Books for a 10th Birthday
Quick Book Notes #9
Dear Friends,
A certain boy around here is about to turn ten, and has asked for books (and a skateboard) for his birthday.
Well, certainly, my lad! We can make that happen!
We have chosen a small handful of books to buy, fresh and clean and new, for this birthday, and I thought I’d share the list with you in today’s Quick Book Notes. I’ve chosen a variety of books that I think will be of interest to this fellow who enjoys humor, adventure, and especially books about ordinary life gone a little bit comically awry.
My go-to’s for this kind of book are Astrid Lindgren books or Louis Sachar’s Wayside School series, but he has already read these. So I did a little poking around and was reminded of this gem from my own childhood, another of Louis Sachar’s books:
Did you ever read There’s A Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom? So funny, and also a little poignant, as a somewhat awkward, somewhat rude, somewhat unhappy boy is taken under the wing of a new kid in school and an honest school counselor and is able to get past his tween rough patch.
After that, I started thinking of other books my son has liked in the past. Of course, I had to go see whether the latest Asterix Omnibus had been released yet.
And it had! So that went in the cart as well. We’re on Omnibus 11, right now, but Omnibus 1 (above) is of course the place to start. Asterix was a childhood favorite of mine — the books are rather old, so do be prepared for lots of ridiculous caricatures and stereotypes, but you can also expect these treatments to be applied to all of the characters, across the board. (When I find something uncomfortable in such a book, I see it as an opportunity to discuss these things with my children.)
Then I started thinking about By the Great Horn Spoon and decided to look up other books by the Fleischmans (whether father or son). I decided on this, which I have not read but looks very funny, and would be a quick and relaxed read probably a little below my son’s reading level, which is sometimes nice:
My son loves Roald Dahl books, so the Quentin Blake illustrations (as you probably know, Blake’s illustrations of Dahl’s books are famous) were a point in this book’s favor.
Deciding next to search farther afield, I did what I often do when I am stumped for children’s books: I looked up the list of Newbery Medal and Honor books since the award was established in (I think?) 1922. I found this book on the list quite intriguing, and it seems well-suited to the things-going-comically-awry tastes of so many boys:
My children have enjoyed Gulliver’s Travels, and this seems similar. The cover is not particularly engaging, but I figured that with the other books all having exciting covers, this one would be all right to throw into the mix.
Also, my son has been on a big origami kick lately, so I thought I’d buy him some supplies and add an easy origami book to the stack:
A quick note: I am having trouble getting my affiliate setup with Bookshop.org to work properly, so I’m leaving it to you to locate these books at your favorite bookstore instead of offering you links. Thanks!
But how could I stop there when there are still Mad Libs and Beverly Cleary books available? The kids love Mad Libs, and since we are getting ready for some summer traveling, I think I’d like to add a new one to the pile.
And since my son loved the Henry and Ribsy books and the books about Ralph S. Mouse and really loves our two cats, I know he’ll enjoy Cleary’s cat book:
And that’s a wrap! I’m hoping he’ll be very pleased with his gifts this year (and yes, his uncle will be getting him a skateboard, too. Shhh, don’t tell!).
How about you?
— Do you enjoy receiving books as gifts? What has been your favorite book that you have been given?
— Do you allow your kids to read comic books or graphic novels like Asterix, or do you think it’s best to stick to traditional novels?
— What is your go-to book-as-gift for kids?
Have a lovely day,
My eight year old boy is listening to the Wayside school Audiobook collection for the third time in the past calendar year, and he’s been reading the hard copies on his own too. I did not know about Asterix. I am going to look those up.
All of my kids and my nephews have been on a big Calvin and Hobbes kick. Pat has the complete collection (4 volumes) and just today Josh informed me he has read them all.
Another series we like is the Way of the Warrior kid series by Jocko Wilink. The theme is a little … unvarying. Navy Seal uncle Jake coaches wimpy nephew to turn his young life around physically, academically, and economically. But my kids still really like the books. Pat read them out loud with a hilarious Uncle Jake voice (think Rex Kwon Do from Napoleon Dynamite). So that helps.
And yes to Beverly Cleary!
I’ve noticed, Josh reads very well but is reluctant to pick up a book that is completely new to him. But if he’s heard it read aloud, he’s more likely to pick it up
Later and read it himself. And I’m seeing more value in that than I used to. Reputation and re-reading are valuable especially for children.
Happy birthday to your 10
Year old!
My boys loved The Ranger’s Apprentice series. They also loved the Redwall series. Christopher Paul Curtis is one of my favorite authors. He wrote the Watsons go to Birmingham. Christopher Paul Curtis and Gary Schmidt both write with humor. My boys also liked The Great Brain series, The Chronicles of Pyrdain series,