Junie B. Jones, Magic Treehouse, and...?

No not yet. I'll get to it eventually though.

I won't spoil it for you, then.

Rowan of Rin: Emily Rodda

Seven hearts the journey make, Seven ways the hearts will break, Bravest heart will carry on, When sleep is death and hope is gone...

So begins the witch, Sheba's, prophecy concerning the great adventure to take place during the journey to the top of the Mountain, and young Rowan's role in it all. With the mountain stream that supplies the isolated village of Rin with life-giving water failing to flow, six sturdy villagers are chosen to make the dangerous journey to the summit of the Mountain to set the stream flowing again, and Rowan is to be the unwanted seventh member.

Written for young readers from about the age of 8 years up, Rowan of Rin

My sister sent Duckie this one: http://www.amazon.com/Number-Devil-Mathematical-Adventure/dp/0805062998

We are really enjoying it right now and I recommend it for sozlet.

Oooh, thanks!! Looks really good.

I've finished the first three Lemony Snicket books, I expected to like them but they're a little better than I expected.

What? The Number Devil has been translated? That's just wonderful! I own the German original, and I second that Sozlet would very probably enjoy this book.

It was originally in German? Well that explains everything.

Hans-Magnus Enzensberger is my favorite German essayist. He also writes poetry and drama, edits an anthology of unjustly forgotten literature called Die Andere Bibliothek, and gives the occasional lecture at my Alma Mater, the Ludwig Maximilians Universitaet in Munich. He was one of the reasons I studied in Munich.

I'm very pleased that you and Ducklet got to know him!

Duckie is reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series right now. I think sozlet might like it too.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?sid=358383

The Lightening Thief is the first one in the series. Duckie is on the third one -- The Titan's Curse. I'm not far behind him. I think it's a good, fast paced series with lots of humor and sly teaching about Greek mythology.

That sounds excellent!! Thanks!

Sozlet went on a run of classics recently (during the power outage but also before). Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass (LOVED), The Secret Garden (liked a lot), continuing with Little House on the Prairie (up to the 5th book now, loving it), hmmm there were others but I forget.

"Anne of Green Gables" is teed up (she hasn't started yet).

Something on Greek mythology is well-timed. Recently she said something about how Jesus and Hercules had a lot in common. We talked about that for a while, which led to global archetypes, which led to a discussion of various religions... I kept saying "well I could go on for a while but it's complicated..." (intending to trail off) and she'd say "no, it's interesting!" Okeedokes! So this is something she's interested in now, mythology/ religion/ folklore. (And yes in our household those are all roughly equivalent, sorry if that offends anyone.)

How about the Tanglewood Tales? How old is Sozlet now? she might still be a bit on the young side for it, but it's great mythological stuff--Persephone and Demeter and all kinds of wonderful stories....maybe for reading aloud? It might be too old-fashioned, but I absolutely loved it when I was really into Greek myths as a kid, so you never know.

You sooooo aren't..

Freeduck mentioned Twain, and that was my first thought as well though I'm not sure about the whole age appropriate thing either.

So here's my list of books that may or may not be beyond her reading level or suited to her interests (after all, she's a girl and I'll never figure those out!):


Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Little Women by whoever the hell wrote that crap (all the girl readers I know loved it, I put it down.... and kicked it, then stomped on it)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth G. Speare
The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Little Women is by Louisa May Allcott.

Speaking of classics, probably when sozlet is older but To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee should probably be added to the big list.

I wonder if she'd like Kipling's "The Jungle Books"?

I was enchanted as a child.....do you know them, Soz?

They're about a kid in India who wanders off into the jungle and gets raised by wolves.

DO NOT think of that Disney abomination.

Oh -- wait -- Greek Myths -- Edith Hamilton!

I recall reading a kids' version, may or may not have been by EH -- I'll have to ask my father as it was his book when he was a kid.

Ooooh!

Just remembered another of my absolute favourites.

E Nesbitt wrote a number of children's books...but my favourites are a series about the same kids.

"Five Children and It"

Where the kids (she wrote in the early 1900's...so there is a great look at the manners and mores of England's middle class...servants and all...great talking points) meet the grumpiest and weirdest looking "fairy" in the world, and get wishes, all of which become quite fraught.

"The Phoenix and the Carpet"

Same kids happen upon a Phoenix and a magic carpet....with unusual results.

"The Story of the Amulet"

Which has them going back in time to many ancient places.....there's a cute section where they go to the future, and Nesbitt, who was a Fabian socialist, gives us her view of a socialist utopia.

I still read these sometimes!!!

Interesting idea!

She also just read original (grim!) Brothers Grimm fairytales -- liked those a lot.

She's almost 8.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift hasn't read the real one yet -- read a "Wishbone" version, loved it
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh read it, loved it less than I expected her to
Little Women by whoever the hell wrote that crap (all the girl readers I know loved it, I put it down.... and kicked it, then stomped on it) knows about it, hasn't read it yet
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett recently finished, ADORED it. was really super into it.
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley excellent idea
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland recently finished, new favorite book ever. she read the hardback versions (of that and "Through the Looking Glass") that my dad gave me when I was 7.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe she's read some abridged version, ready for the real one
Heidi by Johanna Spyri good one
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson she knows the story -- various shows are always doing versions of it (the Muppet version was fairly good). hasn't read it yet though. might be too flowery for her, not sure.
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford Great idea!
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth G. Speare hmm, I remember this depressing me when I was a bit older than her. maybe wait.
The Sword in the Stone by T. H. White excellent, thanks.
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne another good one. she definitely likes the action/ adventure stuff. adored Tintin.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame great idea, thanks.


"Sounder" was another one of the classics she recently finished. Liked it, didn't seem to make as much of an impression on her as others in that swath.

Definitely. Probably not quite there yet...