FOAK: Books for (bright) 7-yr-old

You never lived in Bedford, did you?

Kid 1 - "Who nicked my bike?"

Kid 2 - "Some Indian kid, I saw him"

Kid 1 - "Get the lads, we're going to Queens Park to get it back".

 

Indeed. My favourite books as a boy were by GA Henty. And even I'm not
that old.

 

True, but it may explain why I hated them - I had no desire to be like
any of the Enid Blyton characters or go to Ransome-land.

Did you ever read "The Endless Steppe"? That's a book I would recommend
for children but probably not to a seven year old.

 

Fairy nuff. Plenty did/do, though

Never heard of it

<Googles>

Blimey. Yes, rather heavy going for a seven year-old, I'd have
thought. Start them off on something milder, like Kitty Hart's Return
to Aushwitz.

 

<fx: raises quizzical eyebrow>

And you graduated to Sapper?

 

No, although I'm not sure why. The Hentys I'd inherited from my
father. The books I got hold of myself tended to be by the likes of
Nevil Shute, WE Johns and Hammond Innes - and Richmal Crompton of
course.

 

Hmm. I kind of managed to associate with the characters but didn't do
anything around boats.

Well, maybe. I just think the language and social context is too far
removed. Try reading Rider Haggard now, it grates.

 

Haven't seen Artemis Fowl mentioned, ours liked those.

 

I never got into Secret Seven but I read all of Famous Five and even had
a load of those choose-your-own-adventure adaptations.

Never read Swallows & Amazons.

I know I'm a bit younger than most of you lot but really, anyone would
think no decent books for children been written since 1960.

The suggestion about going to the library is spot on. My local library
had a reading challenge thing when I was a kid, a big treasure map on
the wall with a path leading from the start and a flag for each kid
taking part. Each book you read took you one step closer to the
treasure. Completely meaningless but gave extra motivation for reading
voraciously.

 

I fucking love Tintin. I've got every book, including the Soviets and
Congo ones (expect to see the latter banned any time soon), and a load
of coffee-table books about Hergés art and design. Great stuff, even for
a 33-year-old.

 

Little Bruvver is a Tintin freak, and has a whole collection of
ephemera, including various bootleg editions, and a remarkable
pornographic version in which the Thompson twins are engaged in a homo-
erotic love affair, and you *do not want to know* how Captain Haddock
and Snowy spend their spare time.

 

Wot, no Anthony Buckeridge? He only died recently - last year, I think.

 

anything by Robert Heinlein.

Well, it worked for me.

 

when I was about 9 or 10, my friend C. got caught with one of his
dad's porn mags by our primary school teacher - this happened to
coincide with a visit to the school by one George Best. George was
highly amused.

 

he'd probably just rather have the bun.

 

as opposed to a non-english-speaking Frenchman? ;-)

 

ditto, for the FF and the SS; never read S&A.

 

Christian propaganda.

 

"On the Beach" is a great novel.

 

I've got a real soft spot for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.
On the Beach is a great example of the former. I love a happy ending.