This is the final installment of recommended reads for you and your children aged 10 and upwards. I hope that is has helped banish those ‘what should I read?’ situations; and helped you if you are parent and want to share your love of literature with your children.
Just in case you haven’t read the previous post, the Facebook challenge refers to two walls outside the classrooms in the school that I work in, that were dedicated to the books recommended for their age group. They can attach a picture of their own face to the book cover they have just read; and there you have it, Facebook.
1000 year old boy – Ross Welford
In one word: Fearless
This one has made it into my top three of all the books I have read in this series. The quest for immortality has been around probably as long as we have been telling stories. This one, however, is the quest to end it and for a boy called Alfie Monk who is 1000 years old, his life had been anything but ordinary. Ross Welford connects the past to the present through Alfie and through the human desire for connection and friendship. With the help of Aiden and Roxy Minto in the modern era, Alfie embarks on an adventure that has everything that your imagination could ask for: danger, mystery, history, betrayal, grief and redemption wonderfully written.
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
In one word: Inventive
I must confess that I haven’t actually read this one before now. (Please don’t judge me too harshly.) I am not sure how but it has slipped past me over the years. I have read excerpts in school and watched the many adaptations but I never got round to actually reading it. And of course, it was a wonderful journey into the imagination where anything is possible and nothing is as it seems. This is one for those who have love the wild and strange things that a writer’s mind can conjure up.
The Light Jar – Lisa Thompson
In one word: Hopeful
The Light Jar brought a few tears to my eyes. Lisa Thompson writes about the upheaval that Nate and his mother go through as they runaway from her abusive partner. This is a story about courage especially, when Nate’s mother goes to get supplies and does not return. What is lovely about this book is how Nate grows as a character and how with the help of a couple of friends, goes through the darkest time of his life.
The Goldfish Boy – Lisa Thompson
In one word: Innovative
The Goldfish Boy is an intimate look at how OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) can affect everyday life the life of Matthew Corbin. But when a child goes missing, Matthew is the only one who can help; he has to come to terms with his own condition and the pain of the past with the help of unlikely friend. This book has unexpected twists and turns and is great for those who like mystery and a cast of distinctive and memorable characters and suspects.
It has been a joy to read these stories and all the books that I have read over this year have helped me to have a new found appreciation for wonderful story-telling. It has inspired me as a parent to look for stories that we can all enjoy as a family and share my love of reading with them and I hope it has for you too.
Writing, Reading, Living 