Mysterious Benedict Society books - what next for read aloud?

[tammyw]

We are almost finished the third book in this series (I have been reading them aloud to my 7 year old daughter). We love them. BOTH of us have gotten very attached to these books and the characters.

I was wondering if anyone has recommendations for a next series of read alouds, appropriate to us? I love having a series to read, and we adore our read aloud time together!

[moominmamma]

What else have you read? There are a kazillion series to recommend, so it's kind of wide open not knowing her interests and genre preferences or what you've read in the past.

Some random recommendations that my 7yo has enjoyed:

Kenneth Oppel's "Silverwing" series about bats. Quite excellent writing.
Patricia Wrede's "Enchanted Forest Chronicles" about dragons and a feisty princess.
Tamora Pierce's "Protector of the Small" quartet about a girl training for knighthood in a fantasy kingdom.
C.S. Lewis' "Narnia Chronicles" are allegorical but stand on their own as great stories.
Rick Riordon's "Percy Jackson" series about Greek gods and heroes living in a modern-day world.

Miranda

[Daffodil]

My DD and I both really liked the May Bird series by Jodi Lynn Anderson (starting with May Bird and the Ever After) and the Inkworld series by Cornelia Funke (starting with Inkheart.)

[sapphire_chan]

Dianna Wynne Jones's stuff has a similar feel to M.B.S. as do the Artemis Fowl books. However, my inclination is that they aren't quite right for a 7 year old.

One 7 year old girl I know loves the Warrior books (about cats).

Edward Eager is nice light fluffy reading as is E. Nesbit.

[tammyw]

Thanks for the recs so far.

This is actually the first serious mystery series we've read, so we're wide open there. She didn't find Benedict too scary, but suspenseful, though I wouldn't want to go anything much more violence or scary than that right now.

Momminmama - we've not read any of those you recommended yet. Do they all fit the bill of not being too overly scary or intense?

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by tammyw

Momminmama - we've not read any of those you recommended yet. Do they all fit the bill of not being too overly scary or intense?

Depending on what your child is sensitive to (medieval style battles? dark spaces? "monsters"? children who are orphans?) there might be parts any of them that could be slightly more scary than TMBS. For my kids, no, they seemed quite similar in intensity. The contemporary setting of TMBS makes the suspense a little more realistic, whereas the others are all set in imaginary worlds, which for my kids provided a fair bit of emotional insulation.

Miranda

[spradlin02]

I have hesitation because it's such a sensation, but I've heard three stories of kids being so enthralled with the Harry Potter series, they read them on their own...at seven.

[tammyw]

I was wondering about Harry Potter, but also worried it might be too dark? I read the first couple books when they first came out, so I don't remember the details. I really did like them though. Just not sure if she's ready?

[Daffodil]

My DD absolutely loved the Harry Potter series. We started them a little before she turned 6. They are kind of dark, especially later in the series, but DD was fine with them. (She's not super sensitive, though.) She found the first book the scariest - it was almost too scary for her. But she was less scared by the second one, and wasn't particularly bothered by any of the really dark stuff in the later books. I had never read the books before reading them to DD, and it was really fun to talk about them together and speculate about what was going to happen. I haven't read the Mysterious Benedict Society, so I don't know how Harry Potter compares as far as violence or scariness. Major characters do get killed (though not in the first three books.)

[ocelotmom]

Moominmamma - your name reminded me I wanted to reserve Finn Family Moomintroll from the library to try on my kids

As far as the Harry Potter books go, the 4th-7th books contain deaths of major characters (the good guys, not just the villains). I'm personally not planning to read those aloud (at least not for a few years) or show the movies until after DS(6) is capable of reading the books on his own (he's seen the first 3). I may just wait until he can read them on his own, on the theory that it makes more sense for them to read highly readable books to themselves, and save reading aloud for the more challenging ones they might not choose to tackle on their own

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by moominmamma

Depending on what your child is sensitive to (medieval style battles? dark spaces? "monsters"? children who are orphans?) there might be parts any of them that could be slightly more scary than TMBS. For my kids, no, they seemed quite similar in intensity. The contemporary setting of TMBS makes the suspense a little more realistic, whereas the others are all set in imaginary worlds, which for my kids provided a fair bit of emotional insulation.

Miranda

Well, it might depend on how you read it out loud, but the Enchanted Forest Chronicles series seemed a LOT less scary than TMBS.

[ChildoftheMoon]

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting boy and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall are wonderful read-aloud stories. My girls loved them.

Books by Shannon Hale and I also second the Tamora Pierce books.
Bruce Coville is another prolific author that my girls love.

Happy Reading!

[tammyw]

So many good recommendations! Thank you all.

Is it weird that I am mourning the end of these Benedict books? I have really gotten attached to these characters and I may have a harder time moving on that my daughter, lol!