Children's books

Dony · 04-07-2009, 9:06 PM

My 8yr old has recently read most of the Horrid Henry range of books, and over the summer I want him to spend less time on his DS / PSP, and more time reading.

I've no idea about kids books (except The Famous Five

), so need your help.

Do any of you, who have boys around my sons age, recommend some books for me to get him? I'm not sure if he is up to the Harry Potter series yet, but anything up to that level would be considered.

emmiller · 04-07-2009, 10:24 PM

why not take him to the local library and let him pick the books he wants?
we done that with our girl and she loves it

martin

**IronGiant** · 04-07-2009, 10:54 PM

I'll ask Tomas what he read at 8 and get him to type it as he's a better typist than me

:

"IIRC, when I was 8 years old I began reading a series of books called 'The Edge Chronicles' by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. They are based in a fictional world called 'The Edge', and it follows the adventures of several different characters in three trilogies. I still love this series now, but you may want to see how well your son can cope with gore, as some pictures can be quite...graphic.

And about the Harry Potter books. My mum read the first few books to me, but I read the 4th by myself when I was 9 or 10, so your son might want to read them in a year or two."

Tomas is 14.

Dave

Dony · 04-07-2009, 10:59 PM

Thanks for that Tomas

**IronGiant** · 04-07-2009, 11:04 PM

Kids are scary

My seven year old daughter is devouring books on ponies, pets and fairies to read by herself.

I Hope Tomas' input was more useful than that

Dave

ozthecoz · 05-07-2009, 9:53 AM

Some of the books that my 7 yr old reads :

Cows In Action series or Astrosaurs series by Steve cole

BeastQuest series by Adam Blade

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pickley

Also any of the enid blyton books like magic tree house / Magic faraway tree etc

These all come highly reccommended by Oz

Decadence · 05-07-2009, 11:06 AM

My favourite Enid Blyton book is The Secret of Spiggy Holes...I read it three times in a row one summer holiday when I was 8 or 9. Other classics I enjoyed but can't remember how old I was when I read them are Tintin, Swallows and Amazons, The Railway Children, all of the Biggles books, Follow That Bus and Children of the New Forest. Roald Dahl is always good value too!

Naaktgeboren · 05-07-2009, 11:37 AM

I have to agree with the Enid Blyton offerings. The magic faraway tree series was exceptional and really caught my imagination when I was young. Also, look out for the wishing chair series by the same author.

Such fantastic books that I will source in a year or 2 when my son starts juniors.

PoochJD · 05-07-2009, 1:56 PM

Hi Dony,

Am I right in thinking that that bloke off of THE GADGET SHOW has just written a children's adventure/spy/gadget fiction novel, for kids of around 8-12 years of age?

Just found it on Amazon. Jason Bradbury's novel is called "Dot Robot". Could be worth investigating!

Alternatively, why not get your son to take a look at the Asterix series of comic strip books? I've just started buying the collected edition hardback ones, which contain 3 complete stories in 1 thick hardback book each, and there are about 35 stories availablem, split over about 12 volumes. Even now, at my age of 32, they're still thoroughly enjoyable, and he may enjoy trying to work out the punnish names, like Cacophonix, Geriatrix, etc, etc!

Pooch

sniffer66 · 06-07-2009, 9:34 AM

My 7 year old son has read the first 2 Harry Potter books -we promised him he could see the films once he'd read the books

I think he read the first when he was 6 so your son should be OK. We still feel he's a little young for No.3 though (its a bit scary) so we are reading that together.
He has also read the first 2 Narnia books by CS Lewis (missing out Horse and his boy) so I would think those suitable for an 8 year old. I remember reading the series as a child and aboslutely loving them !
He is currently reading the Star Wars:Clone Wars book of the film. If he likes Star Wars then he'll love that, my son can't put it down !

Edit: Also agree with the votes for Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. My son loved anything Secret Seven and Charlie and the Chocolate factory and James and the Giant Peach

Decadence · 06-07-2009, 9:52 AM

When I was at school I read a fantastic series of books called Tim and the Hidden People. I would love to have my Son read them but they are out of print and just one book in the series on ebay can fetch over £35.00 so it would cost a fortune to collect! When I think of how many thousends of copies were in schools during the 1980's...bah...but anyway, they were awesome books!

**Steven** · 06-07-2009, 10:18 AM

Roald Dahl

Always makes me sad when children in this day and age have no idea about his work

Dony · 15-07-2009, 8:44 PM

Just to update, I bought him The Rover Adventures by Roddy Doyle (The Van, The Snapper).

Amazon

It's 3 books in one and he's loving it....keeps reading me passage's in fits of laughter.

Think I'll get him Roald Dahl or Enid Blyton next.

wellladida · 15-07-2009, 9:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Roald Dahl

Always makes me sad when children in this day and age have no idea about his work

They do but only through the films

guvvie · 15-07-2009, 9:34 PM

Both my kids (10 and 8) both love the "Yuck's" series of books.

**fizl** · 16-07-2009, 6:57 AM

How about the childrens terry pratchett books? ( I think hat full of sky is one). When I was a kid I devoured my way through the library, is she a member so she can choose her own?

Shaz

Dony · 16-07-2009, 8:08 AM

I read a few Terry Pratchett novels when I was younger and always found them fairly hard work. I'm not sure what his children's books are like though.

Regarding the library, we live in the countryside, so during the school year a mobile library comes around which he is a member off, but that stops during the summer.

sdb123 · 16-07-2009, 8:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Roald Dahl

Always makes me sad when children in this day and age have no idea about his work

Last year we took my daughter (now 8) to the Roald Dahl museum...excellent day out and she picked up a few of the lesser known RD books/short stories.

HotblackDesiato · 16-07-2009, 12:05 PM

Spiderwick Chronicles, Harry Potter series, Chronicles of Narnia, Charlie Bone series, The Hobbit, and Inkheart have kept my soon to be 8 year old happy during the past year.

Dony · 16-07-2009, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyefi

Spiderwick Chronicles, Harry Potter series, Chronicles of Narnia, Charlie Bone series, The Hobbit, and Inkheart have kept my soon to be 8 year old happy during the past year.

He'll be moving onto Joyce in no time

Battle · 16-07-2009, 2:42 PM

The Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer

The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix (Starting with Mr Monday)

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan (Being made into a movie I believe)

My niece is a voracious reader and I have been funding her habbit since she was old enough to start reading and these are a couple of the series ive gotten her.

domtheone · 09-10-2010, 6:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Decadence

When I was at school I read a fantastic series of books called Tim and the Hidden People. I would love to have my Son read them but they are out of print and just one book in the series on ebay can fetch over £35.00 so it would cost a fortune to collect! When I think of how many thousends of copies were in schools during the 1980's...bah...but anyway, they were awesome books!

OMG!

Was just chatting online to a mate about favourite books from our childhood days.

Tim and the Hidden People were my all time faves as a child. Very fond (though distant - some 30 years ago now) memories.

A while back I purchased another book (weirdstone of brisingamen) from when I was a kid and, although some of the magic wasn't quite there, I still enjoyed it.

Part of me would like to revisit some of these books, if only for sentimental reasons but the impact they had on me back then would not be the same now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven

Roald Dahl

Always makes me sad when children in this day and age have no idea about his work

True true.

Just looking at his list of books on amazon now. Stunning stuff.

Anyone else revisit books they read in their childhood days?

Apologies for dragging up and old thread. Just amazed to see Tim and the Hidden People mentioned.

**Theydon Bois** · 09-10-2010, 10:08 PM

I tried to read the Hobbit again a few years back, which was a book I loved as a kid - and I never ever read LOTR.

I had to put it down sadly, as it was a childrens book and very condescending

and I just couldnt get past that.

I may have to have a sneaky read of Danny the Champion of the World though, which is my favourite Dahl book.