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What after Harry Potter?

3K views 52 replies 30 participants last post by  Knittin' in the Shade 
#1 ·
Michael is 7.5, but reading and comprehending at the level of a 16.5 year old. Finding material that's challenging AND appropriate is hard sometimes. To tell you the truth, I'm not inclined to censor his reading, but DH feels pretty strongly about limiting what he picks up. Anyway, Michael read the first three Harry Potter books (we're huge Potter freaks here in case that's news to anyone) but DH doesn't want him to read the 4th book. He wants him to take a break. So, what next? He's been whipping through Magic Treehouse and Boxcar Children books, but I think he's wanting something he can sink his teeth into. I was thinking maybe we could do A Wrinkle in Time as a read-aloud? (Reading outloud is really important to us as a family, and it's Michael's turn to have a book that's geared towards him) Any other ideas?
 
#2 ·
What about Narnia? LOTR? Terry Pratchett Discworld books are like fantasy comedies. I've only read the first 4 and it's been a while so I'm not sure if they're too adult or too subtle in the humor dept. I just asked my husband (who has read all of them) and he says that there's some implied sexuality that is probably not Ok for most kids. But he says Pratchett's written kids' books. Totally OT, but my husband says that Harry Potter is a cheap copy of Discworld. Discworld had the Unseen (Wizard's) Academy and many other things that are eerily similar to Potter stuff. But he also said the target audience is adults. I wasn't sure since they are kind of child-like. LOL.
 
#3 ·
He's read the first few Narnia books and loves them, but they're studying Narnia in his gifted program and doing Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a read-aloud, so I was going to just leave that for school. We've read The Hobbit out loud, and he liked it, and he "snuck" our boxed collection of LOTR upstairs, but hasn't read it yet.
 
#5 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by annettemarie
He's read the first few Narnia books and loves them, but they're studying Narnia in his gifted program and doing Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a read-aloud, so I was going to just leave that for school. We've read The Hobbit out loud, and he liked it, and he "snuck" our boxed collection of LOTR upstairs, but hasn't read it yet.
Ahh...are you looking for stuff strictly in the fantasy genre?
 
#7 ·
Here's what we're reading at my house:

Harry Potter
Narnia
Hobbit/LOTR
Chronicles of Prydain
rereading the first 3 series mentioned above (since we own them)
Hitchiker's guide to the galaxy and sequels

Plus lots of "classics" such as Black Beauty, the Secret Garden, Wizard of Oz, etc.

If your DH wants to limit DS' exposure to "mature" themes, you might want to read the books before giving them to DS. The Prydain books are all "PG rated" but some of the Hitchiker ones are not. The first one I know is fine- I think it was the 4th one that had a pretty sexualized theme for a good chunk of the book, but I might be getting the books mixed up.
 
#8 ·
I bought my niece (then-10yrs old but reading on a high school level) an extremely popular fantasy book called, "Eldest". I'm not sure of how mature it is, however. I just remember it had a picture of a dragon on the cover and it was the best-selling fantasy book for a while. And the author was a homeschooled teenager who originally was selling the books out of the trunk of his parents' car. It might be worth looking into, at least with Amazon reviews, to see if it's something that might be interesting.
 
#9 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftField
Ahh...are you looking for stuff strictly in the fantasy genre?
Not necesarily, although it seems to be his interest.

We tried Redwall, but no one really cared for it but me
and we just finished The Door in the Wall as a read-aloud. He's also recently read Half-Magic by...I forget who; they also wrote Ginger Pye I think? It might sound snotty, but I just want him to have good "meaty" books to read rather than the "high interest" tripe they write for his age. Maybe that is snotty.
It doesn't matter, I guess, because I bet I find Goblet of Fire under his bed next week.
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by smlwieber
I think Narnia and WiT would both be great! I enjoyed both sets/series when I was engulfing books.

good luck!
WiT? Oh,
Wrinkle in Time. Loved that book and the first 2 sequels. I found "Many Waters" objectionable because of the way she fictionalized the Noah's Ark story and changed some details (specifically adding in stuff that wasn't mentioned in the Written Torah but doesn't fit with the teachings of the Oral Torah.)
 
#12 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by UrbanPlanter
I'm sorry, but when I saw your thread title, I thought it was about what would you do after you read the next, and last, Harry Potter book in which he is rumoured to be killed.
Bite. Your. Tongue.

She's not going to kill Harry. That would be mean.
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruthla
Here's what we're reading at my house:

Harry Potter
Narnia
Hobbit/LOTR
Chronicles of Prydain
rereading the first 3 series mentioned above (since we own them)
Hitchiker's guide to the galaxy and sequels

Plus lots of "classics" such as Black Beauty, the Secret Garden, Wizard of Oz, etc.

If your DH wants to limit DS' exposure to "mature" themes, you might want to read the books before giving them to DS. The Prydain books are all "PG rated" but some of the Hitchiker ones are not. The first one I know is fine- I think it was the 4th one that had a pretty sexualized theme for a good chunk of the book, but I might be getting the books mixed up.
Michael gets very uptight about reading "girl" books. We try to alternate interests for read-alouds, but when we read Anne of Green Gables, he kept asking when the battle would be.
Little Women he boycotted altogether. I wonder if we could get away with The Secret Garden, because there are boys in it. That's an idea. And The Wizard of Oz might work, too, since both of them love the music from Wicked. You should see Michael bouncing around here singing "Popular".
 
#16 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftField
I bought my niece (then-10yrs old but reading on a high school level) an extremely popular fantasy book called, "Eldest". I'm not sure of how mature it is, however. I just remember it had a picture of a dragon on the cover and it was the best-selling fantasy book for a while. And the author was a homeschooled teenager who originally was selling the books out of the trunk of his parents' car. It might be worth looking into, at least with Amazon reviews, to see if it's something that might be interesting.
Isn't the first one in that series Eragon? I have it but wanted to preview it. I bet he would like that. He likes dragons.
 
#20 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by annettemarie
Michael gets very uptight about reading "girl" books. We try to alternate interests for read-alouds, but when we read Anne of Green Gables, he kept asking when the battle would be.
Little Women he boycotted altogether. I wonder if we could get away with The Secret Garden, because there are boys in it. That's an idea. And The Wizard of Oz might work, too, since both of them love the music from Wicked. You should see Michael bouncing around here singing "Popular".

Hey- Black Beauty is a boy horse! And most of the humans in his life are also male!
 
#21 ·
Watership Down was one of my favorite books as an older child. I read it 3 times! A great adventure story with some deep thinking involved. It can be read on many levels.
 
#25 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnmama
Newberry Award winners are usually a great bet.
That would be my suggestion.

Different Genre (and easier) but how about the Fudge books (tale of a 4th grade nothing, etc...)

Besides Eragon & Gregor, I enjoyed the Septimus Heap books (Magyk & Flyte so far). I notice the EarthSea books are in the junior section at our library. A lot of people seem to like Artemis Fowl, but I was not overly impressed.

I can't remember the names (this is going to drive me crazy) but the boys, esp, in DD's class last year seemed to like this series of Owl books. URGH.
 
#26 ·
Here are a few ideas:

* Some good Pratchett books for the younger set include the Johnny Maxwell trilogy and his Discworld novels for kids (The Wee Free Men, etc.).

* I just finished Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge and really enjoyed it.

* There's also Susan Cooper: The Dark is Rising series gets a bit intense, but there's always her two Boggart novels.

* A couple recent favorites here are Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow and The Bundle at Blackthorp Heath by Mark Copeland.

* I haven't finished the series, but Sylvia Waugh's Space Race series may be appropriate; she's the author of the most excellent Mennyms series (a tough sell for boys as it's about life sized talking dolls, which is too bad because it's first rate).

* Another good series for advanced young readers is the Bagthorpe series by Helen Cresswell. Most of her novels are good for young readers. Not SF/F, but rather very funny books about a family of extraordinary talents. The first book of the series is Ordinary Jack.

* I haven't finished the series, but City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau was quite good.

* Joan Aiken's Wolves of Willoughby Chase series.

* M.T. Anderson's Whales on Stilts and The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen are a hoot. These are appropriate for younger kids, but if memory serves me, his other novels are not.

* Eoin Colfer

* Kevin Crossley-Holland's Arthur trilogy (The Seeing Stone is the first). I've only read the first book.

* Young Wizards series by Diane Duane

* 7 Professors of the Far North by John Fardell

* Sid Fleishman

* Cornelia Funke

* Tintin

* Jay Hosler's two graphic novels, Clan Apis and The Sandwalk Adventures. The first is about bees, the second about two follicle mites living in Darwin's eyebrow. The mites are convinced Darwin is the great creator and he attempts to disabuse them of the notion.

* Eva Ibbotson

* Terry Jones' novels

* Jane Langton's Hall Family Chronicles series.

* Green Knowe series by L. Boston

* E. Nesbit
 
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