I need some recommendations for some chapter books to read out loud to my middle two boys ages 13yo and 5yo. (The 3yo. can listen in if he wants. ) It's ok if they are closer to the 5yo range than the 13yo range because the 13yo is a little immature. The 5yo really likes anything to do with cowboys, ranches, farms, and trains and the 13yo really likes anything to do with oceans. Anything you can think of will be a great help. Thanks!
Little Britches is a really wonderful book. I'd look at the Sonlight Read Alour lists for more suggestions.
What about Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder? We found a picture book version of Black Ships Before Troy (a historical fiction by Rosemary Sutcliff) which my boys really enjoyed...a total boy book, if you are ok with greek myths. My boys were 7, 9, 11 when we read it. We also LOVED The Bronze Bow but may be a little difficult for the 5yo. All time read-aloud favorites were: Crispin: A Cross of Lead (great cliff-hangers!!), Adam of the Road (middle ages) and A Single Shard (my boys were 6, 8, 10 when we read it.) and for Christmas: Jotham's Journey. We read one chapter every night of Advent leading up to Christmas...the boys didn't let us forget a night. It was great.
Hank the Cowdog Boxcar children Geronimo Stilton has some ocean/treasure mysteries Those are some that my boys LOVE.
E.B. White's books...Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan I just mentioned "The Mad Scientists Club". The Great Turkey Wallk By the Great Horned Spoon Old Yeller Guns for General Washington
The selections in Honey for a Child's Heart are excellent, and they are organized by age. Some favorites are: Mr Popper's Penguins Caddie Woodlawn Carry On, Mr Bowditch
We just finished reading Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford. My twelve year old grandson and my almost 13 year old daughter loved it. Freddy and Babyboy hung around and listened to it most of the time too.
Oh, another really funny one is A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. It's about a brother and sister who spend a week each year with G'ma during the Depression. G'ma is a REAL character!!! The follow-up book, A Year Down Under might be a Newbury book...?
Mr Poppers Penguins The Phantom Tollbooth (I read this to k-1st level and they liked it) Little House in the Big Woods Farmer Boy Fudge Henry and Ribsy, Henry Huggins
My dd won an unabridged copy of Swiss Family Robinson from the library so hubby read it with her at night before bed. I was very surprised how much they enjoyed it. We were all surprised how much more religious the original book is, much more prayer and believing in God. We were happy with that. The Disney movie version only gives a nod to prayer one time. Great book. Hubby and dd have also read through the Spiderwick Chronicles (not the 'after' Spiderwick Chronicles. Those tend to have words I don't like.) as well as the LIghtning Thief series. They've also read some of the Chronicles of Narnia books and dd and I are reading The Hobbit. We might do the Lord of the Rings next.
We tried 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Oh, man!!! The technical language went on FOREVER!!! We finally gave up and went to an "abridged" book, something I NEVER do. And that was going from one extreme to the other.
I've never read it so I didn't know but he said it was his fav. Maybe when he was older. I'll have to ask him.
