Reading the same books as your children

[Rayse]

My two oldest are 11 and 13 and I try to share as many activities with them as I can to keep them close. Reading is one of those so I figured a thread on that to include how you and your child liked it and if there are any scenes that may be appropriate for one age but not another. 

 

I've done the well known series that everybody knows about especially since they're movies now so I'll gloss over the likes of  Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Maze Runner.......since there's abundant information on them. 

 

Phillip Pullman (dark materials) 3 books: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber spyglass. 

 

The 13 year old has read them. I haven't let the 11 year old yet because sex although not in a soft-core manner is broached in the third book. Considering myself somebody who's spiritual but not religious and I don't raise my kids in a religion in spite of or perhaps because of my Catholic upbringing so I found the alternate afterlife through quantum physics and spirituality to be really well represented for that age group. I would highly recommend it. 

 

Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl Series currently 8 books: 

 

Artemis is a child who's the anti hero and yet always seems to do the right thing in spite of himself. Fairies and the Russian mafia somehow blend together nicely. Both the 11 and 13 year old have read them. The tales are quite innocent but some of the vocabulary can be a bit daunting for kids on the younger side. 

 

 

Currently my 11 year old is starting the Magisterium series by Holly Black for school. It's a 5 book series and all I know is it involves magic in the real world. Looking forward to sharing another series with her. 

 

[Delightful]

Try pretty much anything by Tamora Pierce, I read and loved them at around that age. Id start with either the Alannah books, about a magically gifted girl who pretends to be her twin brother Alan in order to become a knight (I read these with my mum) or the circle of magic series about four orphans with out of control magic powers brought together to learn how to use them and also how to trust each other.

Diane Duane - So You Want To Be A Wizard. Two teenagers discover books that teach them to be wizards and adventures ensue.

Alex Rider, I forgot the author. After his uncles death, teenage Alex takes over his role as spy for MI6.

Rangers apprentice - orphan gets apprenticed to a ranger, which is like a medieval spy/elite police force type thing, and has to deal with a fellow orphan knight apprentice who's always bullied him while also saving the kingdom.

Steelheart books.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Delightful

[Zathoth]

I loved The Deltora Quest books as a child. I have no idea if they are good for an adult, they are kind of generic fantasy, but they are really fun generic fantasy.

 

At least according to what I remember.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

If your kids enjoy books with a lighter touch of fantasy and a heavy dose of tearjerker material, I'd recommend The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate di Camillo. They're absolutely, heartbreakingly beautiful, and while I prefer Edward Tulane over Despereaux, they're both wonderful. 

 

For books that are a blend of steampunk, fantasy, mystery, and who-knows-what, Lemony Snicket's All the Wrong Questions books are fantastic. They're set in the same world as A Series of Unfortunate Events, but focus on the childhood and apprenticeship of narrator Lemony Snicket as he goes on his first assignment for the VFD. They're funny, strange, and with a strong noir element that's difficult not to enjoy. 

[Delightful]

I also loved Deltora quest, those were great fun.

[RippleGylf she/her]

I would definitely recommend at least the first 6 Guardians of Ga'Hoole books. They were definitely some of my favorite books growing up.

[Hood he/him]

You can try these. They aren't that high level, and as far as I know (I've forgotten a bit about them) they don't contain any incident which might put a bad idea inside a child's head considering you've done Hunger Games (as you've told).

 

1. The Earthsea Quartet

2. Belgariad

3. Malloreon

4. Wheel of Time (though they might get irritated by Nynaeve esp. if they are boys)

5. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo  (is basically a heist story with amazing one-liners)

 

By the way, have they read Sanderson ?

[Trizee]

The Icemark Chronicles by Stuart Hill

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

I loved The Deltora Quest books as a child. I have no idea if they are good for an adult, they are kind of generic fantasy, but they are really fun generic fantasy.

 

At least according to what I remember.

 

My teacher in primary school read the first 3 to my class, I enjoyed them.

 

Redwall was another series I enjoyed as a child, tho the food descriptions are insane and would always make me hungry, so that could prove to be a problem.

[DSC01 he/him]

I can't wait until mine is old enough to read with me. He turns 3 in a couple of months, so he's definitely not there yet. I have the first Redwall book and am eagerly anticipating him getting old enough to grasp the story. I'm planning to start reading it and maybe the first Harry Potter book to him as soon as he's old enough to sit still and listen to a story without pictures, even if he doesn't yet quite grasp the full import of what's going on. I think that will help prime the pump, so to speak, and help make him a good reader later in life.

 

He already is a big superhero fan, so I think that will help get him into sci-fi and fantasy later on (with his mother and me as his parents, I don't see how it could be otherwise). I'm going to have to make sure that he doesn't learn that there is a Deadpool movie for many years. I think he saw Deadpool in Spider-Man cartoon. Every time he sees a picture of him, he's like, "Deadpool!" in his little toddler voice. He's not yet at an age where he can look at comics and have the books come through intact, but I'm looking forward to reading comics with him, too.

 

And, of course, as soon as he's a teenager, I'm gonna bug him until he starts reading the Cosmere books.

[folly]

The wee free Men by Terry Pratchett, and the following series is perfect for both those age groups. These were my favorite books when I was younger. They are about a girl (Tiffany) who decides to be a witch because something is happening and someone needs to do something. Monsters have started to appear on the chalk, and Tiffany, with the help of the wee free Men ( six inch tall blue skinned kilt wearing, pict-sies) is going to fairy land to sort things out.

[maxal she/her]

I can't wait until mine is old enough to read with me. He turns 3 in a couple of months, so he's definitely not there yet. I have the first Redwall book and am eagerly anticipating him getting old enough to grasp the story. I'm planning to start reading it and maybe the first Harry Potter book to him as soon as he's old enough to sit still and listen to a story without pictures, even if he doesn't yet quite grasp the full import of what's going on. I think that will help prime the pump, so to speak, and help make him a good reader later in life.

 

He already is a big superhero fan, so I think that will help get him into sci-fi and fantasy later on (with his mother and me as his parents, I don't see how it could be otherwise). I'm going to have to make sure that he doesn't learn that there is a Deadpool movie for many years. I think he saw Deadpool in Spider-Man cartoon. Every time he sees a picture of him, he's like, "Deadpool!" in his little toddler voice. He's not yet at an age where he can look at comics and have the books come through intact, but I'm looking forward to reading comics with him, too.

 

And, of course, as soon as he's a teenager, I'm gonna bug him until he starts reading the Cosmere books.

 

I am somehow left conscious to let my 3 years old son watch super-heroes... I nearly posted a thread about it yesterday. I don't enjoy how they decided to portray some physical attributes nowadays.

 

Mine really likes dragon though. How to Train your Dragon 1 and 2 are favorites over here.

[ljósmóður she/her]

I'm really enjoying reading Philippa Gregory's YA fiction with my 11 year old daughter. I like her adult historical stuff myself anyway (but wouldn't want my daughter reading it as it can be very explicit in places).

 

We're only on "Changeling" - the first of the trilogy but we're both really enjoying it. It's not fantasy as such. I'd call it magic realism - one of the main characters is a priest-Inquisitor (no, not that sort) for the Catholic church in the fourteenth century. He may or may not be a faerie changeling! Its all very strange and clever and compelling - and I particularly like her ability to write very strong female characters, the two in this are fantastic.

 

My 13 year old is desperate for em to get to Bands of Mourning. He's very irked that I've decided to re-read the original trilogy before had. He's desperate to dissect it all with me and we have very random conversations at the dinner table where I'm forced to shout "spoilers" at him!

[Shrike76 he/him]

My oldest is turning 12, and he's read the first few of the Harry Potter books, but we'd already seen the movies so I think he lost interest from knowing more or less what was coming. 

 

My younger son is 10, and he's currently reading Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series and enjoying it immensely. When he's done that he wants to read Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams, which is one of my all-time favourites.

 

When I was their age I was entirely into Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms novels, but my sons aren't at all as interested as I was.

[Mr. Staccato he/him]

Hey guys I know this is kind of a very late reply but since were talking about books, I'd want to recommend a few too.

 

I also loved Deltora quest, those were great fun.

I agree. Deltora Quest was an awesome series, although for the life of me I can't find anything about their sequels. Anyway, Deltora isn't heavy stuff, but they're genuinely lovely reads, and I find them to be quite entertaining. Sadly, I read through them at a later age so much of the magic was coming off when I finally got to read through them. Putting that aside, I'm honestly surprised nobody has recommended A Series of Unfortunate Events. They may be children's books but they're compulsively readable, especially the later parts when VFD gets thrown into the mix. They also touch upon human nature in a humorous but painfully realistic way, and I for one find their questions regarding right and wrong without touching too much into religion or spirituality an added bonus.

The Earthsea Quartet  as recommended by @Hood is also great. The magic in the book is one of the few I'd consider truly mystical, and the protagonist of the book is someone many children at their early teenage years will find as relatable.

Last, the 39 Clues can also be a great read if your children love the Artemis series. They reminded me so much of the Hardy Boys, although the 39 Clues tends to be faster-paced, very exhilarating, and WAY funnier than the aforementioned series.