The offspring (girl, 10/11 yrs old) has been tasked with reading a ‘classic’ over the summer holiday.

What would be a good introductuon into the world of classic literature?!

I was always under the impression that it didn’t get any more classic for kids than Roald Dahl!?

Thanks

Kidnapped
Around The World In 80 Days
Gulliver’s Travels

Avoid anything by Hardy. Suicidal claptrap.

Sudacrem on a cat thread.

The Hobbit.

Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Harry Potter?

To Kill a Mockingbird.

Bit of Mark Twain?

White Fang by Jack London?

Plop the owl who was afraid of the dark.

Treasure island?

Machine gunners?

My family and other animals?

Swallows & amazons.

Tales from the faraway tree.

Jungle Book

The cat in the hat.

The Odyssey trumps them all.

The Secret Garden
Wind in the Willows
Charlie And the Chocolate Factory
The Railway Children
The Lion the witch and the Wardrobe

tis an endless list realy

5 children and it?

Thanks all for the suggestions (even the less serious ones)
Keep em coming..:.

apparently its no an endless list

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The Water Babies
The Borrowers
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Watership Down
Not sure if they qualify as “Classics” ?

Here a list from the 11 plus guide

I loved the Swallows and Amazons books (still do). My old man read them as a kid and got me on them. I intend to encourage my little lad into them when he’s old enough.

My favourite (as a child) was The Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne

Oliver Twist

I would add: –
– Just William – surely a classic now
– The Three Musketeers
– Day Of The Triffids
– The Silver Sword

To Kill A Mockingbird and Whie Fang are brilliant earlier suggestions, as is Kidnapped.

20000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The Call of Cthulhu

Anne Frank’s Diary. Just been republished in a new edition. Proper history.

There is enough pish about wizards and upper-class brats having “adventures” for her to read in her own time.

There is enough pish about wizards and upper-class brats having “adventures” for her to read in her own time.

First coffee-nasal-enema of the morning, thnks 😀

Something by Dickens, HG Wells or RL Stevenson?

Love the quote from the ’11 plus guide’

While the majority of these books wouldn’t be enjoyed by most children,

That’s right – literature ain’t meant to be enjoyed! 🙄

With that in mind, may I recommend Ulysses by James Joyce, perhaps Beowulf in Old English, or for something impressively dense, perhaps Peter Andre’s autobiography?

Seriously, the definition of ‘classic’ is so broad that everything from Roald Dahl onwards falls into it. At that age, instilling the love of reading is the key, not painfully trudging through something unenjoyable for the sake of it.

Apart from Roald Dahl as a kid I read all the Willard Price books – theres about 14 of them about all sorts of adventures

Great books – just ordered a couple for my 7 year old to start reading

well so far today I’ve learnt that the Moomins are based on a ‘classic’

(still think snorkmaiden’s a bit of a slut)

My brother read the odyssey and iliad at that age.

Quite possibly the best kids’ book ever.

My brother read the odyssey and iliad at that age.

In the original Greek, I hope.

Ulysses by James Joyce

I’d be worried about any kid that got to the end of that!

My faves as a kid:
The Midwich Cuckoos
The Chrysalids
Rogue Male
Lord of the Flies

“Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K Jerome.

I giggled my way through it when I was ten.

I’d be worried about any kid that got to the end of that!

I had trouble getting to the end of it at 18. Not an entirely serious suggestion!

Rogue Male is a good one. I re-read that recently and had forgotten just how gripping it is.

Lord of the Flies too, Animal Farm perhaps?

Northern Lights trilogy by Pullman?

Jeeves and Wooster?

Not being sexist, but most of the above are very much “boys’ books”. with all-male protagonists. So consider

Black Beauty
The Secret Garden
Alice in Wonderland & the Looking Glass
Little House on the Prairie etc
The Swallows & Amazons series
CS Lewis’ Narnia series

epicyclo – Member

“Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K Jerome.

I giggled my way through it when I was ten.

And every couple of years since, I bet.
🙂

I Am David by Anne Holm.
The Guardians by John Christopher.

“not being sexist” so girls are supposed to read about ponies, rabbits and talking horses. I think that IS sexist.

I read loads of Science Fiction at that age – but I kind of had to, had read every book in the house (although I gave up on The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich) and all the kids books at the local library. Finally decided to attempt the Space Ships shelf and loved it !

P.S not sure if I should admit to this, but my father had the complete works of Nevil Shute. So I put them in alphabetical order, and read them in that order. Sad childhood…