Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Seabiscuit for nine year-old? Other recs?

I'd like to give my nine year-old (who is in a very unchallenging school environment) a gentle nudge towards more more challenging reading.

He loves history, so I though maybe some adult books that provide color about a particular period might be enjoyed. I recently saw a positive review of Laura Hillenbrand's new book and it made me think of Seabiscuit. I read it and enjoyed it, but can't remember if it had any sex. Anybody happen to know? It's not typically something you find in the Amazon reviews!

And a related question - I used the AR bookfinder to try and find some books on a more challenging level, and it seems like in the fiction category to get beyond 5-7 grade (which is Harry Potter) you are mostly limited to older books and archaic language becomes an issue. Are they higher level *because* of the archaic language? But then what level is modern adult fiction? The young adult fiction I checked (Hunger Games series, Ender's Game) is 5th or 6th grade level. He's been reading at this level for over two years, so I'd like him to occasionally push himself a little. Any recs?

He tried White Fang and didn't like it. He also tried Lord of the Flies and put it down. If he keeps putting down the more challenging books I will eventually require him to read them (maybe every fourth book or so) but I'd like to give him some more choices. Keep in mind, this is a child who is doing NOTHING at school and loves to read. He needs a little brain stretch and won't consider it a big deal.

ETA - I just thought to look up Seabiscuit in the AR bookreader and they have it at 7.5. So I guess that answers one of my question - the reading levels top out at around 7, unless there is some complexity. Makes sense I guess.

Have you tried Lexile.com ? I too have a DD9 who is extremely unchallenged at school, esp. in language arts. What I do is find appropriate books on lexile.com (you can even search by award winning books, and various other categories). I go to the library and come home with a bag full of books every 2 weeks. She may not read them all, but having them around is my way of exposing her to the books that will challenge her. She also likes to read our adult National Geographic Magazine.

I vaguely recall there is a scene where there were prostitutes but the rest of the book was okay.

What are your son's interests?

If he likes animals the James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small books are good. Sherlock Holmes has light death but isn't gruesome at all.

Keep in mind that reading levels can be a bit misleading. DRA', AR are often based on the vocabulary, syntax and overall complexity of the writing - rather than the themes and ideas.

For many gifted kids, it's the themes and abstract concepts that challenge and interest them - more than the level of decoding that the book requires. Books like those from the Harry Potter series can be be very rich, if one delves into some of the overarching social themes - even if they are relatively easy in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure.

Try going onto your and neighboring school district's websites to find out what is being assigned for Middle School. These books are often screened for sex and violence (to some degree) but offer rich story lines and abstract ideas. Here are some that my kids have enjoyed:

Life of Pi
Water for Elephants (one highly sexual scene - we listened to the audio and I ff'd through it)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Nation
A Walk in the Woods
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Ishmael
Esperanza Rising
My Side of the Mountain
Tuesday's with Morrie
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Whale Talk
My Sister's Keeper

Kona, the lexile.com site looks like a better search tool. Thanks for that. Coincidentally, I just recently subscribed to National Geographic. Can't tell yet if it will be a hit.

master of none, I can't find the "flash" series on Amazon, but he's already read through the History of the World series several times, so I think he's ready for more focused history. I'd love to hear more specifically what WWII books you son is reading. Mine is also interested in that period.

passthepotatoes, All Creatures Great and Small is a great idea. He has already read a lot of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Those were good, he liked them. I have some other, older books I downloaded for free (can't remember the titles right now), but find I have to preview all of them. Tarzan seemed like a great idea, but when I read it I thought it was too racist and sexist.

I like the idea of having him read older books because it's a two-fer (history and literature).

Mich - I will check out your suggestions. Ishmael is a great suggestion. Some may be a little advanced for him. I just read To Kill a Mockingbird and I don't think it would hold his attention. He might be able to handle that in small pieces if we read it together. That might be one to take on a vacation or over the summer. I remember I really enjoyed Owen Meany but can't recall much specifically. I think it had adult themes, but no more than a child in a healthy environment might witness in real life. Does that sound about right?

I don't mind adult themes, but want to avoid actual sex scenes and anything that has anything unhealthy (alcoholism, prostitution, adultery) as an integral part of the plot line. Brief mentions I'm OK with.

When my son was 9, he really enjoyed these authors and books:

The Lord of the Rings
Mark Twain
Robert Heinlein's "juveniles" (Starship Troopers, Tunnel in the Sky. etc.) *note that many of Heinlein's books are definitely for older audiences - the "juveniles" are a safe bet, though, and were written with boys between 9 and 15 in mind.
James Herriot
Isaac Asimov
Arthur C. Clarke
Animal Farm (1984 has some adult themes that you might not want at this age.)
H.G. Wells
King Solomon's Mines
My Side of the Mountain
Terry Pratchett
the Sherlock Holmes stories
Ursula LeGuin's "Earthsea" novels - some of her other work is absolutely aimed at adult audiences only.
Robert Louis Stevenson

His favorite magazines at that age were Smithsonian, Discover, National Geographic, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, and The Economist.

Yes, he's an interesting mix of outrageous flights of fancy and incredible pragmatism, lol.

Aculady - I really liked Starship Troopers. I'll find that one. I looked at some H.G. Wells and I think the language would be too difficult for him. i like you other suggestions. Those seem about right for him.

CFK - PERFECT! For the exact reason you state - sheer volume! Boy, I hope he likes those. That would save me a lot of trouble.

I remember reading Dolphin Island by Arthur C Clarke somewhere around then, a good first Clarke book. Also Two Against the North (also called Lost in the Barrens) by Farley Mowat, an adventure story also. And then Stevenson, if he hasn't read Treasure Island that is a classic pirate tale, if he liked Treasure Island then Kidnapped.

I had a Agatha Christie year and also a spy year (every single Ian Fleming book) but I can't remember what years those were and whether the Ian Fleming books would be appropriate yet.

Polly

I have a 9 yo who loves to read and he suggested the following:

Orson Scott Card -- Ender's Game series
The Disappearing Spoon
1984 and Animal Farm
Farhenheit 451
Lord of the Rings
Sophie's World
Mysterious Benedict Society

I just finished the new Hillenbrand and I thought it was fabulous. Really gripping. It definitely has themes that are ugly (about a guy who was a POW in Japan), but I would let my 9 yo read it.

It's really fun to see other suggestions too.

Here's a random collection of titles:

The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)

Maus (Graphic novel about the Holocaust; won a Pulitzer. Art Spiegelman)

The Terrible Hours (Peter Maas; about a submarine rescue)

Last Chance to See (Douglas Adams goes off on adventures in search of endangered animals)

The Crowfield Curse (Historical Fantasy; Pat Walsh)

I've never been much of a devotee of Lexile levels or AR scores; I guess I don't like the idea of turning a work of literature into something with a quantifiable score. I suppose they work for industrial chapter books, but for real books...well, hmm.

YMMV, but I believe that reading and enjoying a substantial work with a plot and/or a theme is more important to brain development than aiming for something with an artificial score.
Please don't think I'm accusing anyone of anything here. My comment was more a dig at edumacator ideas regarding the merits of forcing kids to read books in a certain score range. Seems like...industrial schooling to me.

I'm just throwing out titles that may not hit the 7+ category in those systems. But all these books have consistent themes and ideas that can fire the imagination and get someone thinking about stuff.

Val