Reading to Teens ~ Links

Storyformed, Season 2, Episode #25

Reading Challenge for Kids   (with book lists)

RAR #97 Reading Aloud with Teens

1000 Good Books List - Senior Reading Level: 10-12

Reading with my Teens     The memories this approach has built, and is still building,  in our family is priceless. 

Proposed Literature and Reading List for Daisy 2018

This is a post in progress where I will be archiving the items Daisy (16yrs) may, or may not, read during the next three terms this year.    
Many of the titles we have selected out she'll be reading, and then discussing with me as she goes through each book.  Some of the topics in these books are gritty, and very mature - if we don't feel Daisy's ready to read and discuss things covered in each title in depth we'll adjust the depth of content being covered, in those books, as we go along.  I do believe in preparing  children to discuss gritty/raw/disturbing things that can happen in life;  but, not in traumatising them, nor in presenting topics before each student is mature enough to handle grown-up issues.   I thought one literature provider, Sonlight, used to really push the envelope on presenting mature/difficult/growing up issues before most children are ready:  I used to save the too-much-to-soon titles in SL's literature packages until a needed level of maturation had been reached to deal with some topics - every child is different - and other books we skipped altogether.  

A home educating associate would probably label our list beneath as a kitchen sink selection: where we pull any items we like together and even if it doesn't look like a cohesive reading list, we call it one.

I'll keep updating as we go along, adding and deleting titles.  

Selecting books out for 2018 and 2019

Study Guides, Courses, and, Personal Growth Books for 2018:
King James Bible (select books)

Poetry for Dummies ~ John Timpane

How to Read Slowly ~ James W. Shire

NCEA English ( writing, and, literature studies via Te Kura)

Essentials in Literature (EiL): Level 10 ~ Matthew Stephens (selections. complete in 1 term)
Cupid and Psyche with Angelina Stanford ( must sign up before April 17)

Classics Reading List:

BC 5000-400 AD     saving these next two titles for 2019
The Odyssey ~ Homer (c. 850 BC)  Audio and book    (Mature Content) 

The Aeneid ~ Virgil (c. 30 BC) trans. Cecil Day Lewis     We have an Abridged Audio but Daisy would like to go through an unabridged version of this classic poem.    (Mature content)

400-1600

Shakespeare (any play of interest not yet studied)

Plays
Tartuffe ~ Moliere (1669) play (audiobook)
She Stoops to Conquer ~ Oliver Goldsmith (1773) play  NCEA Reading Response

The Madness of King George III  ~ Alan Bennett

A 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play.  The copy we saw had had the bedroom/sensual scenes edited out – which made it a good choice for a family movie.  We all enjoyed the movie adaptation of the play.

1850-present day

any works of Dickens not yet read (1860 -  )

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ~ R.L. Stevenson   (1866) Brit Lit.  Audio.  Content: Drug Addiction    Switching to 2019

Three Men in a Boat ~ Jerome (1889)  completed

Anthem ~ Ayn Rand  (1937) Dystopian  (sensual content at the end. we skip that portion) NCEA Reading Response

Animal Farm ~  George Orwell (1945)     Brit Lit / Political Satire  NCEA Reading Response

Fahrenheit 451 ~ Ray Bradbury  (1953)  Dystopian NCEA Reading Response

To Kill a Mockingbird ~ Harper Lee  (1960)  (EiL)  America Lit.  Content: an accusation of rape, centred around racism.  Daisy was surprised at how much she 'enjoyed' (?) this book.   NCEA Reading Response

The House on Mango Street ~ Sandra Cisneros (1984) (haven't pre-read this one yet. UPDATE: Daisy said this has some boy & girl tension in the book, with the boys aggressively pursuing the girls)

Other Books:

Matilda Bone ~ Karen Cushman   1300’s  gritty content. Historical Fict

A Parcel of Patterns ~ Jill Paton Walsh   set in 1665   Historical Fict.  Not for Sensitive readers.  

Night Witches ~ Kathryn Lasky    set in WWII   Historical Fict   (This book has some swearing in it, no f-bombs though.)

A Surfeit of Lampreys ~ Ngaio Marsh (1941)   Golden Era Mystery.  The way the victim is murdered is rather awful – a skewer through his eye.

The Labours of Hercules ~ Agatha Christie (1947)  Golden Era Mystery.  Audio

Till We Have Faces ~ C.S. Lewis (1956)  Cupid and Psyche Myth Retold    Audio    Switching to 2019

To Say Nothing of the Dog: Bk2 ~ Connie Willis  (1997)    Sci-fi / Comedy    (I have to listen to the tie-in title  Three Men in a Boat before Daisy & I listen to this audiobook.)

Babylon’s Ark ~ Lawrence Anthony (2007)  N/F.    profanity edited out.  Autobiography  NCEA Reading Response

Have a Little Faith ~ Mitch Albom (2009)     Biographical  Switching to 2019

Caroline ~ Sarah Miller (2017)  set in 1870’s    Historical Fict   Daisy has no interest to read this.  (ETA:   another reader stated that the book has some unnecessary s3x scenes at the end of it - I haven't pre-read this book yet so I'm just giving the heads up for other parents who like to be in the know about "content issues" in books too. )

Short Stories, and, a selection of Poetry

Various 

Free Reading:  (adding books read as Daisy completes them)
The Trial ~ Charlotte M. Yonge
Ember Rising ~ S.D. Smith
Under Drakes Flag ~ G.A. Henty (audio. Jim Weiss)
Sherlock Holmes  (collection of stories on audio)
Mildred and Elsie: Bk3 ~ Martha Finley
Mildred's Married Life: Bk4 ~ Martha Finley
Daisy ~ Susan Warner
Daisy in the Field ~ Susan Warner
Melbourne House ~ Susan Warner
Pine Needles ~ Susan Warner
Vanderbeekers of 141st Street ~ Karina Glaser (younger years book)
The Cat of Bubastes ~ G.A. Henty (audio. Jim Weiss)
Amberwell ~ D.E. Stevenson
Summerhills ~ D.E. Stevenson

The Bess Crawford Mystery Series ~ Charles Todd (the first 4 titles)

Audible or Amazon ~ July Sale on Over 1000 Children's Audiobooks

I'm not an affiliate ... so this is just a share-the-joy post   :)
There are so many good audio stories on sale  over at Audible during July for  $3.95 USD  ($5.39 NZD)   or less; or,  if you don't have an  Audible account you can still purchase directly through Amazon.com

ETA: For NZ readers make sure you check for any recently added audiobooks  at ePukapuka, as some of the titles on sale at audible/amazon are available free through our local libraries.

If you'd like a jump start with audible, beneath are some linked chapter book suggestions from us, other than more obvious titles on offer from authors such as:
Laura Ingalls Wilder
C.S. Lewis (1)
Frances Hodgson Burnett
(  Heidi  )
L.M. Montgomery
Eleanor Estes       2 titles
George Selden     1 title
Brian Jacques         our family is not fussed on this series, many are :-)
Gertrude Warner         Box Car children books, scroll thru the list
Enid Blyton
Authur Ransome 
Kathryn Lasky          I recommend previewing each book in the Ga'hoole series before handing to your children, some topics needed discussion here - we used this series to discuss differing world views, and one title we skipped completely
Louisa May Alcott
Marguerite Henry      1 title
Scott O'Dell       2 titles
Jean Fritz
Martha Finley
Dick King-Smith titles   so many.     I've linked a few of our choices beneath
Russell Freedman       U.S history 4 titles
and etc.....

Links to Audiobooks on Sale:
Starting with younger years books first...

James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Animal Tales ~ James Herriot
Buttons the Runaway Puppy ~ Holly Webb     love Phyllida Nash's narration! 
Tatum and Nutmeg ~ Emily Bearn
Tatum and Nutmeg: A Seaside Adventure ~ Emily Bearn
The Green Ember Series  ~ S.D. Smith      all three are for sale 
The Reluctant Dragon ~ Grahame
The Ordinary Princess ~ M.M. Kaye  ex.SL title

The Wouldbegoods ~ Nesbit      wonderful.  a childhood favourite for my two
All-of-a-Kind Family ~ Taylor  series
Pollyanna ~ Porter   purchase the Free kindle at amazon and the audio book becomes $0.99
The Star of Kazan ~ Ibbotson
The False Prince ~ Nielsen
Freddy and the Ignormus ~ Walter Brooks
Pippy Longstocking ~ Lindgren
The Toby Man ~ Dick King-Smith

 Johnny Tremain ~ Esther Forbes     lots of character development in this story
Black Ships Before Troy ~ Sutcliff
I, Juan de Pareja ~ de Trevino    ex.SL title
A Long Walk to Water ~ Park
The Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of Whaleship Essex ~ Philbrick
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood ~ Pyle    brilliant narrator 
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ~Wiggin 
The Westing Game ~ Ellen Raskin
The King's Fifth ~ Scott O'Dell    well read!

I've purchased to preview  - such a hardship ☺ - these next titles, perhaps to share with young children that visit: 

The Cuckoo Child ~ Dick King-Smith

The Witch of Blackberry Bottom ~ Dick King-Smith      she's not a witch at all
The Swoose ~ Dick King-Smith

Pax ~ Sara Pennypacker      a RAR interview recommended this title - so time to hear it for myself

The first two are titles I've been eyeing for a while - and purchased:

Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine ~  Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story ~  Perl,   Lazan    we have the book 

Stealing Freedom ~ Elisa Carbone

There's an Owl in the Shower ~ George

Favourite Picture Books ~ Pinterest link

We get asked by mums with younger children, "What are your favourite picture books?"
And so over the last few years we've been compiling a visual display of many of our favourites over at Pinterest to refer people to.  The pins are not detailing every single picture book in our home library - there are hundreds - these are just the favourites.

Some of the books,initially, made the cut just because the illustrations are amazing works of art,

or, where the story is so good that the illustrations are secondary, not the other way around;

 however,  most are on our favourties list because both the story and their accompanying illustrations are wonderful....

 

 

See the list here:  Our Favourite Picture Books  - Pinterest

You can skip to this post if you are interested in pins for our favourite New Zealand and Australia books for children.

Book List: 70 + Books for Teen Girls ~ Read by Daisy at age 14

Posting this separately, to save anyone interested from having to sort through the paraphernalia in the original post that housed this list.

Here are some of the books that Daisy read through during 2016, aged 14, and enjoyed.

(scheduled reading)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ~ Twain 

Great Expectations ~ Dickens 

Runaway Settlers ~ Elsie Locke      (younger,  but still a good read for Daisy)  (NZ Hist)

The Land ~ Taylor     

The Red Badge of Courage (Graphic Novel) ~Crane   

Turn Homeward, Hannalee ~ Patricia Beatty 

Boys Without Names ~ Sheth   (not for sensitive readers.  Story ends well)

Follow the Rabbit-proof Fence ~Pilkington    (gritty content)

The Endless Steppe ~ Hautzig  

The Screwtape Letters ~ Lewis     (audio)

Sadako & The Thousand Paper Cranes ~ Coerr  

Nothing Else Matters ~ St. John   (has romantic interest as an underlying theme)  

The Green Book ~ Walsh  

Free Reading (includes audiobooks):

Stepping Heavenward ~ Prentiss  (we had some great mum & daughter discussions while reading this book)

Persuasion ~ Austen (see this post for free kindle and whispersynyc  audio options)

Northanger Abbey ~ Austen   (audio option)

Mansfield Park ~ Austen  (audio option)

Hope Glynne’s Awakening ~ Goldsmith Cooper

Around the World in Eighty Days ~ Verne     

Mildred Keith ~ Finley

The Black Star of Kingston ~ S.D. Smith   (Daisy didn't enjoy this as much as The Green Ember)

The Secret School ~ Avi  (audio)

Curtain: Periot’s Final Case ~ Christie (audio   needed discussion. Content issues, unexpected twist at the end)

The Baronet's Song ~ George MacDonald

The Shepherd's Castle ~ George MacDonald  

The Young Carthaginian   ~  Henty   (audio read by Jim Weiss)

Michael O'Halloran ~  Stratton- Porter 

Christy ~ Catherine Marshall   (mature themes, needed discussion)

Trumpeter of Krakow ~ Kelly  

Rosencrantz and Guilderstern are Dead ~Stoppard  (play. some content issues)

The Keeper of the Bees ~ Stratton-Porter  (mature themes, needed discussion)

The Harvester ~ Stratton-Porter   (mature themes, needed discussion)

I am David ~ Holm

Mary Emma & Company ~ Moody

Duplicate Death:  Inspector Hemingway Series, Book 3 ~ Heyer  (audio) (some content issues)   

Tales From the Perilous Realm ~ Tolkien (Farmer Giles of Ham)

No Promises in the Wind ~ Hunt  

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit ~  Judith Kerr   

Small Acts of Amazing Courage ~ Whelan

All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens ~Whelan

Mother ~ Norris  (she said it ends a bit quickly)

The Chestry Oak ~ Seredy   (wonderful story)

Betty Green ~ Benge    (& Other Benge titles not already read)

A Little Bush Maid ~ Mary Grant Bruce  

Mates At Billabong ~ Mary Grant Bruce  

Norah of Billabong ~ Mary Grant Bruce  

From Billabong to London ~  Mary Grant Bruce  

Betsy-Tacy ~ Lovelace   (read a few in the series.  easier reading. We found that some of the content in the later books is very boyfriend/girlfriend focused, casual dating etc...  :-/ )

The Dragonfly Pool ~ Ibbotson  (no magic in these books. Wonderful story)

The Star of Kazan ~ Ibbotson

Ember Falls ~ S.D. Smith   

Agatha Christie (select titles only.  audios)

Mrs. Pollifax  (series)~ Dorothy Gilman  various titles. Unitarian beliefs in every book. Review here.)

The Gammage Cup ~ Kendall    (does have romance, but is clean)

The Boy in Striped Pajamas ~ Boyne  (sober, emotive. discussion generator!)

Alas, Babylon ~ Frank (sensuality! edited out)

Mama's Bank Account  ~ Forbes

The Cottage Tales (audio series, beneath, about Beatrix Potter) ~ S.A Wittig  (see my review here)

1.Tale of Hill Top Farm ~ Wittig Albert

2.Tale of Holly How ~ Albert

3.Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood ~ Albert    bks 2 & 3 focus on Potter, purportedly, believing in fairies - the Holly How book is over focused on that theme - and neither Daisy or myself enjoyed those titles as much as the others

4.Tale of Hawthorn House ~ Albert

5.Tale of Briar Bank ~ Albert

6.Tale of Applebeck Orchard ~ Albert

7.Tale of Oat Cake Crag ~ Albert

8.Tale of Castle Cottage ~ Albert

Dick Barton and the Firefly Adventure ~ Edward J. Mason , Morris West (audio)   very corny! old time radio.  We enjoyed it :-D