Children's Books discussion

Does he have particular interests or hobbies?

Nena, Do you know one or more books he's enjoyed within the last year?

As a twelve year old girl, I have seen boys at ten read books, and I would recommend the following:

The Spiderwick Chronicles
Harry Potter
Diary Of a Wimpy Kid

Maybe Rick Riordan's books?

If he is looking for something slightly more difficult, my students really enjoyed Will Weaver's Farm Boy series about a farm boy and baseball, and Gary Paulsen's books.

I read and loved these (as an adult woman!) but think they would be popular with 10 year old boys:

Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the Farthest Reaches of Space (and sequels)

The Mysterious Benedict Society

If he likes slightly spooky (but fun) stories, something by Eva Ibbotson such as The Great Ghost Rescue

Also, if he likes animals, maybe Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

and

The Capture

My mom was a school librarian and she said the "Warriors" Into the Wild series (which somebody already mentioned) were the most popular. Me, I am so confused about this line of books....I don't know which is the first one. :-)

Louis Sachar is good. Not just Holes but also Sideways Stories from Wayside School series.

An oldie but a goodie is The Great Brain series.

The Westing Game is a good mystery.

If you are not against Judy Blume, there is also Then Again, Maybe I Won't (deals with erections and wet dreams)

Frindle and other Andrew Clements books are supposed to be very good.

Bud, Not Buddy is also supposed to be very good.

Also Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos

The Narnia series

The Outsiders

Also Australian author Paul Jennings

And Anne Fine books like Flour Babies

Redwall is supposed to be good

Don't forget Roald Dahl

I would suggest
Artemis Fowl
Chet Gecko-Private Eye
How to Train Your Dragon Boxed Set
Beyond the Deepwoods
In Time
Knights of the Kitchen Table

I know that the main character is a girl, and that the stories are not as exciting as some of the books listed, but if your grandson is looking for a quick and amusing read, Pippi Longstocking is really funny; I just read it for a group discussion and really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

My sports-loving grandson enjoys the Matt Christopher books a lot. Christopher describes the play-by-play action in the games in the books so well that you almost feel that you are there. (Especially when read to me from the back seat!)

Do you know what level he reads at?

Without knowing, I'll give a second to [Book: Diary of Wimpy Kid] and suggest:

Shiloh (boy meets dog, boy tries to keep dog. Ends well :)
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. It's a series. Paulsen has some marvelous boy-friendly books.

My grandson, who loved the Wimpy Kid books, also loves the Big Nate books - Big Nate: In a Class by Himself and Big Nate Strikes Again. These are supposed to be the first 2 in a series of 6 Big Nate novels, as opposed to the comic collections like Big Nate: A Cartoon Collection: From the Top. He definitely prefers the novels and is eagerly awaiting the next one.

Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls

The young kids in my family love Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls by Christopher Milne. I love reading that too. It was originaly self published, but became a world best seller.

Actually Patricia, that book is hard to find in the US. I finally paid serious money for it because it sounded like so much fun - and then neither my son nor I even liked it enough to finish it. (I'm not saying your recommendation is bad - I'm just giving the rest of the group another perspective on it.)

I will second the Rick Riordan books. My son and his friends have just finished the Percy Jackson series and loved all of them (more than I can say for the Eragon series where they gave up by the third book). The boys are all excited to start on the Heroes of Olympus series by him.

Would also suggest The Invention of Hugo Cabret as a possibility.

Oh, and my son also love the Midnight for Charlie Bone Charlie Bone series.

PS My son is 9 and has been reading at an advanced level (gosh that sounds smug - sorry) for a couple of years. All I really mean is I think hta twhat he is reading now would work for a 10 yr old.

the invention of Hugo Cabret is great

Sofia wrote: "the invention of Hugo Cabret is great"

The Children's Fiction Club is actually focusing on books with boy protagonists for our April read, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret is one of the books up for votes. You might like to out the POLL if you haven't already ;-)

I don't understand how '... Cabret' can have an audio version. Right on the book page the author tells us the pictures help tell the story, almost like a graphic novel. Oof - 550 pp. And I don't do comic books etc. - I'm intimidated.

Cheryl wrote: "I don't understand how '... Cabret' can have an audio version. Right on the book page the author tells us the pictures help tell the story, almost like a graphic novel. Oof - 550 pp. And I don't..."

I'm intimidated as well. I'm generally better at understanding words rather than pictures.

We are about to check out Riordan's Last Hero of Olympus adn Red Pyramid. Will let you know in a week or two if they are worthy of the first series and therefore good picks for a 10 yr old. I have a 30 hour drive with 3 9.5 year old boys and both books on audio. :D

Thanks, Gundula, now I at least don't feel alone.

Cheryl wrote: "Thanks, Gundula, now I at least don't feel alone."

I think there's quite a lot of us, I am a visual person, but I think in words, not pictures.

Shannon wrote: "We are about to check out Riordan's Last Hero of Olympus adn Red Pyramid. Will let you know in a week or two if they are worthy of the first series and therefore good picks for a 10 yr old. I have ..."

I hope you enjoy them! I am almost done with the audiobook version of The Red Pyramid and loving it! I actually prefer it to Percy Jackson.

Kathryn wrote: "Shannon wrote: "We are about to check out Riordan's Last Hero of Olympus adn Red Pyramid. Will let you know in a week or two if they are worthy of the first series and therefore good picks for a 10..."

Oh yay! That should make the drive go well. :) Its hard to find good audio books that the kids like but that don't drive me nuts!

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is a fabulous fantasy but if you're looking for something grounded in history and with a bit of resonance I'd recommend The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier(sometimes its called Escape From Warsaw but its the same book). Absolutely fabulous!

Ally

My grandson and I loved The Red Pyramid and we're really looking forward to the next book in the Kane Chronicles, The Throne of Fire, coming out in May!

OMG The Phantom Tollbooth is one of my all-time favorites - and my son loved it when he was about 11, too.

Thought of some more:
How to Train Your Dragon
The World According to Humphrey
The Indian in the Cupboard (This may be politically incorrect. I have never read it.)
Inkheart (I am not sure if this is the first in the series or if it is Inkspell)

Kirei my son loves all those books too. The Humphrey books on audio are great too.

Does anyone have any suggestions of Children's books about Greek Mythology? My 10 year old nephew wants to read the "Percy Jackson" series and I thought we also could read a reference book about Greek Mythology so we have a greater understanding of the topic.

Aod wrote: "Does anyone have any suggestions of Children's books about Greek Mythology? My 10 year old nephew wants to read the "Percy Jackson" series and I thought we also could read a reference book about Gr..."

For something completely different and really funny, try Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders. My grandson, who also loved Percy Jackson, read this book repeatedly, falling out laughing every time.

Kirei wrote: "Inkheart (I am not sure if this is the first in the series or if it is Inkspell)"


Yes, Inkheart is the first. It's very good!

My grandson has been reading Kid Vs. Squid by Greg Van Eekhout to me from the back seat of the car, and so far, it's very funny and entertaining.

39 Clues
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Percy Jackson series
Fablehaven

There's a few... Lisa

I just finished reading Guys Read: Funny Business and it almost made me wish I was a young boy. I never imagined I'd be laughing at fart jokes and bloody pratfalls and interactions with aliens & superheroes. Good sampler - the reader can then explore other works by each author.

Just thought I would mention that my son is devouring the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz We couldn't get the first in the series so he started with but has since gone back and read the first one and the next and the next. DS is 9 but these would be great for 10 -12.

Now I have a great list to work from, I appreciate this group.

Joanne wrote: "Now I have a great list to work from, I appreciate this group."

Joanne, you should check more of the threads. Many of them have excellent recommendations.

Kirei wrote: "My mom was a school librarian and she said the "Warriors" Into the Wild series (which somebody already mentioned) were the most popular. Me, I am so confused about this line of books..."
Into The Wild is the first book of the first series. They are great books.

Kirei wrote: "Thought of some more:
How to Train Your Dragon
The World According to Humphrey
The Indian in the Cupboard (This may be politically incorrect. I have..."

The Indian in the Cupboard would be a wonderful book for him, along with the rest of the series:
The Return of the Indian
The Secret of the Indian
The Mystery of the Cupboard
The Key to the Indian

I enjoyed them all at that age, and still do.

Joanne wrote: "Now I have a great list to work from, I appreciate this group."

Yay! I'm so glad.

The first of the Indian in the Cupboard series had some 'iffy' PC bits, but the others were wonderful. The point was made clearly that miniature people are people too, not toys, from the start, and in the rest of the books the concept was expanded to people-are-people no matter size, race, gender, class, homeland.... The series got more and more thoughtful and interesting.

I ordered 9 books yesterday, at 75 cents each. I'll visit my grandsons in August and I look forward to their reactions. This thread made my shopping so much fun.

Joanne,

You can't leave us hanging like that! Tell us what you ordered!

And, I am just curious -was any of it non-fiction?


Joanne wrote: "I ordered 9 books yesterday, at 75 cents each. I'll visit my grandsons in August and I look forward to their reactions. This thread made my shopping so much fun."

Joanne wrote: "I ordered 9 books yesterday, at 75 cents each. I'll visit my grandsons in August and I look forward to their reactions. This thread made my shopping so much fun."

YAY!

Joanne wrote: "I ordered 9 books yesterday, at 75 cents each. I'll visit my grandsons in August and I look forward to their reactions. This thread made my shopping so much fun."

Yes, do tell...

Yeah Joanne, what did you get besides a great bargain at 75c a piece?

OK, I got The Great Ghost Rescue, Harris and Me, Silverwing, The Capture, Sideways Stories, Knights Of The Kitchen Table, Midnight For Charlie Bone, Amazing Greek Myths Of Wonders And Blunders, and Kid Vs. Squid.
They really enjoyed Art Fraud Detective last year.

Joanne wrote: "OK, I got The Great Ghost Rescue, Harris and Me, Silverwing, The Capture, Sideways Stories, Knights Of The Kitchen Table, Midnight For Charlie Bone, Amazing Greek Myths Of Wonders And Blunders, and..."

Looks like you got a treasure trove of books. You are an awesome grandma. :)

Thanks. When they visited last Christmas, I went through my shelves to find books they might like. I ended up with over 100. It was a beautiful sight, to see them curled up with books that have been in the family for years.