BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Children ‘should read classics’
Children should be made to read classic literature by Dickens, Shakespeare and Joyce, according to authors such as JK Rowling and Philip Pullman.
You know, I completely disagree with this. I don’t think children should be *made* to read anything. There are books that were dissected in school that I’ve never been able to go back to, in fact it’s much easier to count the books that survived that treatment, that I *will* go back to. And I spent a large portion of my early adulthood running a mile from anything described as literary or classic, on the basis that I didn’t want to read things that were “good for me”.
But there are books I would *like* my children to read. I’m not sure whether I’d call them worthy, or insist that they have to get something out of them, but I’d like them to read them, because I enjoyed reading them, so I thought I’d build up my own list.
Anyone else want to join in? If you don’t have a blog and you’d like to, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments, and I’ll build it all into a page at some point 🙂
My family and other animals, Gerald Durrell.
This is the book I think of when I say some books did survive the dissection. I love it. And it’s probably a really good book for home-educated children as well, get the impression Gerald learnt rather more from life than he did from his succession of tutors.
To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee.
I guess this is probably for slightly older children, but it’s a while since I read it, so I can’t think at what age I might consider reading it out loud. I do know that it’s another book that I’ve read and reread, and although I think it might make lists of worthy books as well, that isn’t why I would recommend it. It’s just a really strong story, very well told.
A wizard of earthsea, Ursula K LeGuin.
This book has very strong memories for me, and I must have read it when I was about 9 or 10. My father saved up sweet wrappers and sent off for it (I didn’t live with him at the time, and he didn’t have much money). As you can see, it made a lasting impression, and is possibly one of the first books I owned in my own right.
A wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle.
I so wanted to grow up to be Meg…or at least to have her wonderful parents!
The diddakoi, Rumer Godden.
I went upstairs to glance through my shelves and check which books I wanted to include in this, picked this up, and reread half of it while the children were in the bath. Just as powerful as ever, had me in tears a couple of times, sniffling away to myself as I was reading.
Little Lord Fauntleroy, Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Just a wonderful story, although I’m not sure any children are as good as this little boy is made out to be.
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card.
This is a story about a child, but I’m not sure whether it’s a book for children. Certainly not for the squeamish, I know that death is covered in a variety of books that children read, but not usually from the position of the perpetrator. Possibly though, for any child who’s ever felt that bit different and misunderstood. Reads well for adults as well though.
Fly-by-night
K.M.Peyton.
Girly horsey book. Sorry. 😉 I also rather like the sequels. Actually quite a lot of the books I’ve chosen above have sequels, but in many cases I didn’t read those until much later (or still haven’t read them, but have them on a shelf somewhere).
The snow goose, Paul Gallico.
Short, sweet and to the point. So I’ll keep my comments that way too.
Homecoming, Cynthia Voigt.
I could rave about Cynthia Voigt for hours, but this is supposed to be a blogpost rather than a novel in its own right. She really seems to get inside ppl and draw the characters out so that even rather prickly ppl become your friends and you care about what happens to them. This story of children abandoned and making their own way across America is enthralling although never overly sentimental.
So there you go. Any other suggestions?
Comments
23 responses to “Books I'd like my children to read.”
I’d be interested to know what the authors were actually asked. The Guardian (and others) report that they were asked for their top 10 books for school children – rather than a list of books that kids ‘should’ read. I dunno, if I read a ‘top list of films that everyone *should* see’ I wouldn’t think that they were advocating compulsion, and likewise I don’t think those who responded with these lists are either. Perhaps they are just using the opportunity to suggest good books to kids? I think the BBC have turned it into something it isn’t with their standard sloppy journalism. I really, really, despise the BBC news website.
Will come up with a list later, but wanted to quickly comment and say to several of them, and thanks for the library-list suggestions on others 🙂
Hm, given that some of them refused to cooperate, I did get the impression that there was a degree of compulsion involved. I attempted to find the true story by going to the website of the organisation who arranged the survey, but there’s no information on there. Figures.
Nope, they probably wouldn’t be advocating compulsion to see films, but the instant you get a list of books that should be read, you can see that heading into school reading lists, or school reading lists being judged against it.
I love To Kill a Mockingbird too, even though we did it for English Lit 😉 I think it would be too hard pre-teen though with the drugs and rape stuff.
No one should be made to read something, but I think it’s silly to present classics as hard and worthy – they’re just books that have stood the test of time as decent literature. But I will encourage M and L to read classics that are age appropriate and have them as read alouds. M enjoyed Great Expectations in the car, but then he doesn’t know it’s a classic.
I’m not sure if there are any books I’d like mine to read because *I* love them. Something to ponder on.
Nice list, Jax – you know I share your love of The Diddakoi! I’m not going to be able to *make* my lot read anything I don’t think, they’ll have to develop their own lists, as I have 🙂
From books we ‘did’ at school I remember really enjoying Stig of the Dump, and I book I remember finding very powerful at the time was Kes – I think that was when I finally grasped what crap lives some people have. I’m rubbish at thinking up such lists, but I’ll have go later.
I do think there is a value inreading the classics, not because you should, but becuae they are often good books,and an enjoyable or stisfying read.
Books I read at school that stuck in my mind included: The Triffids, Futuretrack 5, The Tripods, Animal Farm, 1984, Stig of the Dump, everything by Judy Blume, Stephen King’s Christine, James Herbert’s Fog, Magic Cottage and Fluke… all good wholesome reading for a 14 year old. I read Fly-by Night too – thanks for reminding me of that, must go and see if it’s still in a box somewhere. And Flambards!
We didn’t actually ‘do’ any of these. I can only recall Z for Zachariah as a ‘class’ book. Oh, and Shakespeare which I completely adore and have my 4th year tutor to thank for that, after we spent a whole term ‘doing’ Macbeth.
To this day I loathe Jane Austen as we dissected Persuasion for A Level and I hated every single page. I know I should try one of the others, but can’t bring myself to do it. I think I’ll go and :rant: on my blog, as I haven’t even started on what I think of ‘classics’. 😀
I thought their list was pants. I recently bought 1984 and Catcher in the Rye because I had heard them raved about and figured I should read them. I’m not one for giving up on a book, there are very few books I haven’t struggled to the end of even when I’ve been dying of boredom but I just couldn’t get on with either of them and that was with me really trying. Just how a class of teens who are being compelled to read it would therefore get on I have no idea. I have no idea what I would put on a list of my own, what I like now wouldn’t interest children in the slightest and I can’t remember any books that made an outstanding impression on me as an older child that I would now consider a must read. My must read list for small children tends to finish after “Dogger” “Alfie” and “The Hungry Catepillar” !
Hmm, I recall reading Of Mice and Men at school (which I loved), a bit of Shakespeare (none of which really moved me much), The Handmaiden’s Tale (which I thought was good but got too disected in English lessons for me to want to revisit it oh and All Quiet on the Western Front. We tended to read lots and lots of poetry I seem to recall – loads of war poems as we spent a full year looking at films, books and poems ‘inspired’ by WW2 after which we had to write a final essay ‘Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori’it is good and honourable to die for your country. Discuss… We seemed to do surprisingly few of ‘the classics’. Book I remember reading myself and enjoying were loads of Enid Blyton – famous five and The ___ of adventure stories when I was younger graduating to Malory Towers and St Clares when I was 10ish. I then read all of the Sweet Valley High stuff (blush!) Judy Blume (is it ‘Forever’ that had the sex bit in it with Catherine and Michael? That got passed round the class!) and then moving on to lots of Virginia Andrews – Flowers in the Attic etc.
I’ve just looked up a book which I loved too ‘Locked in Time’ by Lois Duncan – I read that about 4 times. I also found out by googling that she also wrote another book I’d enjoyed and not realised was by the same author – stranger with my face.
I don’t think there are any ‘must read’ books really. Some of the most obscure books that I’ve picked off a dusty library shelf and never found anyone else who read them moved me most. Some of the most reviewed and raved about best sellers or classics I have found dry, dusty and have never lifted the story off the page.
I think English Lit can really kill good books for children and young people (one of my mini bugbears – and yes, it has to do with my experience of English Lit. – and I don’t have a GCSE in it because I was so annoyed with the hypocrisy of it all at the time). I don’t have English Language either, TBH I don’t think it’s done me too much harm, I just really have to bite my tongue when I hear people ranting on about how important GCSEs are.
I remember Forever being passed around too LOL. I went through a period where I devoured everything by John Wyndham. I also really enjoyed Michael Moorcock etc.
I think R. would really enjoy My Family and Other Animals (should make a note really).
I love Jane Austen – but thankfully I didn’t have to *do* anything like that whilst studying.
Anything by Jane Austen. Anything my Lousia Alcott. Thomas Hardy. Lewis Grassic Gibbon. I’ll be back 🙂
Chrysalids! How did I forget that??? Tim’s list coming soon too 🙂
Ooh, yes Chrysalids, Trouble with Lichen… I remember reading Forever when I was 12 and hiding it from my mother. 😉 Anything by Joan Aiken and Susan Cooper should be added to the list.
I loved the Earth’s Children books by Jean M Auel, but the sex references are a little strong for most children. Which is a shame as they contain some fabulous ‘historical’ content. Although ‘historical’ doesn’t really do it justice – archaeological, geographical, culinary…
Oh Nic how could you like “Of Mice & Men” ?? I *hated* that book along with “Outback” I think it was, two kids in a plane crash and only they survived? I loved school in general but those two books killed English for me! I only don’t hate Jane Eyre because my english teacher at the time fancied whomever played Mr Rochester in the film version so we got to watch that a lot 😀 However the rest of what you read sounds remarkably like what I did (Forever was only allowed out of the school library for 5th formers and above! Still have a soft spot for Fudge) although I didn’t/don’t read Virginia Andrews!
And what about the really depressing one with the monkey, something to do with the old man I think…
I loathe Jane Eyre – I had to do it *twice* at school, including once for ‘O’ level. this for me wasn’t about just school books though – many of my list are ones I read outside of school. Who was it wrote The Owl Service? Ah yes, Alan Garner, he’s a bit good too.
Lord of the Flies
Lol – of course I couldn’t actually tell you anything about Of Mice & Men now, except there was someone called Lenny in it!
Virginia Andrews – not read it? Oh you’ve not lived 😉
hmm, i have so many books, I am not sure where I would start. In fact, I think that TBH, I won’t have a must read list, but let SB and BB find there own.
I think I would like to encourage them to try many genres of writing – I certainly am rather eclectic.
I remember buting together marilla of green gables [an anne of green gables spin off] and the second book of the chronicles of thomas covenant at the same time [and i read the second far too young], and enjoying both.
i loved the use of homour in the bagthorpes series.
i think there are loads of fantastic childrens books out there, and excellent authros – thank god for libraries hey!!
Somehow, I missed this post. There was a sequel to Ender’s Game. But, I can’t think of what it’s called (possibly Speaker for the Dead) because we got them as a volume. The sequel was excellent.
I’d like to see mine read something by Asimov, Zelazny, Terry Brooks, (ok my mind went blank). 🙁 I had quite a list, anyway.
The name of the book bothered me so, I had to look it up:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550757/sr=1-5/qid=1139198540/ref=pd_bbs_5/103-3603962-9479019?%5Fencoding=UTF8
Speaker for the Dead, which is followed by Xenocide and then Children of the Mind 🙂
Then there’s the Ender’s Shadow series, which starts with Ender’s Shadow (I think) and includes Shadow of the Hegemon, and at least two others, although I started to lose the will to live towards the end.
I’d quite like to read First Meetings in the Enderverse which I think is a prequel.
I quite like Ender 😉
Don’t forget the musical accompaniment to “The Snow Goose”, by Camel, from around 1975. Quite enjoyable if you like prog. rock.
http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_CD.asp?cd_id=329
I’ve not read the novel, but there can’t be many books that inspired a soundtrack, so it may be of educational interest.
I can’t believe i missed this discussion. Where have i been?
Definitely Lord of the Flies. Its the only book I remember reading at school actually. And Far from the Madding Crowd. I enjoyed King Lear immensely too.