Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources What is your 10/11 year old reading?

Not a guilty pleasure, a real pleasure. (Guilty pleasures are like the harem anime I watch...) I'm still saving Enchanted Glass for sometime special, since its almost the last DWJ and after the last one comes out there won't be any new ones.

The Blue Sword was like nothing I'd ever read before. Absolutely mind-blowing to me... that a magic book could be set in another world that was so like but unlike the one we're living in. Narnia, Wonderland, etc. were very different from that experience because they were so like fables and things of our world. I wish everybody could have my fourth grade teacher-- I doubt Robin McKinley is on the reading lists most places. It's all Bridge to Teribithia and other horrid stuff (of course, we read that too). I didn't realize until rereading Hero and the Crown many years later that there was a reason we didn't read that one in class too-- the sex totally went over my head at age 10. The Blue Sword made me realize I could go upstairs to the adult fantasy section to get things to read-- a whole new world!

Just turned 11 DS recently read and really enjoyed Leviathan. He's now reading the sequel, Behemoth. They are of a genre referred to as "steampunk".

Hi, Thought I'd chime in...
DS8 really likes these-

Two Miserable Presidents- by Steve Sheinkin
The Narnia Series
The Harry Potter Series
Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper
Russell Stannard's "Uncle Albert" series
The two "Cosmic George" books
Theodore Gray's "The Elements"
The Phantom Tollbooth
Johnny Tremain
The Percy Jackson series
Robert Heinlein's "Juvenile" series
"Her Magesty's Wizard"- Christopher Stascheff
anything by Roald Dahl
Inkheart
Why Pi?
any of the "Worst Case Scenario" books
any of the "Basher" books
any "Calvin and Hobbes"
Pullman's "His Dark Material's" series
and is as we speak devouring Larry Gonick's "Cartoon Guide to..." series. (Haven't done the History of the Universe yet because I'm afraid the reasons for all of the wars might be a little much for him)
*and since he's a boy at "that age" there is virtually no kissing in these books ("M-o-O-O-O-o-M!" he says as he hides his face in his hands!)

Love this thread! There's a lot of new stuff (to us) posted here, Thanks! We're always on the hunt for something new...

I just looked at CTY reading class for some new books for DS10 to try. I thought they looked good.

The potato chip puzzles / Eric Berlin.
Puzzling world of Winston Breen
The Thief Lord / Cornelia Funke

DD10 recently discovered my childhood stash of Encyclopedia Brown books, which are fun, easy reads. Because of her summer schedule, she doesn't have much down time to read, so these are perfect. She can read a case or two before bed or in the car on the way to practice.

Since the last movie is coming out, Ds-now-11 has decided to pick back up the Harry Potter books, he only got through the 5th one in 3rd grade, I think they got a bit more daunting on several levels at that point. He started back at the beginning and is having a hoot re-reading.

Also, we just got him a puppy, and his name is ...Harry.

So glad to have found this thread! My DS10 is a reluctant reader, though good at reading. He's not into the science fiction/fantasy stuff that his older brother was. Too sensitive for a lot of the stuff, although that seems to be resolving as he matures. But no interest in the Harry Potter series, Wrinkle In Time, Ender series and so on that so many of the kids here enjoy.

His favorites are humor books and he often returns to the Wimpy Kid series! He's enjoying the Aldo Zelnick comic series (Artsy-Fartsy, Bogus, Cahoots) and Bone graphic novels right now. He recently read the first in the Pseudonymous Bosch series and this list was a good reminder. One he really liked was The True Meaning of Smekday - he often laughed out loud while reading that one.

Anyone have other suggestions for humorous books?

May I recommend _The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian_ (warning: discussion of masturbation, bullying, social ostracism, and death) by Sherman Alexie

and _The Diamond in the Window_ by Jane Langton

Hi, Debbie,

I'm slow getting back to this thread, but had a couple of ideas for books your son might enjoy:

-Noel Langley, "The Land of Green Ginger." (strictly farce, very funny, a little dated, but that's the way we like 'em!)

-John Fardell, "The Seven Professors of the Far North," "The Flight of the Silver Turtle," and "Secret of the Black Moon Moth." (gee-whiz adventure stories, gifted kid protagonists with eccentric professor sidekicks battle against a series of crazy maniacs who want to take over the world [sort of James Bond for little kids], some serious issues considered [ecology, cloning, etc.] but not in the deep way evidenced in the books you say he's not interested in yet)

-John D. Fitzgerald, Great Brain series (now, I remember loving these when I was a kid, but have to admit that I was a bit startled by a few things on rereading them as an adult, not least the disciplinary measures used by the father of the family--I still think they're funny, but maybe best to preread?)

-for some reason, none of my boys can get enough of "Tubby and Little Lulu" (I know that sounds weird...but they're all back in print, so somebody besides me must be buying them!)--they tell me that sometimes they just want to read something "dumb and funny," so there we go.

-Norman Hunter, Professor Branestawm series (mad inventor invents really crazy stuff, gets in various scrapes; there are lots of volumes of these, mostly out of print, but we have found picking up several of them not too hard--they're short stories, so maybe good for a somewhat reluctant reader, since there is fairly quick payoff?).

-he might be too old for these, but I wonder if he'd like Christianna Brand's "Collected Tales of Nurse Matilda?" All of my three thought these were hilarious (though I'm thinking they're an acquired taste for adults!).

-kcab put us onto Cressida Cowell's "How to Train a Dragon" books--those are nice, light and fun reads--perfect for summer. In that same vein are Kjartan Poskitt's Urgum the Axeman books (not really calculated to instill a love of great literature, but good for lying in the hammock with a glass of lemonade and a gingersnap).

Hope some of those might appeal!

peace
minnie

My sons have really enjoyed the Warriors series by Erin Hunter and they weren't always interested in reading. It was exciting to see them going back for the next books in the series and following the saga.