# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/61 "2007-11-29T15:16:19Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] I always put in a bid for Jonathan Strouds _Bartimaeus Trilogy_ in these threads. They have to be good readers, but if they can handle Harry Potter, they can handle those. [/QUOTE] Love these. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. My sister loved them, too. And her student, who lost my second book. I just bought my niece \*[Alex and the Ironic Gentleman](http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Ironic-Gentleman-Adrienne-Kress/dp/160286005X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196349107&sr=8-1) \* by Adrienne Kress. I asked Adrienne what grade reader it’s for, and she said it’s middle grade (ages 8-12). (By the way, to brag: my niece turns six in December. She can already read Harry Potter unassisted.) ---
**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 29, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/62 "2007-11-29T15:26:06Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] Is it really that bad, for a kid? I mean, I’m not interested in reading it myself, but my 11-yr-old son just started it. Several of his friends have read it. [/QUOTE] Eragon isn’t particularly good, but I think the fact that it was a kid writing it makes other kids more excited to read it, which counts for a lot. ---
**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, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/63 "2007-11-29T16:22:50Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] Eragon isn’t particularly good, but I think the fact that it was a kid writing it makes other kids more excited to read it, which counts for a lot. [/QUOTE] No it doesn’t! It’s a terrible example of fantasy specfically and writing in general. Also Paolini was 20 by the time he finished it so he could hardly be considered a kid by that stage. There are so many other great books out there to not need to expose anyone you care about to that drek. ---
**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 29, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/64 "2007-11-29T16:45:47Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] No it doesn’t! [/QUOTE] It doesn’t what? I’ve seen kids take an interest because of the age of the author. I’ve seen what happens when kids get excited about reading. It’s all well and good to think that the quality of a book is the only thing that matters, but it often isn’t. And, of course, different people have different ideas of what makes quality to start with. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/65 "2007-11-29T17:55:52Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] And my favorite horsey book by Marguerite Henry was _Justin Morgan Had A Horse_. [/QUOTE] [aside] My brother was named Justin, which doesn’t sound odd now, since it’s had a heyday within the past 20 years. But when he was a kid, NO ONE was named Justin. (No one was named Gwendolen either–we were quite a pair among the Michaels and Jennifers.) He liked that book because it actually featured his name. Speaking of which, does anyone know of a book about a stray cat named Scat who gets adopted and at the end they name it Gwendolyn? My friend was telling me she loved the book and hence the name, but I hadn’t ever heard of it. [/aside] ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/66 "2007-11-30T08:14:45Z")
Slightly “outside the box” suggestion, for a child around 10 years old (especially a precocious reader type): James Herriot’s _All Creatures Great And Small_ and its sequels. They’re not really children’s books, but I remember reading them when I was around 10 y.o., and I really enjoyed them. Probably due to the books being very much about animals, always a popular kid topic. And they’re “gentle” reads; nothing particularly heinous that a parent would have to worry about. I’d also recommend some of Phil Pullman’s children’s books, particularly _The Scarecrow And His Servant,_ _I Was A Rat!,_ and _Clockwork._ Good books from one of my favorite authors. (_Clockwork_ is a bit spooky, but nothing a young boy can’t handle.) Another good book for kids around that age is _David And The Phoenix_ by Edward Ormondroyd. Simple fantasy, good storytelling. And the _Little House on the Prairie_ books are also very good, age appropriate works for kids in the 8-10 range, especially for a girl but even boys can get into them, too. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/67 "2007-11-30T09:16:40Z")
It seems the SDMB has fiction pretty well covered, so let me suggest something a little different. When I was a kid I would have loved to have had [The Dangerous Book For Boys](http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0061243582/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196413161&sr=8-1) And my sisters would have been equally enthralled by [The Daring Book For Girls](http://http://www.amazon.com/Daring-Book-Girls-Andrea-Buchanan/dp/0061472573/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196413161&sr=8-2) I bought (and read) both with the intention of giving them to my grandkids, but since they are only four and two years old, PapaBreign is going to hang on to them for a few more years. (Although I have made several copies of “the world’s best paper airplane” for them.) ---
**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 30, 2007, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/68 "2007-11-30T14:03:27Z")
I (and others) mentioned the Spiderwick books upthread. Last night in Target I saw a wonderful Spiderwick tie-in book that had flaps and pullouts and letters and popups: > **[The Chronicles of Spiderwick: A Grand Tour of the Enchanted World, Navigated by...](https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Spiderwick-Enchanted-Navigated-Thimbletack/dp/1416950389)** > > The Chronicles of Spiderwick: A Grand Tour of the Enchanted World, Navigated by Thimbletack \[Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Chronicles of Spiderwick: A Grand Tour of the Enchanted World,... This thing made my heart go pitterpat, and I’m 36! ---
**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 30, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/69 "2007-11-30T14:38:44Z")
[QUOTE=Not A Tame Lion] Slightly “outside the box” suggestion, for a child around 10 years old (especially a precocious reader type): James Herriot’s _All Creatures Great And Small_ and its sequels. They’re not really children’s books, but I remember reading them when I was around 10 y.o., and I really enjoyed them. Probably due to the books being very much about animals, always a popular kid topic. And they’re “gentle” reads; nothing particularly heinous that a parent would have to worry about. [/QUOTE] I’ve been reading those out loud to my family, and everyone has loved them. I did find myself in the position of explaining to the kids what it means for a cow to have a prolapsed uterus. [QUOTE=DfrntBreign] It seems the SDMB has fiction pretty well covered, so let me suggest something a little different. When I was a kid I would have loved to have had [The Dangerous Book For Boys](http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0061243582/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196413161&sr=8-1) And my sisters would have been equally enthralled by [The Daring Book For Girls](http://http://www.amazon.com/Daring-Book-Girls-Andrea-Buchanan/dp/0061472573/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196413161&sr=8-2) [/QUOTE] Those sound great - I’m going to swing by B&N and take a look at them. Now I have gifts for all the nieces and nephews - except the one nephew who has difficulty reading due to a learning disability. I really hate to give him a book for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/70 "2007-11-30T21:27:05Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] I did find myself in the position of explaining to the kids what it means for a cow to have a prolapsed uterus. [/QUOTE] Hasn’t every parent had that conversation at one point in the child’s life? At this point it’s practically a rite of passage. Smirk. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964/71 "2007-12-01T00:54:10Z")
_The Hidden Treasure of Glaston_ [http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Treasure-Glaston-History-Library/dp/1883937485/ref=pd\_bbs\_sr\_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196469960&sr=8-1](http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Treasure-Glaston-History-Library/dp/1883937485/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196469960&sr=8-1) An older book back in print which won a Newberry award. A small introduction to Glastonbury and the Grail. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-suggestions-for-children/427964.md?page=3)