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I was also going to suggest checking the Newberry list as well as the Nancy Drew series. Those were both already mentioned. What about the Wizard of Oz (the original, not the abridged) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? She might was well learn young that the books are always better than the movies!
Newbery and Sunshine State Readers (SSYRA Home Page) are a fairly good source for midgrades. We also homeschool, and I've pulled from current and past lists for our assigned books.
For their personal reading I don't really censor, but if I were going to it would be more likely to be crap books like Miley Cyrus's Best Friend Tells All!!! or something than something too advanced for them. (I can explain James Joyce or Charlaine Harris. There is no explaining Miley Cyrus.) OTOH, I keep books around that neither have read so that if I see someone without a book at bedtime, I can give him/her one. Right now I have Fablehaven, Hurt Go Happy, and Scat.
Sorry for the late reply, I have been away from computer access for several days. Normally I would let something like this drop, but this is exactly why I have a problem with the books: Harry was punished with the whole "I must not tell lies" punishment for the one time he told the truth and went to the adults for help. See to me there is a message here that adults are not to be trusted. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the books, we selectively read them as a family (meaning we read them, discussed points such as the above, and I skipped over inappropriate material such as the pre-marital sex in Eragon).
I think the main problem with the Harry Potter books is that everyone assumes that they're kids books based on the general story and because a bunch of children like the books. I don't think the author had a certain age group in mind when she was writing them, and I don't think she worried about keeping her books clean for the kiddies. I know they've been categorized as "childrens" books or "young adult" books, but they originally weren't meant to be for children.
And although I've never actually read the Eragon books, I've heard from people who have read them that they were meant for an older audience.
Since you do have the internet, you could always do some research about books online. Find some titles and read some sparknotes or something about them, browse around and read some reviews, ect. It can be a bit time consuming, but if you're really that concerned with your child reading material you don't want them too I think it'd be worth it. Plus it'd probably be less time consuming than actually reading the books yourself.
Since you do have the internet, you could always do some research about books online. Find some titles and read some sparknotes or something about them, browse around and read some reviews, ect. It can be a bit time consuming, but if you're really that concerned with your child reading material you don't want them too I think it'd be worth it. Plus it'd probably be less time consuming than actually reading the books yourself.
Great advice! Thanks! I have done this on a few occasions as it is very hard to keep up with the reading rate of my two oldest. But I have never heard of sparknotes, I will look it up.
I absolutely agree with your point about the reading level of HP, which is why I held my son off reading them until he was older and more able to understand that this was just for fun reading, and it absolutely met that goal. He read through HP like his mind was on fire. At the end of the week he was bleary eyed and couldn't believe he finished reading a book THAT big. I am still holding off letting him read the last two books due to the "dark" nature of them. My son gets very disturbed by scary stuff (halloween is horrible with nightmares) so not until he is more able to handle it.
I think the key to reading material is to know your kids and know what they can handle.
Not sure if this should go here or the book forum. Feel free to move it mods.
My 9 year old is crazy smart. She reads approx. 10 chapter books/week and is starting to get tired of the ones for her age b/c they're so short and so many of them are along the same lines.
She's been trying to venture into the YA section @ the library lately. She's managed to find some books that are still ok for her to read, but then Sunday (she went w/ her dad who of course paid no attention, lol) she brought home Paula Danziger ( ) and also a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book. Fortunately she's really honest and showed them to me to find out if she was allowed to read them.
What age did you let your kids move up to bigger books and what books were they? I'm thinking next year when she hits 10 I might introduce her to Judy Blume. I know I read them in 4th grade. But Paula Danziger? NO WAY. Not till she's a teen.
If you're asking me for my honest opinion, I truly think that there's little of lasting value to be gained from either one (and I read both authors as a child and as an adult).
Here are some better choices for good, strong readers (girls):
1. Little Women
2. Black Beauty
3. Jane Eyre
4. A Little Princess
For some lighter reading:
1. Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall triology (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums)
2. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
Charles Wallace - what, no "A Wrinkle in Time" suggestion? Or is that too obvious? LOL. My kids and I just finished it on audio this morning as we pulled up to school, and my 10-year-old wanted to know if there were any sequels. We will be heading to the library this week to find "A Wind in The Door".
Not sure if this should go here or the book forum. Feel free to move it mods.
My 9 year old is crazy smart. She reads approx. 10 chapter books/week and is starting to get tired of the ones for her age b/c they're so short and so many of them are along the same lines.
She's been trying to venture into the YA section @ the library lately. She's managed to find some books that are still ok for her to read, but then Sunday (she went w/ her dad who of course paid no attention, lol) she brought home Paula Danziger ( ) and also a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book. Fortunately she's really honest and showed them to me to find out if she was allowed to read them.
What age did you let your kids move up to bigger books and what books were they? I'm thinking next year when she hits 10 I might introduce her to Judy Blume. I know I read them in 4th grade. But Paula Danziger? NO WAY. Not till she's a teen.
There are endless supplies of autobiographies like Ann Frank or First They Came for My Father. They deal with real world events and she will need to know that stuff anyway. Check out the books listed on the Pubre Belpre award list and the Schneider Family Book Awards.
I have a rule for my son. If you can read the words then you can read the book. Obviously, pornography would be out.
Check out the books listed on the Pubre Belpre award list and the Schneider Family Book Awards.
I have a rule for my son. If you can read the words then you can read the book. Obviously, pornography would be out.
Thanks for posting those suggestions-- had never seen the Schneider list. Google turned up nothing on the first one, though...?
edited to add: Did you mean Pura Belpre perhaps? Also a good suggestion, if so.
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Great advice! Thanks! I have done this on a few occasions as it is very hard to keep up with the reading rate of my two oldest. But I have never heard of sparknotes, I will look it up.
) and also a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book. Fortunately she's really honest and showed them to me to find out if she was allowed to read them.
