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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 137
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 137 |
We've just discovered the Zac Power books - not sure if these are available in stores in the States though (am in Australia). My boys (5 and nearly 7) are desperate for them. Zac is a 12 year old spy who races through 24 hour missions in between schoolwork and chores. His older brother Leon invents the gadgets for GIB (Government Investigation Bureau). The books have a reasonable number of diagrams of the gadgets (lava skis, robot octopus/submarine, personal hologram projector etc) and take about 45 minutes to read out loud. I find them rather too much like read-aloud cartoons, but this seems to be a positive thing in the minds of small boys.
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 153
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 153 |
A few that DS liked that haven't been mentioned -
Frank Asch's Cardboard Genius series comprised of the following 3 titles:
Star Jumper, Gravity Buster, Time Twister
One he could not put down recently:
Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
This book deals with a conspiracy at a gifted school regarding science fair projects and the lengths crazy parents go to ensure that their children succeed.
Last edited by momx2; 07/29/09 06:04 PM. Reason: grammar typo
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 466
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 466 |
We've had a big reading week here, as it has been so HOT (well, y'all in Texas or somewhere would laugh at what I call hot, but it has been very very hot for here, anyway, so we've cut back on some of our normal outdoor stuff and read more inside):
Pierre Berton, "The Secret World of Og" (1961; repr. 2002 Doubleday Canada, 160 pp., profusely illustrated in a nice childlike fashion by the author's daughter). Silly, but fun, this is a book written for the author's children, using their names and the names of their pets (Yukon King and Earless Osdick, too funny). Four older children follow their cat and baby brother down a trapdoor into a tunnel under their playhouse, and discover a world of little green men, whose only native word is "Og"; some of the creatures have learned English, though, from picking up comic books and so on left on the lawn or in the playhouse, so they have a limited and comic understanding of humanity. Grade 4ish-5ish reading level, I think.
Beverley Nichols, "The Tree that Sat Down" (first of a trilogy that also includes "The Stream that Stood Still" and "The Mountain of Magic," 1945, currently out of print, but lots of paperbacks from the '70s still available out there, I think). Fairy Tale in the classic mode, with the good people very very good, and the bad 'uns extremely wicked. Miss Judy and her Grannie run a lovely little shop and clinic for animals in the wood on Magic Mountain; bad Sam and bad Old Sam start up a rival shop in an old Ford, where they cheat the animals and try to destroy the competition by recruiting an evil witch named Miss Smith and her three poisonous toads. All turns out well in the end (though even when I was a child, I thought the ending was a bit over the top in a hackneyed sort of a way). The well-drawn characters are probably the strongest feature of the book. For an audience of maybe 6 to 9, say?
Allan Ahlberg, "The Boyhood of Burglar Bill," (Puffin 2008, 180 pp.), the second volume of Ahlberg's memoirs. This is a terrific read, very vividly written--the story of one year (1953) in Ahlberg's childhood, and the scratch team he and his classmates got together to enter in the Coronation Cup football tournament. It's wonderfully funny, with also many poignant moments, and such great writing. (There's a sort of afterword "Part Two" in the last twenty pages or so, that I skipped when reading it aloud to them--a rather cruel prank winds up having tragic consequences for one of Ahlberg's friends, and I didn't think my lads were quite up to that yet.)
David Almond, "My Dad's a Birdman," illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Candlewick, 2008, 120 pages, lots and lots of pictures). For younger readers than Almond's other books (the jacket says 4 to 8, but I think you could go either side of that a year or two). A father, grieving the loss of his wife, decides to enter the Great Human Bird Competition (organised by Mr Poop); he collects feathers, sews wings, makes a nest, eats bugs, and practises "flying". His daughter Lizzie tries to snap him out of it, but in the end, decides that entering the competition together would be kindest. Lizzie's Aunt Doreen and her headmaster, Mr Mortimer Mint, are the other characters, who also undergo changes as the story goes along. Like all of Almond's books, this one is about finding joy in darkness, the power of love, and the importance of imagination. Lovely.
And the best for last, David Almond, "Skellig," (Hodder Children's Books, 1998, Delacorte 1999, 182 pp, jacket says ages 8-12). Michael moves into a new house, but his baby sister is very ill, his parents are upset, and he feels powerless to help. He finds someone living in their ramshackle garage; the only person in whom he can confide about the stranger is his neighbour Mina. I don't want to say too much about this one--it is magical, and you should discover it for yourself--but we found this book to be a treasure. Mina shares her love of William Blake with Michael, and the story reminds one of Blake, I must say, with its hovering air of the spiritual and the very great beauty present throughout. Special.
peace
minnie
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 466
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 466 |
We read a fun one yesterday: "The Seventh Expert: An Interactive Medieval Adventure," by Mark Oakley and John Mantha (2008, Annick Press, 96 pp.). We've not read this kind of a book before, but it was quite entertaining. It's 1368, and your village has been swept away in a storm; with six other community leaders, you relocate the survivors to a new village site, and for seven years, you try to ensure the survival of the community. You expend "effort" points on supplies and infrastructure (there's a catalogue at the end of the book), and respond to various random events, determined by rolling a die. Lots of bad things can happen: weather, bandits, plague, taxes (!), battle...The kids found it a challenge to accumulate enough food and so on to get through a winter in the face of all these trials and tribulations! The book is well-researched; beside the main story, there are informative sidebars about various aspects of 14th-century life, as well as a brief but useful bibliography. Quite a fun way to learn some history! The authors field-tested the book on grade 7 and 8 students, but it's eminently usable with younger ones, too. peace minnie PS The game sheets are available at the publisher's website: www.annickpress.com . The Seventh Expert has its own microsite there, where the scoresheet can be found.
Last edited by minniemarx; 08/04/09 08:28 AM. Reason: added postscript
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,917
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minnimarx - you find the best books! We'll have to check out the medieval adventure one. We've been reading "The Wonder Clock, OR four and twenty marvellous Tales, being one for each hour of the day" by Howard Pyle (written in 1887!). Our library has a great copy. The narrator finds the wonder clock in Father Time's garret. It tells a story for each hour of the day (and in the book each hour is a chapter), and the tales are mixed-up fairy tales and myths. There are fun little poems to start off each hour of the day, by Katherine Pyle. I am surprised by the publication date just because the book is so wonderfully readable. Not the best for sensitive children, as their are some times when a hero gets his eyes put out (so far everyone's gotten his sight back!) Fun little morality tales, but true to many fairy tales, the female characters aren't the strongest. And when I was double-checking on the date, I found the whole thing here: http://historyofideas.org/toc/modeng/public/PylWond.html (Still more fun for me to have a real book in my hands, though.)
Last edited by st pauli girl; 08/04/09 08:40 AM. Reason: added subtitle
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 229
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thanks to everyone who gave me help with advanced picture books! So far I've found some great Graehme Base that my DD7 seems to really love (though they were out of Sign of the Seahorse). I am trying to find a way to print the thread so i have it as a reference , is there a way that anyone knows of?
thanks
irene
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,897
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Looks like if you go to 'email post' on the first post, you can send that one and all replies. Don't know if it will really work, but worth a look.
Edit - I tried it, and now see a radio button 'entire thread' at the bottom. Worked for me. Good idea, too!
-Chris
Last edited by chris1234; 08/04/09 02:56 PM.
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,897
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,897 |
And the best for last, David Almond, "Skellig," (Hodder Children's Books, 1998, Delacorte 1999, 182 pp, jacket says ages 8-12). Michael moves into a new house, but his baby sister is very ill, his parents are upset, and he feels powerless to help. He finds someone living in their ramshackle garage; the only person in whom he can confide about the stranger is his neighbour Mina. I don't want to say too much about this one--it is magical, and you should discover it for yourself--but we found this book to be a treasure. Mina shares her love of William Blake with Michael, and the story reminds one of Blake, I must say, with its hovering air of the spiritual and the very great beauty present throughout. Special. Sounds fantastic!! I've recommended this one before, but must again, as it surely belongs in this thread - the illustrations are jaw dropping, imo. The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher. Here is my original post, which also includes several other no-words books that are truly gorgeous. Grey Lady thread
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