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Heyo, this is a variation on the 'favourite X' theme. We all have favourite books and recommendations to make to friends, but though I'm guessing few people here have kids, I always find it an interesting test to think about what you would want to show them (or not show them) if you did. So with that, what sort of books (comics, movies and plays are also acceptable) would you give to your kids if you had them, preferably with an approximate age and a reason. Think about it on a bit deeper level than 'I liked it so they will' if possible, though that's fine in a pinch.
I'll start off with a few and probably add more later:
Storm boy: 3 or 4 years old, this is a sentimental one for me. It has a lot of powerful themes about compassion, caution and strength of character that strike very deep. I don't know of anyone who was given or read this book as a child who has forgotten it.
Dinotopia trilogy: 4-7 years old. A lot of childrens books have very simple, stylized artwork, but dinotopia is the absolute opposite, the art is luscious and lifelike and the author is a natural child's storyteller. Plus it has dinosaurs, fantasy, a simple bildungsroman plot and a load of scientific and philosophical stuff wormed in besides reduced to the level a kid can understand. It's a perfect series to build imagination and dreams.
The three distopias (farenheit 451, 1984, brave new world): 12-15, I can't imagine raising a child without exposing them to these books, if you ever needed to convince someone that it's worth putting up with the problems of a free society, look no further, and written by masters of eloquent fiction as they are, they're better than many other books for a young reader.
His Dark Materials: 9-12: The modern equivalent of Lewis's narnia, HDM is a complex and evocative fantasy piece but told beautifully and gripping for children of either gender, featuring a paired female/male pro and deuteragonist pair as it does. It's also a very powerful counter-religious tonic. I'm not naturally anti-religious, but I'd want any child to at least be exposed to a pro-humanist fantasy, where gods and churches weren't necessarily benevolent.
A short history of nearly everything: 11-13, possibly a tricky book, but the best introduction to science that I can imagine. It gives every field of science a glamour and flame that nothing else I've run into has managed. I'm all for showing my progeny the potential complexity and intrigue in as many different fields of interest as possible, and this is about the best book in the world for hitting a lot of birds with one asteroid.
Sandman: 14-16 I'd be a little hesitant to throw this at a certain date, it's more 'when they're ready', but Sandman is a fantastic way of introducing someone to a diversity of existential ideas about the big questions in an approachable and vibrant fashion. It gives a jumping off point into the great, mad world of world religion and spirituality and, in gaimanesque fashion, does so with a distance and almost matter of factness that might let even a child study the ideas objectively.
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Phillip Pullman for the win, other than that, i haven't really read many books myself so theres not much I can ask my kids to read. Hopefully they'll read it twice like i did, second time through amber spyglass was tear jerking T_T
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Hong Kong20321 Posts
OMG his dark materials was so freaking awesome whne i read it . i remember going to my school fair and just randomly picked up the first book in teh 2nd hand book pile and freaking loved it.
would definitely make my kid read it. and narnia. and dinotopia.
when i was young i read a lot of bernstein bear books LOL and charlottes web, and some book about a cricket in new york or something. and alice in wonderland and.. some really classic book about mice or something.
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Very young:
Where the Wild Things Are - One of my favorites as a kid.
Tales From Moominvalley - Bizarre and wonderful.
Younger:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass - Still two of my all time favorites.
Adolescent age:
Dune - One of my favorite universes.
The Hobbit - Added after seeing it in a post below.
Young Adult:
Neuromancer - spectacular early steampunk.
At the Mountains of Madness - my favorite by Lovecraft, who I loved at this age.
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phillip pullman, garth nix, and orson scott card are perfect middle school book authors
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The Phantom Tollbooth! =D
Also! great op/thread topic ^_^
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Groucho marx biography omg its so funny :D
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I must read the three distopias, as you called them. I remember reading a single chapter of each in school for some homework or something and it really gripped me.
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@alffla: I dunno about making kids read things. I think that people should read things of their own volition, otherwise it loses a lot of the meaning. Most of these books I suggest because a kid could pick it up and be enthralled by it- you don't need to make them read it 
@caelym: how did I forget OSC. the ender/shadow series... pow.
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Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox, 0-100. And I'd expect him to read it over and over every day.
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I definitely agree with the HDM. I reread it recently and still found it very enjoyable, even though Im much older than 9-12. The first time I did read it was when I was around 12, but I know I understood and caught more things this time around than the first time I read it. Great for all ages I would say
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Probabaly most of the books by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Most of all "Die Physiker" (The Physicists).
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Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, Slaughterhouse-Five by Vonnegut, and The Stranger by Camus. Of course, my child would have to be at least a teenager to read these but they're incredibly powerful (and in C-22's case, enjoyable) politically and socially themed novels.
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Basically any Roald Dahl book. Those are fantastic for kids 
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The Hobbit,
Artemis Fowl series,
Foundation series (I read Prelude to Foundation when I was 7 - i fucking loved that shit).
I'm sure there's much much more, but it would probably just come to me spontaneously.
EDIT: Stranger in a Strange Land when they're old enough, and absolutely Brave New World/1984.
EDIT2: omg, discworld! Whole series as soon as I teach them british/dry humor.
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On September 22 2010 22:50 caelym wrote:
phillip pullman, garth nix, and orson scott card are perfect middle school book authors
I've never read phillip pullman but all of the garth nix books and orson scott card books were and still are some of my favs but once they get to high school and like the fantasy turn them onto the sword of truth series (Terry Goodkind).
@deth How did I forget about the Fowl books actually all of colfers books are good reads for middleschool aged kids.
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That seems a bit young for the "Three Distopias" Though that may just be me. I know I read all three in high-school and only Fahrenheit really made it through to me. I read all 3 again during winter break as a junior in college and it was only then that I felt like I could comprehend more fully. Maybe That's just what makes them great, you keep going back to them.
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Imo, to read 1984 and/or Fahrenheit 451 between the ages of 12-15 is a bit too early. Sure what you mentioned are all great books, but you shouldn't neglect the child's need for imagination. My parents fed me with the Hemingways and the Steinbecks but those books meant nothing to me at such an early age. One book, or rather trilogy, that really made an impact on my personality is the Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. I'm not going to explain what the trilogy is all about since most of you have probably already read it and in case you haven't: google is your friend.
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Hyrule19054 Posts
Every Terry Pratchett book. Fantasy and satire, so both kids and adults can read them. Maybe read them to your kids instead of just having them read it?
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I'd want my kid to discover his favourite genre and books for himself. No point in recommending him books if he wont like the genre anyway >_> I also wont make him read, if he wont want to read books, I wont make him.
To think back and remember how I hated reading books when I was younger, and largely due to school. Ohh how many books I was forced to read to pass classes, which were uninteresting. uninspired, unoriginal SHIT that I wouldn't have otherwise touched even with a gun pointed to my head. They didn't change my point of view, they didn't make me think differently, they were there for the sole purpose of fucking up my free time.
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Jeez, I went through the replies and they are all books I fucking LOVE but forgot about.
Gotta dig these books up and read them again, especially Brave New World. I remember shitting my pants when I read that book, so awesome!
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REDWALLLLLLLLL!!!
Blood n' vinegarrr!!!!!!!
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I agree with Roald Dahl and Redwall (apparently Brian Jacques is still churning them out!). Elderflower Cordial, anyone?
If I had a daughter, I'd love it if she read books like Tamora Pierce, the Little House books (originals, please), Anne of the Green Gables series, and Little Women. Greek mythology is a good choice too, and usually has different story versions available for different age groups. And then a transition into fantasy with Robin McKinley, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L'Engle, Ursula K. Le Guin, eventually leading into Tolkien etc., and science fiction with non fiction and the classics in between as s/he chooses.
Primarily, I just want my kids to enjoy and love reading and eventually seek out Shakespeare and the like because they want to (although many classics will probably end up on their class lists anyway). I'm ok with helping them by giving them the kiddie illustrated versions and hopefully they'll be curious about the 'real' version as they mature.
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Road Dahl, Harry Potter
And the best one:
![[image loading]](http://wolfeyebrows.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/the-very-hungry-caterpillar400x300.jpg)
Apparently a copy is sold every 30 seconds
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Danny The Champion of The World
This was my favorite book when I was a little kid. It's about economic class, ingenuity, and growing up.
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My Side of the Mountain -Such a good book for 14-17 year old kids. It's still one of my favorites.
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United States22883 Posts
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On September 22 2010 23:51 Equinox_kr wrote:
Jeez, I went through the replies and they are all books I fucking LOVE but forgot about.
Gotta dig these books up and read them again, especially Brave New World. I remember shitting my pants when I read that book, so awesome!
Do you really wanna read that again then?
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the art of war by sun tzu
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On September 22 2010 23:31 drlame wrote:
Imo, to read 1984 and/or Fahrenheit 451 between the ages of 12-15 is a bit too early. Sure what you mentioned are all great books, but you shouldn't neglect the child's need for imagination. My parents fed me with the Hemingways and the Steinbecks but those books meant nothing to me at such an early age.
Absolutely. Kids need to broaden their horizons at that age.
I would stuff my kid with sci fi, how can they not read Heinlein (omg Orphans of the Sky), Harry Harrison (especially Deathworld series), Van Vogt (The Monster, everyone has to read that, one of the best short stories ever written), Wyndhams The Day of the Triffids, everything Bradbury, the list goes on and on.
I just found out that apparently Francis Carsac was never translated into English, what a shame, he was one of the hugely popular sci fi writers.
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The Giving Tree - tear jerker
Mythology (i accidentally read this in 2nd grade. I didn't fully understand it till I reread it in high school)
Harry Potter Series - very easy to read with an entertaining storyline
3 dystopia novels like said above
Dr. Seuss Books - best rapper of all time
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Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Classic Chinese novel, but will teach a lot.
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![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/oQ43j.jpg)
The Alchemist is a great book that details to transition from child to adult. Probably best for a 13-15 year old.
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![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/00/Pippi_Longstocking_book_cover.jpg/384px-Pippi_Longstocking_book_cover.jpg)
That's the only one I would insist on being read mostly because it combines fantasy and make believe with social critism and questining authoroty.
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Thea Beckman. Absolutely my favorite writer and I even reread her stories to this day. I have (almost) all her books. She was Dutch and all her books had an historical setting.
Terry Pratchet. A great read for a child as it touches a lot of things in a very humoreus way.
Roald Dahl. Really enjoyed his stories. Especially "Danny, the champion of the world" and "The Twits". But not only his children's book but also his short stories for more adult people and his TV serie "Tales of the Unexpected" are great.
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On September 22 2010 22:34 ProjectVirtue wrote:
Phillip Pullman for the win, other than that, i haven't really read many books myself so theres not much I can ask my kids to read. Hopefully they'll read it twice like i did, second time through amber spyglass was tear jerking T_T
The His Dark Materials Trilogy is an amazing read, not only would it be interesting for children as well as adults, but it is actually educational in a sense, with the gentle introduction of physics. Highly recommended!
This is a book that had my whole primary school in awe of it. The teacher would bring it out once a day and read us a silly, rude poem that would have us laughing for its entirety
![[image loading]](http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/c2/c11652.jpg)
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Ohhh the alchemist, I'd fogotten about that one too. It's a very interesting book. Kind of preachy in one way, but it has a great fairytale vibe and a killer conclusion. Definitely one of those books you could give to a kid and know they would remember it for the rest of their life ^^
I'd want my kid to discover his favourite genre and books for himself. No point in recommending him books if he wont like the genre anyway >_> I also wont make him read, if he wont want to read books, I wont make him.
To think back and remember how I hated reading books when I was younger, and largely due to school. Ohh how many books I was forced to read to pass classes, which were uninteresting. uninspired, unoriginal SHIT that I wouldn't have otherwise touched even with a gun pointed to my head. They didn't change my point of view, they didn't make me think differently, they were there for the sole purpose of fucking up my free time.
Amen brother. This isn't a thread about books you must force a kid to read before you have respect for them, but on books you would give to them in the confidence that they'd pick it up and read it of their own volition. I guess I was kind of lucky in that I grew up with a dad who had a library of all the golden age american writers, vonnegut, asimov, heinelen, steinback, heller, etc, and a grandmother and mother who got me/had all the books like the hobbit/narnia and things like the railway children, little grey men, beatrix potter books etc, so I got on one hand a load of these hard, brilliant visionary writers, and on the other hand a load of fantasy and myth and mystery. Once I was nine or so I just couldn't put a book down, I was constantly getting in trouble for reading up the back of class. I mean, I read as much animorphs and goosebumps as I did lowry, l'engle and le'guin, but I *did* read the timeless books and by the time I was twelve or thirteen I was munching through books like the amber spyglass or the 4th harry potter in a day. Like, get book, start reading, end book, go to bed at 2 am. Compared to stuff like that, books like I robot or catch 22 were, heh, child's play.
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On September 23 2010 00:21 mardi wrote:
The Giving Tree - tear jerker
Mythology (i accidentally read this in 2nd grade. I didn't fully understand it till I reread it in high school)
Harry Potter Series - very easy to read with an entertaining storyline
3 dystopia novels like said above
Dr. Seuss Books - best rapper of all time
Omg, I remember The Giving Tree, such a good story :'(
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I would want my kid to read more chess books than I so he can improve faster. 
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The Little Prince. To remind people not to grow up too fast and to maintain a little bit of the kid inside themselves.
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Oh yeah, by the way, if you ever want to be a child again for a few hours, and can afford twenty bucks,
Buy this.
http://www.audible.com/pd?productID=BK_HCUK_000152
It has to be martin shaw reading and the book has to be the hobbit. There are no others like it.
It took me quite a long time to actually find that, there aren't any torrents of it, and the reason I'm looking is the old audio cassettes of it I had... um... wore clean through.
I listened to it at least 60 times when I was a kid. It was like medicine to me. His voice is just... perfect for tolkien. His gandalf tone is sublime... I actually used it into my late teens as a cureall- pop it on and any depression, any anxiety, just dropped away. Saved me a lot of sleepless nights, mr shaw did. I should write him a letter some day...
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Well, they're not exactly books....
+ Show Spoiler +Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt
Super Mario Bros. 2 & 3
Super Mario World
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Sonic the Hedgehog
Starfox 64
Mario Kart 64
Goldeneye 007
Starcraft: Brood War
the list goes on! ^.^
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When I discovered fantasy it was the end of my life as I knew it. The genre is so attractive that I basically didn't read anything else until I finished most of the good fantasy series. Took years.
The problem is that most (I'm not saying all) fantasy books, especially the lower quality ones who have started flooding the shelves since the fantasy boom about 10 yrs ago, are quite shallow intellectually and the writing style is pretty basic. And even if that wasn't the case I think a kid benefits more from reading a wider range of styles.
So I'm rather gonna feed my kids other stuff first. SF is very attractive and often intellectually stimulating so it's great. Greek mythology is incredibly entertaining and gives a solid cultural background. Then there's a shitton of great classic books that I had a great time reading as a kid and have amazing writing styles so thanks to them I learnt how to express myself in more elaborate ways.
Maybe I sound like a strict parent here but if my kid can enjoy himself while also bettering himself at the same time I'm all for it. It's not about forcing, it's about suggesting - when they're in age to go to the bookstore and buy their own books I obviously won't stop them from reading anything they want.
@News: I've just reread The Monster a few weeks ago. Took me hours to find because I had read it a decade ago and wasn't even sure who the author was - I just remembered that there was an incredibly powerful novel out there somewhere and I had to read it again. It's indeed really really good.
On September 22 2010 23:42 tofucake wrote:
Every Terry Pratchett book. Fantasy and satire, so both kids and adults can read them. Maybe read them to your kids instead of just having them read it?
I don't think I'll ever read books to my kids if they're willing to read them themselves. I just don't see the point - as a kid it would've annoyed me to no end because it would go too slowly and it also doesn't train your kid to read.
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The Bro Code
![[image loading]](http://i43.tinypic.com/n4uql4.jpg)
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For my own kids, I would like them to read The Hobbit and maybe Moby Dick.
However, my grandchildren will probably never read a book.. Funny when you think about it
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On September 23 2010 01:43 ELA wrote:
For my own kids, I would like them to read The Hobbit and maybe Moby Dick.
However, my grandchildren will probably never read a book.. Funny when you think about it
They will most likely read 1 or 2 books as part of language history even if books themselves fall away.
I would probably want them to read the Narnia series. Then perhaps the Abhorsen Trilogy or Paksenarrion series. Perhaps Un Lun Dun as well, not sure how well that will stand the test of time though. Other than that I would have to see what their tastes are and try to keep an interest in books alive through catering to that.
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Some Tamora Pierce while the kid is young.
The Name of the Wind, The Painted man, Assassin's Apprentice when the kid gets older.
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Why is noone suggesting "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams? Its just about the most well written and humorous book of all time.
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Honestly, I wouldn't care one bit what they would read, as long they'd have the passion for books, hence they'd do read a lot of books.
Edit: I am pretty sure I messed up the grammar somehow .
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CA10828 Posts
the bible (not a joke)
any books by raymond e feist and david eddings. david eddings probably when they're a little younger, like 8-10th grade, feist for when they are like 10-12th. none of them are particularly difficult reads, but feist's books have a little more meat to them in terms of character development and twisting plot lines that may be more difficult for a younger reader to follow.
OH and when they are in elementary school they should definitely read animorphs lol. i loved those books. another series for elementary school kids are hardy boys/nancy drew.
and don't forget the dinosaur books... i loved those when i was like 5-7 years old.
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The Song of Ice and Fire series ALL the way through. My mom gave them to me in 8-9th grade, so thats my goal for them. Also, as many Disc world books I can get them too xD They HAVE to at least finish all the night watch books.
thats about it though, LOTR is a wonderful story as well...
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some kafka and some hemingway and pale blue dot <3
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Watership down
How'd this book not get mentioned so far?
Thumbs up for anything terry pratchet and kurt vunnegut, (ie, slaughterhouse 5) although I think kurt vunnegut's stuff is probably out of the realm of children.
Even though i'm as atheist as you can possibly get, I would encourage my children to read the bible, especially the old testament, it's a pretty insane book that serves up the human condition in a pretty raw way, just don't present it as a religious text that can't be questioned.
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Susan Cooper - The Dark is Rising -series
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game
I read them myself in my teens or so, excellent memories, and have read them again later several times. I could probably write several page's worth of good books, but I'll just stick with those now.
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If you want your kid to be Sam Walton, maybe -.-"
The (modern) classics are important, so that obvious allusions won't be lost on our kids. Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, etc.
I loved A Wrinkle In Time when I was younger!
EDIT: I just remembered, The Diary of a Young Girl/Anne Frank! We should teach our kids about wars' cruelty at a young age.
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The Bro Code by Barney Stinson!
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This is what I'd give adolescent kids to read:
Everything by Douglas Adams
And everything by Haruki Murakami - needs to be assorted by amount of sex/brutality appropiate to age.
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You put fantasy books but no Hobbit/LotR trilogy? Shame on you.
Make sure he starts reading Tolkien at a young age to ensure that he thereafter always has good taste in choosing his fantasy novels.
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Animal Farm and danny, the champion of the world. Roald dahl rocks
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I'm definitely agreeing with all of the dystopia sentiments. Those books are absolutely incredible. I can't think of how I want to word what I'm trying to say, but they provide the basis for a healthy distrust of overbearingly large government.
Where the Red Fern Grows was on of my favorite childhood stories. I read it in fourth grade (it was rated for fifth graders... I was so smart : D). Idk if there was more meaning to it that I missed back then, but it was mostly about a boy and his love for his hunting dogs... I guess there was some stuff about bullies and stuff like that.. I should probably reread it, but I distinctly remember it as being the only story to ever make me cry (movie or book).
The Power of One - I read it between Freshman and Sophomore years of HS. I think I probably missed a lot of meaning in this one too. But from what I recall, it's pretty much about a young kid, who is a minority to the area (he's a British kid in South Africa), so he's constantly tormented by the other children from the area. He grows up mostly alone, with just a chicken for a friend, and is eventually befriended by a flyweight boxer, Hoppy Groenwald, who teaches the kid how to box. It's a really entertaining read, mostly about overcoming adversity.
I haven't read all that many books myself to try and get future kids to read. I know someone said they didn't think that kids should be told to read things, because it should come naturally. On the other hand, I think not making them read from an early age causes them to miss out on many great stories. I don't think you need to make a kid do book reports during summer for you (I know kids that had to), but just letting them do their own thing leads to them not reading most of the time (it certainly has in my experience).
On September 23 2010 02:50 Melt wrote:
The Bro Code by Barney Stinson!
He's really close with the bros, if you know what I mean.
And OMG do I agree with the Phantom Tollbooth. What an incredible read that was back then.
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The Bert diaries
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/gd9B3.jpg)
those were so fun to read when I was 11-15
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George's secret key to the universe by Stephen and Lucy Hawking
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
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I want my kids to read TL.
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The first set of books that i'm going to read my kids is the harry potter series. It had such an impact on my generation, and also myself.
Secondly, the mystery books by Lois Duncan. The third eye and Locked in Time notably. Great for those early teens IMO.
I will also buy an animorphs box set and have those just istting on a shelf hoping some day they will get picked up and read. Really great series for the youngsters.
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The Redwall series was my favorite growing up. Books I remember that had the biggest impact on me as a kid were the lottery rose, enders game, on a pale horse and 1984. I felt really connected to those books and they have a special place in my heart.
I agree with the sentiment of passing on the great dystopian literature.
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Calvin & Hobbes
EDIT: Also the redwall series and LOTR obviously
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I would defently want my children to read some if not all of H.G Wells' books. He really is the master of sci-fi. Few books have made as big an impression on me as his The first men in the moon and The Food of the Gods and How it came to Earth.
After that I would like (but they probably wouldn't) them to read the newest danish translation of a medieval danish work: Gesta Danorum, by Saxo Grammaticus. The middleages and especially this work is packed full of interesting fates and people dealing with the different situations life puts them in.
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, changed how I see and interact with other people as well as how I see myself, but I dont think it would have the same effect on them. I really believe that it is a book that you should read at a specific point of your life, and if you read it at another point it will probably not have the same impact.
[edited to reduce wall-of-textiness]
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To the OP - you would seriously recommend 1984 for a 12-year old? That's insane.
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edit: now in order of age they would be recommended:
Redwall, all of this series
Ender's game and ender's shadow, sequels are optional and a much higher reading level
Hitchiker's guide to the galaxy
Harry Potter, I started reading these a few months before my 11th birthday and aged with the characters almost exactly, hard to beat it
The hobbit, LotR, again being higher reading level would be recommended later. I read em in grade 5 though, so it's not too bad.
His Dark Materials
The Song of Albion, by stephen lawhead, absolutely loved this trilogy as well as dream thief his unrelated sci-fi book
Dune, at least until the end of god emperor, heretics and chapterhouse, while also awesome, would be optional.
I would then suggest the following authors, but not enforce any specific reading:
Terry Goodkind
Terry Pratchet
David Eddings
Neil Gaiman
George RR Martin
Neal Stephenson
Robert Jordan, as much as they get panned, the wheel of time novels were my heart and soul for a good year or so while I read through all the ones that were out. I'll go back and read the last few once they're all out (sad that he died, I hope his son is a better ghost writer then herbert or tolkein's sons...
There are probably more I'm missing...
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Well I started my journey with dragonlance at about 6-7 years old so ofc that.
Then Terry Pratchett when they are in their teens.
Dostojevski for their intellectual needs even though DL and Pratchett are both quite intelligent.
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definitely christopher paolini's Interitance Series. Some of the best books ive ever read
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On September 22 2010 22:28 Thereisnosaurus wrote:
A short history of nearly everything: 11-13, possibly a tricky book, but the best introduction to science that I can imagine. It gives every field of science a glamour and flame that nothing else I've run into has managed. I'm all for showing my progeny the potential complexity and intrigue in as many different fields of interest as possible, and this is about the best book in the world for hitting a lot of birds with one asteroid.
As soon as I read the title I thought of that book. I actually did read it at the age of 12 or 11, and I continued skimming over it like I would a fiction book for about 2 years afterwards. I loved it and think that EVERYONE should read it, it gets you through half the high school syllabus in an extremely entertaining and accessible manner.
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i like paolini's stuff but i feel like it's the first star wars trilogy in book/fantasy form for the upcoming generation
these are all coming of age to adult literature
it's been said but Old Kingdom series (garth nix) -> Sword of Truth series (terry goodking).
thrillers from Vince Flynn, Robert Ludlum, Dan Brown, etc
A Separate Peace, To Kill a Mockingbird, Middlesex, Killer Angels honorable mentions
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The way things work - David Macaulay
Even for adults an entertaining read. A good way to bridge the complexity of various inventions and techniques to the world of understanding of children. As soon as they can read it becomes functional but before that the good illustrations should already do a nice job.
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Harry Potter 1 - 7 ... because it's soooo awesome :-E
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I find it funny but most of the book I have read were told to me by my father (Ender's game , The Sword of Truth series to name a few.) I think the most important thing you can do for your kid if you want to get them reading is GO TO THE LIBRARY. Not only does it let them read what they want but it also teaches them responsibility aka having to return what they borrowed on time.
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The Demon-haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagan
Way too much pseudoscience bs in today's world, this book teaches critical thinking and skepticism with a scientific emphasis. This is a book I want not only my future children to read, but every single person in the entire world. It doesn't try to impose its ideas too harshly, it teaches you HOW to think and to not take everything you hear as fact.
Plus, Carl Sagan was the biggest badass that has and probably will ever live. I'd make them watch the entire Cosmos TV series before they read this book too.
Edit: Just saw {CC}StealthBlue already posted it, but I'm keeping this here. Seriously everyone needs to read this, it would solve so much of the world's problems if everyone just read and understood it.
![[image loading]](http://monologuestudio.com/su/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/demon-haunted_world.jpg)
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Easy, anything by Roald Dahl
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The name of the wind. Such an amazing fantasy novel. I have never been so hooked to a book in all of my life. Unfortunately it is part of a trilogy and I don't think my grand kids will be around to see book 2 release. It is taking that long lol
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On September 23 2010 01:59 MuR)Ernu wrote:
twilight saga books
Considering anytime my dad gave me something to read I ignored it and read something else, this is a fantastic plan.
I'd hide Roald Dahl books somewhere in the house, though.
When I was in elementary school, I tried to take out "The Witches" from the school library, and the librarian wouldn't let me! THAT'S how you get someone to read a book.
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![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HB47PYNFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
shallow "entertainment" and "culture" won't be tolerated in my household
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I dunno, I think if I got my kid to read a book I loved as a kid and he/she hated it I'd start to dislike my kid. Haha
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It's hard when you can't link it but I have 4 books that are all handmade and have ridiculously great art in them, sadly there is no author credited in them but they are called: Rain, Shine, Night and School. I still read them myself sometimes and they just depict everything that is fantastic about being a child. It shows all those things that made being 6 the most fantastic time in your life.
other books have been mentioned but I didn't see anyone mention
The Busy World of Richard Scarry not only are they fantastic books they have a equally fantastic TV-series to go with them meaning I can segway them from the TV into books in a very smooth way.
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that's funny how people see an age minimum for a book, my mother was reading me (salvator?) the Drizzt Do'Urden serie of the forgotten kingdom before I could read.
Awesome mom, yeah I know.
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On September 23 2010 01:59 MuR)Ernu wrote:
twilight saga books
children cruelty right here guy !
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I'd just stick with the classics, but by the time my 'kids' can really appreciate the novel...they won't be kids anymore. But then again they should read what interests them. Actually I'll be happy if my kids even take the time to read a novel instead of watching MTV reality shows or reading Lady Gaga's twitter or some other bullshit.
But for an actual little kid...
![[image loading]](http://theharperstudio.com/wp-content/themes/harperStudio/images/2009/08/harold.jpg)
I still remember reading this goddamn page from when I was small. Harold and his purple crayon ftw.
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To the OP - you would seriously recommend 1984 for a 12-year old? That's insane.
We had it as a set text by 14. I had read it by 11. I think I read it a bit too young, TBH, but 12-13 seems about right for self-directed reading.
When you first read a book as a child, you miss a lot. I wouldn't expect a kid of that age to get every nuance of 1984, I re-read it a year or two back and there was a lot I missed or forgot. Nevertheless, I did get a lot from it when I read it and the important thing was I *had* read it of my own will. Those books have had such a powerful effect on culture and popular thought that a kid who reads them early will benefit all over the place.
I also think a lot of books, like Discworld, hitchhiker's guide (which is totally on my list by the way( and name of the wind are somewhat postmodern. They are best approached after a child has read a few 'classic' fantasy books. Discworld is as much a deconstruction of fantasy as a construction of it, and to really get the magic in those books you need to key into what they're talking about, whether it's race relations, freedom of the press, sexism or whatever. A ten year old can get the lord of the rings. It's not hard, there's no subtext. Discworld is a little trickier. Name of the wind is more serious, but it has that same 'if you've read a lot of other fantasy you'll get a lot more from it' feel.
The same goes for the other two dystopias, but they should be read anyway. They introduce so many ideas as well as warnings. I think BNW is one of the reasons I've never touched drugs ,for example, and never even felt the compulsion to do so.
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On September 23 2010 03:24 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote:
I'm definitely agreeing with all of the dystopia sentiments. Those books are absolutely incredible. I can't think of how I want to word what I'm trying to say, but they provide the basis for a healthy distrust of overbearingly large government.
I dont want to turn this into a discussion about politics, but I would have them read Lord of the Flies or other such books as well to show the consequences of absolutely no regulation. There should be a healthy balance so they can make a choice for themselves.
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The A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle. Very fascinating at a young age.
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I dont want to turn this into a discussion about politics, but I would have them read Lord of the Flies or other such books as well to show the consequences of absolutely no regulation. There should be a healthy balance so they can make a choice for themselves.
absolutely. Possibly V for Vendetta at some point, but that is really a late-teenager, post highschool text. So much subtlety and reference. I think the Harry Potter books are, amusingly, actually the best political series for young people out there. Rowling does an amazing job of balancing the pros and cons of no regulation (crazy shit happening everywhere, bad guys taking over, extortion etc) and over-regulation (the ministry during voldemort's ascendancy). It's a very powerful progression in the books, from a coddling- pro-authority view in the first 3 books, to a very questioning, anti authoritarian, independant feel in the later ones. Very much a coming of age philosophically as well as physically.
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for boys i'd recomend the hardy boys, and not the crappy newer versions of them, i mean the older ones, in the blue hard covers. I read those a lot during my childhod
or for girls the nancy drew books
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I always liked the encyclopedia brown series when I was younger. Felt like a badass if i got one.
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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Anything written by this woman:
Primarily:
+ Show Spoiler +Emil i Lönneberga
Pippi
Ronja Rövardotter
![[image loading]](http://www.sweden.se/upload/Sweden_se/english/articles/SI/2007/Astrid_Lindgren/astrid_lindgren_sweden.jpg)
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Tales of the Otori
Episode 0-4
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Ender's Game/Shadow series.
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Johnathan Livingston Seagull - although much in the later period.
Alice in Wonderland for the early early age.
Dune is truly amazing, although the vocabulary is defenitly more 15+.
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Ender's Game
Anything and everything by Kurt Vonnegut.
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Catcher in the Rye, Mother Night, Slaughterhouse 5, Cat's Cradle... well... any Vonnegut tbqh. Also any by Douglas Adams. My wife will probably force our child to read Ayn Rand as well.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Lord of the Flies
Fahrenheit 451
Harry Potter series
His Dark Materials
Redwall
BFG (big friendly giant)
All of Michael Crichton's books (Timeline, Jurassic park, Sphere, Prey, Congo)
Lord of the Rings series (it's just sad that most of the younger generations will have watched the movies before reading the books, I will definitely stop my kids from doing that.)
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Mathematics 1
Mathematics 2
Mathematics 3
Mathematics 4
Mathematics 5
Mathematics 6
Mathematics 7
Mathematics 8
Mathematics 9
Mathematics 10
Mathematics 11
Mathematics 12
Calculus
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On September 23 2010 16:13 jongim wrote:
Mathematics 1
Mathematics 2
Mathematics 3
Mathematics 4
Mathematics 5
Mathematics 6
Mathematics 7
Mathematics 8
Mathematics 9
Mathematics 10
Mathematics 11
Mathematics 12
Calculus
Lol you're missing
Calculus 2
Calculus 3
Calculus 4
Calculus 5
Calculus 6
Calculus 7
Calculus 8
Calculus 9
Calculus 10
Calculus 11
Calculus 12
Calculus 13
Calculus 14
Calculus 15 shit goes on for a long time
Yes there are that many calc classes except they aren't called clac they are called things like differential equations etc.
Atlas Shrugged imo one of the first books i read from cover to cover for the hell of it.
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Surprised I didn't see it on here yet.. Maybe I'm getting old.
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N_Ek0g2Uumg/S9stsd_bjDI/AAAAAAAAAo4/RvgnF-r7kYc/s1600/where_the_sidewalk_ends1.jpg)
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None of the Dr. Seuss books, they make no sense and there's no educational value in them imo. I remember trying to first learn english, and a lot of teachers gave me seuss books, and I was like wtf are green eggs and green ham?
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Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Rings
Two of my favorite series/books. I usually read war, certain books on politics(Ron Paul for example)... dont think I would recommend that for children.
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Between ages five to ten, I read the dictionary, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Calvin & Hobbes, Charles Dickens, Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter series, and William Blake.
I would probably want my children go through the same stuff, more or less. I think Dickens' Hard Times would make for good bedtime stories.
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Start 'em off with Ender's Game + Old Man and the Sea when they're really young since those are pretty easy. All the required classics when they're a little older (Orwell, Hemingway, Nabokov, Bradbury, etc), some Vonnegut and DUUUUUUUUUUUUNE.
And I guess some Breif(er) History of Time. Maybe some Richard Dawkins too.
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I've read these at 11/12 and I really liked them:
Le Petit Prince
L'ironie du sort
Ender, the first and then, -all of them
Flatland
A long walk
Tik-Tok
DragonLance & the trilogy about Drizzt -almost all of them, really (yes, I know.)
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Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy
-Everyone needs a sense of humor. Would recommend over Terry Pratchett.
Enders Game
-Each time I read this book I get someone new out of it. When I was young I was proud for reading an adult science fiction and now every time I read it I'm proud of getting a new meaning from it.
As OP said, Bradbury, Orwell, and so on.
A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Because it's awesome. I love this series and can't wait for "A Dance with Dragons" to come out. hopefully by the time I (potentially) have a child it'll be out =P
Coraline (Neil Gaiman).
An amazing book. Better than the movie, though the movie is swell as well.
I Traded My Dad for Two Goldfish (also NG)
Hilarious. I LOVE McKeen's artwork so much.
LotR/Chronicles of Narnia
self explanatory
The Screwtape Letters.
Such a good book showing the degradation of society through the eyes of a devil, as well as the turmoil of WWII and such.
Rahl Dahl, esp. BFG, The Hungry Crocodile, Boy, George's Fantastic Medicine, Mr. Popper's Penguins.
A fantastic writer. I still like to read his works sometimes, he has such an interesting perspective.
Dr. Seuss.
He's Dr. Suess dood.
Eric Carle. Awesome art, cute stories, all around good.
All I can think for now. Definitely many many more great books out there.
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Enders Game/ Enders Shadow
My favorite books during my teenage years
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Twilight and any other crappy book series that comes out in the next few years. Everyone always talks about how my generation is so horrible, so you know what?! I'm just going to make sure that the next one is even worse. Take that, society!
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For this post, I'm going to assume they're male, because I don't really know what would be good for a girl because I'm not one.
When they're younger, I would read a simpler version of the Count of Monte Cristo. The story is incredible, and I'm sure they would enjoy the vengeance.
When they start learning American History semi-seriously (for me, it was about 8th grade, I dunno about elsewhere) I would give them a copy of Lies my Teacher Told Me, just to give a different perspective of history. Might be a bit advanced, but I'd at least let them give it a shot.
Beyond that, it really depends on their interests. If he's into programming/computers like me I'd give him Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg, which is a really good insight into the process programmers go through to make a program.
If he's into astronomy or related sciences (physics, etc.), I would definitely give him some Sagan and Hawking.
I don't know enough about the humanities to know good books about them, but I would look for them.
Basically, it's my theory that in order to get kids to read, you need to give them books on stuff they find interesting. Most will find something that goes against their schoolwork not only interesting but invigorating (remember how much you hated school in middle school/whatever equivalent you had?), and I'm sure if they love something they'd die to read about it. No sense in forcing kids to read books they're not interested in.
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Ender's game+Harshini chronicles. The Ghosts on fear street books were my favorite growing up. The mad Scientist club as well
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EPT![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qMfd6%2BXUL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg){kind=icon}
![[image loading]](http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/8305/thelittleprinceg.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.zunal.com/myaccount/uploads/hatchet(4).jpg)
![[image loading]](http://lookingglassreview.com/assets/images/The_Long_Patrol.jpg)
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