Ok - I'm trying to figure something out for my daughter and son (10th & 11th grade)... neither one LIKES to read - but they need to (yes I'm a mean mom) and based on some of the background they need, these are their book choices. However, if I remember correctly neither one of these books are considered "easy" reads or easily understood. Fine - but are there (I hate the term but it fits) "dumbed down" versions which a child who needs the basics can get through? Any that you know of? Literature is the HARDEST part of school right now for my daughter because her lack of an english background.... my son is just lazy but I can deal with that
This lady wrote a couple: http://www.amazon.com/Rosemary-Sutcliff/e/B000APPSQ6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1359999867&sr=1-1 They aren't dumbed down of the original. The are rewrites for younger children. I read them aloud to my kids last year. The Black Ships before Troy and the Wanderings of Odysseus are the ones you want to look at.
I'm with Embassy. The Black Ships Before Troy is considered very good. Phillip has also read the Odyssey, because I found an old re-written copy of it. (Plus there's always Wishbone, lol!) Any ideas for Romeo and Juliet? I'm a firm beleiver that making kids READ plays is the worse thing you can do to them. So I'm tying to find a video of R&S, PLAY, not MOVIE (ie: no Leonardo diCaprio). The reason being, we're going to see Ballet Met preform the ballet of it on Valentine's Day. (Faythe, no Phillip. He's made it VERY clear that he does NOT want to go!!!). Yes, they know the basic story, but I'd love to have Faythe watch the original beforehand.
If your children don't like to read I suggest books on CD or just give them easier books. There's a movie of Romeo and Juliet where they have guns. Kind of weird, but it works. Or they can watch West Side Story. I love Hamlet with Kenneth Branagh. Plus there's a lot of good Dickens movies: Bleak House, Little Dorrit (warning the series of Little Dorrit contains one gay scene - why do they do that?), Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities. If they struggle to read, give them the video and then the book and it might encourage them to read the book after seeing the movie (assuming they liked the movie). I struggled to read all through school, but now I'm an avid reader. I just realized that when I was in school my reading was a year or two behind, so every school year I was reading books too difficult for me. If only someone had given me easier books I would have become a book lover sooner.
These are great (I sell them to high school teachers and gifted middle school teachers at conferences I attend): Odysseus, illustrated chapter book (AR level is 5.6, grade level is middle & high school, guided reading level is W, and content is appropriate for ages 8 to adult) Odysseus, illustrated picture book with audio CD (more content than the chapter book) Achilles, illustrated chapter book (new title, has not been leveled yet, but is comparable to Odysseus) Achilles, illustrated picture book with audio CD (more content than the chapter book)
My 12 year old used to hate reading too, with a passion, and only wanted to read easy-cheesy (as I call it) books. When we started homeschool last year, I made one of his bookshelves in his room full of age level appropriate books. Both of my boys were told that during silent reading time, this is the only shelf that they could choose books from, or we can go to the library and he can pick up age level books there. I told them that if they do well, then the last 10 min of silent reading time, they can read easy cheesy books if they want. Both of my boys first told me "There is nothing there to read" - on a shelf with about 50 books. I stuck to my guns and after much grumbling and no backing down on my part, they both read age appropriate books without much difficulty, if any at all. This really only took a couple of weeks. My 12 year old found a series of books at the library "Warriors" and absolutely loves to read those books. He even got his older brother interested in reading those books. They love talkig about the books they are reading, especially ones that they both read. They now read books off of their silent reading shelf without any difficulty - most of the time. If they give me a problem, I just tell them "You have 2 min to pick a book, or I pick", and low and behold, every time, they come out of the room with a book in hand. Also, the latest thing they love doing, is reading books on their new tablets. Same rule applies though - we make sure that age appropriate books are loaded on the tablet. We love talking about the books that they are reading at the dinner table too. It just amazes me in the change that has come about with my boys. :lol:
I'll second the Sutcliff books. My dyslexic 9th grader and advanced 5th grader have really enjoyed them. If you want to read "real" versions of something along those lines, Sophocles' Theban Plays are very readable. They're taught in our public high schools in 10th and 11th grade.
I would suggest watching the Zeffirelli production of Romeo and Juliet and then maybe reading the play. That movie received rave reviews at the time and is quite faithful to the original. It's available on YouTube free of charge. Note that, while the movie was given a G rating initially, it had to be changed later to PG because of one nude scene - which, of course, is true to the play.
