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I got a really great set of the Narnia Chronicles for Christmas from my coworker. She knows I love to read to Christopher before bedtime, and knows that I love the Narnia books.
I had bought a set of the Hardy Boys books (the first six) for Christopher a while back, and they were boring me silly. Gah. I'm so d@mn tired of Joe and Frank and their chums. Before I finished the third book, I told Christopher we'd be trying the first Narnia book (in this set, "The Magician's Nephew") after we were done with this Hardy boy book.
It seemed to take foreeeeeeeeeeever to finish that book. One chapter a night. One. boring. chapter. a. night.
So tonight, I started the Narnia book. Before I even opened the book, there was whinging. Three pages in, there was heavy sighing. Soon there was the "I don't like this, this is boring" and the "Can't we just read the next Hardy Boy book?" and "I can't sleep now because this book is not what I wanted."
I am devastated. I LOVE the Narnia books.
*sniffle*
Christopher said I could read them all if I wanted to, to myself. He wanted more Hardy Boys.
*sniffle*
Now I have to suffer through the Hardy Boys for at least three more books.
*sniffle*
The next book is titled "The Missing Chums". I hope they are never found.
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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I never read beyond the first book. I didn't like it. That was 9 years ago though. My mother has them, maybe she will let me borrow them after reading Crystal City. Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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The Narnia Chronicles are great, but let's face it, they are not the most exciting stories in the world.
You might also try "The Great Brain" series by John D. Fitzgerald. These books are exciting and carrie important messages about tolerance and obeying your parents. Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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He's how old again? I adored the Hardy Boys until I was about 10 or so, which is about the same time I discovered the Narnia books, iirc. So it may just be a matter of time.
OTOH, bad news . . . your kid will likely have different tastes in books than you do, even as an adult. My mom still turns up her nose at some of the stuff I read, although our tastes do overlap a good deal.
[Edit: And I agree with Pop and Beren, too. TLTWATW is FIRST! MUST be first! And the Brain books are really good.]
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rivka! *sob* How dare my son dislike the books I love???
He's only five (almost six! my big feller. *proud grin*), so you are probably right, they're too much for him yet.
And yes, I realize they are in the 'wrong' order, but if CR saw me take a book out of the *middle* of the box, when he knows that we usually start at number one, it would go very badly for me. *grin* He is very good at math. hehe.
Beren--those books sound interesting. If you've read the "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" thread, you know how highly I value the idea of children obeying their parents. Thanks for the recommendation.
mack--you are an infidel with good taste in children, but crazy taste in books. Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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The author was also a Mormon if that is important to you. Here's a review I wrote on the book:
quote:The story is set in a frontier town in19th century Utah. The book has its shares of frontier adventures, as the whole book is peppered with interesting gunslingers, Indians, wily gamblers and con men. The main character is a 10-year-old boy named Tom Fitzgerald, alias “The Great Brain.” The story of Tom’s exploits and schemes are told by his observant younger brother J.D. Tom earned his lofty title by using his brains to outwit (and basically con) all the kids in the neighborhood. Throughout the whole Great Brain series, Tom perpetrated a lot of exciting and harrowing schemes that are both hilarious and exciting.
For example, Tom once bet his friends that his grandmother was a bona fide survivor of an Indian scalping. The problem was, although Tom’s grandmother was bald from the scalping, she wore a wig to hide the baldness. Undaunted, Tom elicits J.D.’s help and the two brothers engaged in a hilarious attempt to de-wig grandma in front of their friends. More often than not, Tom also uses his powers for good. He reminds me of Michael J. Fox’s character on Family Ties: a capitalist with a heart of gold.
I recommend any young reader to pick up this book, not just because Tom’s adventures are fun to read, but also because his adventures are set in the context of subtle moral lessons. Recognizing his son’s natural talents, Tom’s father constantly reminds him that great powers comes with great responsibility. Of course, Tom doesn’t always listen, but he always finds out in the end that his father knew best. Surprisingly enough, this 19th century book also has messages about religious and racial tolerance. Although Tom is quite a swindler, through the influences of his Mormon mother and Gentile father, he has learned to treat everyone with respect and humanity.
Because the lessons of responsibility, equality, and charity are wrapped in exciting stories, your kids will be learning theses lessons without being preached to. Another appealing aspect of this book is that they are loosely based on the real childhood memories of J.D. Fitzgerald. It really enhances a reader’s experience (especially a young reader) when the reader knows that these events really took place.
quote:which is about the same time I discovered the Narnia books, iirc. So it may just be a matter of time.
I'm sorry, but what does "iirc" mean?
What do you guys mean by the REAL first book? Is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe not the first book? Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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The Narnia books, in the last 5 years or so, have been renumbered into chronological order. Magician's Nephew is now 1, tLtW&tW is 2, Horse and his Boy is 3, Prince Caspian 4, Dawn Treader 5, Silver Chair 6, Last Battle 7.
Posts: 2689 | Registered: Apr 2000
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After Jack (Lewis) died, all subsequent publishings of the series re-ordered them chronologically in terms of events. As I recall, Jack didn't particularly care what order they were read, but the actual numbering change wasn't made until after his death.
--Pop
[Edit -- It's like the Coca Cola folks foisting Classic Coke on us under the impression that it's identical to old Coke. Most people don't care all that much, but some purists out there (or here) are a little bit bugged by it.]
[ January 12, 2004, 10:51 PM: Message edited by: Papa Moose ]
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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I won't read it to him yet, though, it's a bit dark for him. Not for all five year olds, but for mine, it is.
Beren, it doesn't really matter to me that the author is Mormon, but it is kind of interesting. I am, I suppose, a Gentile (are non-Mormons still called that? Huh. To a Jew I would certainly be a Gentile.), but I am 'Mormon-curious' . (I hope that wasn't offensive, it wasn't meant to be) The series looks interesting, and CR does like frontier stories. He's totally hooked on detectives just now, though. Ugh. I'm not going to tell him that there are more than six Hardy Boys books. Is that Cruel and Unusual Punishment? *evil grin*
Oh well, I guess I will just have to read the Narnia books for myself. Torture! *grin*
I have other chapter books to read to him, maybe he'll let me once the Hardy stuff is all read.
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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Jexx, he's just too young for Narnia yet. Give it time.
I know it's hard slogging through Hardy Boys, but you are doing your part to instill a love of reading in your child - and boring as it is to you it is of immeasurable worth to your son.
And, true, he may never like the books you love. Natalie loves LOTR, but isn't really interested in too many other books I push her way. She loves mysteries, and biographies, and novels in historical settings.
She loved The Little Princess. She is now reading a fictional account of a Civil War battlefield nurse. Ugh.
And yet, she reads all the time. All the time. I can live with the fact that it isn't exactly to my taste. In fact, I'm rather glad she has her own mind about things. Wouldn't want her just blindly following every suggestion I made, and reading books just because she thinks it will make me happy. I want her to read what she loves to read.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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The Great Brain is set in Utah, but the protagonist and his family are Catholic.
Perhaps showing your son the copyright dates will bring him around on the order.
My sister and I used to read Encyclopedia Brown books. She's an M.D./Ph.D. now. So at least it didn't eat her brain, even if it failed to improve it.
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I used to love the Encyclopedia Brown books, but I think those are better if you read them to yourself. If I Remember Correctly anyway. It's been a long time.
Showing CR the copyright dates won't sway him, the large number 1 on the spine is all that matters. *grin* But thanks for the idea, anyway.
Belle, thank you. I value your input, and even though it makes me *sniffle*, you are right. It doesn't matter to me what he reads (well, with some exceptions), but that he DOES read. Thanks for reminding me. Really, though, the Hardy Boys? *wail* Only three more books...only three more books...only three more books...hehe
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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Get some boy and his horse (or other animal) story. Or just plain animal story. Children between 5-7 really seem to like animal stories, particularly those with morals (their sharp little brains come up with amazing stuff!) Calix Stay stories spring to mind in terms of fantasy/animal stories - four books in the series.
I read the Hobbit to Nathan at age 6 and he loved it - you might try that one.
We did the Susan Cooper "Dark Is Rising" series at age 7. He liked that.
Right now we are reading Watership Down because he didn't like the Three Musketeers (gasp) - yet he loves "swashbuckling hero" themes - ah well, perhaps if I tried the condensed version . . Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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The author wrote a couple "real" memoirs about his family before he wrote the Great Brain books -- "Papa Married a Mormon" and "Mama's Boarding House." They're hard to track down, but you may be able to get them through InterLibrary Loan.
Interesting bits I remember = in real life, his family was more Mormon (in the Great Brain books, I think he has the Mom being a Mormon but the kids raised non-Mormon). Also in real life, Tom (the Great Brain character) becomes a Mormon missionary at the end of the first book. And their dad dies of an illness, so the mom starts a boarding house to support herself.
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Hmm. A search indicates we ARE talking about the same series -- I just didn't remember the same details as Beren. In any case, I do remember really liking them.
posted
Great info Plaid. This quote from the link really sums it up beautifully:
"Tom and his “Great Brain” wrestle with the dilemma of needing to do good yet also wanting to make a profit. John Dennis Fitzgerald’s books depict childhood as a time of choices where “good” and “evil” existed but where “courage” and “intelligence” and “ethical actions” prevailed."
Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I also love the great brain books. Tom D., John D., and the whole family are Catholic, though, for sure. They grow up in a small town in Utah, which was founded by Mormon pioneers, and maybe half the kids in town are LDS, so it does mention them a lot. This is probably one of the first places I heard anything about Mormons, in those books.
What I did hear is that in the real family this is based on (so obviously the author's real family), the older brother Tom converted to LDS when he got older, and went on a mission. There's a book about that which is out of print, that I've never read. It's an adult novel, not part of the Great Brain series. Also that the original mom died and the Papa remarried to a Mormon wife. Another book about that is called "Papa married a Mormon", which is also out of print and I wish I could find a copy. So that's probably where that thought came from. But in the books, the whole family is definitely Catholic. The boys all go away to Catholic High School. (I think perhaps their aunt who wasn't really their aunt who lived with them could have been not Catholic.)
Anyway, not that it matters all that much. These are great books. We read them over and over for years. My own niece loved them too.
I think maybe my favorite story was the one about the Jewish guy who died, and Mama's talk she gave at his funeral. It was so sad, though. I also loved the one with the dinosaur tracks. And the one where Papa took them camping and fishing and got lost. And the one where the boys were lost in the caves. Oh and Basil the Greek kid. And the guy who lost his leg, whom Tom taught how not to be "plumb useless", in return for his Erector Set. And the one where Tom D. started a newspaper in competition with his father's, and solved the great bank robbery. The Taming of Britches Dotty I have mixed feelings about. I loved how she beat up any of the guys who tried to tease her. <laughs> I think I know most of these by heart.
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You sure brought up lots of warm and fuzzy memories for me ak. I loved all stories you mentioned. I also loved the one where Tom invented cherry picking as a way of beating a taller basketball team. And the one when uncle Mark killed the gunslinger in order to save Papa. And the one where TD blackmailed JD... oh wait, that's in every book...
You can get Papa Married a Mormon and Mama's Boarding House pretty cheaply from Abebooks.com and Ebay. Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse is a little harder to find though.
Posts: 4116 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I remember I read TLTWTW to some girls I was babysitting(7 and 9) and they complained at first. I sat for them every thursday night for a while (thier folks were taking class together they were training to be field missionaries).
Anyway, by the second week they had drawn all sorts of pictures of the characters and had practically jumped me for the next bit.
My son is only 6 and he has not gotten into the Narnia books when we've tried to read them to him.
I remember being sick a lot (got pneumonia or bronchitis every winter for a long time) and reading my sister's entire Nancy Drew collection, or close to it. Then I realized they were all the same story. *bleh* Funny thing though, I went straight from there to Dickens, George Elliiot, etc. and worked my way forward in time to Lewis. heh.
When he's ready, it will be a blast for him.
IRRELLEVANT BRAGGING MOMENT: Robert got a mark of OUTSTANDING in his reading on his last report card. *beams*
Right now, I think we've been doing some E.B. White readings, interspersed with books he likes from the school library (He's into the Magic School Bus books right now, which is cool to me because they are usually about various sciences, and he digs 'em.)
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Oh, and Pop, my copy of the Chronicles of Narnia (this one, the whole series in one volume) claims that the "new" numbering is based on Lewis' preferred ordering. I suppose that could just be marketing, though.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Who cares what he thought? The original order is better.
When I received the set as a gift a few years back, I had specifically requested a set that had them in the original order. I'm still pleased with that choice, especially in light of jexx's comments. Mooselet likes things in order, too.
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Wow Anne Kate, I'd half forgotten most of those stories. I'm going to have to head over to the children's section next time I'm in the library and reread the series. The stories that stand out in my mind the most are The Kid Who Lost His Leg, and The Magnetic Stick.
The Great Brain Books were right up there with Little House on the Prarie, the Narnia books, The Dark is Rising, and Sir MacHinery when I was little. Anybody ever read Sir MacHinery? I adored that book as a child.
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The first chapter of the first Great Brain book is sheer comedic genius. I still remember my mother reading it aloud and my Dad laughing so hard he nearly peed his pants and had to rush to the bathroom.
*Mild Spoiler*
"Come see the magic water closet that doesn't stink!"
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Oh yes, last night at Costco I saw they had hardback boxed sets of the ENTIRE original hardy boys and entire original Nancy drew series.
I was tempted to get them for old times sake. THey even have the blue hardback covers like the old hardy boys (though the really old ones had brown covers).
I think hardy boys is a stage. The language is simple, and they keep doing things that kids dream about, riding motorcyles, driving fast cars, flying to exotic destination etc. When he is reading on his own, the language is much simpler than the Narnia books, even though the narnia books are shorter. Reading all the hardy boy books developes reading "muscles" that make more complex books much easier to read later.
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For Children's Horror/Mystery I reccomend John Bellairs various series, though I reccomend starting with The House With a Clock in Its Walls. He's got 2 or 3 series with a certain set of characters, and then several one-offs. They are all really good, though they may be a bit dark in places.
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When I was in elementary school I read a lot of Baby-Sitters Club and Nancy Drew. Then I started reading Sweet Valley High. I tried a series called Fearless but I stopped after three books because it went into way more detail about how much the girl wanted to have sex than I wanted to know in seventh grade. I wanted the author to stick to the main plot. But I also always like the books we read in school.
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I just did some researching, and found that the estate of Bellairs commissioned the completion of some drafts and outline by another author, so I can't vouch for them.
I actually have all my Bellairs hardcovers autographed by the man. He lived a few towns over from me when I was growing up.
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They dated each other? That seems a bit out of the realm of the books I was reading when I was a kid.
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I didn't like it. That was 9 years ago though. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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comedic genius. I still remember my mother reading it aloud and my Dad laughing so hard he nearly peed his pants and had to rush to the bathroom.
