Children's Books

[xaphania]

I'm looking to get my younger brother some books for Christmas (we want to encourage his reading!) but I'm at a loss as to what to get.

He's nine-years-old and I don't really know what nine-year-old boys are into!

Any recommendations from parents or teachers?

Apparently he likes the Young Dracula series, and he's part way through Harry Potter. My dad has said to get him some 'classics' like Gulliver's Travels or Robinson Crusoe, but having never read them myself, I don't know if they'd be right.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chosen Enemy]

Well, Sarah Michelle Gellar recommends on Dr. Seuss all the time. She does read it to her daughter.

 

[WileyDairyGnome]

I recommend Dr. Suess as well! And you can't go wrong with Robert Munch and Road Dahl. 🙂

[MENTION=8100]xaphania[/MENTION] agrees: I think Dr. Seuss is a bit young...

Oops, I forgot he was 9! Well, one of my favourites when I was 9 is the Magic Tree House series. Also the Charlie Bone series which is similar to Harry Potter.

 

[sisterofmercy]

The Gruffalo? That may be a bit young as well but I read it for a class a couple of years ago and enjoyed it 😛

Maybe find out what kind of things he likes and get him a nonfiction book about it that's targeted towards that interest?

Or maybe the QI annual, they do one every year and it's brilliant. It's got facts and jokes from comedians, we always get one for my mum.

 

[Flannen]

You can't go wrong with Roald Dahl! For a boy that age something like George's Marvellous Medicine or Danny the Champion of the World might be good.

Or maybe the Anthony Horowitz books? They're about a kid called Alex Rider who's like a teenage James Bond.

I'll ask my classes and see if they come up with anything else 🙂

 

[FaithsFollower]

Hmmm. How about the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series? There's also Captain Underpants, but I don't know if that series would be too young?

 

[VisionGirl]

Here's my 10 year old son: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Chronicles of Narnia. Percy Jackson series. The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies. Goosebumps. Geronimo Stilton. The Million Dollar Throw. Super Chicken Nugget Boy"

 

[hazzard]

definitely roald dahl. narnia. redwall series. wishbone series.

 

[Taake]

I'm also gonna recommend Roal Dahl (though 'The Witches' terrified me when I was a kid 😉)

As for classics maybe "Treasure Island" could be an idea.
"The Bridge to Terabithia" is a great book though he might be just slightly to young for that I guess. Not sure.

If he likes vampires you could look into the Darren Shan books "Cirque du freak: the saga of Darren Shan" My brother started reading those when he was around 11 but he was slow to get into books so it might be something for yours already 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saga_of_Darren_Shan

I've heard good things about the "Wolf brothers" series but I haven't read those myself so can't say much there. 🙂

 

[dexeded]

Like so many others, I rec Roald Dahl! Any of his books, really.

When I was nine, I really liked the "Old Kingdom" series and the "Keys to the Kingdom" series by Garth Nix. Still love them. I also rec Diana Wynne Jones books, like "Howl's Moving Castle" or the "Chrestomanci" series.

 

[Cast No Shadow]

The Goosebumps books are great for children, it's never a bad idea to look out for a series, that way he'll have continued interest and actively want to read. When I was younger I loved The Famous Five books.

No reading is bad reading though.

 

[dexeded]

...Just realized the books I recc'd (Garth Nix, Diana Wynne Jones) probably weren't what I read back when I was nine. I remember liking the Magic Treehouse series and Encyclopedia Brown.

 

[VisionGirl]

Magic Treehouse is good, although my 7 year old likes them better than my 10 year old. I'm trying to think of other books the 4th & 5th graders at school are reading. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is pretty big right now, especially with the movie coming out. But the book is visually stunning. We just saw the newest 3 Musketeers movie, and I think I'll get us the original classic book by Dumas (in English though LOL!) to read together. Don't know what reading level it is considered.