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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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Hyrule19236 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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EPT
