how to choose books to challenge, with, erm, suitable content?

[siiiiiiiiigh]

Bookworm 10 year old girl - reading at 14 year old level, comprehension matches.

Anyone have resource which "screens" books for content? I really don't need her having any more information about sex, drugs or rock'n'roll than she already has.

She's 2 years behind in maths, so, she's a funny mix.

[wightjellybaby]

Terry pratchett has some disc world book aimed at around this age they are about witches goblins etc

[PiqueABoo]

I don't have any lists but I have a 10yo DD and it's difficult. What are a few recent books they've enjoyed?

[Thetimes123]

How about non-fiction?

[ThreeLannistersOneTargaryen]

Common sense media website is useful.

[jeee]

Go for older books - classics like Jane Eyre, for example.

And for books which won't stretch her things like E Nesbit, Noel Streatfield....

I loved sci-fi like John Wyndham at her age.

[ThreeLannistersOneTargaryen]

When he was 9, DS2 had a reading age of 14, and these are some of the books he enjoyed:
The Water Babies
The Mouse and his Child
A Wrinkle in Time
The City of Ember
The Neverending Story
The Last Unicorn
The Phantom Tollbooth
Northern Lights
The Giver
Ingo
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

[ThreeLannistersOneTargaryen]

DD (9) has a reading age the same a her chronological age, but is reading the Ruby Redfort series and enjoying it. She also liked Knife/Rebel/Arrow.

[ThreeLannistersOneTargaryen]

A lot of the YA fiction in the dystopia genre is probably suitable for 10+.

[ThreeLannistersOneTargaryen]

www.examiner.com/article/info-101-book-list-for-pre-teen-gifted-readers

[Martorana]

Why does she need to be challenged? Does she want to be? Why not just let her read what she wants to read-just because she can read books for 14 year olds doesn't mean she should.

And I disagree about writers like Noel Streatfield not being challenging- for modern children they are because of the vocabulary and sentence structure.

And please don't give a 9 year old Jane Eyre.

[jeee]

Why not Martorana? I suggested it because I loved it when I was 9. Didn't understand all of it, but thought Mr Rochester was gorgeous.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

has she read things like Charlotte Sometimes, A Traveller in Time, Moondial? (moondial might need to be second hand)

or what about a carefully chosen autobiography?

Does she like Dancing? the Drina books by Jean Estoril are good - again would have to be second hand but the older style of them makes them feel more grown up than some of the more modern ones.

Noel Streatfield definitely.

I still loved Dick King Smith at that age even though my reading age was way beyond them.

Original Paddington chapter books? lovely and very funny.

Just William?

Children of Green Knowe? all those kind of old books.

I don't think she has to be challenged. Her reading age is fine, it doesn't need to be increased. if she can read that well now then it will increase automatically as she gets older and reads more. She needs to just love reading IMO so if she wants to read more age appropriate books than ability level then I don't see anything wrong with that.

[PiqueABoo]

Challenge and enjoyment are not mutually exclusive and some challenge may be part of that enjoyment. Well for my 10yo DD, maybe not everyone else's.

Aside: How do you figure out that they're reading at the level of a 14yo (or any other age)?

[iseenodust]

Go down the animal route;
Watership down
Curious incident of the dog
Black beauty

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

no challenge and enjoyment aren't mutually exclusive but I know that I personally find at the moment I would rather read a mind numbing chick lit type book than Nelson Mandela's autobiography.

I think a lot of schools do reading age tests as standard at various times so people then know their child's reading age, I am not sure reading ages count for much myself. I mean yes it is useful to a point to know if they have a reading age above their age or below their age obviously and if they are young and it is quite an extreme above their age or older and it is an extreme below their age then it is important to ensure they are able to access appropriate books or help but just because you CAN read above your age doesn't mean you want to or should have to.

Holly Webb has recently written some books for older girls - think she said they were for 9-11 or something like that. Emily Feather? I might have got that very wrong but had it stored somewhere in my brain.

Anne of Greengables?

if she does like Animals I remember reading about Emma the chocolate brown labrador guide dog when I was in Yr6 or 7ish. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0091943361/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_img?_encoding=UTF8&colid=SMLY52B2B3AA&coliid=I3786LM6SHL2N4&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[siiiiiiiiigh]

Thanks, guys.

Got some new ideas, and reassurance that some of what she's devoured is on the right lines.

It's not that I want to push her, it's just that she's got a thing which is boosting her confidence and that's very good for her just now.

Her brother is chronically ill, so, she's been missing out. Her reading is something that we can make a fuss of and give her a boost.

Pique - school told me. No idea how they assess it. But, she's coming out as being 2 years behind for numeracy and 4 years ahead for literacy. I guess they told me because she's an unusual mix?

What I need is a novel about maths! Ha ha.

[Cataline]

The windsinger trilogy by William Nicholson
Mister Monday (and the following 6 in the series!) by Garth Nix. Also Lirael, Sabriel and Abhorsen by Garth Nix.
Artemis Fowl (and many others!) by Eoin Colfer
The Machine Gunners and Blitzcat by Robert Westall
I've read all of these as have many of my high ability yr 4-7 pupils!

[iseenodust]

"Cavern of clues" is a maths puzzles book with narrative that DS enjoyed.

[Au79]

Murderous Maths series is surprisingly readable.

Also try other genres, First News, Fact, Biography, Poetry.

Roman Mysteries.

[sassytheFIRST]

Joan Aitken - wolves of willoughby chase and the series attached, Midnight is a Place etc

E Nesbit, Louisa m Alcott, Phillip Pullman, R L Stephenson

I was a precocious reader at that age and read the Hobbit, followed by LOTR (skipping some of the Orc bits).

[SofiaAmes]

Amazon reviews are a pretty good way to figure out if a book is appropriate and to find good books. Just do a search with some keywords for things she likes and sort by number of stars. Or Commonsensemedia.org

[sittingatmydeskagain]

My 10 year old is currently reading the Swallows and Amazons books, and also The Box of Delights. I just proof read everything he tries, and also ask for recomendations.

[HolidayCriminal]

Curious incident of the dog? As in, in the night time? did someone really suggest that?! It's got quite a sequence in it about masturbation in it. Adultry, lies, killing an animal & hard math problems. I wouldn't want my 10yo to read it (my 10yo couldn't follow the plot, anyway).

I read a lot of Agatha Christie when I was about 10yo. The Black Stallion series, Marguerite Henry (sorry for the Pony theme), Lad a Dog books, Lassie books. Artemis Fowl. Agree with others that plenty of stuff aimed at 10yos will be fine, too. DD has loved the Cat Royale series, Sprite Sisters, Jane Blonde.

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

Things I read at that age that weren't too inappropriate but are fairly hard:

Jules Verne.
E.E. Doc Smith. - lensmen
Tolkien (hobbit and lotr)
Pratchett - the Tiffany books are a good intro for younger readers (hat full of sky)
Ursula le Guin - Earthsea
Some of the lighter classics like Black Beauty.
Oliver Twist and certain bits of Dickens
Cadfael




No grammar as on iPad, sorry!

[BreakingDad77]

With Julie on Jules Verne, to the centre of the earth, round the world in eighty days while One of my friends was reading Thor hyadals book, kon tiki expedition? When we were at juniors.