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re: Suggestions for precocious teen reader

Posted on 2/28/24 at 10:30 am to
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4658 posts
Posted on 2/28/24 at 10:30 am to
If you're wanting to "stretch" her reading without subjecting her to too mature of content, I'd start giving her some classics. She might not "love" the books in the same way she's going to like the YA stuff that she's currently likely reading, but she'll develop stronger comprehension skills, vocabulary, and ability to wade through more difficult texts.


Some thoughs:
Watership Down
The Giver
Wrinkle in Time
Ender's Game
Brave New World
Frankenstine
Time Machine
Dracula
Lord of the Flies
Huck Finn
Call of the Wild
Treasure Island
Gulliver's Travels
Sword in the Stone
Three Musketeers
Swiss Family Robinson
The Outsiders
Little Women
Oliver Twist
The Secret Garden

Posted by Stitches
Member since Oct 2019
914 posts
Posted on 3/3/24 at 7:07 am to
quote:

Watership Down
The Giver
Wrinkle in Time
Ender's Game
Brave New World
Frankenstine
Time Machine
Dracula
Lord of the Flies
Huck Finn
Call of the Wild
Treasure Island
Gulliver's Travels
Sword in the Stone
Three Musketeers
Swiss Family Robinson
The Outsiders
Little Women
Oliver Twist
The Secret Garden


All of the bolded above, plus those listed below were part of my junior high reading list, and none were too difficult to comprehend as a teen.

The Hobbit
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Skellig
The Red Badge of Courage
Sherlock Holmes stories (especially the Hound of the Baskervilles)
Posted by LaLadyinTx
Cypress, TX
Member since Nov 2018
6097 posts
Posted on 3/7/24 at 2:06 pm to
quote:

Wrinkle in Time

quote:

Huck Finn

quote:

Little Women


I really would have expected her to have already read those if she is really a reader. I was probably 3-4 years younger when I did. I remember specifically reading A Wrinkle in Time at around 8-9 years.

quote:

Lord of the Flies


Have her read this one if you want to take away every bit of her joy of reading. I read it at about her age. I think it was required for school. I thought it was a miserable book.

My family's thoughts on reading (and my grandpa's before them) was that I pretty much could read anything I wanted. Parents had often read it before and would discuss somethings about books with me. I read things like Helter Skelter, Rosemary Rogers books, Go Ask Alice, etc. at 14. I was that age when I read Carrie and maybe a year older when I read Salem's Lot. Basically, in the 70s, YA didn't exist. You either read kid's books or adult books. There are a lot of good crime/detective books as well.

I realize the OP is looking at what her daughter might understand and not wanting content to be too "adult". But I'd argue that your daughter will hear lots of adult stuff and seeing things from the context of books might help her. If someone had given me the list provided here as a 14 year old girl...most of it would have put me to sleep! Censor less. Just let her read well written books. She will be fine.
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