# Book suggestions for children **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 27, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964 "2007-11-27T21:49:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/41 "2007-11-28T19:37:03Z")
Oh, and a couple others, both starring girls: _Julie of the Wolves_ and The _Trouble with Tuck_. If the kids like dogs or the outdoors, I absolutely ate up anything by Jim Kjelgaard at that age. ETA: Cheers for _The Great Brain_ šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/42 "2007-11-28T19:47:27Z")
Other dog or horse books: _Bob, Son of Battle_, anything by Albert Payson Terhune, and _Algonquin, Story of a Great Dog_, as well as Will James with _Smokey_. Oh! Oh! _Owls in the Family_ and _The Dog Who Wouldnā€™t Be_! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/43 "2007-11-28T20:01:03Z")
[QUOTE=NajaNivea] _Algonquin, Story of a Great Dog_ [/QUOTE] Oh, such memories! If the niece is into horses, Marguerite Henry was one of my favorite authors when I was a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/44 "2007-11-28T20:16:29Z")
Oldies, but real gems: _The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood_, Howard Pyle _Tarzan of The Apes_, Edgar Rice Burroughs I also third the Oz books, or at least the first one that was actually written by Baum. My grandson is reading it (age 11) and loves it. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/45 "2007-11-28T20:54:38Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] If the niece is into horses, Marguerite Henry was one of my favorite authors when I was a girl. [/QUOTE] Can you recommend a specific one to start with? My nine-year-old niece is into horses. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/46 "2007-11-28T20:59:59Z")
I canā€™t believe that no-one here has mentioned the great and mighty Garth Nix! The Old Kingdom trilogy - Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen The Keys to the Kingdom series - Mister Monday, Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday and Lady Friday (and they can have the fun of waiting for the final two books to be published too!) I heartily agree with who suggested the Redwall series, they were great (especially the first three). Thereā€™s also the black magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan - Magicians guild, Novice and High Lord. And of course the wonderful Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, I loved these as a child and they stand up as an adult too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/47 "2007-11-28T21:07:14Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] Can you recommend a specific one to start with? My nine-year-old niece is into horses. [/QUOTE] _Black Beauty_ would be my first recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/48 "2007-11-28T21:23:56Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] I also third the Oz books, or at least the first one that was actually written by Baum. My grandson is reading it (age 11) and loves it. [/QUOTE] To clarify, the first 14 Oz books (of which the first, _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_, is the most famous) were all written by Baum. After his death, other Oz books, both ā€œofficialā€ and unofficial, were written by other writersā€”for more than you ever wanted to know, see Wikipediaā€™s [list of Oz books](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oz_books). I read and enjoyed all the Baum Oz books as a kid, but the library didnā€™t have the non-Baum Oz books (nor the non-Oz Baum books), so I canā€™t speak to their quality. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/49 "2007-11-28T21:30:28Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] I read and enjoyed all the Baum Oz books as a kid, but the library didnā€™t have the non-Baum Oz books (nor the non-Oz Baum books), so I canā€™t speak to their quality. [/QUOTE] I was an Oz freak when I was a kid. It may be heresy to say this, but I thought the Oz books written by Ruth Plumly Thompson were better than many of the Baum books. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/50 "2007-11-28T21:38:17Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] Can you recommend a specific one to start with? My nine-year-old niece is into horses. [/QUOTE] I think Iā€™d start with _Misty of Chincoteague_. Oooh, thereā€™s a boxed set on Amazon for a really nice price with the three Chincoteague books I read: [Amazon.com: Marguerite Henry's Horseshoe Library Box Set: 9780689716249: Henry, Marguerite, Dennis, Wesley: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Marguerite-Henrys-Horseshoe-Library-Box/dp/0689716249/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196285165&sr=8-1) ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/51 "2007-11-28T21:41:42Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] I canā€™t believe that no-one here has mentioned the great and mighty Garth Nix! The Old Kingdom trilogy - Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen [/QUOTE] I adore these books, but I would have been terrified by them when I was 10 and under. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/52 "2007-11-28T22:05:40Z")
Kids have to learn about Necromancy sometime, **jsgoddess**. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/53 "2007-11-28T23:37:58Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] Can you recommend a specific one to start with? My nine-year-old niece is into horses. [/QUOTE] Walter Farley! _The Black Stallion_, _The Black Stallion Returns_; _The Black Stallionā€™s Filly_; etc. And my favorite horsey book by Marguerite Henry was _Justin Morgan Had A Horse_. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/54 "2007-11-29T00:23:04Z")
I think _The Keys to the Kingdom_ series is for younger readers. John Bellairs scared the living shit out of me when I was 9-11. I still find his books damn creepy. I spent a whole summer avoiding the bookshelf that had _The Lamp from the Warlockā€™s Tomb_ on it. Really. I can still see scenes from it and _The Curse of the Blue Figurine_ in my head. Does anyone else remember the bit about the kid walking home at night, hearing leaves blowing, and realising itā€™s a death mask blowing towards him across the ground? Aagh! Anyway, if they like to be scared, heā€™s a good author. For the girl, I suggest almost anything by Elizabeth George Speare, if sheā€™s remontely interested in history. _The Witch of Blackbird Pond_ (about Puritan New England) and _Calico Captive_ are really good. I second _The Egypt Game,_, too. Very good read. The _LHotP_ series for both. The boys might like _Farmer Boy_ the best. For the boys, _The Neverending Story_, by Michael Ende. And _Momo_. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/55 "2007-11-29T03:14:47Z")
A couple more books that havenā€™t yet been mentioned, at least not that I noticed. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, starting with Speaking with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. Not precisely scary, but dealing with ghosts, are two of Richard Peckā€™s Blossom Culp books: The Ghost Belonged to Me, and Ghosts I Have Been. For a pre-teen boy with a taste for sea stories, or the macabre (amazing how those two go together) Iā€™d also reccomend any of the books of Edward Rowe Snow. Iā€™m not sure how many are still in print (if any) but they each contain several accounts of _ahem_ interesting accounts of nautical lore. I found them very readable, and a lot of fun as a pre-teen. But, they have frank accounts of things that people do to survive shipwrecks, or how deprivations of long voyages can work on a personā€™s mind. So, if you want to avoid letting these children being confronted with the reality of cannibalism, for example, you might want to avoid these books. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/56 "2007-11-29T09:37:31Z")
Oh, on a reverse note - STAY AWAY FROM ERAGON! Friends donā€™t let friends read Christopher Paolini. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/57 "2007-11-29T14:19:12Z")
Duly noted. NajaHusband wanted to buy them this year for the older nephew, but I beat him into submission with my stuffed Smaug and got the kiddo the _My Side of the Mountain_ trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/58 "2007-11-29T14:46:26Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] Oh, on a reverse note - STAY AWAY FROM ERAGON! Friends donā€™t let friends read Christopher Paolini. [/QUOTE] Is it really that bad, for a kid? I mean, Iā€™m not interested in reading it myself, but my 11-yr-old son just started it. Several of his friends have read it. Heā€™s gone through Harry Potter and Narnia and Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl and several others listed in this thread. Loved _The Hobbit_, but couldnā€™t get into LOTR yet. Iā€™ll get him to try the Prydain books next, I think, although I havenā€™t read them. And thanks for the horsey book suggestions. Iā€™ll get my niece the Chincoteague books, and _Black Beauty_ if she doesnā€™t already have it. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/59 "2007-11-29T14:58:17Z")
For horsey books, _The Black Stallion_ is greatā€“I think I must have read it a hundred timesā€“but I loved Farleyā€™s other horse books, too: _The Island Stallion_ and _Man oā€™ War_ and such. For a horsey book that she may not have read, try Will Jamesā€™ _Smokey The Cow Horse_ and _My Friend Flicka_ and Marguerite Henryā€™s _King of the Wind_, which I read into tatters, two copies. As far as Marguerite Henry goes, I liked _Brighty of the Grand Canyon_ and really loved _Justin Morgan Had a Horse_, but had little use for the Chincoteague pony booksā€“go figure. PS: Do not get her Steinbeckā€™s _The Red Pony_ with intentions of a horsey kid story in mind. Turns out I liked Steinbeck and went on to read and love his work, but damn. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/60 "2007-11-29T15:04:06Z")
For anyone who might not have read it: The pony dies and the kid sees vultures picking out its eyes. Quite unexpected for a nine year old. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964.md?page=4)