Ds almost 10 is blowing through his assigned reading. In fact, he’s already finished ALL of the books I had scheduled for the entire year! He absolutely LOVES reading! This year, I assigned to be read and orally narrated Caddie Woodlawn, Mary Poppins, Just So Stories, Baby Island, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Today I handed him The Sign of the Beaver, but then remembered that it is part of the independent reading for the Early Modern Module, so I quickly took it back from him and handed him Pinocchio (which I believe is WAY too easy for him, but he’s never read it, and it was convenient to access).
He is working on The Hobbit in his free time and will move on to LOTR Trilogy afterward. I am not requiring narrations for these books. They are simply to be enjoyed.
As a family we’ve already read all of the books on the Years 1-4 literature suggestions, plus a few not mentioned (including Little House, Narnia, Secret Garden, Little Princess, both Pollyanna books, Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and more). Currently our family read aloud is Island of the Blue Dolphins.
On his own bookshelves, he has read:
The Indian in the Cupboard The Ranger’s Apprentice series Crispin series Hatchet Little Britches several Who Was ….? books (too easy for him, but he enjoys them) a George Washington biography an Abe Lincoln biography plus a bunch of other non-literature type books like Hank the Cowdog
So, I need suggestions for some literature for him to read and narrate either orally or written!
Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome. There are a few 10yo boys in my library who love Freddy the Pig books right now, just for fun. Surrender by Robb White. Books by Merritt Parmalee Allen and Stephen Meader are older but favorites with boys.
Christie, could you give me an author on that one? I’m assuming you’re not referring to the Little Golden Book of the same title. There are several books with that title coming up in my search, but I’m determined to get it since you’re recommending it.
I’m also ordering Phantom Tollbooth, Big Red, Swallows and Amazons, and Treasures of the Snow.
Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! I’m sure I’ll be ordering more before the end of the year, and I’m glad I have this excellent list handy!
When I compiled this, we were in the Middle Ages, so some of these ‘lean’ thataway. I need to update it to include other time periods – but maybe you’ll get some ideas!
@ServingwithJoy, we have about 75% of the books on your list! But I will look into the others too. There are just so many good books out there for Junie B. Jones and other crummy books to be an option (see my other thread on books for dd, to clarify).
Thanks, Christie! You’re the one who introduced us to Lamplighters and I’ve seen your home library, so I completely trust you when you tell me to get a book. I don’t even look them up anymore! Ha!
We enjoyed The Phantom Tollbooth as an audio book read by David Hyde Pierce. He reads it hillariouly well. I just have to turn this audio book on whenever I what to capture all of my children simultaneously.
Another book our family enjoyed was Bud & Me : The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys by Alta Abernathy. A turn of the century adventure book, this tells the story of two very young brothers, personal friends of Teddy Roosevelt, who make several daring cross country trips by horseback, auto, and motorcycle unaccompanied except for one another.