# Books to Read to a Nine-Year Old Boy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 29, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452 "2004-07-29T16:30:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ouisey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@ouisey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouisey)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/21 "2004-07-30T02:02:17Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > So many books to read: > > Final Exit - Derek Humphries > The Amityville Horror - Jay Anson > The Anarchist’s Cookbook - Anonymous > In Cold Blood - Truman Capote > Sybil - Flora Rheta Schrieber > It - Stephen King > Flowers In The Attic - V.C. Andrews > The true crime books of Ann Rule > The Joy of Painful Sex > How to Roll a John for Fun & Profit I thought about Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates but somehow I think the phrase “I’ll fuck you til you bleed blue guts” isn’t quite suitable for a boy his age. ---
**Author:** ![ouisey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc29f/32.png) [@ouisey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouisey)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/22 "2004-07-30T02:06:08Z")
> [@Kallessa](#): > > And just for fun, if he likes fantasy, the David Eddings books (esp. _The Belgarion_) are suitable for his age level. The basic “journey to discover who you are” story, it has some fighting, but nothing too gory, a little romance, and enough action to move the story along without sacrificing character development. Not as good a Lloyd Alexander (but similar to the _Book of Three_ series), or Susan Cooper, but much better written than anything by Terry Brooks. He’s read the Lloyd Alexander books on his own, I’m happy to report. Its funny you mention David Eddings because I was just wondering if he might like the Belgariad. Its been close to 20 years since I’ve read them, but I don’t think I remember anything unsuitable in them. I’ve also been thinking of recommending Feist’s Riftware saga to him. ---
**Author:** ![jbarro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jbarro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbarro)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/23 "2004-08-01T01:46:02Z")
Elementary school teacher chiming in here - I think it’s fantastic that the OP is still reading aloud to a 9 year old. Too many people give up on that special time as soon as their child learns to read. What better way to: A) express the importance and value of reading; B) model advanced reading behaviours and critical thinking about literature; and C) expose the child to wonderful books that they cannot yet read independently? Some book suggestions: Any of Gordon Korman’s books. For example, You Can’t do that at Macdonald Hall and the rest of that series are hilarious fun. [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590326457/qid=1091324551/sr=8-6/ref=sr\_8\_xs\_ap\_i6\_xgl14/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590326457/qid=1091324551/sr=8-6/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i6_xgl14/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) His adventure books, such as the Dive or Everest trilogy, are excellent adventure stories with lots of topics to discuss such as the ideas of bravery, fairness, etc. I’ll try to think of some more tomorrow. . . ---
**Author:** ![jbarro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jbarro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbarro)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/24 "2004-08-01T01:50:21Z")
Elementary school teacher chiming in here - I think it’s fantastic that the OP is still reading aloud to a 9 year old. Too many people give up on that special time as soon as their child learns to read. What better way to: A) express the importance and value of reading; B) model advanced reading behaviours and critical thinking about literature; and C) expose the child to wonderful books that they cannot yet read independently? Some book suggestions: Any of Gordon Korman’s books. For example, You Can’t do that at Macdonald Hall and the rest of that series are hilarious fun. [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590326457/qid=1091324551/sr=8-6/ref=sr\_8\_xs\_ap\_i6\_xgl14/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590326457/qid=1091324551/sr=8-6/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i6_xgl14/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) His adventure books, such as the Dive ([http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0439466148/qid=1091324551/sr=8-4/ref=pd\_ka\_4/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0439466148/qid=1091324551/sr=8-4/ref=pd_ka_4/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)) or Everest ([http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0439405068/qid=1091324551/sr=8-3/ref=pd\_ka\_3/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0439405068/qid=1091324551/sr=8-3/ref=pd_ka_3/002-8076846-8380035?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)) trilogy, are excellent adventure stories with lots of topics to discuss such as the ideas of bravery, fairness, etc. I’ll try to think of some more tomorrow. . . ---
**Author:** ![jbarro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jbarro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbarro)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/25 "2004-08-01T01:51:23Z")
Sorry for the double post :smack: ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/26 "2004-08-01T02:19:41Z")
I’ve read throgh this entire post. Did I not see any Judy Blume? Judy Blume’s books are a must for every kid. Start with the Fudge books, but allow your kid to read the teen ones as he gets older. I’ll exempt the 3 or 4 she has written for adults. How about the Bible? Regardless of anyone’s religious beliefs, an understanding of the Bible will help any student. ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/27 "2004-08-01T02:24:16Z")
When I was about 8 years old, my father read **The Chronicles of Narnia** and **A Wrinkle in Time** to me. Neither could be described as educational, although the latter promotes respect for science and math. They both have Christian references in them, but they are pretty subtle–I didn’t catch on to the Christianity aspects until I re-read the books as an adult. I also recommend **The Midnight Fox**. I think that would make a wonderful story to read aloud. If you want something a bit more literary, how about **The Little Prince?** Oh, and I second the nomination for **The Once and Future King.** I read it in 7th grade and loved it. I think it would be suitable for a nine-year-old. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/28 "2004-08-01T02:55:43Z")
> [@ouisey](#): > > My son and I like to read together every night. Right now we’re half-way through the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. > > I’d like to start reading books to him that are a little more thought-provoking. I think we’re going to read Animal Farm by George Orwell next, and then maybe To Kill a Mockingbird. > > Can anyone else recommend any good literature to read with a child? Nothing too frightening, but something that provokes discussion about weightier matters as we read it. If your son is handling such books at age nine (not ninth grade?), then I’d think you’d both enjoy “Watership Down” by Richard Adams. It is an enjoyable tale of rabbits faced with real-life morale decisions and political issues. It is not a frightening story. I think you won’t be able to put this book down! Give it a try! If he is age 9, he’ll also enjoy “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” but Scott O’Brian, IIRC. Very interesting tale of ingenious problem solving. It’s a Newberry Award winner. I enjoyed both books…at different ages. Oh, “The Push-Cart War” is another light-hearted novel about real civic issues when the age trucks push out the old-time pushcarts of NYC. I forget the author! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![QuarkChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c5a1d2/32.png) [@QuarkChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuarkChild)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/29 "2004-08-01T03:11:18Z")
Oh yeah–“Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH”–that’s one of my favorites. By the way, I would hold off on reading **Animal Farm** until the boy learns Russian/Soviet history. I had to read that book in 9th grade, and I missed most of the references because I really didn’t have a good idea of Stalin’s place in history, and didn’t have the vaguest clue back then who Trotsky was. Of course, one can read the book without understanding the historical context, but that seems kind of pointless. If you want to introduce him to Orwell, I would suggest **1984** as a more accessible choice. On a related note, Bradbury’s \*\*Fahrenheit 451 \*\* is very accessible as well. Unless, of course, your son already knows about the history of the Soviet Union, or you are willing to give him the necessary background. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452/30 "2004-08-01T03:48:47Z")
> [@ouisey](#): > > He’s read the Lloyd Alexander books on his own, I’m happy to report. Its funny you mention David Eddings because I was just wondering if he might like the Belgariad. Its been close to 20 years since I’ve read them, but I don’t think I remember anything unsuitable in them. I’ve also been thinking of recommending Feist’s Riftwar saga to him. I worked in a bookstore and often had to recommend fantasy for kids and I never had a complaint about Eddings, plus one of my nephews liked fantasy and his parents were a bit picky (more about violence than sex–but then, I can’t offhand think of a really sexy fantasy). I think Feist is a great choice as well, the only problem may be keeping all the characters straight. The companion books written by Janney Wurts (_Servant of the Empire_) are also very good. A classic that I always loved is _the Count of Monte Cristo_, and it has several themes that could lead to good discussions–envy, revenge, slavery, justice, prison, and the list goes on. _The Three Musketeers_ is another good one. They could be difficult for him to get through on his own, but as read-aloud books, they should be okay. If he does enjoy the King Arthur legend, I’ll add to _The Once on Future King_, the Merlin series written by Mary Stewart (_The Crystal Caves; The Hollow Hills; the Last Enchantment; This Wicked Day_). The first two are the best, the last one is about Mordred and I never thought it matched the others as well. She does treat the legend in a rather adult manner (Arthur has all the male babies killed after he learns he fathered Mordred, and Merlin is the illegitamate son of a noble woman, for example). Rosemary Sutcliffe on the other hand, goes to the historical roots of the legend and _The Sword At Sunset_ portrays Arthur as Romanized Briton who unites the various kings through his position as Warlord in the on-going wars against the Saxons. Sutcliff has several historical fiction books written for juveniles–several about Roman Britain, and a few a bit later in British history, and I always enjoyed them. And if he does like this type of historical fiction, Cecelia Holland (in my opinion the best historical fiction author) has writen several juveniles as well as her adult stuff. Her adult stuff is often very psychological and so may go right over a nine-year old’s head, but her books for younger readers were excellent–there’s one about Fredrick Barbarossa that I particularly remember. I suppose that I should confess that I’ve never really gotten the distinction between children/adult books once the reading level ceases to be an issue, so some of my suggestions may sound a bit strange. My Mom’s theory on what we all read was that if we didn’t understand it, we’d get bored and not read it, and if we understood it, there was no reason for us not to be reading it. As a result (especially since two of my sisters were much older) I started reading adult books and classic literature pretty young. My recollection is that sexual themes went right over my head for years–I got a shock when I re-read certain books in high school or college! So, with that caveat, I hope at least of few of my suggestions get a chance. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-to-read-to-a-nine-year-old-boy/257452.md?page=1)