Psst! Item 12!
Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White. Deals with issues of being different and abandonment.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Shows life in the days of segregation.
Both of these are for the 8-10 crowd (although some of us adults enjoy them as well).
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. My ultimate favorite in the early teens. I totally related to the status of Ponyboy as being somewhat accepted because of intelligence but not completely because of social rank.
Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island around age 10 or 11.
Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light at 13 or so (maybe earlier)
Isaac Asimov’s The Gods Themselves at maybe 14.
Instead of Tunnel in the Sky, I would introduce a child to Heinlein with The Star Beast or The Rolling Stones. JMO.
My daughter liked
Sideways stories from Wayside School / Louis Sachar ; illustrated by Julie Brinckloe . Check it out.
Love, Phil
The Chronicles of Narnia, man!
I agree with Charlotte’s Web over Stuart Little–it’s a much better book. And The Outsiders was one of my favorite books as a pre-teen. I read it many many times. My six-year old son likes the Little House books. I started with Farmer Boy, and then went back to the beginning with Little House in the Big Woods.
A series I discovered here is Edward Eager’s Half Magic and its sequels. Fantastic series.
You didn’t really tell us why you’re making this list. Is it to get him interested in reading? To make sure he has a broad exposure to literiture? Make him read the things you thought were nifty when you read them?
If you’re trying to instill a love of reading, then I suggest you think about some of the kids series. I think that will work better than just a hodgepodge collection of books that are very different in style. So I’d recommend some of the kids series out there. I started reading Tom Swift Jr. and The Hardy Boys books when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. They both have a lot of titles that will keep him interested in reading to find out what the next adventure is. Same with The Three Investigators although I was in 7th grade when I started reading those. So I might suggest starting with the first in an established series to get him hooked, then expand to other choices. Of course I also don’t really think of books as birthday or Christmas presents…they get bought pretty much all the time in our house. Good Luck!
I want him to love reading. As I said most of my favourites are actually books I have read in adulthood.
The House with a Clock in its Walls, by John Bellairs, and illustrated by Edward Gorey. I don’t remember how old I was when I read it - maybe 7 or 8? My mom said I was quite obsessed with it one summer.
2nd vote for The Great Brain.
2nd vote for Chronicles of Narnia (at least books 1-3)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Two options, either give it to him at 10-11 or read it with him a couple of years earlier…
At about age twelve, try Starship Troopers as an introduction to science fiction and military culture and or course some collection of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Perhaps an thirteen year old would enjoy the Hornblower series.
Still one of my favorite books. I like all the ones with Lewis and Rose Rita.
The books I most remember from my childhood, and still go back to read again:
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Talking Parcel
The Laura Ingalls Wilder series
The Narnia Series
As a hint as to how to help introduce some of these - I still have very fond memories of my mother reading us The Hobbit when I was 6 - being involved in his reading, rather than just giving him a list of assigments to read, may have far more impact (as well as giving long lasting great memories!)
L’Engle’s **A Wrinkle in Time ** and Paterson’s Bridge to Teribithia.
I wish I would’ve read Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea when I was 8 or 9. I loved it when I was 21, but I would’ve loved it more as a kid. If he likes that, you won’t be able to tear him away from Verne’s other stuff.
To what age to plan on giving him these books? Shogun is a great book about honor, loyalty, grit, and determination that would be great for a kid in his mid to late teens, though if you remember my recommendation 15 years from now write Guinness to request inclusion in their book.
Lots of good books on this list so far.
Might I just add something by Elizabeth Enright? The Saturdays or Gone-Away Lake were among my favourites around 10-11.
Wow, I’d forgotten all about that one! Apparently it’s also been published under the title Battle for Castle Cockatrice.
Also, it reminded me of another goodie: David and the Phoenix, by Edward Ormondroyd.
blinkingblinking, you ought to buy all of these books. Then one day the kid will need a book and you can just point to the shelves and say, “All these books kick ass. Get whatever you want.” 