Books To Read » Intermediate Age

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:32:03 +0000

I read this to my son (11 years). It is the kind of book to be read aloud because there is so much to discuss and the subject matter is difficult: The story is set at the time of the holocaust but when you begin the book you don’t know this. My son asked questions about what was going on so we discussed the history. The content could be very upsetting. I think this book will become a classic. My 14 year daughter appreciated the book too. It is a part of history we must pass on.

[As an aside , you as the parent might like to read Night by Elie Wiesel, Marion Wiesel ( this is not suitable for children). It is considered a classic in holocaust literature. You might also consider that hyperinflation so destroyed Germany that a person like Hitler was able to rise to power. For those interested in this aspect, you might like to read this book, available online for free at Mises.org]
You can borrow The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas from the Auckland Libraries

The book has been made into a movie which is also available from Auckland Libraries.

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Here is the trailer to the movie

You can listen to the author talk about the book ( what is left unsaid) ( sorry the picture is poor)

The Door In the Wall

tarnya — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:16:33 +0000

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli is a delightful historical fiction book. We purchased it on audio cassette some years ago, the tapes used so often they has to be thrown out. It was my older children’s favourite book to listen to when they were ill in bed.

Robin, the son of a knight, falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Robin is cared for by a kindly monk Brother Luke. Brother Luke teaches him many things including how to be a humbler person. Some children would find the book boring because it is not filled with action. Most of the book is taken up with the slow recovery of Robin and him learning patience. I guess that is why it was such a favourite when my children were ill. Not only because they related to the character in the book dealing with the frustration of illness, fatigue and the slowness of life but because when ill they had more time to dwell over the story. In the end Robin learns character and has an opportunity to prove his maturity. You also get a feel for what life was like in Medieval England.

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois

tarnya — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:54:26 +0000

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois was published in 1947. This book has stood the test of time. A retired school teacher sets off on a balloon adventure and ends up of an island secretly populated with families of immense wealth- the island has a diamonds. The author explores what different people would do if money was no barrier, different families on the island pursue different things. Many of the ideas would have large appeal to children eg beds that makes themselves. An interesting read especially for boys.

Weapons by Edwin Tunis

admin — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:51:18 +0000

When my boys were little I banned guns. Then they picked up sticks which were swords, guns etc. So I decided to embrace their love of tools of defense;-) I preferred to think along the lines of self defense, fighting off lions and tigers or evil villains, who had come to invade our shores. Mothers, visitors and younger siblings can’t be hurt because it is not right to kill civilians.

This wonderful book gives you a chance to learn history together while embracing their delight in weapons through the ages. Brilliant for late readers because they can learn so much just from the illustrations. But it is not just the illustrations which are good, Edwin Tunis was a passionate lover of history, which he communicates through his wonderfully detailed text. His books are similar to David Macaulay’s Pyramid: Brilliant for late readers because they can learn so much from the illustrations.

We loved Oars, Sails and Steam: A picture books of ships as well as Frontier Living, Wheels and Indians. We are looking forward to exploring more of his work.

A child could spend a year in Oars, Sails and Steam and not lack for learning. We found the glossary of Nautical Terms in the back very helpful.

Here is a another more thorough review of his books.

Here is the link for some of his books at the NZ National Library

Here is the link for the books at the Auckland Libraries

Click on the image to buy it from Fish Pond

Explode the Code by Nancy M Hall

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:10:18 +0000

We love these workbooks for learning to read, we have been using them for 10 years ( different children . You can read more about the program here including the online version which we haven’t tried yet.

Click on the picture to be taken to Learnex (New Zealand) for the workbooks.
One of my children almost taught themselves to read using these books. My late reader was able to do these without finding them babyish. Humour is used throughout. We sometimes use the in-between books (Explode the Code 1 1/2, Explode the Code 2 1/2 …) if the child takes longer to master the material.

The phonics are not as pure as The Writing Road to Reading which we have also used in our home. But children can do them with minimal help. Most other phonics programs require a great deal of parental input. Nothing wrong with that as such. We found that the Explode the Code was great if I was very busy with a baby, or cooking or cleaning or helping another child…they could still do something to work on their reading. So whether it is your core of reading instruction or a supplement I think they are great!

We also use the pre-school books Get Ready for the Code (Book A), Get Set for the Code (Book B) and Go for the Code (Book C).

The Life-Size Guide to Insects and Other Land Invertebrates of New Zealand By Andrew Crowe

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:14:08 +0000

Andrew Crowe’s books were a wonderful edition to our home library. My 6 year old son appreciates the life sized photographs because it helps so much with identification. This last summer and no doubt the next he will bring in many creeping things for us all to “OOO” and hopefully not too many “ARGHHH!” about. He will pull out this book to identify the creature. We also have enjoyed The Life-size Guide to the New Zealand Beach (Life-size Guide S.) and The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees .

Here is the link for the books at the NZ National Library

Here is the link for the book at the Auckland Libraries