Reading Help from the Peanut gallery

[cornerofmadness]

My cousin just called me. Her eight year old son is looking for things to read. He likes 'scientific' stuff and has finished all the Potter books. He didn't like Lemony Snicket or the Hardy boys and is reading Encyclopedia Brown in school. I've already suggested Tolkein and C.S. Lewis

Any other suggestions? Thanks


okay back to constructing tests. Gah! So. Damn. Boring.

Comments

[ladystarlightsj.livejournal.com]

Einstein Andrews or maybe the Time Warp Trio?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

never even heard of those! thanks

[anguisel.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend Brian Jacques but he isn't that scientific. Hmmmm, since he's read HP maybe he'd love the combo of Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's Gryphon series? I think it's only three books, The Black Gryphon, The White Gryphon and The Silver Gryphon. I have the first book in front of me now, do you want the little synopsis thing that's on the back?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

no, i could give him that series gladly (I didn't like it. I liked the first three of her books and that was it)

I'd forgotten Brian Jacques

[anguisel.livejournal.com]

Okay, those three were the only ones I liked by her.

Brian Jacques's early works are good but lately, he just seems to be losing steam. There's only so many ways you can write a story about talking animals, you know?

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yeah that tends to happen with every series

oh and I forgot...thanks for the input!

[stars91.livejournal.com]

Here is a website that might help:

http://www.guysread.com/

There is a section for "young guys", "middle guys" and "adults". The "middle guys" section seems to be where your cousin's son might find some titles he might like.

Here is one they listed that I think he might like: Artemis Fowl books
by Eoin Colfer. (This is a series and there is like 4 or 5 books out).

Good luck!

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yeah i told them that one. But messed it up Eoin Fowl....sigh

and thanks

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

hmmm what am I doing wrong with this link? it's only bringing up 'guys' and adults what do I need to click on to get to young and middle guys

[stars91.livejournal.com]

Click on the "Guys" link first. Then click on the "Guys' Picks" link next. That will bring up a pop up window, it starts off on "young guys" but at the right there are links to the "middle guys" and "older guys".

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thank you. that IS cool

[marlex.livejournal.com]

The Young Wizard series by Diane Duane... you can usually find the first four or five books in one edition or separately.

They have a very "scientific" take on magic.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yeah he's too young for Dune yet. I've not heard of Stel Pavlou and I was wanting to read the Maximum Ride ones myself

thanks

[saphira112.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Glad I could be of SOME help for once :P

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

snort

[saphira112.livejournal.com]

"Artemis Fowl" series by Eoin Colfer, "Maximum Ride" series by James Patterson is pretty good, the "Dune" series by Frank Herbert is good... "Decipher" by Stel Pavlou has a scientific magic kinda thing to it... Stephen King's works are pretty good, but let's not frighten the poor boy, shall we? XD

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

Maybe the Animorph series? It's SF, but my kids devoured them.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

that sounds interesting. thanks

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

When my brother was that age, he started getting into Scott Corbett (http://www.damfino.com/authors/scorbett/bibliography.html)'s The [X] Trick series (starting with The Lemonade Trick). They're out of print these days, but you can usually find them in libraries or in used copies. About the same time he was also reading Jay Williams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Williams_(author))'s Danny Dunn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn) books. He still swears by both series and has been inflicting them with some success on his own children, so they probably haven't dated.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I'll pass them along thanks

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

How about Madeline l'Engle's Time Quartet?

*thinks*

For an eight year old...There was a series of novels that I read as a kid about "The Shy Stegosaurus of..." which were probably around the right reading age. They were cute but didn't talk down to kids, if I remember correctly. Something about a boy living out West who finds a Stego on a plateau....

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

L'Engle would work. never heard of the other

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

They were old when I was a kid, those Shy Stegasaurus books, but they may be findable.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

something tells me she won't try that hard

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Oh, well. I tried. *grin*

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

He didn't like Encyclopedia Brown!? EB was my favorite. I could never figure out the mysteries, but I liked it anyway.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

no he's reading them in school. He didn't like Lemony Snicket

[0-mother-0.livejournal.com]

The Potter books are scientific?

As for recommendations - Hrmm... I love science stuff too, but for his age group I have no idea. Preston-Child is, of course, amazing for it's science and history bits (but his maturity level?). If he liked Potter maybe he would also like the Buffyverse?

Here are some Amazon suggestions:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_wl/002-1972178-8874421?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=young+adult+science+fiction

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. The big ? after scientific and HP left me confused too

[mzzgoddessblue.livejournal.com]

Deltora. Terry Pratchett.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks