Book Reviews & Extras - Classics

[HeyChelle]

So far we have and recommend (and love!)

The Secret Garden
A Little Princess
Chronicles of Narnia (all of them)
Anne of Green Gables (soon to be purchased)
The Call of the Wild (next to be purchased)

I'd like to start a shopping list of classics. We have access to a great library, but with 4 young kids it certainly makes sense to just buy some of the top ones. Especially since I am queen of library fines. I consider it my contribution to library improvements. LOL

Oh, and I have Honey for a Child's Heart. But that's a huge list. I'd love to hear about your absolute favorites. The ones you would consider MUST own in a real old fashioned book format.

[Tx2mum]

You've already got Anne of Green Gables - that and the Laura Ingalls Wilder series are my two FAVES! ;0)

[club190]

I will add the author Gene Stratton-Porter to the list since most people have never heard of her. Great writer. Sort of contemporary to Lucy Maude Montgomery (Green Gables).

I have WAY too many favorite stories to list them all right now but I suggest you google Christine Miller's "1000 Good Books" pages. I don't have the current URL since I saved it years ago but I know it's out there still.

Blessings,
Chris

[Carina]

Some classics we love at our home:

Little Women

Little Pilgrim's Progress (a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress)

The Princess and the Goblin and its sequel The Princess and Curdie

The Wind in the Willows

Heidi

[chatmom]

Some of the favorites here are Jane Eyre, Wide, Wide World, The Three Weavers, - I also like the books/stories put out by the American Tract Society in the 1800's, Dr. Doolite, E. Nesbit's books, the list could continue.....

Save lots of money and shelf space - get a Kindle/Nook or e-reader and start loading it with classics from Gutenberg.org.

[finley3001]

We've been enjoying the Classic Start Novels by Sterling Publishing. We're using those as read-alouds for my DD (1st) and DS (K). Right now we're reading Anne of Green Gables and will be reading the Adventures of Tom Sawyer after that. THey are abridged versions but stay true to the classics and can hold their attention longer.

[Cyndi (AZ)]

Is it best to wait?

Over a weekend at my best friends house I started playing Little Women on my iPad for all the girls at bedtime. They loved it. Then I came home and read in HFCH that it's best read for 12 and up. Can anyone tell me why that is? It's certainly well within my daughter's reading level and she loved the first 3 chapters we listened to. Should I put the book and story away for a few years or go ahead and read it together with her? She reads so fast these days...

Thanks!

That's funny -- I'm reading it right now to see if I want to hand it off to my dd, who is 8yo/3rd grade. I'm just into part 2 of the book. My dd loves the movie! (1949 version)

I haven't decided yet. There are a lot of more difficult vocabulary words and references that either she wouldn't understand or would cause her to ask questions. Some of the boy/girlness about it, as well as some of the snobbery, may be a bit too much for my dd to read on her own. I think it might make a nice read aloud, not reader. (Even though my dd has a high level reading ability.)

I'm still trying to decide. It will be interesting to see your other comments.

[RB]

I think sometimes great books can get spoiled (or not fully appreciated) by giving them too soon. It's not a matter of reading level alone, as you've already discussed. I cast my vote for waiting, for what it's worth

Oh, I just looked at the back of the MFW manual and see it listed as "Sixth grade and up". Sounds about right. There are so many other great classics for younger girls.

[doubleportion]

My dd 8 has really enjoyed reading the Illustrated Classics version of Little Women. As a family we have read Little Men which I enjoyed tons more than Little Women. The vocabulary is more advanced (there were words none of us knew!) but I don't think that should stop you from reading a book. Often we have read them as read alouds as a family and then given to dd to reread on her own as she chooses. That way of doing things seems to open up the opportunity to talk about character issues or modeling that is contrary to what we are teaching in our home and gives our dd chance to ask any questions or explain vocab.

Just my two cents.

Edie

[TriciaMR]

You know, I still read those books over and over and over, even as a 40+ year old. I'll get in a mood, and after I read my Bible during my work-out (on an elliptical or bike), I'll read Little Women again, or a Jane Austin, or a Chronicles of Narnia (not in one sitting, over several weeks while I work out ). And every time I get something new. I do think you can do some of them too young (Little Women might be something to save for 11/12 - seems like I was jr. high or high school before I read that one), so it does help to have someone else kind of suggest age ranges for books. So, do think about the content (Meg gets married, Teddy like Josephine, ends up marrying Amy) and whether or not you want your dd's to get romantic ideas at that young of an age. Also, there's the whole attitude of Aunt March that could be a bad influence on your kids.

Little Men definitely has less romance and has some character issues and children's antics. But, the whole issue of the "Dan" character - again, think about if you want your kids to know about gambling yet, and shooting someone in self-defense, etc.

I know, it's hard to gauge those things sometimes.

-Trish

[momsflowergarden]

I am an avid book collector. My favorite thing to do is go to Half-Priced Books and look for great books to build our home library. One thing I have noticed about the curriculum package in the 5-year cycle is: Where is Heidi, The Chronicles of Narnia, Caddie Woodlawn, Five Little Peppers, Anne of Green Gables, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Tom Sawyer, you get the idea. There are certain books I would love my girls to read or me read to them. If books like these are scheduled in the book basket throughout the 5-year cycle, I can sit back and relax; if not, I would love to know so I can schedule them on our own throughout the years. Thanks!

I only have the ECC in front of me but many of the titles you mentioned are in the general recommended reading in the back of the TM, with which grade they would best suited for. They may be listed in the different levels for bb certain wks but I haven't gone all the way through to find which ones and if so where. They really aren't scheduled into the read aloud part of the curr. but the BB books really aren't either. There is a list of BB books for you to get and there are certain ones for certain weeks but you need to work them in if you want to read them aloud to your dc.

[cbollin]

Heidi: ECC Norway weeks I think?
http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php ... idi#p67127

Anne of Green Gables - also recommend in MFW in ECC for 7th and 8th graders using Progeny Press. And it could be used in year 5 too (that's my opinion)

I think Peppers series would fit in year 5 time wise? it was late 1880's historical fiction.
and Caddie Woodlaw would fit in that year 5 basket time too. set in time of civil war

Caddie Woodlawn, Narnia, Peter Pan, Sawyer, Peppers, Anne, and even Heidi: check the very back of your manual (ADV/ECC, ctg, rtr, ex1850, 1850mod). I think you'll see those listed as General Reading via various grade/reading levels. The books on the General Reading list at the very back of the manual is for "reading" time on the grid. So you can do those "whenever" and if they show up later in book basket, enjoy them again

MFW is literature rich, isn't it?

-crystal

[Metairie]

Sandy, From what I understand, you're saying certain titles like the one I mentioned are in the back as a "read sometime this year" type list? That's all I'm really looking for.

I think you'll see those listed as General Reading via various grade/reading levels. So you can do those "whenever" and if they show up later in book basket, enjoy them again.

Just the answer I was looking for, Crystal. Thanks!

MFW is literature rich, isn't it?

Amen! You know, we used another "literature rich" program for two years and felt like we were running a race to check off the boxes, never savoring or enjoying. This is just such a great fit for us!

[Julie in MN]

Anne was under Canada in ECC, too.
Julie

[tiffany]

I use the list in the back of the teacher's manuals to help the kids make selections for their own reading time on the MFW grid. I also use Honey for a Child's Heart and Books Children Love.