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Suggestions for a juvenile reading list with specific requirements
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NateT
Posted 2012-04-13 11:36 AM (#3171)
Subject: Suggestions for a juvenile reading list with specific requirements



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I am about to be sent overseas for 9 months and intend to read nightly to my kids while I'm gone (by emailing an mp3 recording to my wife). I'm a SF nut & want to mostly stick to that genre. My youngest is a very sensitive 10; she doesn't even like watching Sleeping Beauty without a parent. Thus, my primary requirement is: SAFE - especially concerning sex & gritty violence.

If I take Heinlein Juveniles as an example, The Rolling Stones & Red Planet are definitely in my list; Friday is definitely out for both too much sex and violence. I may do Starship Troopers as it's more action than violence, and my 14-year-old son would absolutely love it.

I'm not too worried about political or religious issues - I've never been shy about adding my own commentary after finishing reading a chapter to my kids. But the main thrust of what I'm looking for is compelling tales, mostly with comforting/happy endings.

I'd love to hear your suggestions (with commentary).

NateT

BTW, all three kids are already reading HP & discussing it amongst themselves, so that's off my list.
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Kit
Posted 2012-04-15 2:12 PM (#3175 - in reply to #3171)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a juvenile reading list with specific requirements



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What a wonderful idea! Your kids are extraordinarily lucky to have you.

Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but for things that will be accessible to a sensitive 10-year-old and engaging to a 14-year old, you might want to try things like A Wrinkle in Time (or any of the subsequent books by Madeleine L'Engle) or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. They're both pretty classic and still have points that the 14-year-old might enjoy discussing. Also, The City of Ember is very popular right now (especially with the upcoming movie) and might work well.

I noticed you mentioned HP, so I'm thinking things that lean more toward Fantasy might not be entirely off the table? If that's the case, you might want to try Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men or The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. I am currently reading The Wee Free Men to my young cousins (7 and 9), and they both enjoy the funny Scottish accents and discussing the themes of self-confidence and the triumph of intelligence over violence, though they don't really get any of the deeper themes yet.

I hope that helps!
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icowrich
Posted 2012-04-15 2:15 PM (#3176 - in reply to #3171)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a juvenile reading list with specific requirements



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Location: Irving, TX		You might start perusing the Brin list or the winners of the Locus Young Adult Award. The Brin list, though focused on young adults, includes many adult novels, so they might not ALL exclude violence and mild sexual situations, but it's a good base from which to make investigations.

When you say you want to stick with SF, do you mean SF/F? If you do, you might start with the classics. Personally, I think 10 is the perfect time to start The Chronicles of Narnia. Although there are confrontations (and even large scale battles) in it, the descriptions are not in any way graphic. The Hobbit is appropriate for age 10, but there are some mildly scary scenes (the confrontation with the trolls, the encounter with Gollum, and, of course Smaug the dragon), scary but not really violent.

If you really do just want science fiction, I enjoyed the heck out of the early Asimov robot series when I was that age. The classics are never inappropriate (H.G. Wells: The Invisible Man, First Men in the Moon, The Time Machine ; Jules Verne: 2001 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth). If you want to keep her laughing, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is clever and clean. If you want a story that focuses on kids, Ender's Game is a perennial favorite...the violence is kept at a distance, but it does exist. Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow has been very well received and was nominated for the Locus YA Award, and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan won one (and it's Steampunk genre appeals to kids' sense of whimsy.

I hope this helps!
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NateT
Posted 2012-04-16 11:01 AM (#3178 - in reply to #3176)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a juvenile reading list with specific requirements



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icowrich - 2012-04-15 2:15 PM

You might start perusing the Brin list or the winners of the Locus Young Adult Award. The Brin list, though focused on young adults, includes many adult novels, so they might not ALL exclude violence and mild sexual situations, but it's a good base from which to make investigations.

I actually posted this because of the Brin list. I am familiar with many of the books he recommends and consider many of them OFF my list. OTOH, I expanded my list with a lot of his suggestions. I will definitely look at the Locus YA; thanks for the suggestion.


When you say you want to stick with SF, do you mean SF/F? If you do, you might start with the classics. Personally, I think 10 is the perfect time to start The Chronicles of Narnia. Although there are confrontations (and even large scale battles) in it, the descriptions are not in any way graphic. The Hobbit is appropriate for age 10, but there are some mildly scary scenes (the confrontation with the trolls, the encounter with Gollum, and, of course Smaug the dragon), scary but not really violent.

SF & F, but not "H" :-). In fact, I'll take suggestions from any genre, but that might be outside the purview of this forum. I've already read the whole Chronicles of Narnia series to them, and it was great. The Hobbit is an excellent choice and, amazingly enough, none of my kids have read it yet.

If you really do just want science fiction, I enjoyed the heck out of the early Asimov robot series when I was that age. The classics are never inappropriate (H.G. Wells: The Invisible Man, First Men in the Moon, The Time Machine ; Jules Verne: 2001 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth). If you want to keep her laughing, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is clever and clean. If you want a story that focuses on kids, Ender's Game is a perennial favorite...the violence is kept at a distance, but it does exist. Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow has been very well received and was nominated for the Locus YA Award, and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan won one (and it's Steampunk genre appeals to kids' sense of whimsy.

I hope this helps!

Thanks! I believe I will throw in a liberal helping of older classics, and I hadn't even considered HHGTTG. Your last 2 suggestions are books I'd never heard of ... and exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.

regards,

NateT

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NateT
Posted 2012-04-16 11:10 AM (#3179 - in reply to #3175)
Subject: Re: Suggestions for a juvenile reading list with specific requirements



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Kit - 2012-04-15 2:12 PM

What a wonderful idea! Your kids are extraordinarily lucky to have you.

Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but for things that will be accessible to a sensitive 10-year-old and engaging to a 14-year old, you might want to try things like A Wrinkle in Time (or any of the subsequent books by Madeleine L'Engle) or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. They're both pretty classic and still have points that the 14-year-old might enjoy discussing. Also, The City of Ember is very popular right now (especially with the upcoming movie) and might work well.

I noticed you mentioned HP, so I'm thinking things that lean more toward Fantasy might not be entirely off the table? If that's the case, you might want to try Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men or The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. I am currently reading The Wee Free Men to my young cousins (7 and 9), and they both enjoy the funny Scottish accents and discussing the themes of self-confidence and the triumph of intelligence over violence, though they don't really get any of the deeper themes yet.

I hope that helps!


Thanks for the suggestions. I've never started the discworld series and I have a personal thing about reading series in order. I either pick chronological or by publication date and stick with it (I read Narnia to my kids in publication order, NOT chrono). However, it seems that Pratchett is pretty whimsical and I get the impression that most of his discworld books can be read without knowing anything about the previous books.

NateT
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