Need something good to read......

[weathermom]

Everyone in my family is an avid reader. We are always looking for recommendations on a good book or better yet an author with a bunch of good books! Would love suggestions for my husband and I as well as for my kids, who average a book a day. Kids are 12, 10, and 7. Reading levels for them are fairly advanced,ability wise, as long as the subject matter is age appropriate. Thanks!!

[DaylilyDawn]

I can't reccomend for the kids since my children are grown and their reading was not a big thing with them. But with me I can reccomend an old book called The Harvester by Gene Stratton Porter or any of the James Clavell novels. Other authors to investigate are Tom Clancy and James Michener. The Da Vinci Code is also a good book for a read. Check out the Number one List List on Books in the New York Times for suggestions also.

[Yankeegirl]

My kids love to read the "Captian Underpants" series... They love it... My older one likes the "Goosebumps" books as well...

[Islandgirl]

Francine Rivers writes good books. She has a series called " The Mark of the Lion Series" plus others that I have read and liked. Also, Randy Alcorn has written some good ones, Dominion , Deadline , and Safely Home. Also, for the kids, "The Left Behind "Series seems to be veery popular.

[therock1811]

One of our members, OrlandoDad, has written a book entitled, "Raising Dragons". It's the first book of a series of 4. Check out this link:

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=38598

I haven't read it yet but I'd like to. The second book in the series is due out this month.

[Miss Mary]

Well, if you have daughters, I suggest the Anne of Green Gables series (7 in all). My mom gave my oldest daughter Nina the first book for her birthday years ago and we weren't too sure she'd be interested. We had read all the Little House books up until then. Didn't take long and we were into Anne books! Nina would say - Mom go check out the next one from the library! We now own all 3 Anne movies and have watched them many times. Sometimes when life gets too hard to take, or too busy, we like to say - we need an Anne Day! Now if you don't have girls then none of this will interest them. But if you do, I highly suggest these books. If we ever get up to Prince Edward Island, we are indeed going to check out all the Anne stuff up there.

I should add that the content of all these books is fine for young children. In fact, Nina and I still laugh at how Lucy Maud Montgomery describes Anne's pregnancy! She doesn't even use words we speak today. I think I had to re-read that section outloud to Nina before it dawned on us that Anne was pregnant (this is much further in the book series, perhaps I've given too much away).

Here's just one link I found:

http://greengables.tripod.com/

Mary

[weathermom]

I already spotted that. Mostly we get our books from the library. We have run out of room to buy anymore. (24 feet of bookshelves, about 10 feet of which are lined 2 deep with books, sharing a bedroom with the 3 kids!) The library doesnt list that book yet. May have to break down and buy it.


Thanks everyone for your suggestions so far. Some we have already read, some we will be looking in to!

[weathermom]

Thanks Miss Mary, I had completely forgotten about Anne of Green Gables. I do have 3 daughters, and our set of Little house books is well worn. We are on our second set of Narnia Chronicles, as they wore out the first one! Was thinking that the 12 year old might be interested in Little Women about now too.

[alicia-w]

All of the Louisa Alcott books are terrific. Edgar Allen Poe might be a little dark. I read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights at 12. Wonder if that had anything to do with me being a moody and brooding teenager...
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn...i read that 20 times.

Here's a great recommended reading list at this website:
http://www.cranbrook.edu/schools/librar ... _lists.htm

I dont know that I would recommend Animal Farm for a 12 year old, but you never know...

[opera ghost]

Favorites as a kid- my husband and I were both avid readers. Narnia of course, Anne McCaffrey (there's maybe 3 books of her massive list that I didn't care for- the vast majority are kid friendly). I found the Harper Hall Trilogy easier to start with (as a kid) than the Dragonriders of Pern. My husband liked the Chronicals of Amber- might be better for the adults but he read them young and wasn't scarred. Robin McKinley does great fairy tales and fantasy- VERY kid friendly.

that's all off the top of my head- if you're avid readers you've probalby already foudn all of them *Laughs* but it was worth a shot.

[GalvestonDuck]

Gotta agree with Mary, on Little House and Anne of Green Gables! Cracks me up to read AGG because I read it AFTER I saw Megan Follows portrayal, so I can't help but read it in my mind with her tone and "drama!"

Don't forget "To Kill A Mockingbird" -- always been my fave.

[Rob Beaux]

Orson Scott Card's "Enders Game" and "Enders Shadow". Might be good for the older kids and for you and your husband. I think Enders game might be one of the better books that I have ever read. Its SCi Fi. Heres a link to his web site, where you can read a part of most of his books.

http://www.hatrack.com/osc/index.shtml

I would suggest you read it first to judge if they are suitable for your kids. They are considered young adult novels. My wife and I enjoyed them and we wish we were still young adults.

[opera ghost]

Yeah- with Orson Scott Card let me say straight up- "Songbird" is not suitable for kids (that's the only one where I had issues with as an adult, muchless as a kid). The Enders stuff my husband adores, but OSC deals with some adult themes in a select few novels- so it mgiht be best to give them a read first (they're all quite good) before passing along to the kids.

I also picked through Nancy Drew in middle school- they're easy reads for fast kids and there are a huge number of them out there.

[alicia-w]

Ah, Nancy Drew. I loved those. Anyone remember Trixie Belden nysteries. Those were good too.

[MomH]

I have worked in both an elementary school library and a college library. Two books I would recommend to anyone of any age are

Hatchet by Gary Paulson and Streams to the River, River to the Sea by Scott O'Dell. Hatchet tells of a young man's survival after a plane crash and Streams... is an account of Lewis and Clark's expedition written in a manner anyone would enjoy.

[Miss Mary]

MomH - my daughter Laura loves Hatchet and another book Gary Paulson wrote, of which the title escapes me right now. She had to read it for school but discovered she enjoyed it. She's my tomboy, I should add! So I second that recommendation weathermom.

Here's another....her sister just loved The Giver, when she had to read it for 6th Grade. I remember Nina declared the Giver was her favorite book of all time. Didn't take long before another came along but I was even intriqued, so I read the Giver. Reminded me of Farenheit 451 or other sci-fi, futuristic movies or books I had read. There's one chapter the teacher had them skip over, I'll mention that. Had mature content. But later we read it together and even Nina said - THAT'S what she was worried about Mom? LOL

This is a good topic. I've often considered starting one myself since I prefer checking books out from the library, as opposed to buying them. Very expensive, especially the larger size paperbacks are now (Oprah W. type books). But when they leave the best seller list, I can't remember what hot book a year or two ago everyone was talking about. There needs to be an archived list of books and movie rentals for people like me that are usually a day late or a dollar short!

Mary

PS - thought of another....Tuesdays With Morrie. The book is excellent but we've never seen the movie. After finding it at the internet movie database site, I want to rent it now.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207805/