storm. Flick through first before buying because they're a bit marmite.

Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge has notably excellent language for that age group but it's quite dense - again flick through first.

The Owl Service
Moonfleet

Journey to the centre of the earth
The Borrowers
Skellig

10 is old enough for some of the Shakespeare comedies. Your eldest might like chaucer's Canterbury tales provided you're okay with the bad language. The ted Hughes beowulf isalso eexcellent and very accessible for this age group. TH white, tolkein and jules verne could be good too.

This is fanastic - a real page turner, believable characters and evocative detail www.amazon.co.uk/Journey-River-Sea-Eva-Ibbotson/dp/1447265688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413654490&sr=8-1&keywords=journey+to+the+river+sea - DS was 10 or 11 when I read it to him and we loved it. One of those books that I almost wish I hadn't read because I can never again have the pleasure of reading it for the first time IYSWIM.

Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books - but not I Shall Wear Midnight, they need to be older for that one. He doesn't talk down to his readers, whatever age they are.

The Owl Service deals with some very adult themes, btw - for that age I would go for Elidor, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath if you're going to do Alan Garner - who is very worthwhile.

I'd also look into Diana Wynne Jones.

The Box of Delights.

Stig of the dump?

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo?

White fang?

Under milkwood - it was on the radio today, forgot how great it is.

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper - am just nearing the end of the fifth book with DS (11) now.

Simon Armitage's translation of Gawain and the Green Knight is brilliant to read aloud.

Another vote for The Dark Is Rising - fabulous series.

The white giraffe. I had to get up at 2am to read on because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Absolutely fab!!

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber.

I read it to my Year 6s; they were entranced.

Walter moers.
Extensive vocabulary (you WILL end up looking up words) big dodgy books with excellently weaved stories. Split up into perfect chapters for reading at bedtime. Immense authors illustrations. Proper imagination fuel :)

Ooooh, Walter Moers... DD2 devoured the 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear, it's a massive book but brilliantly done - lots of typographic things and illustrations going on to complement the story.

Ooh yes, second The Thirteen Clocks & The Wonderful O, by Thurber. Great to read out loud and fantastic use of language.

The school for good and evil, and world without princes. Soman Chainani.
DD is captivated.

dd is reading Journey to the River Sea and is enjoying it. Should I borrow it after?

I love Journey to the River Sea. I taught year 6 once and every single girl in the class also loved it (girls school!)