Unlimited Books + Middle School Readers seems an oxymoron.
May 16, 2015 7:13 AM Subscribe
My daughter is now on a reading spree and in the middle of summer break, so I am having a tough time finding books to read. Any unlimited subscription sources? More details...
Complicating factor: Currently out of the US and therefore no access to quality public library systems
I searched Amazon Kindle Unlimited, Oyster Books, Scribd and other Unlimited Books sites, but they don't seem to have good book collections for Kids, especially the middle-school and young readers sections.
She has read the Harry Potter series, all of the Percy Jackson books, Anne Frank, Chris Colfer etc. Right now, Trixie Belden is her favorite.
Hive Mind: Help me with sources for books in the fantasy or adventure genres. She is 10, so she is still grossed out by any sexual topics (she did not like the Judy Blume series).
Complicating factor: Currently out of the US and therefore no access to quality public library systems
I searched Amazon Kindle Unlimited, Oyster Books, Scribd and other Unlimited Books sites, but they don't seem to have good book collections for Kids, especially the middle-school and young readers sections.
She has read the Harry Potter series, all of the Percy Jackson books, Anne Frank, Chris Colfer etc. Right now, Trixie Belden is her favorite.
Hive Mind: Help me with sources for books in the fantasy or adventure genres. She is 10, so she is still grossed out by any sexual topics (she did not like the Judy Blume series).
This may be a bit young (my 9-year-old still actively re-reads them, but maybe 10 is too old), but the Warriors series by Erin Hunter appears to be available on Kindle (and so I assume Kindle Unlimited, although I'm still not sure if everything you can buy on Kindle is also available in KU). It has a few different series, each dealing with different factions of feral cats, their attempts at autonomy and escape from the world of people, and the clashes that happen between rival bands.
Also, what about Michael Scott's Nicholas Flamel books?
posted by mittens at 7:54 AM on May 16, 2015
Also, what about Michael Scott's Nicholas Flamel books?
posted by mittens at 7:54 AM on May 16, 2015
Nthing Project Gutenberg for sheer quantity. If she likes adventure and got through Harry Potter, has she tried some of the traditional boarding-school stories? There are heaps of wholesome Angela Brazils that may appeal, even if the most adventurous thing that happens is frightening a burglar or winning a hockey match.
posted by monster truck weekend at 7:57 AM on May 16, 2015
posted by monster truck weekend at 7:57 AM on May 16, 2015
Epic! looks promising, it is $4.99 for the first month and you can enter her age and interests to get recommendations.
posted by foid at 7:59 AM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by foid at 7:59 AM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you were previously not out of the US, do you still have your old library card? I get a lot of books online from previous city libraries (and then donate to the Friends of the Library).
posted by yarntheory at 8:00 AM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by yarntheory at 8:00 AM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Oh, sorry, I missed the "fantasy or adventure" requirement. Other authors to suggest: Bruce Coville (lots of stuff about unicorns if that is a good thing), Robin McKinley (although watch out for some of the books re: sexuality or darker themes, I'm told--I only read and loved "Beauty"), Ursula K. Leguin (the "Earthsea Quartet" is lovely), and the more classic C.S. Lewis ("Chronicles of Narnia") and perhaps Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. If she can deal with the darker themes in Harry Potter, Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" may be great.
monster truck weekend's suggestion reminds me of my own obsession with antique literature for young children, which as a bonus is often available freely through Project Gutenberg. Louisa May Alcott, L.M. Montgomery, Annie Fellows Johnston's "Little Colonel" series--like the Chronicles of Narnia, some of these may require some extra talks on the historical, moral, and social mores of the times regarding topics like religion or race relations.
posted by spelunkingplato at 8:03 AM on May 16, 2015
monster truck weekend's suggestion reminds me of my own obsession with antique literature for young children, which as a bonus is often available freely through Project Gutenberg. Louisa May Alcott, L.M. Montgomery, Annie Fellows Johnston's "Little Colonel" series--like the Chronicles of Narnia, some of these may require some extra talks on the historical, moral, and social mores of the times regarding topics like religion or race relations.
posted by spelunkingplato at 8:03 AM on May 16, 2015
Also not fantasy or adventure per se, but wholesome enough and if she loves animals, I loved anything by James Herriot at that age.
posted by spelunkingplato at 8:04 AM on May 16, 2015
posted by spelunkingplato at 8:04 AM on May 16, 2015
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper was something I enjoyed at that age.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:24 AM on May 16, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by sciencegeek at 8:24 AM on May 16, 2015 [3 favorites]
Patricia C. Wrede has a fair number of books on KU, though not the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which I read and loved when I was about your daughter's age. (It's a fantasy series from multiple characters' POV, but starts with the story of a princess who runs off to volunteer herself as a dragon's captive so she has a ready excuse for not marrying.) Not sure how appropriate her Lyra books are for 10 year-old, but they're on KU and seem beloved by many--perhaps worth looking into?
Also, Sherwood Smith's Wren trilogy is not on KU but does seem inexpensive on Kindle, and would also be great for her.
posted by Owlcat at 8:28 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, Sherwood Smith's Wren trilogy is not on KU but does seem inexpensive on Kindle, and would also be great for her.
posted by Owlcat at 8:28 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
You might be able to score some free advance copies of ebooks through NetGalley, and apparently BookBub does a decent job of highlighting ebooks when they go on sale. If audiobooks are an option, SYNC releases a contemporary and classic pairing of young adult audiobooks each week during the summer.
posted by SemiSophos at 8:41 AM on May 16, 2015
posted by SemiSophos at 8:41 AM on May 16, 2015
Best answer: These should keep her busy!
Warriors series
Ranger's Apprentice series
Princess Academy series
Origami Yoda series
Name of this Book is Secret series
Gregor the Overland series
Amulet series
Bone series
Amulet of Samarkand series
Kiki Strike series
Ascendancy Trilogy (The False Prince is the first book)
Mysterious Benedict Society
Anything by Brian Selznik
Wings of Fire series
Last Dragon Chronicles
posted by LittleMy at 8:44 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Warriors series
Ranger's Apprentice series
Princess Academy series
Origami Yoda series
Name of this Book is Secret series
Gregor the Overland series
Amulet series
Bone series
Amulet of Samarkand series
Kiki Strike series
Ascendancy Trilogy (The False Prince is the first book)
Mysterious Benedict Society
Anything by Brian Selznik
Wings of Fire series
Last Dragon Chronicles
posted by LittleMy at 8:44 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Do you have a public library card with you and a Kindle/ebook reader? Because a lot of libraries now have an online ebook collection that you can borrow from outside the U.S. using Overdrive.
posted by colfax at 8:52 AM on May 16, 2015
posted by colfax at 8:52 AM on May 16, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks for the great recommendations, gonna try them on Kindle Unlimited.
@mittens: Unfortunately,all Kindle titles are not on KU. The entire Trixie Belden series, for example, is on Kindle, but only one is on KU.
@spelunkingplato: Project Gutenberg is a great option. I glanced through it, but will definitely go deeper into it.
@yarntheory & @colfax: Good point. I was in the US till last year and we used Overdrive a lot, but not sure if the library account is still valid, but if it is, my woes would be solved!
@LittleMy: Wow, thanks for the recommendations. Will check availability of sources, apart from buying them.
posted by theobserver at 9:18 AM on May 16, 2015
@mittens: Unfortunately,all Kindle titles are not on KU. The entire Trixie Belden series, for example, is on Kindle, but only one is on KU.
@spelunkingplato: Project Gutenberg is a great option. I glanced through it, but will definitely go deeper into it.
@yarntheory & @colfax: Good point. I was in the US till last year and we used Overdrive a lot, but not sure if the library account is still valid, but if it is, my woes would be solved!
@LittleMy: Wow, thanks for the recommendations. Will check availability of sources, apart from buying them.
posted by theobserver at 9:18 AM on May 16, 2015
Has she read the Ursula K. LeGuin Earthsea books? Madeline L'engle's A Wrinkle in Time and the associated series?
posted by erst at 9:23 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by erst at 9:23 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Has she read any of the Wizard of Oz series? It's age appropriate, fantasy/adventure, and a number of them them appear to be available on Gutenberg.
Plus, there are tons of them, and they're very girl-friendly.
posted by ernielundquist at 9:26 AM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Plus, there are tons of them, and they're very girl-friendly.
posted by ernielundquist at 9:26 AM on May 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Kindle Freetime supposedly has a curated kid safe media list and games. It's UNrelated to Kindle Unlimited.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?&docId=1000863021
posted by kschang at 9:29 AM on May 16, 2015
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?&docId=1000863021
posted by kschang at 9:29 AM on May 16, 2015
Best answer: You might expand your search outside of books specifically for middle schoolers. There's plenty of stuff nominally written for adults that's perfectly appropriate for a ten year old (Asimov's Foundation comes to mind, though it doesn't sound like that's the sort of thing she'd enjoy), and even something that's thematically a little more mature, though without content to which you and she might object, might not be so bad---Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I dearly love, for example. Yeah, a lot of it'll probably go over a ten-year-old's head, but that's not necessarily a problem.
(Now, whether or not any particular book or author will catch her fancy is an entirely different question, but that's presumably true of YA books as well.)
Some specific suggestions include Tamora Pierce (I haven't read her, but friends swear by her), Chretien de Troyes, Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci series, and Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising . She's probably just barely old enough for Terry Pratchett's wonderful, wonderful Discworld books (perhaps start with the Tiffany Aching series, or the go-to first Pratchett suggestion Guards! Guards! ?) and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game .
posted by golwengaud at 9:35 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
(Now, whether or not any particular book or author will catch her fancy is an entirely different question, but that's presumably true of YA books as well.)
Some specific suggestions include Tamora Pierce (I haven't read her, but friends swear by her), Chretien de Troyes, Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci series, and Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising . She's probably just barely old enough for Terry Pratchett's wonderful, wonderful Discworld books (perhaps start with the Tiffany Aching series, or the go-to first Pratchett suggestion Guards! Guards! ?) and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game .
posted by golwengaud at 9:35 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
At 10, some of Shakespeare's comedies may be within reach (especially in an annotated edition or with sparknotes alongside). I liked "Midsummer's Night's Dream" at that age. Didn't understand it all by a long shot, but I could follow the plot, thought some of it was funny, and was proud as shit to be reading Shakespeare.
Tamora Pierce, OBVIOUSLY. Diana Wynne Jones, definitely. Dark is Rising, definitely.
From the great classics on Gutenberg, everything from Louisa May Alcott. Everything LM Montgomery. E. Nesbit. Heidi. If those go well, she can try Jane Austen. "Jane Eyre" is within reach, although she might really enjoy the school part at the beginning and get bored with the adult part later on. (Actually this goodreads list of YA fiction on gutenberg is really good.)
I was voracious at that age and my mother was opposed to contemporary YA (which was mostly Sweet Valley High), so she just kept handing me great classics of literature; when she ran out of YA-ish ones (like Little Women), she moved on to Victor Hugo and Pearl S. Buck and whatever she had on her shelves from her own college lit classes. You can actually keep a 10-year-old busy for quite a long time in the classics section!
Another option, for hard copy books, is you might run across anthologies of short stories or literature textbooks at used book shops ... I read a LOT of those at that age, picking up my aunts' and uncles' old textbooks in my grandma's basement, and even some "anthology of great newspaper reporting of 1920-1925" sorts of things that my grandfather had had. If I started a story and it wasn't interesting or it was too adult for me, it was easy to skip to the next story in the same book.
On kindle, there's a series of anthologies called "Best American" -- "Best American Short Stories 2014" "Best American Nature Writing 2014" "Best American Essays 2014" -- and for prior years you can often get them really cheaply, or they're on kindle unlimited. They've also started releasing free partial collections that they call samplers. It'd be hit-and-miss for a 10-year-old, but it might be worth poking around.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:42 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Tamora Pierce, OBVIOUSLY. Diana Wynne Jones, definitely. Dark is Rising, definitely.
From the great classics on Gutenberg, everything from Louisa May Alcott. Everything LM Montgomery. E. Nesbit. Heidi. If those go well, she can try Jane Austen. "Jane Eyre" is within reach, although she might really enjoy the school part at the beginning and get bored with the adult part later on. (Actually this goodreads list of YA fiction on gutenberg is really good.)
I was voracious at that age and my mother was opposed to contemporary YA (which was mostly Sweet Valley High), so she just kept handing me great classics of literature; when she ran out of YA-ish ones (like Little Women), she moved on to Victor Hugo and Pearl S. Buck and whatever she had on her shelves from her own college lit classes. You can actually keep a 10-year-old busy for quite a long time in the classics section!
Another option, for hard copy books, is you might run across anthologies of short stories or literature textbooks at used book shops ... I read a LOT of those at that age, picking up my aunts' and uncles' old textbooks in my grandma's basement, and even some "anthology of great newspaper reporting of 1920-1925" sorts of things that my grandfather had had. If I started a story and it wasn't interesting or it was too adult for me, it was easy to skip to the next story in the same book.
On kindle, there's a series of anthologies called "Best American" -- "Best American Short Stories 2014" "Best American Nature Writing 2014" "Best American Essays 2014" -- and for prior years you can often get them really cheaply, or they're on kindle unlimited. They've also started releasing free partial collections that they call samplers. It'd be hit-and-miss for a 10-year-old, but it might be worth poking around.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:42 AM on May 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Looking around in Kindle Unlimited, I see a few possibilities not mentioned so far: The Hobbit, The Princess Bride, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Johnny Tremain, and (if she's finished Harry Potter and wasn't bothered by its intensity in the later books) The Hunger Games.
It does seem hard to find good Middle Grade fiction there, but that might be enough to warrant a brief subscription. If your library connection works out, here are more things I'd suggest looking for: the Lockwood & Co. series, the Monster Blood Tattoo series, Akata Witch, Frostborn, and (if the length of the later Harry Potter books was no problem) Seraphina. A recent FPP on Middle Grade fiction had further recommendations, e.g. Flora & Ulysses and A Tale of Two Castles.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:50 AM on May 16, 2015
It does seem hard to find good Middle Grade fiction there, but that might be enough to warrant a brief subscription. If your library connection works out, here are more things I'd suggest looking for: the Lockwood & Co. series, the Monster Blood Tattoo series, Akata Witch, Frostborn, and (if the length of the later Harry Potter books was no problem) Seraphina. A recent FPP on Middle Grade fiction had further recommendations, e.g. Flora & Ulysses and A Tale of Two Castles.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 10:50 AM on May 16, 2015
Oh, I see Flora Segunda is available on Kindle Unlimited too.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 11:04 AM on May 16, 2015
posted by Monsieur Caution at 11:04 AM on May 16, 2015
I came in to recommend what colfax said--my daughter rents a lot of books from the local library that she accesses online from her Kindle. It's pretty easy if you have that option.
Otherwise, here are her favorites currently:
Dork Diaries
The Westing Game
The True Meaning of Smekday
Smile, Sisters, Drama (graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier)
Wonder
posted by biscuits at 1:01 PM on May 16, 2015
Otherwise, here are her favorites currently:
Dork Diaries
The Westing Game
The True Meaning of Smekday
Smile, Sisters, Drama (graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier)
Wonder
posted by biscuits at 1:01 PM on May 16, 2015
Best answer: Seconding that at age 10, there's plenty of books theoretically written for adults that should be perfectly accessible and not sexual in the least, particularly if she's a voracious reader. I think it's a bit limiting to go by the recommended ages -- they're just guidelines and your daughter's probably the best person to decide if she's ready for a particular book. E. Nesbit and Louisa May Alcott are good options, so are mysteries from various authors (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers). If she likes a bit of romance, I first started reading Georgette Heyer at that age (they're very different from most other romances -- no sexual stuff whatsoever, the most would be a kiss) -- and really hilarious. How about Connie Willis, Terry Pratchett, short stories from Isaac Asimov, Roald Dahl's stories for young adults (there are some that are more "adult-themed"), the entire Anne of Green Gables collection, Gerald Durrell?
posted by peacheater at 2:34 PM on May 16, 2015
posted by peacheater at 2:34 PM on May 16, 2015
Will a subscription to Oyster Books work where you're at?
posted by hydra77 at 3:26 PM on May 16, 2015
posted by hydra77 at 3:26 PM on May 16, 2015
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You might also try talking to someone at her school--schools rarely close down completely and there are probably still people there going about school-business; maybe with the right sympathetic contacts, you could get permission to visit the school library on occasion.
Oh yeah--why didn't I think of this earlier? Project Gutenberg has a Children's Literature section, and here's a list from Goodreads with suggestions. More targeted searches may give you more. There's plenty of great classic literature out there written for children.
posted by spelunkingplato at 7:50 AM on May 16, 2015 [3 favorites]