tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post171533632627721458..comments2023-11-02T06:44:14.850-07:00Comments on City Wife, Country Life: 3rd-7th Grade Classical Summer Reading ListUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-47232416576718122502011-06-15T07:56:14.098-07:002011-06-15T07:56:14.098-07:00Eek! I had no idea! Good to know -- thank you!Eek! I had no idea! Good to know -- thank you!Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-26030401267323953382011-06-14T18:15:58.276-07:002011-06-14T18:15:58.276-07:00Aww, so many awesome books!! This makes me want to...Aww, so many awesome books!! This makes me want to visit the library. :) <br /><br />Just as a note of caution, the unabridged version of "Christy" has a scene in which the people go upstairs after a wedding to watch the marriage being consummated. (Apparently a form of entertainment in the hills.) I don't remember it being particularly detailed, and it may go over a younger reader's head, but it may be a little too much for a 6th-8th grader, even one with strong reading skills. Anyway, just wanted to mention it! :)Elleth13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-71869013552350901992011-06-12T19:01:28.576-07:002011-06-12T19:01:28.576-07:00Marie~
I have three boys. One is a voracious read...Marie~<br />I have three boys. One is a voracious reader, the other two like to read too, but often like their Game Boys more. Sometimes I just declare "No more screens!" and if they say they're bored, they get a job to do - so then they tend to read more.<br /><br />I have a few ideas for you:<br />Sign up for the summer reading program at your public library. I don't understand how the trinkets offered as prizes can be so motivating, but my kids love them, not to mention earning t-shirts, free books, and swim passes. The prizes for the older kids are actually pretty cool, too. <br /><br />Find a good series. Listen to the first one in audio book form, then if they like the stories they might be willing to read the others. We often listen to books in the car or during meals, where the kids are a captive audience. Getting the language into their brains through their ears can be as good as through their eyes.<br /><br />Find stories that have been made into movies. Read the book, then have a special movie night to watch the show. Talk about the differences afterward.<br /><br />Find books that are part novel, part graphic like The Invention of Hugo Cabret and/or let them read witty comic books, like Calvin and Hobbes.<br /><br />Good luck!Stacie.Make.Dohttp://stayseemakedo.typepad.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-40792387492426202072011-06-12T18:54:53.216-07:002011-06-12T18:54:53.216-07:00I'm reading LOTR this summer myself :-D.I'm reading LOTR this summer myself :-D.Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-69724955301633957372011-06-12T18:35:41.804-07:002011-06-12T18:35:41.804-07:00Oh, I second the Swallows and Amazons series recom...Oh, I second the Swallows and Amazons series recommendation, and the Betsy-Tacy series. (I always think of B-T as the US version of Anne of GG.) <br /><br />What are we reading this summer? <br />I'm reading Agatha Christie. My boys are currently reading Don Quixote (age 16), The Two Towers (LOTR) (age 12), and The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (age 8).Stacie.Make.Dohttp://stayseemakedo.typepad.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-62901187269811758292011-06-12T14:56:18.300-07:002011-06-12T14:56:18.300-07:00Hatchet is a great book for boys. They might enjo...Hatchet is a great book for boys. They might enjoy that.Emily Sparkshttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=534005342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-27382547671413450092011-06-12T14:54:41.057-07:002011-06-12T14:54:41.057-07:00It's never too late! They are fun. No one de...It's never too late! They are fun. No one describes horse races like Walter Farley.Emily Sparkshttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=534005342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-27105923865273481432011-06-12T10:12:24.675-07:002011-06-12T10:12:24.675-07:00What a fun subject for a thesis!
My husband (the ...What a fun subject for a thesis! <br />My husband (the manliest man I know) is an Austen fan. Real Men Love Austen for sure! :-DFarmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-18171189564626050582011-06-12T10:11:04.458-07:002011-06-12T10:11:04.458-07:00Very good :-D. Thanks!Very good :-D. Thanks!Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-70917747247890165292011-06-12T10:10:43.570-07:002011-06-12T10:10:43.570-07:00I wish I'd read the Black Stallion books as a ...I wish I'd read the Black Stallion books as a kid. I kinda feel too old to read them now but I get the feeling I missed out.Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-50062824898509513412011-06-12T10:10:10.965-07:002011-06-12T10:10:10.965-07:00All good ones :). Too bad there are so few days in...All good ones :). Too bad there are so few days in a Summer!Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-80986949356820592262011-06-12T10:07:59.580-07:002011-06-12T10:07:59.580-07:00No, I'm actually woefully under-read in the ch...No, I'm actually woefully under-read in the children's books genre, and I don't know what my nieces read outside of school hours. But they sound fun. Thanks!Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-35227039348248930422011-06-12T10:05:27.478-07:002011-06-12T10:05:27.478-07:00Excellent -- I added it to MY summer reading list ...Excellent -- I added it to MY summer reading list :-D.Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-57454888808695947492011-06-12T10:05:12.004-07:002011-06-12T10:05:12.004-07:00One of my nieces does gymnastics -- she'd prob...One of my nieces does gymnastics -- she'd probably enjoy the second title :). Thanks for the recommendations!Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-91650346477242263082011-06-12T09:14:03.487-07:002011-06-12T09:14:03.487-07:00Excellent! I did my undergraduate thesis on Jane ...Excellent! I did my undergraduate thesis on Jane Austen, and I imagine I might just have to have a class on her for my kids as they get (a lot) older. My thesis director told me that Real Men love Jane Austen, so the boys might get it too. Mwa-ha-ha ;)Haus Frauhttp://teasready.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-36522004242701237732011-06-11T19:23:38.376-07:002011-06-11T19:23:38.376-07:00OOOh! We love so many of these books! Another grea...OOOh! We love so many of these books! Another great series is the Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. I second the "Happy Little Family" series as well as the " Betsy- Tacy" books...I am a Minnesota native, after all. The Mitchells Series, and "Baby Island" are some our all time favorite books as well!karlab71noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-91658782571022924272011-06-11T12:02:50.457-07:002011-06-11T12:02:50.457-07:00Just a few more books I remember reading over my s...Just a few more books I remember reading over my summer vacations:<br /><br />* The Black Stallion - by Walter Farley (+ any of the Black Stallion Series, for that matter!)<br />* Where the Red Fern Grows- Wilson Rawls<br />* The Giver - Lois Lowry<br />* Flowers for Algernon (not sure who wrote this..)Rachelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-28518249446345628962011-06-11T06:44:32.586-07:002011-06-11T06:44:32.586-07:00Hi! I must chime in with a few more recommendatio...Hi! I must chime in with a few more recommendations.<br />King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry<br /><br />The Black Stallion and the ensuing series, by Walter Farley<br /><br />The Bantry Bay trilogy by Hilda von Stockham<br /><br />The Mitchells trilogy by Hilda von Stockham<br /><br />The Winged Watchman and The Borrowed House by Hilda von Stockham<br /><br />The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald (truly hilarious!)<br /><br />Encyclopedia Brown series<br /><br />the ORIGINAL Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. The new ones are crap.<br /><br />IMHO, Lewis' Space Trilogy is a bit too much until at least high school, since the third book has a lot of adult content. Nothing bad...just adult.<br /><br />Cheaper by the Dozen has an equally enjoyable sequel few know about called Belles on their Toes.<br /><br />The Robe by Lloyd Douglas<br /><br />The Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp<br /><br />Letters from Rifka by Karen HesseEmily Sparkshttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=534005342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-35347477709717930312011-06-10T20:25:21.118-07:002011-06-10T20:25:21.118-07:00I'll take a shot at it...but you didn't me...I'll take a shot at it...but you didn't mention ages, so this may or may not be of any help. My son hated reading when he first started out, but he loved nature, so that is what I focused on. He would read non-fiction nature/animal books, and read Kjelgaard (sp?) Big Red, and the rest of his. These other titles come to mind, but I don't remember what level each are: Call of the Wild, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Yearling, Frosty, My Friend Flicka.<br />Other books not animal stories: Robin Hood (Howard Pyle version), Otto of the Silver Hand (Pyle), and here is a real favorite of mine...The Tom Playfair series by Fr Francis Finn, the story of a young boy at a Catholic boarding school that follows his spiritual growth and social adventures through the year. Very very good. My son really liked it as well. I'm thinking 6th grade on those. He also likes Tom Sawyer (he's 9th grade now), Louie Lamour, and Redwall (but these get redundant, so I wouldn't recommend the whole series. I would have more if I actually checked my bookshelf, but that's it off the top of my head.Beckynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-20236866134967878212011-06-10T17:04:28.994-07:002011-06-10T17:04:28.994-07:00Have you tried Stephen Bly's children's bo...Have you tried Stephen Bly's children's books? Nathan T. Riggins series is an old west series that my son and daughter both enjoyed (and I did too ;) ) He has also written a series called The Lewis and Clark Squad that they both liked.Julesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-47531244965781836112011-06-10T11:07:35.727-07:002011-06-10T11:07:35.727-07:00Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott is one of my fa...Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott is one of my favorites :)Tessanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-17776701851286894932011-06-10T10:40:49.812-07:002011-06-10T10:40:49.812-07:00Your reading lists are awesome! Your nieces might...Your reading lists are awesome! Your nieces might already have read these, but I know that in these age ranges also I read and loved the following:<br /><br /><i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> and the rest of the time quintet, by Madeleine L'Engle<br /><i>The Rascals from Haskells Gym</i> (about a gymnast), by Frank Bonham<br />All of the <i>Trixie Belden</i> mystery novels, which I think is much better than Nancy Drew<br /><br />Happy summer reading!Carrie-Ann Biondinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-53602712439194673842011-06-10T10:20:24.887-07:002011-06-10T10:20:24.887-07:00#1. I'm not a mother. #2. I'm no great edu...#1. I'm not a mother. #2. I'm no great educator. #3. My current pupils are girls who love to read. As such, I feel utterly unqualified to offer advice :).<br /><br />Anybody else want to weigh in here?<br /><br />Taking a stab in the dark, paraphrasing Aristotle: virtue is only its own reward if you're an adult, but as a kid you need to have virtue rewarded (and vice punished). So while reading is its own reward for a lot of kids, others might need to be (dare I say it?) bribed with incentives. <br /><br />Are your boys competitive? Playing off of that with reading list competitions might help. <br /><br />Are they good readers? Sometimes an aversion to reading has nothing to do with not liking books and everything to do with difficulty reading the words on the page. <br /><br />Utterly unhelpful, I know, but maybe somebody else can offer sage advice :).Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-15882412832293387302011-06-10T10:13:01.606-07:002011-06-10T10:13:01.606-07:00Will suggest 'em to the nieces :). Thanks for ...Will suggest 'em to the nieces :). Thanks for the recommendations!Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4939462579252426448.post-29992480027155030422011-06-10T10:12:35.647-07:002011-06-10T10:12:35.647-07:00Good to know about the new Hardy Boys books.
Read...Good to know about the new Hardy Boys books. <br />Read-alouds are so great, and you never outgrow them. My husband still reads to me most evenings :). So much more enriching and entertaining than the magical box (tv).Farmer's City Wifehttp://www.citywifecountrylife.comnoreply@blogger.com