(no subject)

[the_rck]

I'm looking for book recommendations for Delia. I'm making up her Christmas wishlist now, and I'd like to put a few books on it.

She loves the Harry Potter books and will read them voluntarily. So far, they're the only books that have gotten her that excited. Other books, she'll read a chapter of and give up. She's rejected the Oz books and the Chronicles of Narnia. She liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when we read it to her (she even read ahead) but didn't like Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. She likes Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume (the younger books) when we read the books to her but won't read them herself unless assigned them for school.

She doesn't deal well with books that have parents dying or appearing to die on screen. We couldn't read her The Secret Garden because of that (we haven't tried skipping the first chapter).

Delia seems to like the idea of reading better than actually reading. She checks out a lot of books from the library that she simply doesn't touch. She reads well but not fast.

Anyway, books like the Harry Potter books seem to be the way to go. What's out there to coax a reluctant reader?

Comments

[wyldbutterflies]

Hmmm...maybe she might like Eragon? Or Percy Jackson and The Olympians series (The Lightning Thief is book one). There is always The Princess Bride, A Wrinkle in Time, or any of the Susan Cooper books, like The Dark is Rising.

Or what about Roald Dahl - James and the Giant Peach or Matilda.

I can also recommend: So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane and The Magickers by Emily Drake or the Septimus Heap novels (book one is called Magyk) by Angie Sage.

Good luck!

[rilina]

I'd note the first Percy Jackson books has a parent in peril, so that might not make it the best choice for Delia right now.

[the_rck]

Thanks for the heads up. One of Delia's cousins is really into Riordan's books right now, so it's good to know to avoid that one.

[the_rck]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[branchandroot]

Possibly the Artemis Fowl books. They may be a bit too violent; people do get hurt badly in some battles against trolls and whatnot, though never for very long before they're healed. They're briskly paced and fun without being too demanding on the attention span. Perhaps some books by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, too, which have a bit of the same feel as Blume but with less overt social morals. She might like Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books, which are specifically YA, though they sometimes deal with some fairly dark themes. You'll probably want to read those first yourself to check.

[the_rck]

Thanks for the recommendations!

I'm a little dubious about the Tiffany Aching books because we'll be reading these books out loud to her, at least in part, and I don't think either of us are up to the dialect.

[untonuggan]

I would highly recommend the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede (here's a link to book one). It basically starts out with a princess who doesn't want to do "proper princess" things...she's engaged to be married to someone she hates, so she runs away to be a dragon's princess. After all, it's "proper", so her parents can't complain. But she gets to do what she wants. There's also fun fantasy stuff thrown in there. They are my go-to books if I'm feeling sick. The later books in the series follow the same world/characters but have a different main point of view.

Hope that helps!

P.S. Also, no parent death!

[the_rck]

I hadn't thought of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. They're definitely a possibility.

[lauredhel]

Do they need to be novels? The Lad is very enamoured of the -Ology books. They lure the reluctant reader in with lots of bits and pieces (envelopes to open, fold-out bits, embedded dragon skin, and so on), but there is a fair bit of reading there that they can pick up bit by bit as well. Wizardology and Dragonology would be the obvious place to start, but there are plenty of others.

Also, you could try the How To Train Your Dragon series. Fast paced and plenty of illustrations.

Do you know what it is about the Harry Potter series that she particularly likes? The wizarding, the boarding school setting, something else?

[the_rck]

I'll see if the library has any of the -Ology books. I'm not sure whether or not they'd interest her. She seems to be after story.

She says she likes the adventure of the Harry Potter books.

[lauredhel]

I'm not sure how old she is/her reading level, but I just romped my way through Leviathan/Behemoth/Goliath, and loved it. I think the pacy adventure side of it would still work without much knowledge of the history (it's WWI alt-U). And it's got lots of glorious imaginary steampunk science!

[the_rck]

Delia is eight. I think Leviathan is still a bit beyond what I want to throw at her. Our library shelves it as a 'teen' book. I do have it on my list of things I plan to try myself.

[lauredhel]

Enjoy! The Lad is nine, and I'm thinking of giving it to him next birthday (his Xmas bookpile is faaaar too big already). Everyone knows their own child best.

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Wife says, "The Lives of Christopher Chant and Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones." (Some of the kids in the latter are orphans, like Harry, but no depictions of parents dying.)

[the_rck]

She probably is ready for some Diana Wynne Jones. I hadn't even thought about that. Thanks!

[alainia.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite authors was and still is Tamora Pierce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamora_Pierce). You might want to read over the first book of the Immortals series first as the main character's mom dies and you find this out by the main character talking about it (but you find out later she's now technically a goddess so not really dead). But I don't remember it being at all graphic. It's been a while though.

She writes very strong main female characters, which is a refreshing change from most popular books.

[the_rck]

Pierce sounds worth trying. Where would you recommend starting?

[alainia.livejournal.com]

I would recommend reading them in order starting with The Song of the Lioness quartet (Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Lioness Rampant). They're in the right order on the wiki page. She has two main universes, the Tortall (which is the first set) and the Circle and they're both good.

And yes, they do talk about some adult concepts, but they aren't explicit. The one I remember the most is that there is talk about periods (Alanna freaks out on her first one) and anti-pregnancy charms. And there's some how-babies-are-made talk, but not much.

[kyrielle]

Ummm. Crud. I really want to recommend Diane Duane's Young Wizards series...but partway through it, a parent does indeed die (and her wizard child tries to save her through magic and fails), so I think that would be a good series to avoid, unfortunately. And it's relevant and has repercussions in later books, so skipping that book altogether might not work either.

Alas, other than that and Tamora Pierce, I'm not sure what to recommend - and some of Tamora Pierce's subject matter is a bit grown-up at times (YA of the 10-12 level, I'd think.) Although the Circle of Magic books aren't, all four kids have been dumped on the temple, and one is orphaned - and while it's not on-screen, there's a flashback to it.

[the_rck]

She can handle characters who're orphaned. Harry Potter is, after all. I'm not sure about the flashback. I think it might depend on how it's handled and how attached she is to the story. I'll have to take a look.

[kyrielle]

Diane Duane's series would probably still be hard (it's a main focus, and I cried - more than once).

The Tamora Pierce one may not be quite as bad. Also, crap, the second series in her Tortall books also has an orphaned kid - although as noted, Mom comes back later as a goddess.

Of her books, I'd say the Circle books are more kid-stuff, but the Tortall books are better (but with some, non-explicit, sex in some series).

Circle books start with The Circle of Magic Quartet: Sandry's Book (I think this one has the flashback, actually), Tris's Book, Daja's Book, Briar's Book. Next is The Circle Opens (which is the same characters older, and really needs to be read after): Magic Steps, Street Magic, Cold Fire, and Shatterglass. Next is The Will of the Empress (same characters again, order critical) and Melting Stones (you could sort of read it out of order but it uses a character introduced in Street Magic, so maybe not). [Edit: there's another recurring character, Briar, and his mentor, in Melting Stones. Melting Stones was written/published after The Will of the Empress but occurs before it, so you may want to flip the order of the two.]

The Tortall books are a lengthier set of series and for the most part build on the characters and understanding of the previous series. They can be read out of order easier than the Circle books but may contain spoilers for previous books or expect you to know things about the world that aren't explicitly restated. Those series are:

The Song of the Lioness: Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Lioness Rampant.

The Immortals: Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, The Emperor Mage, The Realms of the Gods.

Protector of the Small: First Test, Page, Squire, Lady Knight.

Trickster Series: Trickster's Choice, Trickster's Queen. (If she does NOT enjoy the earlier series, she might enjoy this one. The main character is very different from Pierce's usual, and there's a lot of, well, trickery and spy games. The main character is the daughter of two characters from the first series, though, so there's definitely spoilers about who does and doesn't live that long from the other known characters.)

Beka Cooper series: Terrier, Bloodhound, and Mastiff.

Mastiff is just recently out and I think still only in hardcover. The rest should all be available in softcover.

Edited to note: The Beka Cooper series is the most recently written. But, again, it can be read out of order - it happens quite a while before any of the others. Having first read The Song of the Lioness will let someone catch and enjoy one reference (Beka is the ancestor of one of the characters in the first quartet), but it's not critical to the story at all.

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

How about Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles? If she enjoys fairy tales and strong heroines, those should be about her speed, and there is no parental death to deal with.

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller, doesn't have magic in it, but it does have a wonderful, engrossing subplot about the abandoned subway tunnels beneath Manhattan, and a whole slew of strong girl characters, no parental deaths. (The threat is more along the lines of international espionage.)

I also enjoyed Anne Allison's Gilda Joyce series, except that, oh rats, dead father. However, the death has happened prior to the books, and... yeah, no. Strike that.

Definitely seconding/thirding the Tamora Pierce recommendation...

I'd also try some graphic novels. I really like Owly, although she might find that too "babyish". I also really like Kazu Kibushi's Copper, which is the story of a boy and his dog, wandering through amazing landscapes (no scariness with death, or other serious stuff, etc. etc.) She might also enjoy the Amelia Rules! series by Jimmy Gownley, which is mostly silly kids' stuff. The only serious issues it deals with (a parent deployed in war) are in a separate issue, so I think you could hold off on that and still succeed with the other titles.

... yeah, I should have been a librarian. ;)

[the_rck]

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles are a good idea. I'll try them.

I think she may still be too young for Kiki Strike, but I'll think about it. I liked the books, and she might, too.

I'll look into the graphic novels. The library might have some of them.

[scribblemoose]

Have you tried Terry Pratchett's kids books? The Tiffany Aching series (The Wee Free Men & sequels) is particularly good and he writes in a very engaging style. Good female role model too!

[the_rck]

I'm a little hesitant on Tiffany Aching because, right now, we're reading books out loud to her and letting her read parts on her own whenever she wants. The Tiffany Aching books have dialect that Scott and I would have an awful time trying to read out loud. They're a possibility for when we get her trying books on her own.

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

Would the Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander be too scary? I loved them to bits, but I do remember being scared by the (old, Dell Yearling) covers at the time. I didn't like sleeping in the same room as them unless they were shelved properly, because as we all know, covers can't come alive if they are sandwiched between other books.

The Allie Finkel series by Meg Cabot is charming, and sort of "next up from Junie B Jones."

Two more recent books--Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis is fun, and so is The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas.

[the_rck]

The Prydain series works on most levels but has a single flaw that makes it not work-- Scott and I have to be able to read the books out loud to Delia. Some of those names are beyond what we can easily manage. I suppose I should reread them and evaluate how bad the names are. I remember having trouble with them as a kid. It bothered me that I had no idea how they were supposed to sound.

I'll look into the Allie Finkel series. Delia didn't like Junie B. Jones, but that seems to have been based on her finding the titles of the books repulsive rather than based on her actually looking at the books.

Kat, Incorrigible and The Magic Thief might work for Delia. I've put them on the list.

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

When one of my kids was a reluctant reader, it didn't matter what books I brought him. If a book came from Mom, it was by definition boring.

Things that help:
1) Books that come from friends who love them. Especially if the friend talks enthusiastically to him about what he or she likes about that book.
2) Graphic novels and other books that look visually enticing.
3) Reading books out loud to him at our family's nightly read-aloud time.

[the_rck]

I'm assuming that any books we try for Delia will end up being bedtime reading. That is, we read aloud to her before she falls asleep. If she gets into bed early enough, there's even time after that for her to read to herself. The ideal book will be something that catches her imagination enough that she wants to read it herself. So far, Harry Potter and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are the only books to do that.

I kind of doubt Delia will pick up any book unprompted. I'm really disappointed that she doesn't have reading homework this year. Last year, the kids were required to read for twenty minutes a day, four days a week. This year, nothing. The teacher said they were going to start doing it once the kids had settled into a routine, but she hasn't ever done anything further.