Books again ... - Page 2

[pranava]

Judy Blume - Superfudge 

There was a series my Mom read to me around that age called Stores from Grandma's attic.  Each book was a bunch of short stories set around the Little House time period.  Very realistic stories and age appropriate.

[expecting-joy]

Thanks, I'll look for that. Alas, Superfudge didn't appeal to her.

[Tigerle]

You felt Edith Nesbit might be too scary, but "The Railway Children" is realistic and not scary that I remember.

I have been mentally going over my childhood bookshelves: have I mentioned Christine Noestlinger? Mostly teenage fiction, but also some preteen stuff that might be right (realism with some fantastical elements, IIRC).

James Kruess for DD1: : "Mein Urgrossvater und ich". Great language games and poetry! "Timm Thaler oder Das verkaufte Lachen". Some fasntastical elements, maybe a little scary. "Die glücklichen Inseln hinter dem Winde", Poetry and fantasy. There is lots more James Kruess, some of it realistic IIRC.

James Kruess for DD12 - poetry picture books for little ones: "Henriette Bimmelbahn", "Die ganz besonders nette Straßenbahn".

Ursula Wölfel! For DD1: "Fliegender Stern", "Sinchen hinter der Mauer", "Mond Mond Mond" (great book but holocaust allusions).

For DD2: "Suppengeschichten", "Lachgeschichten".

Early chapter books I can't wait to whip out for DS as soon as he is over his "no fiction, please, just Pippi Longstocking" phase, which might be right for DD2 soon:

Otfried Preussler: "Das kleine Gespenst", "Die kleine Hexe", "Der Raeuber Hotzenplotz" (all fairy tale elements). If she lokes books about animals: his award-winning recounting of "Kater Mikesch" by Josef Lada. For older kids "Die Abenteuer des starken Wanja" (fantastical elements), "Krabat" (all withcraft and wizardry, but it is SUCH a great story).

Michael Ende "Jim Knopf", "Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13".

Irina Korschunow: "Die Wawuschels mit den grünen Haaren".

Max Kruse: "Don Blech, "Urmel aus dem Eis".

"Hanni und Nanni" which I think is based on Enid Blyton but rewritten in German reminded me of the gazillions of children's detective stories she has written, and which will last forever. Bad stereotyping of girls though IIRC and kids younger than ten are always considered little and silly, which annoyed me no end when I read them...

[sapphire_chan]

I personally thought the Little House books were much scarier than E. Nesbit's works.

[squimp]

DD also really liked Clementine.  She devoured the AtoZ mysteries and the Magic Treehouse though.  Recently she has been reading a series called the Amazing Days of Abby Hayes.  She also really likes Roald Dahl - Matilda and the BFG were the faves so far.  And we love Lois Lowry, she has a good sense of humor.  Sounds like you're already reading Pippi.  She might like the AG books, but I hear you on the can of worms.  The worms took over my house already.   Others we have in our list are Milly-Molly-Mandy, Boxcar children and the All-of-a-Kind family.  

[expecting-joy]

She really liked Milly, Molly, Mandy! Back after bedtime to go through the rest...

[deminc]

I don't know if this is too way out - but it's not fantasy, not scary, no animals etc, it's a semi-memoir translated from Japanese, about a little girl's experience in an alternative kindergarten that values individualism and quirky personalities. Right at the end, the school was bombed (WWII), but if I remember correctly, it was all said very gently and it's overall a very gentle book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totto-Chan:_The_Little_Girl_at_the_Window

[Marissamom]

for your DD1, since she likes the little house books, the first four Betsy, Tacy books by Maude Heart Lovelace. similar in that the author was basically writing about her own childhood. mostly just the best friends playing together and growing up together though. she probably wouldn't like the rest of the series when the girls are in high-school and after, they do start to get a bit more drama-y

[beanma]

Regarding Betsy Tacy and the Penderwicks, which I recommended up thread, both—there is death in both. In The Penderwicks, the mom has died of cancer before the story begins so there are 4 girls and their dad. They don't dwell on the mom's death, but they do mention it and there is some reflecting back. It's not a huge plot element, though. In Betsy-Tacy (which my girls were loving as an audio book until...) there is a baby sister who dies. Is it Tacy's? I can't remember. It was some time ago that we listened to that and it was a big shock. My girls asked for it to be turned off after that and never wanted to go back to the story. Other than that one bit, it was a lot like Milly Molly Mandy which they also loved. I think that's why the baby's death was such a shock. So, just a heads up if you have a sensitive one.

[Bird Girl]

Elizabeth Enright has a series about the Melendy family that begins with The Saturdays. They are dense and a higher reading level than the Little House Books, but they are charming, and each chapter is a somewhat contained story. They are adventurous, but nothing scary or traumatic--each chapter's excitement ends before the next chapter. I bought them in hardcover, because I think they take a lot of re-reading, and my DD's been re-reading them for a year and a half.

Patricia MacLachlan has a series that follows after Sarah, Plain and Tall. They have a little more emotional content than Little House, but they end on an upbeat note.

My son enjoyed My Father's Dragon and the two sequels, but they are obviously fantasy. They are very mild and silly. He also enjoyed The Twenty-One Balloons, which is a bit old-fashioned and again, kind of silly. My DH read that one aloud, and recommends it.

[expecting-joy]

My daughter and I just discovered the Melendy Quartet last week visiting a new library. She just finished the first one and I've read the first two chapters. It's just about right, except that they do kind of treat the four-year-old as a baby. That wouldn't fly here with our three-year-old. Anyway, it's a nice find. Thank you. We will keep working on finding and trying some of your recommendations. Right now she's reading Mr. Popper's Penguins again. She really likes that one.

Oh, and we got the two Penderwicks books. Did I post that already? She liked them! Thank you!

Dd did read the My Father's Dragon books last year. Her school library had them. She liked them well enough, but I don't think they were quite the right thing. She hasn't read anything else like that since. They're also a bit simple for her normal fare. I'll have to ask her what her feeling is about them.

So many more titles to try and find. Thanks again!

Edited by expecting-joy - 11/25/10 at 3:15pm

[expecting-joy]

Waiting on Inter-Library Loan...

Dd1 just read through the 50 early chapter books her sister got out of the library, re-read Mr. Popper's Penguins, re-read the two Penderwick books and is starting back in on the Melendy Quartet. I wish we could get the wonderful German recommendations on Inter-Library loan. In addition to all the Rylant and Rylantesque stuff dd2 is reading, she rediscovered Dr. Seuss at the library today and spent the evening reading those aloud. She thinks those are so funny. I wish our libraries had more books, though.

[snanna]

Originally Posted by pranava 

Judy Blume - Superfudge 

There was a series my Mom read to me around that age called Stores from Grandma's attic.  Each book was a bunch of short stories set around the Little House time period.  Very realistic stories and age appropriate.

Thanks for the reminder about the Stories from Grandma's Attic books! I loved them as a child (also an asynchronous reader and VERY sensitive to "scary" or "grownup" themes) but had forgotten them until now! I loved the one when the heroine puts her tongue on the frozen flagpole... and the one where they put honey on their faces as advised by their mother's magazine, and make a big mess... the adventures were just my speed!

[DaughterOfKali]

I can't really recommend any series (ds doesn't tend to like series except for the Guardian's of Ga'Hoole.

I like Lois Lowry books.  

We have tons of books in our bookcase that we haven't gotten to yet.  I'll pop back in when we've read more.

Oh, although it's not a part of a series, The Sixty Eight Rooms is pretty good.