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Unless you know the kids to be above average, I suspect Max's suggestions are going to be over their heads - although they might be worth a try.

I second the Seuss recommendation(s). Even now I love them. (OTOH, I also loved Mr. Rogers into my late teens.)

I think maybe the 12 yo might like the HP books, if he has not already read them. Also, there's a trilogy called The Tripods that is quite good. (I think it was BBC that made a television series of it.) Also, the Chronicles of Narnia is good - particularly the first few books.

For the 8 yo, I recommend maybe the Captain Underpants books. (I haven't read them, but both my kids loved them.) Also, I think they liked James and the Giant Peach (didn't read that one myself either).

If you've got a few minutes to browse, you might check out the Newbery and Caldecott award winners for the last few years.

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>Unless you know the kids to be above average, I suspect Max's suggestions are going to be over their heads - although they might be worth a try.

I do solemnly swear not to be facetious in a response ever again. Would it help atone if I admitted that my 7-year old self got bored with and did not finish Zen, etc.?


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And if the 12 year old is reading at level or over then Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, and Ray Bradbury should pique his interest. And Heinlein's Rocket Ship Galileo.


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I'll have more tomorrow, but for now Aussie Garth Nix' Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen are three of my 13 year old's, and my favorites. He reads constantly, I'll have to find his reading log... my nine year old twins(boys) are not quite at the heavy reading stage, but they've started to get into Brian Jacque's Redwall series, and my 13 year old still reads those too. (me, too!) other authors... Emily Rodda, Robin McKinley; more later...



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Erm, I assume you do want books that would be more likely to make the kids want to read more, and not ones that would turn them off completely?
When my son was in the 5th. grade, he absolutely loved "My Side of the Mountain", by Jean Craighead George. Here's part of the summary from Amazon: Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going--all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival. In a spellbinding, touching, funny account, Sam learns to live off the land, and grows up a little in the process.
For the girl: "Ellen Tebbitts", by Beverly Cleary. This was the first book I ever read that seemed as though what was in it really could happen. Any of the Ramona books, too.

Personal note--I will never, ever understand or agree with letting the age group The Lorax was designed for--4 to 8--read it. Ever. There will be PLENTY of time, later, for them to learn that there are bad things in the world. Let the ones they encounter personally (a classmate taking something of theirs, etc.) be enough, until then. They're busy enough trying to figure out how to operate in their immediate environment without worrying about the rest of the world. All of this aside from the fact that they're too young to handle this kind of anxiety; you wouldn't tell them every agonizing detail of Grandpa's cancer, would you?

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I do solemnly swear not to be facetious in a response ever again.

Max, you can be facetious with me any time you want, you old curve-skewer.


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Do you think Lois Lowry's Number the Stars is okay for an 8-year old?


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The thing about 8 year olds is that they usually love to be read to and could be interested in some of the same stories as the 12 year old. As long as someone reads (at least in part) to the 8 year old, these should be okay for both kids.


A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle

Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

Holes, by Louis Sachar

Stewart Little, E.B. White

The Borrowers, by Mary Norton

The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary

The Series of Unfortunate Events Series by Lemony Snicket


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Personally, by eight I would have been insulted if my dad read to me. Books were private worlds for me and I could live in them perfectly well by myself. At bedtime my dad used to tell us our own stories, starring me and my sister. If we really liked one he would make it into a little picture book (he's a painter) to keep. They were cool. By the by, back to the books.
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.
It's fantastic, great for either a boy or a girl (one of each in the story), talks about philosophy and religion or can be read as a straight adventure. The individual books are called: Northern Lights, The Amber Spyglass (longlisted for the Booker) and The Subtle Knife. They really are wonderful, the sort of books that they will remember forever and re-read as adults. Continuing on the philosophy theme, Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner is also fabulous.
As a child I particularly remember liking kids poetry like There's an Awful Lot of Weirdos in our Neighbourhood and The Sausage is a Cunning Bird. Some story books that stuck ( apart from LOTR of course) follow
Carrie's War--Nina Bawden
Goodnight Mr Tom--Michelle Magorian
Tom's Midnight Garden--Phillipa Pearce
Stig of the Dump--Dick King Smith
Matilda (hmm, might you have guessed that one , anything by Roald Dahl is good though, The Witches, BFG, George's Marvellous Medicine etc)
Red Shift, Elidor, The Weirdstone of Brisingaman--Alan Garner
A Wizard of Earthsea--Ursula LeGuin
FUNGUS THE BOGEYMAN!! but they may be a little old for that one, have a look at this http://www.coldfusionvideo.com/book/fungusbogeyman.html and decide.


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Personally, by eight I would have been insulted if my dad read to me.

Sounds like you had a lovely childhood and an early love for and ability with reading. Very cool.

I wasn't trying to be offensive suggesting this 8 year old child could be read to. I know very little regarding the situation with the children in question who are getting these books. Many times it's needy kids who get pressies from offices who donate to the less fortunate during the holidays. In many cases lower socio-economic kids might have some developmental difficulties and won't have higher reading skills. I've no idea who these kids are, but the books I included are listed in my Child Development reader list for ages 9-12; thus my disclaimer and consideration for the 8 year old.

My son is high functioning autistic and Hyperlexic. He's been reading since before he could talk, but loves for me to read aloud to him. Hell, I still love to be read to. It's just something I grew up with and enjoy. One person's poison is another's pleasure, I suppose.


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