Ol_Ag_02 said:

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Ken Scarborough said:

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RooAg said:

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I am almost finished with the Harry Potter series with my 10 year old girl. I want to start something similar with my 7 year old boy, but don't just want to start Harry Potter all over again. I read the book aloud, she would just listen along.

I think Lord of the Rings series may be too much for a 7 year old, but not sure? I enjoyed it a lot when I read it, but I was an adult.

Any recommendations? A single book is fine as well if no series come to mind. Trying to find something we would both enjoy like HP, or I can at least tolerate.

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The Great Brain. Trust me.

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The great brain. Damn. You and I are both old.

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LOL...i'm older than you.

I read them to my son when he was about that age. He loved them.

The best book ever written is by the same author... Brave Buffalo Fighter.

Never heard of the second book but I loved the Great Brain series. Used to spend hours recreating the illustrations.

The Redwall series is a great suggestion. I started reading those when I was around 8 and loved them.

Ol_Ag_02 said:

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Never heard of the second book but I loved the Great Brain series. Used to spend hours recreating the illustrations.

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It was out of print for many years. A girlfriend around 2000 bought me an old library book version of it for $100. It went back to print but it looks like it's out again.

He has an adult book, Papa Married a Mormon.

It has a lot of similar stories to the Great Brain. It's quite possibly the funniest and most enjoyable book I have ever read.

RooAg said:

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I am almost finished with the Harry Potter series with my 10 year old girl. I want to start something similar with my 7 year old boy, but don't just want to start Harry Potter all over again. I read the book aloud, she would just listen along.

I think Lord of the Rings series may be too much for a 7 year old, but not sure? I enjoyed it a lot when I read it, but I was an adult.

Any recommendations? A single book is fine as well if no series come to mind. Trying to find something we would both enjoy like HP, or I can at least tolerate.

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I've read most of the other suggestions on here but I'd suggest something different - The Wingfeather saga. It was our follow up to chronicles of Narnia. We're on the last book right now. We'll do book one of Harry Potter next (and launch my oldest into it on her own as my youngest will be ready to start on her own soon after). Then we plan to launch into the Hobbit and LoTR. My oldest is 9 and youngest is 7 so that should frame their attention span and is close to the ages of yours.

We have a tradition of reading out loud as a family every night and the last thing we read together for the evening are stories like these. Character and growth are big things for us and if you believe in the transcendent then this fits more than other suggestions. The main characters grow and become better people. Good role model for boys.

We've audio-booked a lot of the suggestions and screened them too even if we didn't read them together. We like to discuss themes and characters and use that as teachable moments or reminders when parenting. You can also use theology if you agree with Lewis. Not all of these series allow the same depth when you explore your own kids actions or decisions.

We try to structure our reading too so that there's a movie or reward at the end that they'll be mature enough to understand and watch. Thus HP fits the age and soon hobbit (animated rather than the *******ized movie) and LOTR will fit very nicely. I believe they're crowd-sourcing funding for an animated Wingfeather series right now but I don't know where it's at. The author himself read it during COVID so you may be able to find his version too.

I second Wingfeather. Don't let the frequent, cheesy breaking the 4th wall in the 1st book dissuade. It was the author's first novel and he was figuring out his style. Really fun group of books; our kids LOVED them.

If he can handle Harry Potter, another series I just thought of is Pendragon.

Judy Blume books are pretty good for age 7. My kid loved all the Fudge books.

Another vote for the Redwall series.

YankeeAg05 said:

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Judy Blume books are pretty good for age 7. My kid loved all the Fudge books.

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Just make sure it's the fudge books and not the tween books that deal with menarche and such.

Little house on the prairie

Just read through The Chronicles of Prydain with my 9 year old. Most people are only familiar with the second book, The Black Cauldron because it had a terrible Disney adaptation, but the entire series is good with plenty of adventure and a positive message for young boys. Kind of a Lord of the Rings Light.

I have read THOUSANDS of pages to my kids who are now 14, 12 and 10. A recommendation that is a series, and quite a bit of fun for that age group that hasn't been mentioned is Alkatraz vs the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. My kids still love those books and my twelve is now reading the most recent release on his own for school.

I really thought I'd only get 1-2 replies to my question. Awesome to see all the involved parents. Thanks for all the great suggestions!

My Father's Dragon is made to be read aloud to a 7 year old. Highly recommend. It's a trilogy, but the first book stands on its own.

Netflix is releasing a cartoon movie if it. next month, so that's also a plus.

All of the books by Bryan Jacques - Redwall series
Hank the Cowdog
Lloyd Alexander has two good series.
-The Chronicles of Prydain
-The Westmark Trilogy
David Eddings The Belgariad Series
Westside School is Falling Down

a nice thing about Redwall is Netflix has signed on to produce a series based on the book series, so you will have that to watch at some point too

Another vote for Redwall. Start in order of when the books were released.

Sponge said:

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Another vote for Redwall. Start in order of when the books were released.

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I'll add another vote for Redwall.

The Hardy Boys are always good books. Read those when I was 8. Also read Where the Red Fern Grows 1st time when was also 8. Goosebumps was good too

No love for Shanara series? Although I did start those at age 10.

The Bad Guys

aggielax48 said:

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The Bad Guys

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These are good, but they are something a 1st grader should be reading by themselves rather than read to them at bedtime.

Currently reading the Willard Price adventure series to my 6 year old boy.

He loves it. Very entertaining and somewhat educational about different nature environments.

https://www.amazon.com/Roger-Hunt-Adventures-Book-Books/dp/1529130263/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=1344703752006013&hvadid=84044124462160&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=61181&hvlocphy=65542&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-84044692051097%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=22591_10459030&keywords=willard+price+adventure+series&qid=1665613556&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-2

AimToMaim 06 said:

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Currently reading the Willard Price adventure series to my 6 year old boy.

He loves it. Very entertaining and somewhat educational about different nature environments.

https://www.amazon.com/Roger-Hunt-Adventures-Book-Books/dp/1529130263/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=1344703752006013&hvadid=84044124462160&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=61181&hvlocphy=65542&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-84044692051097%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=22591_10459030&keywords=willard+price+adventure+series&qid=1665613556&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-2

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Amazon Adventure was my first read of Willard Price. There are a bunch of them and they are all great and teach you about animals.

Really enjoyable book that I read several times as a 8-12 year old is "Carry On, Mr Bowditch" about a nerd in Colonial Salem who ends up being the Father of American Seafaring Navigation and important early American mathematics pioneer.

I always assumed it was just fiction like Johnny Tremaine until probably 20 years later when I saw a reference to the fact that every US Navy ship STILL keeps a copy of his (much updated!) guidebook on navigation and seaman ship.

Great book about a kid with a rough go of things making something of himself.