tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post1103203513651780706..comments2024-03-22T17:51:15.887-04:00Comments on The Edge of the Precipice: Books I Won't Let My Kids Grow Up Without -- Junior FictionHamlette (Rachel)http://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-16734299688842556812016-06-14T12:40:01.794-04:002016-06-14T12:40:01.794-04:00Thanks, Kelda! I'll see if the library has Th...Thanks, Kelda! I'll see if the library has <i>The the Troll Heard a Squeak</i>.<br /><br />I love Harry Potter, but I want my kids to be a bit older before they get sucked into them, simply because the last few do get really intense. So I'm saving those for around age 14, I think.<br /><br />I read the first Lemony Snicket book, but not the others -- it amused me, but didn't enthrall me, I guess.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-12228257628024190862016-06-13T19:16:28.532-04:002016-06-13T19:16:28.532-04:00It is probably better in a younger category, but -...It is probably better in a younger category, but -Then the Troll Heard a Squeak- was my step daughter's favorite bed time story for 3 or 4 years from about age 5. I think some of the attraction was her mom allowed her to bounce on the bed to the rhythm of the words :^) I know the Harry Potter stories are controversial, but I started reading them to her at age 7,and she was fascinated! We got through 5 1/2 volumes before her mom had a twinge of jealousy & decided *she* would finish reading them aloud. And didn't. I don't think K ever finished them alone. Her favorite read alone series was Lemonity SnickettKeldahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09144830305151212384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-3686664339378382642016-03-28T08:22:10.295-04:002016-03-28T08:22:10.295-04:00Phew... *wipes forehead and is glad she's not ...Phew... *wipes forehead and is glad she's not a bad Dutch-woman*Birdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09240886179336298463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-1487837464872416052016-03-28T07:00:46.910-04:002016-03-28T07:00:46.910-04:00Annnnnnnnnd that's probably because a bit of W...Annnnnnnnnd that's probably because a bit of Wikipedia digging shows that <i>Hans Brinker</i> was written by an American, and <i>Wheel</i> by a Dutch-born American. They both take place in Holland, and my mom called them "Dutch books" when I was a kid, so I always assumed they were actually Dutch and translated into English :-o So no wonder you don't know them!Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-53976047347330368702016-03-27T17:23:07.630-04:002016-03-27T17:23:07.630-04:00And I must admit that I don't know those....And I must admit that I don't know those....Birdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09240886179336298463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-49587363653953026532016-03-24T12:02:51.818-04:002016-03-24T12:02:51.818-04:00Birdie, I did enjoy Hans Brinker and the Silver Sk...Birdie, I did enjoy <i>Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates</i> and <i>The Wheel on the School</i> as a kid -- I think I have the latter on my Middle Grade Fiction list. But on a whole, I don't know a ton about Dutch lit, alas :-(Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-88102563127312469882016-03-24T09:23:21.836-04:002016-03-24T09:23:21.836-04:00I wish I could recommend you some of the books I r...I wish I could recommend you some of the books I read as a kid, but ofcourse they were Dutch and most of them by Dutch authors... Of your list, I only recognize The Black Stallion which I read as a kid, I didn't learn about Narnia and The Hobbit until much later, when I was in my 20sBirdiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09240886179336298463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-72785775472599650412016-03-21T16:36:25.531-04:002016-03-21T16:36:25.531-04:00Yeah, my hubby loved Tollbooth and Narnia, and he&...Yeah, my hubby loved <i>Tollbooth</i> and Narnia, and he's an INTJ, as opposed to me being an ISFJ, so maybe you're onto something there.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-60241269231716900942016-03-21T11:45:41.202-04:002016-03-21T11:45:41.202-04:00Right! Whereas I was probably the biggest Narnia ...Right! Whereas I was probably the biggest Narnia fan that ever walked this earth . . . to the point where I was literally furious when the movies came out, because "they changed everything!!!!" Narnia and The Phantom Tollbooth--that was my childhood, pretty much :-) I also love "The Man Who Was Thursday," another allegory where everything represents something. Katie Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818413749107653398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-15479283318130121442016-03-21T09:45:47.119-04:002016-03-21T09:45:47.119-04:00Jessica, he hasn't read it yet, but it's s...Jessica, he hasn't read it yet, but it's sitting on the shelf waiting for him :-) It probably does have a lot to do with personality -- I think I've never been a fan of books where everything represents something else (why I'm not a huge Narnia fan) or else just embodies one particular idea or characteristic. <br /><br />I think <i>The Door in the Wall</i> is more serious and less about the rollicking adventures, and you need to be just a bit more mature to appreciate that.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-40839293232627358652016-03-19T10:21:01.758-04:002016-03-19T10:21:01.758-04:00Funny how that works . . . Has your son had a chan...Funny how that works . . . Has your son had a chance to read it yet? Me, my older brother, and my younger sister all read it as children and absolutely loved it, but I have another younger brother whose reaction was more "meh." I wonder sometimes if it has something to do with personality . . . Because so far, all the kids in our family who've liked it have been intuitive types, and the one who didn't is most indubitably a sensor type. (That's just a random theory though. I could be completely off-base with that.) <br /><br />That makes sense! Yes, "The Door in the Wall" is a bit more intense, now that I think about it. (Brother Luke is awesome, though. IMHO.) Katie Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818413749107653398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-12418492624542631672016-03-18T20:35:45.455-04:002016-03-18T20:35:45.455-04:00Jessica, I must confess that I don't like The ...Jessica, I must confess that I don't like <i>The Phantom Tollbooth</i>. It's the one book on here I would not merrily read again. But I suspect this is because I read it as an adult, because everyone I know who read it as a kid looooooooooves it.<br /><br /><i>The Door in the Wall</i> is on the next list! I bumped it up a little higher mostly because Sam tried it recently and made the same faces about it that he made over a couple other books I have bumped up to Middle Grade because they seem more serious or more intense or more dense.<br /><br />I did like the Dr. Doolittle books as a kid, especially the first one. Thanks for the recommendations!Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-73135388682627767902016-03-18T17:10:19.147-04:002016-03-18T17:10:19.147-04:00SO HAPPY you included "The Phantom Tollbooth&...SO HAPPY you included "The Phantom Tollbooth"!!!! I read that book when I was seven and it literally changed my life. I just wouldn't be the person I am today, had I not read that book. <br /><br />Have you ever tried "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite D'Angeli? It was one of my favorite books when I was in the 8-12 age range. Great story. <br /><br />Also, "Madeline Takes Command" is pretty cool--I think the authors name was Ethel C. Brill? Don't quote me on that :-) And the "Dr. Doolittle" series is fantastic, too. <br /><br />Katie Hannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818413749107653398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-11439048270397154592016-03-18T16:22:26.505-04:002016-03-18T16:22:26.505-04:00Mom, yes, so many of these are books I grew up wit...Mom, yes, so many of these are books I grew up with :-) Thank you for introducing me to them in the first place!Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-52752276613517384812016-03-18T16:21:42.461-04:002016-03-18T16:21:42.461-04:00Elisabeth, I think I've read every single Marg...Elisabeth, I <i>think</i> I've read every single Marguerite Henry book -- and most of them more than once. <i>San Domingo</i> was a good one! My favorites were the Misty books and <i>King of the Wind</i>. And <i>The White Stallions of Lippizza</i>, though I don't remember the plot of that one anymore.<br /><br />I do love A.A. Milne's books, but I think of them more as read-alouds. <i>Mr. Popper's Penguins</i> is fun! I've got the two Frances Hodgson Burnett books on the next list, I believe. I'll have to see if my library has the others you mentioned. Thanks!Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-78836379745012402282016-03-17T22:55:50.279-04:002016-03-17T22:55:50.279-04:00What a wonderful walk down memory lane this post w...What a wonderful walk down memory lane this post was! Brought back so many memories of your childhood, along with your brother's. All those weekly visits to the library, and evenings reading together. So many great books in the world, and lots of them are in my classroom library now. I'm really glad you are carrying on the tradition with your kids.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00602736393322082422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-25798797815750859102016-03-17T20:37:54.134-04:002016-03-17T20:37:54.134-04:00Let's see...I've read
The Black Stallion...Let's see...I've read <br /><br /><i>The Black Stallion<br />The Cabin Faced West<br />Carry On Mr. Bowditch<br />Caddie Woodlawn<br />The Cricket in Times Square<br />Johnny Tremain<br />The Railway Children<br />Smoky the Cowhorse<br />Sarah, Plain and Tall</i><br /><br />...and all the Marguerite Henry, E.B. White and Boxcar Children books (the original nineteen) and the Chronicles of Narnia. I read <i>The Hobbit</i> once but don't have clear memories of it.<br /><br />A few other favorites of mine:<br /><br /><i>Swift Rivers</i> by Cornelia Meigs<br /><i>Understood Betsy</i> by Dorothy Canfield Fisher<br /><i>Treasures of the Snow</i> by Patricia St. John<br /><i>The Secret Garden</i> by Frances Hodgson Burnett<br /><i>A Little Princess</i>, ditto<br /><i>The Journeyman</i> by Elizabeth Yates<br /><br />Plus the original Winnie-the-Pooh books, and <i>Mr. Popper's Penguins</i>. And I'm probably forgetting a bunch more. As you can see, it's easy to get carried away talking about books, especially if you spent most of your childhood with your nose buried in one...! :)<br /><br />By the way, have you read Marguerite Henry's <i>San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion</i>? It seems to be lesser-known among her books, but it's one of my favorites (and basically a Western!).Elisabeth Grace Foleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02073159989691222645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-51290276180211186262016-03-17T16:08:39.765-04:002016-03-17T16:08:39.765-04:00Jennifer, it's probably because I had all the ...Jennifer, it's probably because I had all the Little House books read aloud to me when I was littler, and didn't read them myself until I was probably 10 or 12. <br /><br />I know I read some of these younger than 8, and Sam's been reading a lot of them since he was 7, so it's kind of just a general age range. I didn't read the Narnia books until I was a teen.<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for the recommendation! I'll see if the library has it. Hope you find some here your kids like!Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-30402428259958383932016-03-17T16:01:24.446-04:002016-03-17T16:01:24.446-04:00LOTS of favourites on this list.
I find it interes...LOTS of favourites on this list.<br />I find it interesting that you find the Little House books a little above this age group. I received the whole set when I was seven and ate them up. :)<br />I would add the Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins. My ten year old loves them.<br />There are some books here that I want to look up for our children.Jennifer https://www.blogger.com/profile/00835749577272240496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-31528057589901759342016-03-17T08:58:26.531-04:002016-03-17T08:58:26.531-04:00Naomi, I didn't know Astrid Lindgren wrote any...Naomi, I didn't know Astrid Lindgren wrote anything besides the Pippi books! Must find. <i>Must find</i>.<br /><br />The Little House books will be popping up on the next list, fear not. I just find them a little above this age group.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-41542577016755054092016-03-17T08:57:09.955-04:002016-03-17T08:57:09.955-04:00Thanks, Ruth! I'll see if my library has it.Thanks, Ruth! I'll see if my library has it.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-91441537413115201902016-03-17T08:56:57.114-04:002016-03-17T08:56:57.114-04:00Erudessa, I'd say you're well-educated whe...Erudessa, I'd say you're well-educated when it comes to junior fiction! Read <i>Johnny Tremain</i> post-haste. It is wondrous.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-41315131099161988172016-03-17T08:56:05.422-04:002016-03-17T08:56:05.422-04:00India, thanks! That's good to know about Bets...India, thanks! That's good to know about Betsy-Tacy. I went to college in Mankato, MN, where Maude Hart Lovelace was from -- next time I go back to revisit my old stomping grounds, I'm definitely going to the MHL museum there. Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-28015559533881783952016-03-17T08:54:56.979-04:002016-03-17T08:54:56.979-04:00Jennifer, thanks for the recommendations! I'v...Jennifer, thanks for the recommendations! I've got some of Elizabeth George Speare's books on my next list, the one for Middle Grade fiction, including TSOTB, which I loved too.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5587150608901957801.post-67610295666252908042016-03-17T08:54:07.941-04:002016-03-17T08:54:07.941-04:00Cleopatra, thanks for the recommendations! I'...Cleopatra, thanks for the recommendations! I'll check my library to see if they have those.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.com