Books for boys

[bleddyn_coch]

OK, friends, can I pick your brains? I'm looking for ideas for bedtime books for me to read to my sons, aged 6 and 9. I'm thinking of classic-y sort of things - the sort of book that maybe they're not going to pick up and read themselves. And also books that are enjoyable for me to read. My older boy loves reading Horrid Henry books to his brother

Comments

[sixpence_jones]

The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren is a favourite with my girls. I think it is suitable for boys too - the protagonists are boys (obviously!) and there is a lot of horse riding and the odd battle too. It is sad in parts though

[bleddyn_coch]

Brilliant, thanks! I'd not heard of Astrid Lindgren, so I'll have a look at those. Ursula Williams wrote Bogwoppit as well, which my younger boy adored, so Gobbolino is definitely worth a try.

I'm sorry, but there is no way I am reading Charlotte's Web to them - I can't even think of the end without welling up, and I know it'll make my younger son howl as well!

I think you're right about the Bromeliad. At 6 he'll enjoy the story, but I think some of the humour night go over his head, which would be a shame. The entire works of Terry Pratchett await them on my bookshelves when they're ready!

I read and loved Mary Stewart's Arthurian novels as a teenager, but I hadn't realised she wrote children's books too. I've just looked her up on Wikipedia, though, and found out she wrote Ludo and the Star Horse as well, which was one of my childhood favourites and I didn't realise it was her!

Great suggestions, thanks!

[palathene]

When my brother was little he wasn't that into reading, but he did love Skellig by David Almond and The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall. Harry Potter might work :p the first ones at least, before it gets too dark. The Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer are good for both boys and girls.

You could also try them with Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, Watership Down, The Call of the Wild and White Fang (Jack London), Treasure Island, Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card), the Hardy Boys, other books in the Indian in the Cupboard series, and stuff by Diana Wynne Jones - Howl's Moving Castle in particular. :)

Also Famous Five, Secret Seven, Magic Wishing Chair, Faraway Tree, and other Enid Blyton stuff :)

[bleddyn_coch]

Thank you so much. The Machine Gunners looks perfect - that's definitely going on my list! Diana Wynne Jones is an excellent suggestion. Some of the others will be great when they're a bit older. I'd totally forgotten about Jack London and the Hardy Boys, both of which I liked as a kid. I'm trying to keep them away from Harry Potter until they're old enough to read them all!

We have read the Faraway Tree. All three volumes. It felt like it took at least a year. They did enjoy them, but I'm definitely off Blyton for a while!

[desigrl]

I thought The Boxcar Children was a great series. I also like The Borrowers series and the Animorphs series was amusing. The Phantom Tollbooth is in my list of favorites.
The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids (series) and My Teacher is an Alien (series) are also amusing reads.
Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
Robinson Crusoe
Frindle by Andrew Clements
6 & 9's probably a tad young The Giver.

[bleddyn_coch]

I loved The Borrowers as well, and I'd forgotten. I think I've still got those somewhere - I must dig them out!

I've looked up some of your other suggestions - The Boxcar Children and Frindle look particularly good. It's brilliant getting ideas from people of different ages and from different countries - thank you very much!

[pyttan]

Astrid Lindgren, yes. Mio my Mio is a particular favourit of my son, but if you are going to read to both a six and nine year old, your six year old might not enjoy the Astrid Lindgren books recced here. They usually suit the nine year olds better since they think a lot on things like death and such.

I would reccomend the Cressida Cowells books. Both my kids--six and nine-- loves them. They do, addmittedly, have a rather quirky sense of hunour, but still...

http://www.cressidacowell.co.uk/

[bleddyn_coch]

Quirky sense of humour always welcome, so I'll definitely try some of those! Thanks for the further info on Astrid Lindgren - I'll have a good look through the story details.

Thank you for your help!

[jadomil]

Astrid Lindgren's books are classics :) A good German children's book I can recommend is Otfried Preußler's The little Ghost.

[bleddyn_coch]

The Little Ghost looks wonderful - I'm sure they'll enjoy that. Thanks!