GWC books for kids and kids at heart

GWC Community GWC Book Club
#1

Just a little space to talk about children’s/young adult books.

I have a son and am an avid reader, so i want to instill that love of books to him. Thought this could be a place to discuss some of those titles.

First off we have Ender’s Game. Great sci-fi and (with almost 0 editing by the parent) a great read for afternoon, post snack, relaxing time.

My favorite find however happened a few years ago. THE perfect bedtime book.
It has since become a 3 book series.

Peter and the Starcatchers. by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
This book tells the story of the origin of Peter Pan. where Tinkerbell came from. How Peter can fly, and why he never ages. Lots of questions are answered and lots are left for the other books.
One of the best parts is the chapter length. It ranges from 15 pages to as little as half a page. Great for a chapter a night as a bedtime story, maybe extend it to two if the little one is antsy.

Anywho, thought id throw this into the ether and see if it, umm, knocks a patient unconcious for surgery?

#2

How old are we talking? I think that would frame the conversation.

I am trying to remember how old I was…I think 5th or 6th grade, but the Lloyd Alexander series is a great one…Black Cauldron is the second I believe. Anywho, won’t get too far into it until I know who the audience is we are talking about!

#3

Im thinking 3-12 range (for appropriateness) but reading level i have no clue.

my son is almost 4, but hes not going to be reading a 200+ page book…yet
so i read it to him. but i think 3-12 would cover childrens books pretty well

#4

Maurice Sendak is the first name in kiddie lit. “Where the Wild Things Are” and “The Night Kitchen,” for starters. There’s an excellent DVD with very straightforward illustrated versions of them, if you need a holiday gift idea. He illustrated an excellent adaptation of “Brundibar” if you want a mid-length book that has a lot of subtext.

If you want something longer, Neil Gaiman – author of the Sandman graphic novels – has some great kid-lit books, from picture books to novellas. Picture books: “The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish” is a long one that’s good for bedtime. And “The Wolves in the Walls” is a little shorter. Both very good.

And “Goodnight Gorilla” is a great quick-read board-book.

With Xmas coming – don’t know what your metaphysical persuasion is – J.R.R. Tolkein’s “The Father Christmas Letters” is an old-school must-have. It has some pictures, but it’s mostly text: Tolkein – yes, the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit guy – would write his kids letters from Santa Claus every Xmas. Over the years, he developed an elaborate world of characters that live at the North Pole. Good stuff.

#5

tolken for my son would be AWESOME! gonna go look that up on amazon right away :smiley:

#6

The Hungry Caterpillar, probably a bit younger than you’re thinking but it still remains in my top ten favorite books and I cant wait to read it to my kids (should I ever have them)

#7

My six-year-old has read the first four Harry Potter books (well, his mom has read them to him) – but we aren’t going beyond those yet, for fear that the later books may be a bit too dark for him.

When he was younger (3 into 4), he enjoyed most of L. Frank Baum’s original Oz books. If all you know is Judy Garland and MGM – as great as that is – you really should check out Baum’s original 14 titles. Especially the first four (the quality drops off somewhat after that). The Marvelous Land of Oz is especially rich and wonderful – no Dorothy, but plenty of Scarecrow and Tin Man, plus the introduction of a host of characters who turn out to be pivotal in later Oz lore, as well as a hint of a dark backstory for the Wizard from book 1 (which Baum then conveniently ignored in later books – so no points for continuity for him!) :slight_smile:

If you want to read comic books with your kids, the Marvel Adventures series can’t be beat. Especially the Spider-Man and Fantastic Four lines. They also do Adventures versions of the Hulk, the Avengers and Iron Man, but my kid and I aren’t into them so much.

One final suggestion for now: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I am glad this thread is here! The GWCers are so cool! :slight_smile:

#8

The Great Brain series are classics. Highly recommended.

#9

Seconded. I loved those books growing up.

#10

Maybe that has something to do with me liking HBO’s Big Love. I read Fitzgerald’s autobiography; as you might imagine, the Great Brain books were very fact-based.

And Black Cauldron series rules too. The books, that is. Movie, not so much.

#11

Another good bet, for younger kids: the Nate the Great series, about a pint-sized Sherlock Holmes in sneakers who loves to eat pancakes. (Hey, it beats a .07% cocaine solution! – I would guess. <g>)