Good Reading

August 6th, 2004

Filed under: Books

The Polite-Wife is back from her trip out west to visit her family. In addition to spending some time visiting with friends in Las Vegas, she spent several days at the beach (I should point out that she traveled to California to go to the beach as Nevada is not known for its good coastline).

While relaxing on the beach, she finally read some books I’d been suggesting to her for about five years: The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron, both by Lloyd Alexander. She is an elementary school teacher and always looking for good books for her classroom. Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain series was one of the highlights of my childhood (find the editions with the Jody Lee covers).

Here’s my list of good fantasy or science-fiction for elementary age kids. I admit to being several years out of the loop, so feel free to add any other good ones:

  • Harry Potter series by Rowling (you know the books; I’m not listing them)
  • Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer and The High King.)
  • The Hobbit by Tolkein
  • Harper Hall of Pern by McCaffrey (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragon Drums)
  • Wrinkle in Time, A Wind Through the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet and Many Waters by L’Engle
  • Tom Swift series by Appleton

4 Responses to “ Good Reading ”

  1. tangognat
    August 7th, 2004 at 12:13 am

    I loved reading the Chronicles of Prydain when I was a kid.

    I’d add to your list the books from Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising series – Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, and Silver on the Tree.

    Books by Robin McKinley, The Hero and the Crown and the Blue Sword.

    John Cristopher’s Tripod series, The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and the Pool of Fire.

    Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series

    The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

  2. tomthedog
    August 7th, 2004 at 12:48 am

    I recently reread the Black Cauldron series — it’s still great.

    Garth Nix’s Seventh Tower series is pretty good, and Terry Pratchett has three Discworld books now aimed at younger readers.

  3. Scott
    August 11th, 2004 at 8:36 pm

    I had planned to add Pullman and Cooper’s books to my list, but was blanking out and could only remember the first book in each series. I had forgotten about the Tripod series, that was another childhood favorite.

  4. A Different Scott
    May 17th, 2007 at 11:50 am

    While growing up I loved reading The Narnian Chronicles by C.S. Lewis. Since the movie for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe came out, I have gotten back into the books. My wife and I read a chapter a night to our little girls for bedtime stories. That went on until they decided they wanted more picture books. We got through all of the first three and started on the fourth.

    The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
    Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia
    The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
    The Silver Chair
    The Horse and His Boy
    The Magician’s Nephew
    The Last Battle

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