The Vine: September 25, 2009
Inevitably there is backstory (which I have tried to keep short), but ultimately this is a request for book title suggestions.
My mom lives in rural Utah.She volunteers for a tiny and ill-funded (understandably; the town has fewer than five thousand residents) 501c3 that provides afterschool tutoring and snacks to about 20 kids, all ESL elementary and middle school students, most several grade levels behind for reading comprehension, very few have even one parent that is comfortable speaking English.
The kids are seriously fantastic.They are engaged, they are interested, they are nifty.They are also easily discouraged when it comes to reading.The reading material that’s provided by the school is clearly remedial and involves lots of word lists, and they’re not learning to read for fun.Reading is a chore, and it’s worse, somehow, than even math, something I cannot imagine.
The stuff the program has is mostly picture books (although recently, there has been an onslaught of Twilight donations, and they do have Captain Underpants), but what they do have that’s at a comfortable reading level, or even an easy-ish stretch, they have all read over and over or is dull subject matter for them, so their comprehension and confidence aren’t increasing.
The reading levels seem to span from about 2nd grade through about 7th grade. My mom needs books for the kids.The kids need stuff to read that’s fun and interesting, and, oh, please, not all about vampires.
I’m good with getting them books (hello, tax deduction!), but I don’t know what titles to get.Kids aren’t still reading Nesbit, are they?Those are the only children’s chapter books I remember, before I started raiding my parent’s bookshelves.
Can your readers give me suggestions? Books that y’all loved, elementary school through, say, 10th grade.Fiction, non-fiction, whatever made you want to read more.
And yeah, the library would seem like a natural resource for this, but parents have to sign off on library-card applications for minors, and — not so much most of these parents.The two kids reading above grade level have library cards.My mom checks out ten children’s books every two weeks for the kids, the maximum allowed.
If you want more details on the program for whatever, I can give you that.
Thanks!
Annie
Dear Annie,
Perfect timing for your letter, for two reasons!First, once the contest page goes live, you and/or your mom can browse some of the reading-project requests and see what other teachers have asked for, to get ideas.I know I’ve added a few Captain Underpants requests to the list.
Second, I myself just finished plowing through the first three books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.(“PLOOPY.”Manny kills me, you guys.)I don’t know what formal grade level the books are, but I got wind of them from an 11-year-old young lady who found them hilarious, and there’s a website. It also looks like the books come in Spanish, if that’s the kids’ first language; they could start out on the Spanish-language version, get psyched about the books, and be inspired to continue in English. Or at least be inspired to continue.
At that age, I had my nose buried in Stephen King, which I wouldn’t advise but wouldn’t exactly discourage, either (this is why I shouldn’t have kids; heh) — but I also still liked re-reading the Newbery Award set my mom had gotten me: The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and I think Johnny Tremain came as part of that set.(Please tell me someone else had a discussion with her best friend about Rab coming off as a smug dillweed.…Just me and Agent Weiss, then?Great.)
Readers?Any thoughts — on inspiring books for pleasure reading, or on wanting Rab to march off to war and shut it already?
Tags: Ask The Readers contests popcult
“The Giver”, “The Messenger”, and “Gathering Blue” all by Loius Lowery. They’re easy on language, sparse but are easy to read while also challenging the reader. I think they’d be perfect for the Intermediate levels, easy yet challenging at the same time.
I’m a librarian with a 1st grader who reads way above grade level, so I’m pretty up to date on what’s new and exciting for elementary level reading. Graphic novels are where I would focus a good chunk of your efforts. There’s some amazing series out there, and I think they made reading much more fun, especially for boys who might be more reluctant readers. Also, they won’t look like “kiddy” books like some of the more popular easy chapter books (Rainbow Magic Fairies, Magic Treehouse) so would be less embarrassing for an older elementary kid to be seen reading. Here’s a good starting list I put together recently for a 8 yo niece who is a reluctant reader:
Jellaby
Stone Rabbit
Flight: Explorer
Sardine in Outer Space
Bumperboy
Amulet / Kazu Kibuishi
Lunch Lady
World of Quest
Sticky Burr
Magic Pickle
Buzz Beaker Brainstorm
Owly
Little Vampire
Bone
Tiny Tyrant
Kaput and Zosky
Patrick the Wolf Boy
Rapunzel’s Revenge
I remember getting a big kick out of the Sideways Stories from Wayside School series, even when I was beyond the (5-12 year old) intended audience. They’re meant to be totally silly, but are full of the kind of dark humor that kids really go for.
Oh, “the Westing Game” is amazing. As is “The Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler”, but that might seem a bit dated to kids today.
When I was a kid, I loved reading “scary” books aimed at pre-teens – the whole Lois Duncan genre. I also loved books about kids who were suffering from amnesia or had esp, but I’m blanking on book names.
For the pre-teen girls, I’d definitely recommend Harlequins. There are loads of them that are pretty vanilla sex-wise, and I absolutely ate those up when I was about 12.
As for current kids books, the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants books are AMAZING. Obviously Harry Potter’s already on the radar, but “Howl’s Moving Castle” is great as well. Meg Cabot’s pre-teen books are great – she’s written dozens, and they’re fun books.
An oldie but goody: _Henry Huggins_ by Beverly Cleary. It’s terrific for kids ages 8-11 (and for younger, depending on skill level). I recommended it to the 10-year-old son of my local bar owner, and T couldn’t wait to tell me how much he enjoyed it. In fact, most of the Beverly Cleary books (the Ramona series, etc.) are very engaging, and most of my students get very excited about seeing the characters show up again in other books (e.g., Henry shows up in the Ramona books). Overall, series are a great way to go for the second through seventh grade age group.
Also, for the younger kids, you might try approaching reading from a different perspective. If you can get the supplies together, let them be the authors and write their own books either individually or in groups. Then let them swap books or read them to the class. Being able to create their own stories makes reading other peoples’ stories more exciting.
I second “Island of the Blue Dolphins”. I also loved “Number the Stars” (about two friends during the holocaust), “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (for older kids), “The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle” (about a girl that joins the crew of a ship, and the mystery and coup that ensues to overthrow the captain), “The Wind in the Willows” (might be too young, but one of my absolute favorites to this day), and of course “The Baby-Sitters Club” series! Most of these all have great lessons to learn while still being great reads – a little bit of history, a little bit of learning to be ok with being an outcast, and of course a little “girls can do anything” attitude!
Okay, this is mostly coming from my own reading history, so it may be out of step with what’s ‘cool’ in YA fiction now, but good stuff lives on, right? So: Gordon Korman, especially any of his Macdonald Hall books – he’s very, very funny, and while the reading level required to read them probably isn’t too high (Grade 5, maybe? I’m not too good at judging these things) they can be enjoyed by readers of any age. Anything by Madeleine L’Engle – I loved all her books, especially A Swiftly Tilting Planet. Michael Chabon’s Summerland is fun, and includes that great American pastime, baseball, as a plot focus. All Roald Dahl is totally classic and awesome.
When I was about 10-13 years old I found that the adult fantasy section at the library was good for me – the books are often long, involving, and plot-driven and don’t necessarily require an adult emotional intelligence to comprehend – examples include Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books, some of which are actually intended for YA readers.
Anything by Eoin Colfer, he writes for several age levels. Daniel Pinkwater aka D. Manus Pinkwater is a hoot. Roald Dahl wrote the Charlie and the Chocolate factory stories and many more. Finally you can’t go wrong with anything that Scholastic Paperbacks publishes.
Seconded: Island of the Blue Dolphins. LOVED.
Robert C. O’Brien, The Silver Crown
Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess and The Secret Garden
All the Laura Ingalls Wilder Books.
Oh! The Nicholas books! Goscinny & Sempé. I have read part of the first one, is HILARIOUS, gave it to my niece and nephew and they now have several in the series and love them.
Oh and! The Earthsea Trilogy, Ursula K. LeGuin. Am just finishing up the third one now myself, for the thousandth time.
These may skew toward the younger end of the spectrum, but I loved all of these books as a kid:
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh: Robert O’Brien
The Phantom Tollbooth: Norton Juster
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: E.L. Konigsburg
Harriet the Spy: Louise Fitzhugh
Half Magic: Edgar Eager (there are 3 sequels)
The Boxcar Children: Gertrude Chandler Warner (1st in a huge series)
The Pushcart War: Jean Merrill
The Westing Game: Ellen Raskin (so good that it deserves to be repeated)
the Narnia Chronicles by CS Lewis
Add me to the list of people who also loved Stephen King.
The Westing Game is a fantastic book, as is another of Raskin’s books “The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon, I mean Noel.”
For Elementary School, series books are fantastic since they often come in box sets – The Boxcar Children is still popular, as is the Magic Tree House series, and the Time Warp Trio series is HILARIOUS.
A little older – I really like anything by Avi and for historical girly fiction, Ann Rinaldi is a fantastic author. The Lord of the Rings books are great for fantasy lovers, as are the John Bellairs novels(Phantom Tollbooth and others).
So many possibilities, but Robert A. Heinlein’s juveniles still top my list. Oh–and Maguerite Henry for the horse-crazy girls.
I’ll see your Stephen King and raise you the Cthulhu Mythos stories. No sex, but *serious* weirdness.
@attica: I loved [i]Follow My Leader[/i]! I haven’t thought about that book in years.
My semi-stepdaughter (her dad and I have been together for years, but we’re not officially married) is 12 and has recommended some good fantasy books recently. Laura Ruby has two books a couple of kids in a future New York where almost everyone can fly. The first, [i]The Wall and the Wing[/i] is an orphan-finds-her-true-identity story; also, there is a wonderful cat. I haven’t read the sequel yet, but I like Ruby’s style.
Also recommended: The Cronus Chronicles, by Anne Ursu. It’s a trilogy where modern-day kids have to deal with the Greek gods, who turn out to be real. The books are [i]The Shadow Thieves[/i], [i]The Siren Song[/i], and [i]The Immortal Fire[/i]. These books probably are better for kids who have some knowledge of Greek mythology.
Both Ruby and Ursu write strong girl protagonists, which is a plus.
I adored just about anything by Scott O’Dell and Madeline L’Engle. Also, there is a wonderful book called The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss which I always loved far more than the Diary of Ann Frank. High–I don’t think you can make it through high school without the mines of soapy/trashy goodness that are VC Andrews and Lois Duncan. My English teacher had the good sense to veer me off into Pat Conroy land, but I doubt that would work for everyone.
Oddly, a friend of mine was just asking me for recommendations for elementary kids’ books, so I was wracking my brain for some of the ones I loved.
Her kids like books where either kids or animals are the main characters, so here’s what popped out–at least the first two have sequels:
The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden, ill. Garth Williams
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, by Deborah & James Howe
How to Eat Fried Worms, by Thomas Rockwell.
Also, I third the Newbury list.
Yes, Rab was a complete dillweed.
Oo! OP didn’t mention which language many of her mom’s students use at home, but I just found the Cricket in Times Square in a Spanish edition, if that’s helpful:
http://tinyurl.com/yc6bo73
For younger readers, my (advanced-reader) 1st grader is enjoying the Junie B. Jones series, by Barbara Park. It’s a HUGE series with very short books (less intimidating for those lacking confidence) that can be read in more or less any order. The main character is a girl, but she’s a bit of a tomboy and most of the plots we’ve encountered so far would appeal to either gender. As an added bonus, I find them very cute and funny, personally, unlike so many of my kids’ other books… I can usually find a dozen or so titles in my local used bookstore, so it could be a relatively cheap experiment to grab a few and see if your mom’s students take to them.
The Anne of Green Gables series – wore those suckers out and they are good for a big span of ages. The Percy Jackson books are good for both boys and girls and will encourage them to read the Greek myths – all but book 5 are in paperback. Any of the Dahl books would be great. For the younger kids just starting with chapter books – Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. They are hilarious. The Beverly Clearly books are good chapter books, too. Jacob I Have Loved – killed me as kid. I actually cried when I realized that I had lost it.
I think I had that same Newberry set – one about Krakatoa(sp?) was my favorite.
For the older kids:
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi
The Anne of Green Gables series (all eight of them)
The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare (goes well with The Witch of Blackbird Pond)
The Harriet the Spy books
For the middle-graders, what about the Babysitter’s Club (shouldn’t it be Babysitters’ Club?) series? They get repetitive, but I ate, slept, and breathed them for awhile there, and I know I’m not alone.
some thoughts off the top of my head … some elementary-level reading, but mostly middle school-level:
* Encyclopedia Brown books (Donald Sobol)
* anything by Lloyd Alexander
* “101 Dalmatians” (the book by Dodie Smith on which the movie was based)
* “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” (E.L. Konigsberg)
* books by Diana Wynne Jones (actually didn’t read these until adulthood, but they’re aimed at the younger set)
* Anne of Green Gables series (LM Montgomery)
* James Herriot’s kids’ books … great for animal lovers
* Paddington Bear books (Michael Bond)
* Louisa May Alcott’s “Jack and Jill” and “An Old-Fashioned Girl”
* “The Secret Garden” (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
* “The Call of the Wild”
* The Chronicles of Narnia
* Louis L’Amour westerns
* “True Grit”
* old Nancy Drew (I haven’t read any of the more modern ones… but I devoured the sixties/seventies/eighties ones in grade school)
* books by Joan Aiken
* Harry Potter, of course
* Roald Dahl – “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator”
* Madeleine L’Engle – “A Wrinkle in Time” and so on
* E.B. White – “Stuart Little”, “The Trumpet of the Swan”
I remember loving books that came in series at that age: the American Girl books (you can buy the books separately from the dolls), the Boxcar Children, the Tamora Pierce Tortall fantasy books, even the Babysitter’s Club. They all had the same basic structure, so they were familiar but satisfying.
For kids who like sports, Mike Lupica writes a bunch of kids’ sports books, and I remember Matt Christopher’s fiction sports books (which seem to be listed as Matt Christopher Sports Classics on Amazon now) being popular in my elementary school, although all the protagonists seem to be boys, irritatingly.
I also remember loving Judy Blume and Karen Hesse at that age, and a baseball fiction book called “Finding Buck McHenry.”
I would also suggest going through the Newbery, etc (there are a bunch of kids book awards lists) and picking out anything that looks good: http://tinyurl.com/6mam5k. The Belpre medal focuses particularly on books by Latin@ authors, so that might be worth checking out.
Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, starting with Dealing with Dragons, is really, really hilarious. 7th grade for me.
I read mostly adult books once I was in fifth grade or so (I loved John Grisham and Stephen King) but I did adore the Babysitter’s Club series and the Sweet Valley Twins.
I’m not sure those are the kind of timeless literature that will stand being removed from their early-90’s milieu, but I loved them.
I, too, read a ton of Stephen King and Dean Koontz in junior high (and continue to now in college), as well as Robin Cooke and Michael Crichton. Something more age appropriate might be Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. Some of the humor went over my head at that age, but I loved those books anyway. I also read those Animorphs books like my life depended on it, and a series about gymnasts which I can’t remember now, except that the lead girl’s name was spelled Aimee, which I LOVED for some reason.
Hopefully these aren’t too young, but I still love Stuart Little & Charlotte’s Web, and also James and the Giant Peach. I’ve gone back and bought copies as an adult just to have ’em. :D
As for Stephen King, his novel The Eyes of the Dragon is not very scary; also there are princes and wizards and stuff in it so it’s a lot more kid-friendly than, say, The Stand. :P
Would The Hobbit be too much for them? Lord of the Rings is definitely too much, but I remember loving The Hobbit when we did it in the 8th grade, so perhaps some of the oldest kids might be into it?
There’s also Harry Potter, of course… if it would be allowed. :P
Encyclopedia Brown books – are they even still available?
The Phantom Tollbooth
Anything by Madeleine L’Engle (her books span reader ages from about 2nd grade through . . . I’m still reading them).
The Pern books by Anne McCaffery
The Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.
I actually disrecommend the Harry Potter series – mostly because the bad editing makes me crazy. Of course I’m the one who corrects typos when I find them in my own books. And if the editing is bad enough, I will stop reading a book, even if I want to find out the ending. Had a 6-part book series (loosely connected, consecutive stories), and books 1-5 were fine, but in book 6, reference was made back to events in book 4, but with the characters of book 5. Drove me batty, and I eventually just put it down.
I’ll second Jenny on The Westing Game. I think I still have my copy.
When I was a kid, I plowed my way through everything Beverly Cleary wrote. And I mean everything — the Ramona books, the Henry Huggins books, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Ralph and his motorcycle, on and on. I adored those books and they’re pretty timeless; my collection belonged to my older brother (he’s nine years older) before me and I related as well to them as he did.
I was going to suggest The Baby-sitters Club, but while some of your mom’s girls might enjoy the books, I doubt they’ve aged well or would make much sense given the kids’ culture. Plus they’re idiotic. Of course, I love them, because I read all of them and now I live to make fun of them. Still, if you can get your hands on some, they’re not terrible.
I have a second-grader and am also a volunteer for our school’s “Everyone a Reader” program for struggling readers, so I’m going to try to offer up some titles that aren’t just chapter books–because a lot of kids just aren’t ready for those until they are in upper elementary grades, especially if they are reading below grade level. Picture books are also helpful, because the kids can look at the pictures for clues about what’s going on in the text.
For lower grades and slower readers: Dr. Seuss (of course), the Biscuit books by Alyssa Capucilli, Clifford, the Froggy series by Jonathan London. As they improve, anything by Mark Teague, Judy Schachner’s Skippy John Jones books, “How I Became a Pirate” and “Pirates Don’t Change Diapers” by Melinda Long, Amelia Bedelia, Arthur, and Franklin.
When they are ready for chapter books, the Magic Treehouse series (you can find tons of these at used bookstores), the Little House books (I loved them as a kid and my son loves them now because they are very descriptive–how to make bullets! how to butcher a hog! great stuff), Andrew Lost, The 39 Clues, Megan McDonald’s Judy Moody and Stink. And as much non-fiction as you can get your hands on–snakes! bugs! the Titanic! Military aircraft! (Can you tell I have a boy? But you get the picture.)
The kids should be tested periodically by the school to determine what their reading level is (there are a bunch of different leveling systems). If your mom or the kids know what their level is, there are online lists of leveled books that can help them find books they will be comfortable reading–it can be VERY discouraging to try reading something way above level, which might be contributing to the unimaginable “reading is harder than math” mentality.
Good luck to you and your mom! Reading is the best! Thanks for sharing that with the next generation.
I was way into the whole Anne of Green Gables series when I was in grade school. And I adored all of the Narnia books, although I am NOT a fan of the new numbering system, regardless of whether or not that’s how CS Lewis would read them. Plus all the Judy Blumes and Beverly Clearys, of course.
I have no idea what the grade levels are on those, however.
Oh, so many good books to recommend.
Try E.L. Konigsburg, Madeline L’Engle, Lemony Snicket as authors. Also, slightly younger series that is great for beginning readers is the Amber Brown series or the Magic Treehouse series. I’ve worked with kids in similar situations (struggling ESL readers) who adored those books. American Girl has a nice series about Josefina that a lot of my girls really enjoyed and identified with. Oh, Jerry Spinelli is an awesome author too. I definitely second the recommendation of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid–kids LOVE them.
I second all mentions of Ramona, Indian in the Cupboard, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Harry Potter. I still read these books when I have a sick-day from work.
I also humbly submit the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman, and Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander.
@Margaret: Aw, “Huge” is great — but I don’t know if I’d give that to a seventh-grader, even though it’s about one. There is the dreaded Adult Content.
Walter Dean Myers, Chris Crutcher and Robert Cormier are all authors whose books are pretty accessible to young readers, but deal with themes that are interesting to middle school kids. And no vampires!
Oh, and I would recommend *against* the Anne of Green Gables books. They are quite sexist and preachy.
I am a huge fan of children’s books (I have been on a quest to collect some of my favorites from childhood and to make sure my niece and nephew also have copies). Here are some of my favorites over several age groups:
Mr Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
The Chocolate War (or really anything by Robert Cormeir)
Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobol
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
The Narnia series
Who Put the Hair in My Toothbrush by Jerry Spinelli (my sister and I thought that was the funniest book when we were little…I haven’t read it in years)
Endless Steppe by Esther Hautiz
These books are all pretty old and so you should be able to find them in used bookstores or at godwill (that’s where I pick up most of my copies)
Also, a college friend of mine just published her first book and it is a young adult book- Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma. It’s great.
I also read a lot of Stephen King at that age (and, man did I love Christopher Pike and John Saul books), so I’m of the opinion that reading is reading, and hopefully they will develop a love for it and move on to better books.
I could propbably think of another two dozen more, but these were some of the books that really made me a reader.
A lot of books already listed that I loved. One series I didn’t see anyone list: The Great Brain books by John Fitzgerald.
My books were fairly mainstream from that period (late 80s/90s). Easy chapter books (grade 4-5) were always Babysitters Club. Then 6th grade was all about Christopher Pike. Next was Michael Criton. Then grades 8-9 I really like biographies: musicians, actors, athletes, I even did a report on David Letterman for a 9th grade speech. The appeal was the true-life element of someone successful, and bios usually span some portion of teenagedom to relate to. More “literary” books were “Where the Red Fern Grows” and “The Giver”. Younger kids may still like Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein.
*fist-pumping YES* — somebody else beat me to recommending Daniel Pinkwater. Seriously, ANYTHING by him is great. Mo Pie already said “Snarkout Boys and the Avacado of Death”, and I’ll agree and raise you a “Lizard Music”.
Others (which I still own and re-read at my advanced age):
Katherine (‘Bridge to Terabithia’) Patterson
EL (‘From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler) Konigsburg
Kate (‘Because of Winn-Dixie’) DiCamillo
(Not that I’m only recommending those titles, they’re just the ones those writers are best known for. I’d happily recommend ANY book written by those three authors.)
Oh, and have your mom talk to the folks who run the library about perhaps getting a waiver on the 10 every 2 policy. Policies are set by people, and in my experience, people who work in libraries are very, very interested in helping kids read. I bet if she explained the situation, she’d find herself allowed to check out many, many more children’s books.
Just off the top of my head/ a quick google search:
Ella Enchanted, A Little Princess, Wise Child, A Wrinkle in Time, Artemis Fowl, The Pushcart Wars, All-of-a-kind Family, anything Beverly Cleary, Cricket in Times Square, the Narnia books, anything Roald Dahl, Little House in the Big Woods, Series of Unfortunate Events, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Borrowers, the Redwall series, Little Women, Anne Frank, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, To Kill a Mockingbird
Two that others haven’t mentioned that I loved were I Houdini (other Lynne Reid Banks books have been mentioned) and The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts. I can’t be the only kid who wished/imagined she had psychokinetic powers after reading that.
I really liked The Boy Who Reversed Himself and some of those other kinda weird sci-fi books by William Sleator.
Ella Enchanted the book is great — can’t attest to the movie.
There was one book that I liked a lot about a girl who played the saxophone and had a hard time in seventh grade, but I can’t remember the title. Maybe someone else does. I read so many books that my memory fades.
I definitely read myself through the Sweet Valley High books in middle school too (my school kept them in the middle school reading room) but … hesitant to recommend. Baby-Sitters Club, though, definitely, as other people have said.
@Sars :There is the dreaded Adult Content.
I tried to imagine my 13-y-o self reading it & I would’ve loved it, but like many others here, I read any-and everything at that age…the dictionary, the encyclopedia, the first-aid handbook, the owner’s manual for Dad’s car fer chrissakes…so maybe it’s not appropriate. I’d’ve let my daughter read it, but ESL parents might not be able to pre-read it to be ready for questions about the content, so okay. Maybe not “Huge.”
But everyone [I]else[/I] should read it, because it’s really really good.
I’d second many of the books above, but also say : The Great Brain series, by John Dennis Fitzgerald; it’s pseudo-historical fiction, featuring boys as the main characters (many of the great suggestions made already have girl main characters). I absolutely LOVED them but I’m sometimes convinced that I’m the only person who ever read them, besides my brothers.
@Tisha: Yikes, “Go Ask Alice”? I mean, I read that at 9 years old, but…I probably shouldn’t have. Heh.
The Grounded book I was searching for on a Vine a couple of months ago is, as it turns out, quite funny, and it aged pretty well; the plot moves right along. If you can find it, it’s a good choice (the author is Todd Domke, I believe).
S.E. Hintons are pretty good, but despite being about guys, they seemed to be the exclusive province of girls in terms of who read them. And in a couple of them, not…that much happens. The Outsiders is worth a look, though.
Okay I confess, I didn’t read each entry as thoroughly as I might have because I was so eager to start writing my suggestions!
First, pick up a copy of [i]Shelf Discovery[/i], by Lizzy Skurnik, which you will rip through like a bag of chips as you remember book after book you hadn’t thought of in YEARS, than tear off to the used book store to gather them. Some of them, like Happy Endings Are All Alike, are way too adult for your age group, but there’s many others that should do fine.
My suggestions: Elizabeth Marie Pope’s The Sherwood Ring and The Perilous Gard. Brilliantly written and terrifying at times, they underline
the Plucky Heroine trope without being annoying or cliche. Also, Peaceable Sherwood remains one of my favorite characters in literature–the first time I ran into The Sardonic Anti-Hero Hottie.
For boys, I highly recommend How To Eat Fried Worms. Suitably disgusting but very funny and on the nose on how boys’ freindships work. Also, as many have mentioned, The Great Brain series. Since it’s already set in the past, it won’t seem dated. Another great one, if you can find it, is Lizard Music, by Daniel Pinkwater. He writes a lot of things for different grade levels.
For the second and third grade levels, Richard Scarry and some of the more “mature” Dr. Seuss, like Oh The Places You’ll Go!. Jumanji, Blueberries for Sal, Make Way For Ducklings, and so on. The books are short but the stories are complex enough that the kids shouldn’t get bored too fast.
Fried Worms is good for girls, too; I loved it.
Maybe some Herriot, if they like animals? I don’t know about the grade level on those — I don’t remember having to look anything up, but some of the Britishisms are tricky for American/ESL readers in grade school — but I always remember his battle to eat as many giant pickled onions as that other vet.
I work at a high school for girls with academic difficulties, so finding things at their reading level but interesting enough to keep them reading is always a challenge. Some of their favorites might be good for your older ones. The most recent books to really win over crowds were:
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (and seriously, people–this book is great. This is one that had to be taken away in class because people were reading when they should have been mathing or sciencing. Unheard of at this school.)
Paper Towns by John Green (maybe a little too old for your crowd but another great book)
The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
Wild Things by Clay Carmichael
Judy Blume, Sweet Valley High, those Choose Your Own Adventure books
Okay more! My brain, she is a-spinning!
Judy Blume, with a special recommendation for Than Again, Maybe I Won’t for the guys. But anything by her is great.
I won’t pretend I didn’t love Sweet Valley High to death when I was a teen, and God knows there’s plenty of them! (go to The Dairi Burger for a hilarious, not at all appropriate for children blog on the books.)
Cricket Magazine. It’s fabulous and comes in different levels for different readers ( I think Ladybug is for very young children.) You may be able to find old issues at secondhand bookstores, and a subscription is quite affordable. It’s also easy to Xerox copies of a story so all the kids can read it together. I gave one each to my neices and nephew and plan to renew it every year as a Christmas gift. Other good mags–Ranger Rick and World (if that one’s still around.)
Whoo-hoo, poster who mentioned Girl With The Silver Eyes! Loved that one!