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Alice in Wonderland-do i make i boys continue??
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Hi,
I had my son start Alice in Wonderland (age 12) and he really doesn’t like it. He says it is confusing and doesn’t make sense. I gave him the back ground about the book and why it was written and that helped a little, but he still does not like it. I am split, on one hand, I don’t want him to think he can just stop reading –on the other hand, I don’t want to squash he “like” for literature. He is not one who likes to read anyways, he is more technical, computer oriented.
Would love some feedback!
Thanks
grace
I would let him choose (or you help him choose) something else. My children were the same way with Alice. It just wasn’t a fit for our family, and like your son, they found it confusing and a bit too nonsensical. Alice in Wonderland is classic literature and a favorite for many, but there are also other excellent, classic books. You don’t have to get hung up on one. We recently trudged through half of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. My ds was loving it, but dd and I weren’t. I found it difficult to read aloud, and she had a hard time understanding what was going on through all that Old English language. So we stopped, and I handed it to my son to finish on his own. I don’t feel like dd and I missed out on anything grand–just another example of a classic book that didn’t fit our family.
For the age of your son, there are MANY books you can choose from that might pique his interest more. Personally, I would not have chosen Alice for a 12yo boy who already doesn’t like reading. I think a book like that might turn him off more than anything.
Have you considered:
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Indian in the Cupboard
Where the Red Fern Grows
Hatchet
The Crispin Trilogy
Swallows and Amazons
Swiss Family Robinson
Mary Poppins
The Jungle Book
Trumpet of the SwanI would start with something that’s likely to hold his interest and attention and that has adventure and danger, if that’s something he enjoys…and something that makes sense to him. If he’s technically minded and likes things to make sense, then he may never like nonsense-type books, and that’s ok.
Also books by Jim Kjelgaard, Robb White (Surrender is one boys have a hard time putting down), Sign of the Beaver by Speare, The Winged Watchman by van Stockum, Silence over Dunkerque by Tunis. Some of these are historical, some outdoor adventure. Reluctant reader 12yo boys are a tricky bunch sometimes. My boys wouldn’t have cared for Alice either. These as well as many on Lindsey’s lists have been winners for us and others in my library.
Alice in Wonderland is one of my very favorite books. I read it first when I was 15 or 16. I can’t understand why it is considered a child’s book. My boys (age 8) want me to read it to them but I know they’ll miss so much of the book’s value at this age. I’m holding off until they are much older and that’s what I’d suggest for you – to try it again in 4 years. 🙂
My daughter and I read this TOGETHER when she was 8 or 9. She loved it and we laughed a lot. But, I do have to say that she is the creative type.
I think that it would be fine to have him switch to a different book or like Shannon said, just have him read it later.
One of my dc was 11 when he read this book to himself; he loved it. His older brother, who is not into the same type of creativity as his younger brother, would rather pull his own hair out if I asked him to read it. He is more “technical” and prefers books with real people and/or animals, not talking animals or strange never-going-to-happen-in-real-life situations in those kind of books. The ds who has read Alice enjoys books like: All of a Kind Family, Bambi, Phantom Tollbooth, The Secret Garden, etc.
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