A RL friend asked me whether Gone With the Wind would be suitable for her advanced-reading 10 year old. I pointed her to some reviews, but basically said that it was a teen book due to content, and it might be best to wait until she was a teen, or read it with her to help her process the sexual themes and violence.
This got me thinking about other classics that might be great substitutes for that eager reader looking for a “big book.” I love the kids who love reading so much that they want to dive in and not come up for a long time, craving the door-stopper variety that would injure your pinky toe.
And I wonder if that would change with the e-book revolution? Hmm…
Some advanced readers are quite capable of decoding the language in classic books, but don’t have the patience for out-of-date words and phrases, or cultural references that go over their heads. However, if your children are up for that kind of challenge, or just like to explore new things, the classics are a fantastic way to give them challenging reading material.
Here’s a few classics that would make good reads for those advanced-reading middle graders (they also often have excellent movie adaptations that can bridge the cultural gap):
Little Women (RL 7.9) (movie is 11+)
Pride and Prejudice (RL 12.0)-a lot of romance, but tame enough
for tweens (even the movie is 11+)
Gulliver’s Travels (RL 13.5) (movie is 6+)
20,000 Leagues under the Sea (RL 10.0) (movie is 9+)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (RL 7.0) (movie is 11+ Young Sherlock Holmes, not the recent one with the adorable Jude Law)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (RL 8.1)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (RL 7.4) (the new movie is 10+, I love Johnny Depp, but he scares me in this one!)
Around the World in 80 days (RL 9.6) (the goofy movie with Jackie Chan is 8+)
Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (RL7.4) (The Movie!!! Flying monkeys!!!)
The Jungle Book (RL 7.4) (Just look for the bear necessities, the simple bear necessities …)
Peter Pan (RL 7.2) (How many movies?)
The Swiss Family Robinson (RL 9.7) (movie is 8+)
Treasure Island (RL 8.3) (The Muppet Movie! Classic)
Note: Reading levels all refer to the original, unabridged versions. Make sure you get the right one, as there are many abridged versions.
Many of these are also thinking books, so expect the midgets to come up with lots of questions.
What classics do you think are suitable for tweens?
Eek! It's been so long since I've read the classics, I don't have an answer. And there's many I haven't even read.
@Stina There are many I haven't read in decades, if at all (including some above). Would make an interesting read to do together. Hmm…I sense a summer reading project…
I read GWTW the summer before sixth grade and the summer after eighth and I see it as very tame.
I would add Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller (which I consider classics) and Anne of Green Gables. 🙂
@Caroline …which is why every parent needs to decide for their own kids. This parent asked because she was concerned about the content, so I gave her my opinion. I think a lot of parents of tweens are concerned about their kids (especially girls) reading lots of teen-love-angst material, not because it's explicit, but because it's focused on romance and love, when they'd rather have their kids worry about that when they're teens. Then again, many parents see that as harmless. This is definitely a "your mileage may vary" moment. 🙂
You've named quite a few. I'd also add Black Beauty, and Anne of Green Gables.
Love, love, love Gone With the Wind. And P&P is my lifeline. ";-)
Muppet Treasure Island is just possibly the best movie ever made.
The book isn't bad either.
@salarsen Good ones! 🙂
@Taryn There's a BOOK? Awesome.
Johnny Tremaine is one my kids enjoyed and it teaches them history while they read.
I like your recommendations. I think Johnny Depp was way scarier in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
My choices:
Bud, Not Buddy. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Giver.
Thanks for this list. I have one of those tweens, and I picked up Ivanhoe (when she was 10), thinking she'd like it. But then I read it again and realized I'd have to discuss the rape and violence with her. Ugh. She's almost 12 now, and we should probably have that discussion.
I would recommend The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien, anything by Elizabeth George Speare (The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Calico Captive, The Bronze Bow, ect.) and Francis Hogsdon Burnett (The Secret Garden, A Little Princess), and The Scarlett Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy. My favorite at that age was The Count of Monte Cristo.
@KarenG All my erudite readers are making me feel underread. Again. 🙂
@Teresa Johnny does scary well, but I will forever love him for Captain Jack Sparrow.
@Myrna This has exactly been my thinking all along (and I'll be posting about this tomorrow a bit more) – it's not that we want to shield our kids forever from the horrors of the world. Just that there's a time (and an age) for those kinds of discussions, and you want it to be the right one for your kid.
Thanks for the great recs! I see I'm going to have to make another "list"! 🙂
Two titles that my mom friends and I keep throwing around are "Wuthering Heights" and "Jane Eyre." Anyone have ideas on when young girls are ready for those?
@Veronica Great questions!
Wuthering Heights (unabridged) is RL 11.3 and really is a teen book (love! angst! death! more angst!). One option is looking at an abridged version, which tones down both the content (middle grade) and the reading level (5.5), but you lose much of the reading challenge there. There's also a 1939 movie version (rated 10+ by CSM) that tones down the content somewhat.
Similarly Jane Eyre is really a teen book (unabridged RL 7.9 and rated teen), with lots of love, kissing, and implied sex. There are a host of abridged versions at lower reading levels, but some of them are still rated teen, so you need to be cautious with that. Becoming Jane is a lovely movie (rated 12+) but it has hints of sexual acts that you might be wary of for younger viewers. Again, both these stories are wonderful, classic love stories, but probably more appropriate for kids 13+.
Thanks for stopping by and asking such a great question.
Yes! I want to reiterate that parents should get unabridged versions! My aunt gave me an abridged version of Little Women when I was a kid that TOTALLY CHANGED THE ENDING. (Beth lives. She lives! In a cute little beach house with a piano all to her own! I can't believe they actually changed a hugely significant part of the novel!)
I cannot describe how crushed I was when I read the real version!!!!!
@Beth Ack! I didn't even think about that! That's kinda disturbing. Louis May must be turning over in her grave!