Not Famous Five ... What is it that we need?

[roisin]

Ds2 is almost reading to himself in bed. We were reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it was so exciting he wanted to read on, so each night he read a couple of chapters in bed.

Please remind me what else is out there (other than Roald Dahl) of a similar length and complexity, exciting - a real page turner, but not too scary (as he's a sensitive little flower).

Michael Morpurgo seems a bit too heavy atm.
I can't face fancy Horrid Henry or Enid Blyton.
Olga da Polga didn't do the trick
He doesn't like books with animals as the characters - like many Dick King-Smith books.
Flat Stanley, young puffins and the like are a bit too short for what we're after.

I'm sure there's an author I must be missing for this stage/phase..?

Oh roisin, I SO agree with you about Blyton, she is completely doing my head in. I'm reading a few chapters a night to ds and we're only on book 8 of 21 of the bloody things so I've a long way to go. I read them interspersed with the odd comment like 'more fool Anne for doing all the washing up, she should get the others to help shouldn't she?' at which ds rolls his eyes and says 'muuuum, read the story. Please.' He loves them, I hate them. What about Alice in Wonderland? I know it's maybe not a typical boy book but I've just bought it to read to ds. Or Charlotte's Web? Or My Naughty Little Sister? Or The Lion the witch and the wardrobe? I know, they're all books from when I was a child and it's obvious isn't it?! Ds liked Charlotte's Web at 5 though and Naughty little sister.

ooh you miserable old withc
I love them

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I agree completely WWW!

I suffered the Famous5 with ds1, but have since hidden them I haven't disposed of them, but will do if ds2 gets over this stage without recourse to them.

With ds1 I spent loads of time pointing out the dodgy bits, such as their comments and assumptions about 'the little gypsy girl' or whatever. But it's such hard work to do so, and it's unreasonable to expect young children to notice it themselves.

I listen to yr4 readers in school, and loads of them are reading Enid Blyton at home. Well great that they are reading, but when I talk to them about how attitudes have changed in 50 years, none of them have noticed these things in Blyton.

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I don't know JW at all YG. I will have a flick through at the library or at school and see what I think about those.

I can't decide about Dear Olly and Cool ... they are both pretty emotionally heartrending in places. I love them, I'm just not quite sure if he's ready for that.

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Unsatisfactory visit to the library - neither of the two JW books you recommended YG, and the Molly Moon book ds1 had ordered was only one of those little 'World Book Day' taster books, so he wasn't chuffed. AND they didn't have either of the Dick King-Smith books we were looking for!

They were selling off some old stock though, and I got half a dozen Anne Fine books for 10p each!

I also had a stand-up row with some officious young tart in Vodafone shop

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I know they're old but what about the William books by Richmal Crompton?

Oh we've got those on the shelf Anorak - I'll have a look!

YG - thanks for the offer. I'll check out the school library first on Tuesday - it's huge and they have "just about everything".

What a shame roisin. at 'officious young tart', though.

I have a feeling I've mentioned him before, but how about any of the Philip Ardagh books, like the Eddie Dickens trilogy? Very witty and engaging but maybe too scary I guess. I would agree about Just William- I started reading them at about 7, I think. It might be worth having a look at Nina Bawden books, and I'm sure you've already thought of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

I read a few FF books to ds1 - he quite likes them but they are a bit "samey" after a while. Some of ours were dh's - so date back to the 70s and I was shocked to read in one (the one with the "spook" trains) when the children get covered in coal dust - "they were as black as..." yes, you guessed it that word I assume they have removed that from recent editions.

Only other one I've thought of is Dick King-Smith?

What about the Mr Majeika books?

I haven't checked this thread properly to see how old your ds is, so not sure if these would be ok. I was about 7/8 I think when I read these.

I have happy memories of 'The Phantom Tollbooth' by Norton Juster.

Also 'Fattypuffs and Thinifers' by Andre Maurois.

'Stig of the Dump' ?King? Not sure of the authors name. Maybe a bit scary.

There was also a book I clearly remember reading when I was about 7/8 called 'The Ship that Flew' and was brilliant - a real old fashioned adventure - again the authors name is gone from my head just now.

That last one was by Hilda Lewis - just checked on Amazon. Gosh, I want to read it again now

edin blyton did an adventure series don't know the neam i'm afraid thou.

How about Matilda/ BFG (I used to love that book) both roald Dahl.

Thanks for all the responses on this - please do keep them coming!

He's only 5.5 btw, but fluent reader and very good passive vocab. So the obstacle is content rather than complexity iyswim. I'm looking for something 'exciting' that doesn't scare the living daylights out of him.

Tinygang - I'd forgotten about Phantom Tollbooth: ds1 loves it, and discovered it about this age, I think. (Personally I think it's just plain wierd!)

I think Matilda would be a bit too scary right now. I didn't know Matilda at all, and read it to ds1 as 'just another Roald Dahl' when he was 5 ... the week before he started school for the first time ... Oops!

Thanks for all the responses on this - please do keep them coming!

He's only 5.5 btw, but fluent reader and very good passive vocab. So the obstacle is content rather than complexity iyswim. I'm looking for something 'exciting' that doesn't scare the living daylights out of him.

Tinygang - I'd forgotten about Phantom Tollbooth: ds1 loves it, and discovered it about this age, I think. (Personally I think it's just plain wierd!)

I think Matilda would be a bit too scary right now. I didn't know Matilda at all, and read it to ds1 as 'just another Roald Dahl' when he was 5 ... the week before he started school for the first time ... Oops!

Trunchbull was probably not the best thing just before school!

Did I mention he was 'in conflict' with his teacher, teaching assistant, dinner ladies, and the Head teacher within a month of starting school! Hmmm... Maybe it's all my fault after all!

lewis carroll any good, or a bit too old? (i'm thinking lion witch and wardrobe/ cronicals of narnia type thing.)

Do they still do the mobile book club in schools where two cabinet type things come around and you can pick some books to buy.

Have you tried Paddington stories and the wombles books (are they still in print? Not the picture books the full stories) also Philip Pullmans books for younger kids I was a rat and Clockwork.