Engaging a kid who loves Gravity Falls, Ancient Egypt, and mysteries
October 25, 2020 9:43 AM Subscribe
My 8-year old son is wild for Gravity Falls, and is very into things that have a similar vibe: Ancient Egypt, Mesoamerican cultures, secret codes, mysterious secrets, hidden rooms, cryptids, conspiracy theories, myths, black holes, space-time. I am homeschooling him due to COVID-19, and the key to keeping him engaged is to make use of his interests. What fiction and non-fiction books, tv or movies, video games, subjects of interest, historical events, etc. would a Gravity Falls-loving kid be interested in?
He reads a little bit below grade level, and we suspect he has some mild dyslexia, but he'll absolutely read on his own if he's interested enough. I'd like to try him with The Westing Game and the Percy Jackson books, for example, but those he'd probably need to read with me. Sideways Stories from Wayside School is probably more his reading level.
I'd be especially interested in age-appropriate subjects related to American history, since we're learning about civics and elections (and because he loves the side plot of Quentin Trembley, the 8 1/2th president in Gravity Falls). Things I could imagine catching his fancy: the Navajo code-talkers, the hidden room in Mt. Rushmore, the CIA sculpture Kryptos. Cold War stuff might be interesting -- I can see him being fascinated by the Great Seal Bug and similar spying stuff -- but again, age-appropriate. (I don't think he's ready for MK-Ultra!)
It would also be nice to have more age-appropriate resources on evaluating information / being smart about engaging with mysteries, since this kind of stuff is fertile ground for 'ancient Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world!' and 'Q is sending hidden messages!' sorts of garbage. Resources about critical thinking, conspiracies and mysteries that turned out to be scams, etc. would be useful.
Happy for specific book / media / YouTube video recommendations, and also for general subject recommendations. Thank you!
He reads a little bit below grade level, and we suspect he has some mild dyslexia, but he'll absolutely read on his own if he's interested enough. I'd like to try him with The Westing Game and the Percy Jackson books, for example, but those he'd probably need to read with me. Sideways Stories from Wayside School is probably more his reading level.
I'd be especially interested in age-appropriate subjects related to American history, since we're learning about civics and elections (and because he loves the side plot of Quentin Trembley, the 8 1/2th president in Gravity Falls). Things I could imagine catching his fancy: the Navajo code-talkers, the hidden room in Mt. Rushmore, the CIA sculpture Kryptos. Cold War stuff might be interesting -- I can see him being fascinated by the Great Seal Bug and similar spying stuff -- but again, age-appropriate. (I don't think he's ready for MK-Ultra!)
It would also be nice to have more age-appropriate resources on evaluating information / being smart about engaging with mysteries, since this kind of stuff is fertile ground for 'ancient Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world!' and 'Q is sending hidden messages!' sorts of garbage. Resources about critical thinking, conspiracies and mysteries that turned out to be scams, etc. would be useful.
Happy for specific book / media / YouTube video recommendations, and also for general subject recommendations. Thank you!
Do you have the David Macaulay books? I loved them at that age and they span from Egypt to the near past.
I'd be especially interested in age-appropriate subjects related to American history
Johnny Tremain, with some additional instruction on racism and the Constitution?
On a less old school note, maybe take a look at Lumberjanes?
posted by Candleman at 10:00 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'd be especially interested in age-appropriate subjects related to American history
Johnny Tremain, with some additional instruction on racism and the Constitution?
On a less old school note, maybe take a look at Lumberjanes?
posted by Candleman at 10:00 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Rats of NIMH? National Institute of Mental Health...
posted by johngoren at 10:03 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by johngoren at 10:03 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Math is like some awesome secret code to figure out. I wonder if there aren't some books and methods that lean of "mysteries" of math he'd like. Perhaps learning about the mysteries of the universe though math? https://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/apr/14/nova-great-math-mystery/
posted by ReluctantViking at 10:04 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ReluctantViking at 10:04 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
I bet he would like The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo, which is a webcomic turned books--the adventures of 2 kids solving problems related to the secret world of monsters that live among us. Mostly the problems are solved on behalf of the monsters or to improve monster-human relations. The books have extra content that is not on the web.
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales is a graphic novel series based on American history. He might especially like the first book (based on Nathan Hale, spy) and the Harriet Tubman book (intrigue on the Underground Railroad). The author (also named Nathan Hale) has a way of making the stories wonderfully gripping and fun and not shying away from tragedy (there is a book on the Donner Party) but making them kid-appropriate.
He would probably also like the -Ologies series of books, which are wonderful "encyclopedias" of both information and "information" about dragons, spies, knights, Ancient Egypt, aliens, etc. They have marvelous interactive elements (envelopes, fake manuscripts, "dragon scales" etc.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:07 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales is a graphic novel series based on American history. He might especially like the first book (based on Nathan Hale, spy) and the Harriet Tubman book (intrigue on the Underground Railroad). The author (also named Nathan Hale) has a way of making the stories wonderfully gripping and fun and not shying away from tragedy (there is a book on the Donner Party) but making them kid-appropriate.
He would probably also like the -Ologies series of books, which are wonderful "encyclopedias" of both information and "information" about dragons, spies, knights, Ancient Egypt, aliens, etc. They have marvelous interactive elements (envelopes, fake manuscripts, "dragon scales" etc.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:07 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Oh, also agree that the books of Graeme Base are picture books but often include wonderful cryptograms or codes. The Eleventh Hour has a mystery to solve, and for example the Jewel Fish of Karnak requires you to translate the hieroglyphs to get the solution.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:14 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 10:14 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Going along with the Rats of NIMH, how about From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler? That punched a lot of mystery and history buttons for me at that age. It's Newberry Honors winner; that full Newberry list is probably worth looking through. The Egypt Game comes to mind, but looks like it's a bit older in reading level. (All these are 50 years old - there's gotta be some neat American history mysteries in the interim...)
posted by troyer at 10:53 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by troyer at 10:53 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
These are just fun books I would suggest in terms of fiction:
It’s definitely suggest the Artemis Fowl series (books I mean. We shall not talk about the movies).. My recollection is that at least the first book as a code running throughout it.
Mr Lemoncello’s Library - kids trapped in a library and have to get out first to win a competition - lots of games and riddles, spawned a series
Mysterious Benedict Society - also a series. These are J Fic but are long and a higher reading level so maybe a good read together book
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians - worldwide conspiracy, secrets, and a bit of magic! Also a series
Three Times Lucky - a girl who doesn’t know who her parents were solved local mysteries in a small town full of wacky and lovable characters
posted by itsamermaid at 11:15 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
It’s definitely suggest the Artemis Fowl series (books I mean. We shall not talk about the movies).. My recollection is that at least the first book as a code running throughout it.
Mr Lemoncello’s Library - kids trapped in a library and have to get out first to win a competition - lots of games and riddles, spawned a series
Mysterious Benedict Society - also a series. These are J Fic but are long and a higher reading level so maybe a good read together book
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians - worldwide conspiracy, secrets, and a bit of magic! Also a series
Three Times Lucky - a girl who doesn’t know who her parents were solved local mysteries in a small town full of wacky and lovable characters
posted by itsamermaid at 11:15 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
See if you can find episodes of "O'grady", an animated series (originally on 'the N', which IIRC was a short-lived spin-off network from Nickelodeon) about a small town, and the teenagers who live there, affected/afflicted by 'the weirdness'...which manifests differently every week. All sorts of crazy stuff happens, everyone turns into cats, the pictogram people from the street signs come to life, aliens take over the mall, etc. The episode where everyone gets amnesia is truly, deeply brilliant, and I still find myself laughing every time I remember that poor girl who kept forgetting she already applied the self-tanning cream.
For American History, definitely, definitely the 'National Treasure' movies, about treasure clues hidden in the constitution and other documents and monuments by the Founding Fathers. They're...surprisingly educational for action/adventure movies. You might even be inspired to set up your own historical scavenger hunt around the house, using his lessons as clues.
If Borders/Barnes and Noble is safe to visit in your area, the bargain books rack always always has tons of books on ancient Egypt and WW2.
The Amarna period in ancient Egypt (ruled over by Ankenaten and Nefertiti, and ending with the reign of King Tut) would be particularly fascinating to him as it is shrouded in mystery. After their reign, subsequent pharaohs attempted to remove them from history by tearing down all their temples and using the stones to build new ones. As those have fallen into ruin, the earlier inscriptions on the inside faces of the stones have been coming to light. Check out the 'Amarna Project' website...it is loaded with pictures and information from the excavations at Amarna (Ankenaten's capitol that was abandoned after his death), including the city dump filled with letters on clay tablets written to the pharaoh, begging for gold. (The source of the Egyptian gold, Punt, has yet to be found, and many believe it to be somewhere near Amarna, and the reason Ankenaten moved the capitol there.)
(As far as dyslexia goes, I've heard that tinted (yellow? amber?) glasses help a lot. It's an 'information overload' disorder and, to the brain, white paper looks like 'all information.' Also the notion that you need a lot of light for reading is patently false. It's actually bad for your eyes.)
posted by sexyrobot at 11:16 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
For American History, definitely, definitely the 'National Treasure' movies, about treasure clues hidden in the constitution and other documents and monuments by the Founding Fathers. They're...surprisingly educational for action/adventure movies. You might even be inspired to set up your own historical scavenger hunt around the house, using his lessons as clues.
If Borders/Barnes and Noble is safe to visit in your area, the bargain books rack always always has tons of books on ancient Egypt and WW2.
The Amarna period in ancient Egypt (ruled over by Ankenaten and Nefertiti, and ending with the reign of King Tut) would be particularly fascinating to him as it is shrouded in mystery. After their reign, subsequent pharaohs attempted to remove them from history by tearing down all their temples and using the stones to build new ones. As those have fallen into ruin, the earlier inscriptions on the inside faces of the stones have been coming to light. Check out the 'Amarna Project' website...it is loaded with pictures and information from the excavations at Amarna (Ankenaten's capitol that was abandoned after his death), including the city dump filled with letters on clay tablets written to the pharaoh, begging for gold. (The source of the Egyptian gold, Punt, has yet to be found, and many believe it to be somewhere near Amarna, and the reason Ankenaten moved the capitol there.)
(As far as dyslexia goes, I've heard that tinted (yellow? amber?) glasses help a lot. It's an 'information overload' disorder and, to the brain, white paper looks like 'all information.' Also the notion that you need a lot of light for reading is patently false. It's actually bad for your eyes.)
posted by sexyrobot at 11:16 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh! A few more:
The Time Warp Trio - I haven’t personally gotten into these but kids loooove them. Good for the history itch
Ruby Redford - super genius kid gets drafted to help the government solve mysteries/be a secret agent...but her parents don’t know
Framed! A TOAST Mystery - the theory of all small things helps solve mysteries. But how do you balance CIA work and middle school? These are definitely geared toward tweens but they’re not crazy hard.
posted by itsamermaid at 11:20 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Time Warp Trio - I haven’t personally gotten into these but kids loooove them. Good for the history itch
Ruby Redford - super genius kid gets drafted to help the government solve mysteries/be a secret agent...but her parents don’t know
Framed! A TOAST Mystery - the theory of all small things helps solve mysteries. But how do you balance CIA work and middle school? These are definitely geared toward tweens but they’re not crazy hard.
posted by itsamermaid at 11:20 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
My 7-year-old was gifted a few of the original Choose Your Own Adventure books and he loves them as much as I did as a kid. I remember LOVING "Secret of the Pyramids" and "Mystery of the Maya" when I was your son's age.
posted by erst at 11:35 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by erst at 11:35 AM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Some books I suspect he could read on his own:
* The Squirrel Girl comics have a quirky, positive sense of humor that reminds me of Gravity Falls, although they don't have much of the conspiracy theory/secret code aspect.
* I remember the Tintin comics as being tremendous fun, with lots of mystery and adventure. But I haven't read them since I was a kid, so I can't promise they hold up.
* My younger kid loved the Geronimo Stilton series of mysteries.
Some books that are roughly the reading level of Percy Jackson, and might therefore require some help from you:
* The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch is full of codes and conspiricies.
* The Book Scavenger series is a real page-turned and has secret codes and mysteries, and some fun tie-ins with American history.
* The Two Truths And A Lie is non-fiction that does a great job of encouraging critical thinking. As the title suggests, each section contains two amazing-but-true articles and one that is entirely made up, and you're challenged to figure out which is which. A lot of the natural phenomenon it describes would be at home in one of Gruncle Stan's exhibits.
PS: I wrote a kids' book called Hyacinth and the Secrets Beneath about a secret magical conspiracy that weaves through a lot of real-life London history. It might fit the bill, although it is also at that more challenging Percy Jackson reading level.
posted by yankeefog at 11:55 AM on October 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
* The Squirrel Girl comics have a quirky, positive sense of humor that reminds me of Gravity Falls, although they don't have much of the conspiracy theory/secret code aspect.
* I remember the Tintin comics as being tremendous fun, with lots of mystery and adventure. But I haven't read them since I was a kid, so I can't promise they hold up.
* My younger kid loved the Geronimo Stilton series of mysteries.
Some books that are roughly the reading level of Percy Jackson, and might therefore require some help from you:
* The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch is full of codes and conspiricies.
* The Book Scavenger series is a real page-turned and has secret codes and mysteries, and some fun tie-ins with American history.
* The Two Truths And A Lie is non-fiction that does a great job of encouraging critical thinking. As the title suggests, each section contains two amazing-but-true articles and one that is entirely made up, and you're challenged to figure out which is which. A lot of the natural phenomenon it describes would be at home in one of Gruncle Stan's exhibits.
PS: I wrote a kids' book called Hyacinth and the Secrets Beneath about a secret magical conspiracy that weaves through a lot of real-life London history. It might fit the bill, although it is also at that more challenging Percy Jackson reading level.
posted by yankeefog at 11:55 AM on October 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
At least one of the Magic Tree House books goes to ancient Egypt, and would be a lower reading level than Percy Jackson.
Also, a former student of mine used colored overlays for dyslexia. Pink worked best for her.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 12:46 PM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also, a former student of mine used colored overlays for dyslexia. Pink worked best for her.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 12:46 PM on October 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
The Voyage of the Mimi curriculum was designed for middle schoolers, but I think the story line would be appealing to younger students. The Second Voyage of the Mimi is about exploring Mayan runs. However, it might make more sense if one views the The Voyage of the Mimi first.
posted by oceano at 12:57 PM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by oceano at 12:57 PM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
- The Magic Tree House set... that gets closer to his level... there are stories about code breakers.
- Encyclopedia Brown, though I'll be honest he's too young to solve the mysteries at 8. These are short, but there are aspects of attention to detail which are painfully difficult for kids to notice instead of their WAGs at that age.
- The Magic Misfits series by Neil Patrick Harris - but that's a read with parents. In addition to constant offers for code breaking, interspersed in the 4 book series are a host of magic tricks. Your kid will know about 24 magic tricks at the end of 4 books, and will be working on lifelong skills to master like coin manipulation, palming, slight of hand, misdirection and everything necessary to improve their 3 card monty game by the time they get to high school. The codes will force astute code breakers to re-read the series *at least* once.
posted by Nanukthedog at 1:34 PM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
- Encyclopedia Brown, though I'll be honest he's too young to solve the mysteries at 8. These are short, but there are aspects of attention to detail which are painfully difficult for kids to notice instead of their WAGs at that age.
- The Magic Misfits series by Neil Patrick Harris - but that's a read with parents. In addition to constant offers for code breaking, interspersed in the 4 book series are a host of magic tricks. Your kid will know about 24 magic tricks at the end of 4 books, and will be working on lifelong skills to master like coin manipulation, palming, slight of hand, misdirection and everything necessary to improve their 3 card monty game by the time they get to high school. The codes will force astute code breakers to re-read the series *at least* once.
posted by Nanukthedog at 1:34 PM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Choose Your Own Adventure books!
Inside UFO 54-40!
Mystery of the Maya!
The Abominable Snowman!
Inca Gold!
posted by BrashTech at 6:44 PM on October 25, 2020
Inside UFO 54-40!
Mystery of the Maya!
The Abominable Snowman!
Inca Gold!
posted by BrashTech at 6:44 PM on October 25, 2020
+1 for Mysterious Benedict Society and Pseudonymous Bosch series. My kid got into Gravity Falls a bit later I think but he really enjoyed those books.
posted by crocomancer at 2:23 AM on October 26, 2020
posted by crocomancer at 2:23 AM on October 26, 2020
Scott Peters has four Kid Detective Zet books, set in Ancient Egypt.
Joseph Bruchac (Native American himself) has a nice illustrated book Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story.
Some general recommendations - check out the DK imprint and Workman press books. DK does some great kids history books, encyclopedias etc., etc. with wonderful and detailed illustrations. Workman also has some really quality books. One series that occurred to me from them is their Spy on History Series, for example Victor Dowd and the World War II Ghost Army.
posted by gudrun at 8:30 AM on October 26, 2020
Joseph Bruchac (Native American himself) has a nice illustrated book Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story.
Some general recommendations - check out the DK imprint and Workman press books. DK does some great kids history books, encyclopedias etc., etc. with wonderful and detailed illustrations. Workman also has some really quality books. One series that occurred to me from them is their Spy on History Series, for example Victor Dowd and the World War II Ghost Army.
posted by gudrun at 8:30 AM on October 26, 2020
My Gravity Fall's loving 8-yo really loves Infinity Train, as far as an animated fiction series goes. (I love it, too!)
posted by LKWorking at 9:26 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by LKWorking at 9:26 AM on October 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
I read the first one of these, it was really fun: The 39 Clues series. Has anyone mentioned the Kane Chronicles yet?
posted by dotparker at 12:28 PM on October 26, 2020
posted by dotparker at 12:28 PM on October 26, 2020
Weirdly enough, I recently read The Egypt Game as mentioned up-thread. I think it would be just fine for a smart 8-year-old, I don't think it has aged very badly at all, and it's all about kids who become fascinated with ancient Egypt and then stumble upon a mystery!
posted by zeusianfog at 4:58 PM on October 26, 2020
posted by zeusianfog at 4:58 PM on October 26, 2020
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posted by saladin at 9:52 AM on October 25, 2020 [2 favorites]