# Suggest Poetry/Short Stories to Read to a 13-Year Old Girl **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2006, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495 "2006-05-12T13:12:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/21 "2006-05-15T22:19:20Z")
[QUOTE=Happy Clam] I had the good fortune to borrow a book called “The Rattle Bag” from a friend- it’s a collection of poetry by Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney [/QUOTE] Whoops, meant to say “selected by” Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney- it’s a hit so far. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/22 "2006-05-16T00:54:55Z")
[QUOTE=Lissla Lissar] **Campion** , is your name from _Watership Down_? I always thought it was. [/QUOTE] I had always assumed it to be a reference to [Albert Campion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Campion) (probably due to her logical thinking and deductive abilities) but I suppose it could be in reference to [Edmund Campion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Campion) (unlikely), [Thomas Campion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Campion) (a plausible, if somewhat uncertain speculation), Italian composer [Carlo Antonio Campioni](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Antoine_Campion) (hmmm…no), or maybe the Australian Rugby League player [Kevin Campion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Campion). I’d be mildly horrified to find that she named herself after one of the ruthless enforcers of the authoritarian Efrafa regime. I mean, what’s wrong with Pipkin or Strawberry. (Actually, if I were to select a name from _Watership Down_ for the esteemed **Campion** , I’d pick Blackberry or perhaps Blackavar.) Back to the OP’s question, I think **Peak Banana** makes a good point; being introduced to “the classics” early, before having to endure them (often taught by an instructor only moderately literate in them herself) is a way to appreciate the value in them. I don’t know about Twain–he seemed geared more toward young lads–but old Bill has a few sonnets and plays (not _Titus Andronicus_ or, though it is my favorite, _Hamlet_) that might fit the bill, and _Don Quixote de la Mancha_ is a rip-roaring tale of fun and satire. But then, I like _Gulliver’s Travels_, too. Or if you really want to warp her mind, try some Patricia Highsmith. Heh. Between Highsmith, Donald Westlake, and Gregory McDonald, I think my early adolescence was irretrievably distorted. It’s a good thing I didn’t get around to reading Cain, Hammett, or especially Jim Thompson until I ascended to (presumed) adulthood. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/23 "2006-05-16T01:17:01Z")
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the _Little House_ books. My favorite was _Little House in the Big Woods._ I don’t know if they are still in print, but Cooper Edens wrote some delightful poetry, with beautiful pictures. _Caretakers of Wonder_, _If You’re Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow_ and _with secret friends,_ are three I can think of right off the top. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/24 "2006-05-16T01:38:42Z")
Since Emily Dickenson has been mentioned, I’ll give a shout out for Edna St. Vincent Millay. I have loved Millay’s stuff since age 12 or 13. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/25 "2006-05-16T02:55:04Z")
_The Rattle Bag_ is a great book. I have it, and I should have mentioned it. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/26 "2006-05-16T12:49:57Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Some essays of Mark Twain might be fun (I love Twain), or some good old-fashioned Grimm’s fairy tales. If you want to get into novels, Jane Austen was meant to be read aloud. Bonus points if you can do it with a posh British accent. > > Heh. Not a problem. Oh, right. :smack: Well then, bonus points if you can read Mark Twain in a good Missouri accent. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/27 "2006-05-16T13:07:29Z")
Well, if you do read both Mark Twain and Jane Austen, make sure you don’t put [their books next to each other on the shelf.](http://www.twainquotes.com/Austen_Jane.html) ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/28 "2006-05-16T14:00:33Z")
Ya-yas and Little Altars are pretty dark–they deal with alcoholism and child molestation, but to each his own. what about _The Phantom Tollbooth_ --I still love that book and I’m 43. I have read it aloud to all my kids and each has loved Milo in turn. (and Tock, of course!). How about _Witch of Blackbird Pond_? or _Island of the Blue Dolphins_? Check your library for these (dunno if they’re out of print). _Julie of the Wolves_ is also good, but maybe a bit young. The Pern series of fantasy is good for the most part. (sorry, as you can see, I suck at author’s names). Since she enjoys the Victorians–how about Louisa May Alcott’s books? Or Mary Hodgson Burnett’s (and no, I don’t know why I remember their names and not others!). _Secret Garden_ and _A Little Princess_ are lifelong favorites of mine. _The Wolves of Willoughby Chase_ by Joan Aiken is also good, but youngish for her. Georgette Heyer is also a great read aloud type of book–better if you can do all the accents to make the slang really ring. Start with _The Talisman Ring_ to have a rollicking good time–it’s an adventure story of sorts. As for poetry, one of the best poetry books I ever bought was Garrison Keillor’s _Good Poems_ (I think that’s the title). It has old classics, new stuff no-one has ever read or known about etc. It’s great. Lastly, try James Thurber’s short stories. He is very funny in a dry way. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/29 "2006-05-18T02:10:34Z")
[QUOTE=Lissla Lissar] **Campion** , is your name from _Watership Down_? I always thought it was. [/QUOTE] Oops – missed this! No, my name isn’t from _Watership Down_. One of **Stranger** ’s guesses was correct; I took my name from the unlikely Edmund Campion, at least indirectly. As a child in Catholic school, my house was Campion; hence, the name. The connection to _Watership Down_ didn’t occur to me until after I’d signed up, but I like Campion in the book, so it isn’t a bad association to me. Campion might work for evil (Woundwort), but he’s good, or he tries to be. ( **Stranger** , what’s wrong with Campion?) > [@eleanorigby](#): > > what about The Phantom Tollbooth --I still love that book and I’m 43. I have read it aloud to all my kids and each has loved Milo in turn. (and Tock, of course!). Me, too! (The part about loving it. Not the part about being 43 or having kids. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, uh, I’ll stop now. 🙂 ) **Stranger** reminded me of another favorite book, though – _The Westing Game_. Given the plot of the book, I think reading it aloud would add to the fun. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Clam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@Happy\_Clam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Clam)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/30 "2006-05-18T13:42:37Z")
[QUOTE=Campion] Me, too! (The part about loving it. [/QUOTE] So did I- I’ll definitely give it a try. I’m reading her some Phillip K. Dick right now- “We Can Remember it For You Wholesale” was quite a success. I don’t think I’ll show her the movie, though ;). ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/31 "2006-05-18T13:47:25Z")
_The Chronicles of Prydain,_ by Lloyd Alexander. Readable, enjoyable, adventurous, lyrical. These books have one fault – they fly by too fast. They’re secretly morally uplifting too, with important lessons about growing up hidden well enough that they don’t distract from the adventure. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495/32 "2006-05-18T13:58:59Z")
[QUOTE=Campion] Oops – missed this! No, my name isn’t from _Watership Down_. One of **Stranger** ’s guesses was correct; I took my name from the unlikely Edmund Campion, at least indirectly. As a child in Catholic school, my house was Campion; hence, the name. The connection to _Watership Down_ didn’t occur to me until after I’d signed up, but I like Campion in the book, so it isn’t a bad association to me. Campion might work for evil (Woundwort), but he’s good, or he tries to be. ( **Stranger** , what’s wrong with Campion?) Me, too! (The part about loving it. Not the part about being 43 or having kids. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I mean, uh, I’ll stop now. 🙂 ) **Stranger** reminded me of another favorite book, though – _The Westing Game_. Given the plot of the book, I think reading it aloud would add to the fun. [/QUOTE] Campion? As I recall he’s loyal to Woundwort, but not a for-real creep the way Vervain is, and after the downfall of Woundwort, he’s instrumental in the golden age that follows. Try _Sohrab and Rustum_ by Matthew Arnold - you’ll find a downloadable version. It’s a sad story but everyone should know it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggest-poetry-short-stories-to-read-to-a-13-year-old-girl/356495.md?page=1)