Need some literary advice

[psychic_serpent]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "augustinapeach" 
<augustinapeach at y...> wrote:
> Hi, everyone.
> 
> Christmas is coming, and I'm looking for books to give my 8-year-
old 
> son.  He is a fairly advanced reader (has finished all five HP 
> books) who really likes the fantasy genre.  Usually, I like to 
> browse through a book before I recommend it to him (hope I don't 
> sound like "Mommy Dearest" -- just not quite ready yet to explain 
> certain things to an 8-year-old!!), but I can't see myself having 
> much time to do that in the next month. I'm wondering if any of 
you 
> might be able to give me a brief review of the following books -- 
or 
> be able to suggest others he might like.  
> 
> Eragon -- Christopher Paolini
> The Thief Lord -- Cornelia Funke
> Wicked -- Gregory Maguire
> A Rumor of Dragons -- Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
> 
> I've tried to get him to read the Chronicles of Narnia, but no 
luck 
> so far.  Can only keep trying, I guess!
> 
> Thanks for your help.
> 
> Greta (finally feeling ready to peek out from behind her pseudonym)

I think that Narnia, although it may have appealed to 8 year olds 
and up when it was first published, is written in a style that is 
slightly too archaic for today's kids of the same age.  He probably 
wouldn't be interested in it until at least high school now.

Donna gave a good rundown of "The Thief Lord."  If you want to know 
how a kid responded to this, however, my daughter (9 years old) just 
finished, absolutely adored it, and spent the whole time talking to 
me about Italian and Venice (since I'm a singer I was able to help 
her with the Italian pronunciation).  She loved it so much that she 
immediately wanted to start reading it again (we read the first 
chapter together last night, so I get to be in on it too, this 
time).  She's in love with the idea of going to Venice, and when we 
say good evening to each other now, it's, "Buonasera, Carissima!"  

I think that 8 is too young for the subject matter of the Pullman 
Dark Materials trilogy, but anything else he's written for younger 
readers I'd highly recommend.  Have you considered Eva Ibbotson?  
(Or is it Ibbottson?)  Fabulously funny books with lots of magic.  
Very, very reminiscent of JKR.  "Which Witch" and "The Secret of 
Platform 13" are the favorites around here.  (No, she didn't steal 
her ideas from JKR--she wrote these first.)

Also, Jane Langton's series about the Hall children has wonderful 
fantasy, great characterization and introduces children to many 
moral dilemmas similar to what we find in the Potter books. (I also 
find many of the characters similar to those in JKR's books, 
especially Eleanor Hall, who's very Hermione, her brother Eddy, 
who's like a combination of Harry and Ron, little Georgie, who 
reminds me of Ginny, and their Uncle Fred, who's like a combination 
of Arthur Weasley and Dumbledore.)  The books are: "The Diamond in 
the Window," "The Swing in the Summerhouse,"  "The Astonishing 
Stereoscope," "The Fledgling" (both wonderful and 
heartbreaking!), "The Fragile Flag," and "The Time Bike."  They've 
all been read so much around here that they're falling apart.  
("Diamond," and "Summerhouse" were mine when I was a kid, so they 
were already dog-eared when I gave them to my children.)

Have you also considered the "Indian in the Cupboard" series?  I 
read this to my son when he was about 8, and it raises all sorts of 
moral questions, in addition to being fun.  Very well written, kids, 
parents and other characters who are three-dimensional, and the 
plots are gripping.

--Barb

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Psychic_Serpent
http://www.schnoogle.com/authorLinks/Barb