Kids' books
 

What books do your children love to read? I've tried to get mine interested in the ones I used to read with little success...but they do have their own favorites.

Hannah loves books by Bill Wallace, and the "Hank the Cowdog" series.

Sarah's into Goosebumps, any flavor. She also likes the Archangel comic books from our local Christian bookstore.

Jeffrey loves Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, Leonardo the Terrible Monster, and The Pigeon Wants a Hot Dog (all by Mo Willems)


We all love to read the silly poems from Falling Up and Where the Sidewalk Ends(Shel Silverstein), and the Junie B. Jones books are so funny, even Jeff laughs when I'm reading them aloud!

What books have you managed to get your kids interested in?

Re: Kids' books
 

Since we have no children I pick on other friends and family members kids. I got my niece interested in the Narnia series. (and that was before the movies)

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My son loves those pigeon books too. Also Chicka, Chick 123.

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My middle one (Sarah) has read some of the Narnia books, but Hannah's more into...easy reading. *sigh* She'd rather be outside catching toads or drawing.

I remember picking up The Screwtape Letters when I was 13 or 14 and trying to get through it, and really didn't understand it...but now it's brilliant!!!! :)

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Most older kids love the Roald Dahl books.

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Lotsa kids' stuff is written for adults

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I love snakes, lizards, toads, tarantulas and C. S. Lewis!!!!!

Re: Kids' books
 

Abigail,
My children absolutely loved The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald. I read to them more than they read on their own, but it was nice family time. We sat in front of the fireplace so many times reading. And yes, it does get cold in Texas. (lol) I was in the Drama Club and Poetry Interpretation in High School, so the reading out loud was something I enjoyed anyway.

If they were sick they wanted me to read The Great Brain. lol

Had them crying on many books, Lassie, one of Louis L'Amour's books. lol

I also read them just about every Newbery, Scholastic and Caldecott Book.

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How did I forget about him? I think both the girls have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.

A couple of cute new books are Diary of a Wimpy Kid and How to Eat Fried Worms. The fried worms book was so cute and funny, that the movie was a disappointment to all of us.

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Awesome, I'll see about ordering that one. I'm making their book list for the first quarter right now.

LOL!!! Hannah might like Louis L'Amour...I'll have to try that.

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I loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Not the movies, just the book. Loved it!

I also loved, The Golden Name Day.

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Connecticut Yankee in King Aurthur's Court :)

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Great suggestions, guys, keep 'em comin'!

PO, how many books per week or month do you think is reasonable, on top of their regular curriculum? When I was a kid, I read 3-4 books a week, sometimes (and that was on a slow week).

One a week? Every other week? Book plus a report? Or just read for the fun of it?

Re: Kids' books
 

Fun! Another one of my favorites!

I'm reading Jeffrey the cutest little book right now, called The End of the Beginning, Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (And an Even Smaller Ant)

One book I never managed to plod through was Ivanhoe.

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Start em on Ayn Rand...never too early :evilglee

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LOL!!!! I had to look her up! I wonder how I would present her views to a 5th grader? :D

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I used to sit on our porch swing and read and read and read. I loved the Happy Hollisters. I read the whole set to my children. They loved them also.

Well, our curriculum was pretty involved, therefore, I didn't want their reading pleasure to feel like work. I was afraid they wouldn't enjoy it. The only book reports we did were the ones lined out in their curriculum. I also allowed oral reports for verbal expression.

You'll have to decide how many you want them to read. Every child is different. I know from experience that they read more as they get older, at least my kids did. Maybe because I read to them every single day. (lol) We didn't have a t.v. That's probably why. I miss those days. Glad we don't have satellite anymore. I want to live in a forest and be a hermit. lol

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Lord, so many parts of that book are sooooooooo boring!!! lol

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The Great Brain is a series of books - I think 7. I'd check in my Library but Papa Bear is asleep and it would wake him up. :D

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Basic supply and demand, market forces can take care of themselves...

The human hero cannot abide by the standards and the norm of society. He cannot be subject to achievements and accolades of normality.

Present her views that they can have the power to be anything God wants them to be. Her views in a very simple pistachio shell.

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NOT to nerds *big cheesy grin*

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:ursofunny

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Of course, The Boxcar Children

Goosebumps introduces them to the edge, thinking that anti-society stuff is cool (almost rebellion - but maybe not that strong), a GREAT segue to Harry.

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Yes, my kids also loved The Boxcar Children.

Nope, no Goosebumps or the Babysitter's Club! :club

Re: Kids' books
 

Here's more that I remember I especially liked:

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Hatchett
The Whipping Boy
The Sign of the Beaver
Up a Road Slowly - Irene Hunt - all of her stuff is great
Across Five Aprils
The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth George Speare - anything by her is great
The Witch of Blackbird Pond - excellent - not what the title implies
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Family Under the Bridge
The Five Little Peppers
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Amos Fortune, Free Man
The Door in the Wall
Johnny Tremain
Adam of the Road
The Matchlock Gun
The Singing Tree - Loved it!
Caddie Woodlawn

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I loved the 'Hardy boys' and 'the three investigator' series.

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I liked Nancy Drew, but I confess, I have never read a Hardy Boy book. lol

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Abigail,
Another thing to look for is the Library book sales. I paid .25 for hardbacks. I turned around and sold them for the same at the annual Homeschool book fair. So, you do get your money back.

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Boy! When I was 6 or 7 that's all I could think about!

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Right, but think of it now - the technology would be so outdated. It would have to be boring. lol

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I read every Hardy Boy's, Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, Three Investigators, Encyclopedia Brown and Bobbsey Twins that our library had on the shelf!!!!! :D

I also remember when the new Hardy Boy's & Nancy Drew paperbacks came out, with the new storylines and "modern" covers--they weren't nearly as good as the old originals.

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Actually, every now and then Jeff reads a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boy's book to the kids aloud--they love it!!!!

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How did I forget Encyclopedia Brown? I saw one in Hastings today and was thinking how my kids loved them.

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I picked up one - either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys and thought it was boring now. lol

I'm glad to see some Christian authors coming around with more exciting stuff - Dee Henderson, Terri Blackstone. Of course, these would be books for adults. Leisure fiction reading when you don't want to think. LOL

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I guess to start with, both of my older boys are into Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. We have an enormous amount of both.

I'll just list them..

Hardy Boys
Nancy Drew
Boxcar Children
Sugar Creek Gang
Sherlock Holmes
Power Mark Comics (christian themed)

They have recently been into:

Red Rock Mysteries by Jerry Jenkins christian series for young readers
The Cooper Kids by Frank Peretti
KidsBoro Focus on the family
Father Gilbert Focus on the family
Jonathan Parks ( I love these)
Little House Series

AND...Veggie tales and Thomas the Train for my youngest! Dr.Suess.....

My older two also read books about History, Military, Inventing, Science... I don't think there is a day to go by that they don't read a book...

And finally, they all have their personal ADVENTURE BIBLES that they read...

They read just about anything EXCEPT Harry Potter...The Golden Compass... anything that looks witchy or demonic. I don't even let them read the magic tree house books..... I know it may sound silly, but I don't like magic of any kind....Even if it's so-called "innocent".

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They have great series now for children also.... They have the girly foo fooey stuff and then the mysteries for the boys! Mine love it. Frank Peretti and Jerry Jenkins have some out... They are thrilling but not freaky for children. Nor are they boring.

Ladies, Tamara Alexander is a great writer! Ya gotta check out her "Fountain Creek Chronicles" I loved them. I picked it up in the bookstore and could not put it down... so I had to buy it...Went home and finished it that night and went back to the bookstore and bought the next one in line! They were great!
(just thought I'd throw that in)

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I was an avid reader as a child, product of no TV, but that was a good thing. I'd much rather read a book than watch a movie.

BUT...Ramona Quimby is still my favorite...ever.


I got my daughter the whole collection of Ramona books, I cant wait till she is old enough to read LOL

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Oh, same here! I'd much rather read a novel than to see it. We did have tv in our home but I read more....The stories are so much more exciting in my crazy mind! :)

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books made into movies are ALWAYS a disappointment

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Sarah might like those, since she loves Goosebumps so much!!!!