Like Jackie, I'm okay with reading the GN or Illustrated Classics (comic book format) as an introduction to something. Maybe they'll get interested enough to tackle the original version. Or make a deal - if you finish the original, you'll borrow (Netflix?) the movie that was made from it. I don't have a problem with the Illustrated Classics, Junior Classics, or whatever they're called: There are different publishers/versions and each calls theirs something different. They're a hardback inexpensive "reader's digest" version of a classic, mostly with one page of text, one page of a large illustration, some with reading level indicated (some as low as upper first grade) and some that are generally about fourth grade level for all by that publisher. At least the reader gets the main storyline, and might possibly an interest may be sparked. And if not, well, the reader probably wouldn't have read that original at all without coercion, so it's "better than nothing".
I also refuse the Junior Classics, but that's just me. We were reading "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" out loud, and it REALLY got bogged down with long, boring descriptions. So I bit the bullet and we switched to the Junior Classic version. And the kids were complaining right away about how it just glossed over, lol! But again, that's just me. Part of reading good literature is the way the words work together, and again, you can't get that in an abridged version. Listening/understanding the language come with practice. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reading aloud to the kids! Phillip was listening to Treasure Island when he was a preschooler! The exception is Shakespeare. Columbus is blessed with a theatre company that performs free Shakespeare each summer, as well as other stuff. We've already been to see "The Scarlet Pimpernell", and in July will be seeing "Midsummer's Night Dream". Phillip was eight, I think, when he first saw Shakespeare. I read the story to the kids from Lamb's "Tales from Shakespeare", so they would have an idea of the story line. I think it was "Much Ado About Nothing". So even if they didn't understand the language, they did understand what was going on. They've seen Midsummer before, and the Tempest (which, of course, they were familiar with from Wishbone, lol!), A Comedy of Errors...not sure what else
I totally agree. Unabridged and written by the author is important. For me it isn't so much knowing the story as it is exposure to great writing and challenging vocabulary that isn't found in rewrites. My exception is Shakespeare too. Knowing the story ahead of time there is beneficial to understanding of the original.
My dss' mother once told dss to buy his half-sister "the young adult version" of Christie. "YOUNG ADULT"? It was written at about a 4th grade level! I had read the original in 6th grade!
20,000 leagues under the sea is ds14 most HATED book. I actually assigned him to read it and he hated it. Never finished and still to this day complains about the descriptions. A man whose beard swayed back and forth. LOL..Everytime we see the book in a second hand store I tease him that we will purchase it.. Then he starts in on how much he hated it.. I should've redeemed the book by reading a childs version I think. He doesn't even want to watch the movie he hated it that much.. I should have known better.
Mine was Red Badge of Courage. We did it in 7th grade. I mean, they couldn't even name the characters, lol!!! I did let Phillip read the Wishbone version when we studied the Civil War.
I like the idea to give the child three books and they have to choose one of them. With mine I have had a stack of books and that is the books she has to read. I had her read Cures they don't want you to know about, ABC Herbal, the intro in Smarter medicine for healthier living, Smart speech, How to read a book, How to listen... just to name a few. She is in hs and an avid reader. I wanted her to read things I deemed important to her life. Those were just a few in my pile. I will be making the pile for dd#2 this year. With one that doesn't like to read, could there be other type of non fiction to interest them? There are so many topics in life... even magazines can be good to read through. Answers in Genesis and World magazine and Horse and Rider are reading materials that dd enjoys.
This is a good web site for you to check out helps kids pick out books they can read on there level, answer questions when they are done and win some prize. My girls loved to do this all the time. http://www.bookadventure.com/ki/rg/ki_help.asp
LOL. My ds read that this school year and was also bogged down at times and he loves science. He told me he likes books with lots of dialogue He was still interested in the story and I told him to just keep reading what he wanted in the book and let him know that it was okay to skip something. I started reading it with him, but I dropped out when he decided that he would just read what interested him. He ended up reading most of the book, but I must say that I am happy that I didn't have to read it.
