help complie a read-a-loud list for older boys

[Momma Aimee]

My Sister has 2nd and 5th grade boys (as well as a younger DD) and is starting to do faimly read-a-loud again.

we are woking on a list of worthwhile books that they boys will enjoy. so far we have

Red badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Huck Finn (what they are starting on)
White fang and all Jack London
short stories by william faulkner liek the bear short story
Ransom of Red Cheif by O. Henry
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Dahl

what else?

The mom will be reading, looking for it to be on or above their level so that it is more than they could easily read alone but so they can enjoy having it read.

suggestions?

Aimee

[cappuccinosmom]

The whole Narnia series. My boys loved that. Redwall, too.

Mine love Jack Tales, too. They're a bit gorey, though, so I know some people would hate them. My dad can read them with his wonderful deep South accent.

Maybe the original Pinnochio (not the Disney version).
There is a whole series of books surrounding Mary Poppins, which they might find amusing. Again, the original books, not the Disney-fied ones.

One I'm looking forward to my dad reading to the boys is "Swallows and Amazons".

[moominmamma]

Anything by Kenneth Oppel. Especially Airborn, but also the Silverwing books.

Miranda

[linclane]

Harry Potter has been a big hit here. Ds1 is only 6, and we only read the first 3 books (they get darker after that, which might be OK for the older boys).

Maybe the Wizard of Oz books.

Oh, A Wrinkle in Time is fantastic.

[lach]

A librarian named Kathleen O'Dean has a series of books called "Great Books for..." and one of them is for boys. I believe there's one for teens, too. There's also a thematic one called "Great Books About Things Kid Love." You might want to see if you or your sister's library has these. Even if they don't, they'll probably have ones like it that offer good read alouds for slightly older kids. Jim Trelease's The Read Aloud Handbook is the classic of the genre and has huge lists of suggested read alouds.

Some of those books sound kind of old for a 2nd grader. How about From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, one of the Mildred Taylor books, a few of the Lois Lowry books (The Giver series, or Number the Stars), Louis Sachar's Holes? All of those have proven popular with kids I know around those ages.

[kgianforti]

What about the Hardy Boys Mysteries.

[AAK]

Lots of good books mentioned, I will try not to duplicate:

Maniac Magee -- by Jerry Spinelli (I like a lot of his books, Wringer is great but probably not for the 2nd grader--even as a read aloud)

Holes -- Louis Sachar

From the Mixed Up Files of . . . -- by Konigsburg

The Giver -- Lois Lowry (may be too much for the second grader)

Westing Game -- Ellen Raskin

Mysterious Benedict Society -- Trenton Lee Stewart

Sounder -- Armstrong

Shiloh -- Naylor

Where the Red Fern Grows -- Rawls

Hoot -- Carl Hiassen

The 39 Clues series -- various

Percy Jackson series -- Riordin

[kathesan]

Some read alouds that my almost 6 yo ds has loved:

Original Bambi (loved it)
Original 101 Dalmations
My Side of the Mountain
Dr. Dolittle
Rascal
Wolfling
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Black Beauty
Black Stallion
James and the Giant Peach
Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates
Boxcar Children

[MaterBum]

Old Yeller.

Where the Red Fern Grows.

Greek myths.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.

[Momma Aimee]

thanks everyone

there have many suggestions i had totally forgotten about