# Recommend me some children's classics for summer out loud reading. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528 "2006-04-20T21:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/21 "2006-04-21T00:43:03Z")
BTW, I think your idea is great. I’ve been wondering what to do this summer that isn’t ‘school’ and I have a ton of books I’m dying to read to them–summer will be a great chance to just do that. (No, I hadn’t put a lot of thought into it yet.) Oh, have you ever read Eleanor Farjeon? Go get _The little bookroom_ and see what you think! She wrote lots of books and poems; they’re not easy to get now, but your library might have some. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/22 "2006-04-21T00:49:24Z")
OK, I"m going to stop now, really I am. I just keep thinking of things. Did you see that movie, _Nanny McPhee_? Well, the _Nurse Matilda_ books it was loosely based on are now back in print, and it turns out they’re very funny. They’re by Christianna Brand, and if you like Edward Ardizzone’s illustrations at all, you should definitely look into the book; she was his cousin and they grew up hearing Nurse Matilda stories together. And speaking of Ardizzone, have you ever read his _Little Tim_ picture books? They are great! The first one is _Little Tim and the brave sea captain_; lots of danger and ships and stuff. He wrote others too. Now, we are going to eat dinner. Really we are. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/23 "2006-04-21T01:40:06Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I have never read any of the Chronicles of Narnia ( I did see the movie and liked it.) how important is it to start with book one? Depends on what you mean by “book one.” Do you realize your stepping into a big controversy here? All seven are stand-alone stories, but I agree with the moajority opinion that has been expressed here and in other threads where the question has come up: read them in the order they were originally published (i.e. starting with _The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe_, **not** the chronological order. (Though _The Magician’s Nephew_ happens first chronologically, it’s more satisfying if you’re already familiar with Narnia.) > [@PoorYorick](#): > > Sorry for the double post, but I just thought of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, especially since you specified children’s classics. A wonderful book for a 6 and 8 year old, and different enough from the movie to make it new to them. This was the first thing I thought of, perhaps because I remember reading Oz books to my younger brothers when we were kids. If they like _Wizard_, you can keep going with the rest of the series. > [@Hello Again](#): > > “Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH” by Robert C. O’Brien Good one. I remember enjoying this one when my (I think) fourth grade teacher read it to the class. > [@delphica](#): > > The Treasure Seekers, Five Children and It, etc etc E. Nesbit > These are a bit twee, but still enjoyable. She’s got a little wicked streak, too. Agreed. IIRC Nesbit was a big influence on C. S. Lewis when he wrote Narnia, though Nesbit’s children tend to have magical adventures in _this_ world. > [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > The High King ( Alexander) This is Book Five of the Chronicles of Prydain (which I see is also on your list). If you read these, do so in order—and they are very good. I’m familiar with some of the other books on your list, there aren’t any I’d veto, although _Me and My Little Brain_ is best read _after_ you’ve read one or more of the “Great Brain” books. > [@dangermom](#): > > Also, if you like HP and Alexander Lloyd, have you tried Diana Wynne Jones? You can start with Lives of Christopher Chant for the kids Yes, her _Chronicles of Chrestomanci_ (of which this is one) are in the same vein as Harry Potter. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/24 "2006-04-21T01:58:00Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Yes, her _Chronicles of Chrestomanci_ (of which this is one) are in the same vein as Harry Potter. Yeah, but she did it first! (Some of her more devoted fans did quite a bit of muttering when HP came out; they felt it was too familiar. However, it’s not like ‘young boy discovers magical talents’ is a new storyline invention.) ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/25 "2006-04-21T02:00:28Z")
Quickie comments on some of the books on your list blyton titles – fun as expected Wind in the willows - I think I was traumatized by this as a child, but obviously a classic for a reason. Swallows and Amazons - LOVE THIS SERIES but its not to everyone’s taste. You might want to read the first chapter and see if it bores you (lots and lots of details about camping and sailing, like details about all the different knots they learn) because if it does, reading the entire thing aloud might put you in an early grave. Half Magic ( eager) - I almost put Time Garden by Eager on my list. These will go quick as read-alouds, but fun. Belle Prater’s boy (white) - my gut reaction is that this is a little above your kids’ interest level, given their ages. I really liked it, maybe in a few years. Holes ( sachar) - I liked this very much, some parts might be a little scary. A wrinkle in Time ( L’engle) – again, I think a _little_ above age level unless your youngest is a sophisticated reader. Magic and stuff, but more philosophy and theory than Harry Potter and co. Me and my little brain ( fitzgerald) – you don’t really have to read these in order, but this one is toward the end of the Great Brain series. Great brain does it again – ditto All of a kind family ( taylor) – very good, especially if your kids like “old-fashioned” stories. Black Beauty ( Usborne version. very good for a nice condensed one, IMHO) Some of the condensed ones leave out the HIGHLY TRAUMATIZING horse death scene, hopefully this is one of them. The egypt game ( snyder) Fun, light hearted, fluffy Linnets and Valerians - oh my gosh, haven’t thought of this in YEARS, I remember loving it from the mixed up files of basil frankenwiler - I could have _sworn_ I put this on my list, good choice. I have about 30 or more that are too old ( holocaust stories and WW2 or ww1 time period stories) and my daughter is trying to levitate the dog right now, so I am a little distracted. – I’m dying to know if Twenty and Ten (sometimes published with the title The Secret Cave) is one of your holocaust stories … it’s a good one and age appropriate (and not scary). How are things going with your dog? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/26 "2006-04-21T02:07:28Z")
Almost forgot: Danny, Champion of the World and Rascal are both books that virtually every boy I’ve ever given them to have loved. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/27 "2006-04-21T02:14:20Z")
I second _Watership Down_. If they like it, you can pick up _Tales From Watership Down_, which is a collection of short stories and rabbit myths. _Charlotte’s Web_ _Alice in Wonderland_ _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ (skip the latin fish classification paragraphs) _The BFG_ (or almost anything else by Roald Dahl) Good old Grimm’s fairy tales. [D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths.](http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=nb_ss_b/102-4207732-5765744?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=d%27aulaire%27s+greek) I loved the pictures in this one when I was a kid. I see they have a Norse book, too; gotta love those Vikings. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/28 "2006-04-21T02:28:30Z")
Perhaps **Freddy the Pig** will come around and recommend the books about himself. (If he doesn’t, I will.) Shirley you realize that your kids are just going to have to stay 8 and 6 long enough for you to read all these books to them! ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/29 "2006-04-21T04:40:19Z")
I manage the children’s section of the bookshop where I work, and I’m mentally scanning the shelves as I type… Roald Dahl is awalys good - I loved him when I was a kid. _Charlie & the Chocolate Factory_ might be good, or _Matilda_. Someone’s already mentioned _Danny, Champion of the World_ and if they like that you might want to follow it up with his two autobiographies - _Boy_ and _Flying Solo_. Zizou Corder’s _[Lionboy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142402265/sr=8-5/qid=1145593729/ref=pd_bbs_5/002-7344870-4998445?%5Fencoding=UTF8)_ trilogy is fantastic- set in a carless future, a boy who can talk Cat has to join up with a floating circus to try and rescue his parents, who might have invented a cure for asthma _and_ return his new leonine friends to their homelands in Kenya. If they sat through and enjoyed Harry Potter, they should have no problem with this. I’ve just read (in the interests of good customer service, of course :D) Odo Hirsh’s _Hazel Green_ books. They’re quirky and fun, but I prefer his Bartlett books - an intrepid explorer and a taciturn strongman go on a [variety](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582349185/qid=1145594137/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-7344870-4998445?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) [of](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582348316/qid=1145594270/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/002-7344870-4998445?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) [adventures](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582348316/qid=1145594270/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/002-7344870-4998445?s=books&v=glance&n=283155). They’re short, but lots of fun. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/30 "2006-04-21T04:46:47Z")
Ooh, has anybody mentioned the Green Knowe books by L. M. Boston? ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/31 "2006-04-21T04:52:13Z")
Of course, not all of those were _classics_, in the traditional sense of the word… so I also reccomend _Heidi_ by Johanna Spyri, _Black Beauty_ by Anna Sewell and the early _Chalet School_ books, by Eleanor M. Brent-Dyer. (There are roughly one million billion of these in the series; the first few are easy to find) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/32 "2006-04-21T05:30:59Z")
> [@manx](#): > > Roald Dahl is awalys good - I loved him when I was a kid. _Charlie & the Chocolate Factory_ might be good, or _Matilda_. Slightly on-topic (mildly embarrassing) hijack: DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, READ THEM _CHARLIE AND THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR_! I read this book at about 8 - and I was _terrified_ of the Vermicious Knids. I mean nightmare terrified. I mean cold sweat, hide-under-the-bed terrified. The kind of terror that slips up your spine and paralyzes your entire body with fear! (Actually, now that I look back, it’s probably better to be scared of Vermicious Knids than terrorism or nuclear proliferation or something like that. They’re like big liquid Hershey Kisses really.) But I’m warning you: Read this book to them at your own peril!!! BEWARE I SAY! End slight on-topic (mildly embarrassing) hijack. I feel better now. The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/33 "2006-04-21T05:49:11Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > **In No Particular Order** as I am suppose to be **folding laundry**. I say, Shirley - you’re not a chap, are you?! ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/34 "2006-04-21T08:11:49Z")
As a guy with pretty much all the Redwall books, I heartily recommend them. Bear in mind that there’s occasional death, though. ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/35 "2006-04-21T10:23:41Z")
My Goodness, these kids are going to be well read! Or well _read-to)_ . I have only one to add. **Just So Stories** by Kipling. A book of short stories about animals. Fun to do. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/36 "2006-04-21T11:23:05Z")
If you like Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons then try some of the others in the series - my seven year old LOVED them and we have read them all a few times each. I like Winter Holiday, Swallowdale and Secret Water but there are a few more if you can find them. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/37 "2006-04-21T11:58:26Z")
I want to add a series of books I’d read to The Monster: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patrcia C. Wrede. Great fun. Begins with Dealing with Dragons, where a Princess of a most proper kingdom decides that being a proper princess is far too much strain - so she runs off to become a dragon’s princess, instead. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/38 "2006-04-21T12:10:51Z")
I came in to suggest things by Diana Wynne Jones - \*Lives of Christopher Chant, Charmed Life, Witch Week[/] (maybe hold off on _The Magicians of Caprona_ for now, but it might be fine, and a lot of the other things that she’s written) - but since they were already mentioned, maybe _The Ordinary Princess_ by M.M. Kaye - it doesn’t have the magical element, but it’s a delightful story. It’s girlier than some, so your daughter may like it better than your son. Maybe something to read with just her if you can do that? Also, maybe the _Children of the Lamp_ books - there are only 2 out so far, the _Akhenaten Adventure_ and _The Blue Djinn of Babylon_ - they’re about a set of twins who find out they’re Djinn. Not high literature by any means, but they’re fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/39 "2006-04-21T12:57:24Z")
I guess I’m late to the party! You guys seem to have it all covered here, but I do have one recommendation that hasn’t been mentioned yet: The Tripod books by John Christopher. I actually have a couple of others in mind which I can’t quite grasp. I’ll have to go home and look on the bookshelves. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/40 "2006-04-21T13:45:22Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > I’ll also throw in _Watership Down_. For a **six-year-old**? What kind of evil sadist are you? 😉 Seriously, _Watership Down_ is one of my all-tie favorite books, but many animals are killed over the course of the book, often in fairly gruesome fashions. There’s a death cult in the book There are prophetic nightmares of genocide in the book. You do NOT want to read this book to a six-year-old; I’d hesitate before giving it to a nine-year-old to read. Lloyd Alexander, though, is brilliant: I envy your reading of _The Prydain Chronicles_ for the first time. Roald Dahl is also wonderful. If you’d like something slightly less fantasy-oriented, consider _Maniac Magee_, a Newberry-winning book that touches on homelessness, race relations, and other issues in a light, entertaining fashion. There’s also _The Watsons Go to Birmingham_, a book about an African American family that travels from somewhere up north (Chicago, maybe?) to Birmingham during the mid-sixties, and somehow manages to make it a funny, charming book that is nowhere near as grim as it sounds from the plot synopsis. Daniel [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528.md?page=3)