# Recommend some children's books to me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164 "2011-11-16T20:00:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/21 "2011-11-17T09:39:58Z")
My sons at roughly that age loved Michael De Larrabeiti’s [The Borrible Trilogy](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Borrible-Trilogy-Borribles-Across-Metropolis/dp/0330490850). I thought they may be a bit young for the books but they raved about them. From the Amazon reviews they struck the same kind of chord with lots of kids. More [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Borrible_Trilogy). Oh and a second vote for Neil Gaiman. Extraordinary children’s books. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/22 "2011-11-18T19:02:10Z")
I recommend _A Filly for Joan, Afraid to Ride_, and \*The Outlaw \*by C.W. Anderson if she likes horses. \*The Liberation of Clementine Tipton \*and _One Hundred and Eight Bells_, both by Jane Flory, are also great. The first is a historical novel set in 1876 about a wealthy child living around the same time as Laura Ingalls Wilder, which makes it an interesting contrast. The second is set in Japan in the 1960’s. Also, \*The Ark \*by Margot Benary-Isbert, a novel set in Germany just after World War II. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of these are in print, but if you find them in a library or at a used book sale, they’re well worth checking out. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/23 "2011-11-18T19:49:12Z")
_The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles_ by Julie Andrews (yes, that one). It’s a great story about the importance of imagination and holding on to it as you grow up. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/24 "2011-11-19T03:56:25Z")
Jeez, I can’t believe I left out Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series: _Wee Free Men, Hat Full Of Sky, Wintersmith_ and _I Shall Wear Midnight_. Great books with a well-characterized protagonist who is neither stupid nor cutesy. Sir Pterry can write about children without either condescending or treating them as minature adults, the Scylla and Charbydis of YA literature. Speaking of which, I was about your daughter’s age when I first read Bullfinch’s _Mythology_, and I loved that. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/25 "2011-11-19T04:09:32Z")
My own third grader likes the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo, Disney Fairies, Diary of Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries books for light reading. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/26 "2011-11-19T14:45:56Z")
Here are some excellent recent fantasies she might enjoy: _Copper_, by Rebecca Lisle, _The Folk Keeper_, by Franny Billingsley, and _Savvy_, by Ingrid Law. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/27 "2011-11-19T16:56:32Z")
Check out [Madeleine L’Engle,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_L'Engle) who wrote far more than A Wrinkle in Time. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/28 "2011-11-19T21:48:41Z")
The OP might consider asking a children’s librarian, too. When I was nine years old, one particular librarian noticed how many books I was checking out, and she made it a point to try to find at least one book that I hadn’t read each week. I don’t remember her name, but I certainly remember her fondly. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/29 "2011-11-20T07:16:08Z")
She seems to be a voracious reader. Why not just let her loose in the library? ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/30 "2011-11-20T18:34:40Z")
I really liked Bruce Coville’s [Unicorn Chronicles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unicorn_Chronicles) when I was a school-age voracious reader. Only the first two books were out then, so I don’t know about the last two, but the ones I read had a good mix of adventure, humor, and suspense. They are not fluffy books about unicorns, the tone is more Harry Potter-esque. ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/31 "2011-11-21T05:27:45Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > There was a book about a kid who found out that his grandfather (?) was a magician, his grandfather was showing him how to open a door between worlds or something and got distracted and was lost. So the kid had to learn magic to get grandpa back. I remember a scene with him learning transformation and doing something to his desk and having trouble getting it back the right way. I think there was a female cousin or sister or something that ultimately helped him. . I think this is _The Magic Grandfather_, by Jay Williams. (I was just thinking about it the other day… must be a sign!) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/32 "2011-11-21T08:11:14Z")
> [@Glory](#): > > […] > > - Strawberry Girl […] Lois Lenski wrote [lots of other great YA novels](http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/ressubj/speccol/lenski/bib.html) besides _Strawberry Girl_ in her “American Regional” series. Try _Cotton in My Sack_ and _Shoo-Fly Girl_. [QUOTE=Glory] - The Borrowers by Mary Norton (I had a weird obsession with tiny things) - The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (and a weird obsession with impoverished English children) [/quote] “English”?!? Bite your tongue! :eek: The Peppers are New England to the backbone, specifically Massachusetts, I believe. > [@Glory](#): > > - Where the Red Fern Grows (more crying!) Title reminds me of the 1969 [_Where the Lilies Bloom_ by Vera and Bill Cleaver](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/395477.Where_the_Lilies_Bloom), also set in a poor Appalachian family but with a different premise (orphaned children take up “wildcrafting” or gathering and selling wild herbs and greens in order to stay together as a family). ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/33 "2011-11-21T13:45:33Z")
My vote would be for the _Green Knowe_ books by Lucy Boston - mystery, history, ghosts, a touch of magic The Children of Green Knowe (1954) The Chimneys of Green Knowe aka 'Treasure of Green Knowe (1958) The River at Green Knowe (1959) A Stranger at Green Knowe (1961) An Enemy at Green Knowe (1964) The Stones of Green Knowe (1976) Also _Watership Down_ by Richard Adams Many of my other thoughts have been mentioned. Si ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/34 "2011-11-21T14:51:39Z")
> [@Helena](#): > > I think this is _The Magic Grandfather_, by Jay Williams. (I was just thinking about it the other day… must be a sign!) Yes! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/35 "2011-11-21T14:58:53Z")
> [@Glory](#): > > - Never too young to get a headstart for English class with the gorgeous D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths (or the Norse, but it is out of print, great if you can find it) It’s pretty easy for me to find. I have hardcover copies of both books on the bottom shelf of the cabinet in the computer room. My parents got me the Greek Myths book (softcover) when I was a child and I literally read the cover (and the last few pages) off of it. Decades later, my wife acquired hardcover editions of both books, and I’ve been sharing them with our son. Diana Wynne Jones has already been mentioned, so after she reads _ **Howl’s Moving Castle** _, you can get your daughter the [animated film by Miyazaki](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347149/) from Netflix. Who knows? maybe it’ll start a lifelong love of anime… I would recommend the Tripod Trilogy (_ **The White Mountains** _, _ **The City of Gold and Lead** _, and _ **The Pool of Fire** _) by John Christopher. These are sci-fi action/adventure, and the heroes are young boys, so they might be more suited to a boy’s palette, but I loved them. I got started when I saw them serialized in comic form in _Boy’s Life_ magazine as a Cub Scout and tracked them down to read in book form after that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_F\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@John\_F\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_F_2)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/36 "2011-11-21T21:48:02Z")
Two historical fiction recommendations for you and recommend to others: David, Bernice, and the Magic Fox In “The Dragoons” by John F. Kinnear David, Bernice, and the Magic Fox In “Gettysburg, Pennsylvania” by John F. Kinnear A two part series thus far: Very Value-Priced 8x10 with Illustrations. Don’t forget to pass the word on! ---
**Author:** ![3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/47e85d/32.png) [@3\_20\_59\_or\_bust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3_20_59_or_bust)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/37 "2011-11-21T23:58:21Z")
Check out [The Higher Power of Lucky](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Higher_Power_of_Lucky) by Susan Patron. It was a Newberry Medal winner for 2007. Great book. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/38 "2011-11-22T15:32:52Z")
Seconding [The Secret Garden](http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-Garden-ebook/dp/B002RKSZT4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321975212&sr=8-2) and [A Little Princess](http://www.amazon.com/Little-Princess-being-whole-ebook/dp/B002RKSZLW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321975262&sr=1-1) - loved, loved, loved these books as a kid. [Tom’s Midnight Garden](http://www.amazon.com/Toms-Midnight-Garden-Philippa-Pearce/dp/0064404455/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321975104&sr=8-1) also captured my heart as a kid - I should maybe buy it and re-read it. I remember [Julie of the Wolves](http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Wolves-rack-Craighead-George/dp/0060540958/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321975393&sr=1-1) being a good book. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/39 "2011-11-22T16:40:31Z")
Another vote for _The Egypt Game_. Wonderful book. I still reread it occasionally. Also, they’re a little dated now but if she likes series mysteries, _The Three Investigators_ and _Trixie Belden_ series are good. And if she’s science-minded, the \*Danny Dunn \*series (also fairly dated now, but good stories). Oh, and for something a bit more modern, the Bartimaeus Trilogy (or at least the first one, _The Amulet of Samarkand_–I haven’t read the other two yet) is good. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164/40 "2011-11-22T19:16:09Z")
I’m don’t know if it’s age appropriate and you may possibly take issue with its anti-religion stance, but I found the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman a great adventure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-childrens-books-to-me/603164.md?page=3)