List of Read-a-Loud Books for Dads
Todd,
Wondering, if you have a list of books to read to a 11 year old boy. Its been a long time, since I just entered his room at night and read to him. Got anything? I guess I need to be fair, I’ll need one for the daughter also.
~ Super Dave
OK, Dad, let him have it!
This Post Has 74 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
The Boyscout handbook is the bomb!
The Wormling Series (5 books) by Jerry Jenkins. Our family spellbound—from 6 year olds all the way through this 52 year old dad. Jerry is an awesome Christian man who has written this with Chris Fabry as an incredible allegory.
Hey, the old Hardy Boy books were always a favorite. Another great series is the Joe Gray cat detective series about some talking cats and a neat little town in California
Hostage Lands
http://www.amazon.com/Hostage-Lands-Bond/dp/1596380276
Officially listed as teen fiction, Hostage Lands has an appeal which reaches a larger audience, from approximately 10 years old through adult. Set in English farmlands near the remains of Hadrian’s Wall, this historical adventure can be read for its entertainment value alone; but, the reader will also find out what it can cost to be a follower of our Lord, as well as gaining some fine Christian perspectives for living.
Kingdom’s Edge series and additional Earethtrae books by Chuck Black
Terrestria Chronicles, Sherlock Jones, Jed Cartwright books by Ed Dunlop (TERRESTRIA is LIFE–CHANGING!!)
Kidnapped – Stevenson
Anything by Jules Verne
Anything by Ballantyne (my boys loved Coral Island)
Codebearers series (Hunter Brown)(2 so far) by the Miller Brothers
Crown & Covenant Series by Douglas Bond
Viking Quest Series by Lois Johnson
Narnia
Lord of the Rings
Dragon series by Donita K. Paul
Chocolate Fever
By the Great Horn Spoon
The Great Turkey Walk
Heidi (not kidding – a POWERFUL story I read to my boys last summer!)
Hans Brinker
Dr. Doolittle
missionary stories
Airman by Eoin Colfer
Robinson Crusoe
Ben Hur
Swiss Fam. Robinson
I actually like the classics on audio. Often free to download on your library’s website!
I recommend any and all of the books in the G.A. Henty series. They are awesome for boys….and girls. God Bless!
We like the Kingdom Series (by Chuck Black) http://www.kingdomsquest.net/ and the Hunter Brown books by the Miller brothers (http://www.codebearers.com/)
All by David and Karen Mains:
Tales of the Kingdom
Tales of the Resistance
Tales of the Restoration
Biblical allegory. Main character is a young boy/man originally named Scarboy, but receives the name Hero. Each story takes less than 15-20 minutes to read.
+1 for Swiss Family Robinson. Great example of a Godly man leading his family through rough times.
My 10 year old has loved the Kingdom’s Dawn series by Chuck Black. Chuck has written a great allegory to the Bible and it is very good. http://www.kingdomsquest.net/kingdomseries/dawn.php
Singer Andrew Peterson (yes he of the official FamilyMan song, “Familyman”) is writing a series that is being compared to Narnia called The Wingfeather Saga. He has written 2 excellent books so far: “On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness” and “North! Or Be Eaten!”
Excellent stories with great themes. http://wingfeathersaga.com/
Chronicles of Narnia,
Hinds Feet in High Places
Pilgrims Progress (there are some easy read versions)
Go to Lamplighter Publishing (www.lamplighterpublishing.com). This is a Christian company that re-publishes books from the 1700 – 1800’s. They have books specifically for young boys such as “Boys of Grit who became Men of Honor” and “The White Knights”. These are some of the best books available, especially for kids. You will not be disappointed.
I suggest focusing on some books written before 1920. (before the distinction was made between children’s books and older child books). Some titles are ‘Laddie’, ‘The Foundling’, and ‘Around the world in 80 days.’
In addition, if you’d like to read some Christian heros, go to http://www.tanbooks.com and click on Saints. These are incredible stories for your children to model their lives after those who have given everything to Jesus. Some I recommend here are:
The Cure of Ars
The Life of St. Dominic
Life of St. Ignatius of Loyola
St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Francis De Sales
St. John Bosco
St. Maximilian Kolbe
My kids love these Christian hero biographies.
LOTS of awesome suggestions. Many that I was going to recommend. One missing from the list is Where the Red Fern Grows – it’s an AWESOME read-aloud
I have been reading the Bob Schultz books to my children (ages 6, 4 & 4). They focus on building character in boys, but I have found them to be excellent for the whole family (even dad). He uses real life stories to show how God shaped his character to more like Christ’s. The books are titled:
Boyhood and Beyond
Practical Happiness
Created for Work (my favorite)
Enjoy!
I second the Lamplighter recommendation. These books are full of honorable characters that will help build character. The website will help in choosing books by age and gender.
I agree on the Bob Shultz books. Also a couple of biography types would be ‘Carry on Mr. Bowdich’, ‘Galileo and the Magic Numbers’, A good read, but younger age book is ‘Treasure in the Snow’, all true stories. My kids loved them. A fun fiction book is ‘Penrod and Sam’.
My oldest child is a girl, age 7. We’ve read through all but the last of the Chronicles of Narnia. Somehow decided to save the last one for later.
We’ve read through the entire Little House series. What I didn’t realize at first is that “Farmer Boy” in that series is about the childhood of Almanzo Wilder (Laura Ingalls’ husband).
The Boxcar Children series was great — but only those by the original author. The more recent books by ghost writers were formulaic drivel with the children acting in foolish ways that would put them in serious danger in the real world. Stick with the originals, which teach respect, responsibility, adventure, authority, etc.
Our latest series that we’re REALLY into is a British one called Swallows and Amazons. It does much the same as the original Boxcar Children, but with a whole realm of imaginative play layered onto the story. Todd, if you’re going to learn sailing (I might have to build a PDR, too!), these books – especially the first – will give you a crash course in some of the terminology of small boats. Keep Google handy if you want to dig a little deeper and don’t know what the words mean. The series was written starting around 1930, and it’s been a great learning experience for my wife, daughter, and me about life in the British countryside 80 years ago. The characters are both boys and girls, of mixed ages up through perhaps early teens. I’ve probably enjoyed these books at least as much as my daughter!
My girls loved the Redwall series. There is a lot of action and fighting but very much PG.
We listen to books in the car all of the time. I do not guarantee that these books do not have some cursing but the story lines are good. Some we have enjoyed are:
Robinson Curosoe
Diary of Miss Jane Pittman
Red Scarf Girl (deep issues about Red China)
My Side of the Mountain and the books that follow it
Windcatcher by Avi
Preachers Boy By Katherine Paterson
Archer’s Quest
The Hobbit
Counting on Grace
Across 5 Aprils (about the Civil war)
Dear Mr Henshaw
On my Honor
Call of the Wild
Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIHM
The Westing game
+1 Kingdom Series by Chuck Black. We’re onto the second series and they’re good too!
The Melendy Family by Elizabeth Enright. A series of four books (The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, Spiderweb for Two) about four siblings and their various adventures. Touching, humorous, inspiring, insightful. Highly recommended and fondly remembered even by a 21 year old.
Teknon and the CHAMPION Warriors. Excellent book for teaching a young boy about authentic manhood.
I have three girls and we would heartily recommend many of the Bethlehem Books (http://www.bethlehembooks.com), especially those in their Living History Library series and some in the Young Adult Bookshelf. We have read aloud and enjoyed the following:
Augustine Came to Kent
Beorn the Proud
Between the Forest and the Hills
Downright Dencey
Enemy Brothers
God King
Hittite Warrior
Madeleine Takes Command
Red Hugh: Prince of Donegal
Son of Charlemagne
The Lost Baron
The Red Keep
The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow
They Loved to Laugh
Victory on the Walls
With Pipe, Paddle and Song
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem.
Any of the early Ralph Moody books-“Little Britches” is the first. They are an amazing first hand account about a young boy growing up in the late 1800’s in the front range in Colorada-part cowboy book, part kids doing grown up things to support his family
“The Squire and the Scroll” for your son and “The Princess and the Kiss” for your daughter…great books with good illustrations and strong messages about resisting evil and guarding your heart. Can be read aloud in one thirty-minute setting.
Here’s another vote for the Kingdom series. Our kids (2, 4, 9 and 16) all loved them.
http://www.kingdomseries.com/
We loved the Chronicles of Terrestria series (7 books) Great for whole family. Life changing!!! http://www.dunlopministries.com We recommend these to everyone!!!!!
Another plug for Lamplighter here. I’m a firm believer in what they do. Just this week in one of Mark Hamby’s (Mr. Lamplighter himself) devotionals he recommended ‘True To The Last’ as a must for outloud reading times.
My 10 year old son absolutely loves the Sam Campbell Forest Life books. See the list at http://www.samcampbell.com/
As stated, Ralph Moody’s ‘Little Britches’ is a great read, right through “Man of the Family’, ‘The Home Ranch’ and ‘Marry Emma and Company’. Great stories about a boy who works hard and is industrious as he learns about helpin to support his family. I wish I could walk right next to him through most of his adventures.
Three that I absolutely loved reading to my 10 year old: – Carry on Mr. Bowditch (great example of patience, humility and leadership) – My Side of the Mountain (for anyone who’s ever dreamed of living off the land) – Around the World in 80 Days (classic race against time)
Thanks to everyone else for great suggestions!
I must second Lamplighter Publishing books, and also the G.A. Henty books. Not to mention the classics Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Some of the language is uncommon today, but that just opens up more opportunity to communicate with your children. Enjoy!
My son and I are currently working on “The Phantom Tollbooth” and I would highly recommend it.
Any G.A. Henty historical fiction as well as the Sugar Creek Gang were big hits at my home
Ready my guys (2 boys, 4 girls) the Trailblazer series (by Jackson). I also read them The Minute Boys of Lexington. Good story with teenage protagonist. Also, the end of each chapter is a cliffhanger so they will beg you to read the next night! Also, I loved the “Chip Hilton” series. About a high school athelete (and later college) who is a real straight arrow and excels at sports. So if you have an aspriing athelete, these are great! Written by Clair Bee, they have been reintroduced recently since orginally being published in the 50’s (I think). Also, if you want your chile to read themselves, you can do it by starting to read at night. I did this with my daughter; she wanted me to read to her another chapter in the book and one night, I had to defer, so I said “You can read the next chapter if you want”. In an hour, she read the entire rest of the book! She has been an avid reader ever since. And all my kids thereafter have developed into big readers because they see their siblings reading all around the house.
The Sign of the Beaver
Pilgrim’s Progress – No explination needed! This book caused a revival…it could happen in your home too! There are some versions written in today’s language!
Out of the Silent Planet & Perelandra. I just read these to my 11 year old Narnia-loving son and he was completely enthralled. Awesome literature. C.S. Lewis Rocks!
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (about 2 children who run away and live in a museum and help solve a mystery).
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet (about 2 boys who build a rocket and travel to a planet to save it).
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs (about a boy who takes on his father’s challenge to find 7 wonders in his own town).
We’ve read plenty of Henty— after a couple of them, you and your boys will roll your eyes as soon as the girl gets introduced. 😉 Your boys will read Henty to thier boys.
Hardy Boys and Narnia were favorites.
Thomas Paine: Common Sense
Esther Forbes: Johnny Tremain
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Little House Series
(They’ll never think they’ve got it rough again ;?)
The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson
Our boys and girls love the series “Little Britches” by Ralph Moody. Our 14 year old son who has a reading disability has listened to all 8 books on tape 2 times, and working on his third. All of the other children have enjoyed thema as well. Great books! We recommend them as read-aloud material for the entire family.
We really like the Cooper Kids series by Frank Peretti. Also the Black Stallion books by Walter Farley. Any of the Sonlight books are really good. The three series that Lois Walfrid Johnson wrote are good for boys and girls. Hardy boys and Nancy Drew are good stable friends. Hope this helps.
I am not sure about a read out loud but Raising a Moderern Day Knight by Robert Lewis is extremly eye opening to us dads
Anything Henty
The old, old Hardy Boys (somewhere in the 60s they were “re-written”)
The Hobbit
Narnia
and just for fun, Uncle Wiggily.
Kavik The Wolf DOg by Walt Morey.
Many great recommendations already. One favorite we would add is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – especially good audio for a car trip.
1776 by McCullough also.
With My Rifle By My Side, by Kimberly Jo Simac. Published by Nordskog Publishing, this is a great book on the Second Ammendment, and from a Christian point of view. My sons loved it!
Hunter Brown series.
Also a must for all boys and goes back to the “What to teach a boy” question….The Dangerous Book for Boys!!
“My Life as a smashed burrito with a little bit of hot sauce” Its a real funny series by the same author, My kids love it. Both boy and girl. I really enjoy reading this. Its a real blessing of life experiences by this Christian Author… Real Funny and Fun… TOP RECOMMENDATION for a 11 year old…
My son has recently fallen in love with the Red Rock series by Jerry B Jenkins and Chris Fabry. And PLEASE don’t read Where the Red Fern Grows to sensitive children!!! I bawled as a 2nd grader and haven’t been the same since. Seriously, it’s just too sad a read, especially as a bedtime story.
The Dangerous Book for Boys is a winner. Lots of cool projects and stuff too, but I don’t think there are any boats!
Find something around his interest. Sci-fi, adventure, history, ect. We like to read books that have been made into movies then go see the movie and compare. My son was so into telling me all the discrepences in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Also, I’m a southerner, I like Mark Twain. Good luck and have fun with it.
My 12-year-old twin daughters and I love the Christian Heroes: Then and Now series by Janet and Geoff Benge. Inspiring real-life stories about ordinary people who did extraordinary things for God. We read at least one chapter a night, but often can’t stop with just one.
Wow! Lots of great suggestions! My son loves Swiss Family Robinson, My Side of the Mountain, The Black Stallion and The Little House Series. He is 8 now.
The American Adventure series.
48 books in all, dating from the Mayflower to the end of WW II. You learn history and how young Christians strive to live out the Christian life in their circumstances.
The American Adventure series.
48 books in all, dating from the Mayflower to the end of WW II. You learn history and how young Christians strive to live out the Christian life in their circumstances. by Barbour Publishing.
The “Reel Kids Adventures” series by YWAM Publishing – exciting missionary types stories.
Wally McDoogle books by Bill Myers Maybe Bethany House Publishers.I had a son accept Christ while we were reading “My Life as Crocodile Junkfood!”
Thanks for everyone else’s great suggestions!
A couple of great outdoors books with more than a little bit of humor:
Distant Fires: Two young men travel by canoe from their home in Duluth, MN to York Factory on Hudson Bay.
Tales from Jack Pine Bob: Very funny short stories from the youth of Northern Minnesota’s most prolific outdoor writer, Bob Cary.
“Future Men” by Douglas Wilson
All the books by Bryan Davis are FANTASTIC. He’s just started a new series (first book, Starlighter) that is dealing with interdimentional space travel. He has two other (interlocking) series that are especially good if your children like dragons. All his books are written from a Christian perspective and have biblical values woven into the fabric – and they shine like a brilliant star! Wonderful change from the darkness in kids literature today.
Some GREAT book are the Ralph Moody autobiographies starting with
Little Britches. These are like the boy equivalent to the Little House on the Prairie series(also excellent.) The book Summer of the Monkeys (not Disney movie) is great, and anything by Patricia St John. Have fun – reading is a great bonding and maturing activity that we miss in an electronic age.
For lighthearted and fun reading, I highly recommend John Ericson’s Hank the Cowdog series.
I am going to throw my vote in with the “Little Britches” series, also. We also did the Narnia series.
My side of the mountain
Our family’s all time favorite read aloud has to be The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr. Gather the whole family together for that one.
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck is another enjoyable story for the family.
Other favorites of ours:
(a boy and his dog story), Scout, by Julie Nye.
the Christian Heritage Series, THE SALEM YEARS, by Nancy Rue is great for boys or girls.
Carry on Mr. Bowditch by Jean Latham – WONDERFUL BOY ADVENTURE.
By the Great Horned Spoon, by Sid Fleischman. OLD YELLER, by Fred Gipson, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE, by Ron Snell, a biography of a missionary’s son growing up in the jungle.
GREAT WHEEL by Robert Lawson, a story about the building of the first Ferris wheel at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Girls Stories: CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY, (one of my daughter’s favorites) by Karen Cushman.
THE SHERWOOD RING, by Elizabeth Marie Pope.
Short story read alouds full of full-blown belly laughs for the family:
try NEVER SNIFF A GIFT FISH, by Patrick F. McManus (of Outdoor Life Magazine).
And, the LEFT BEHIND series, “THE KIDS” is absolutely full of adventure! (You’ll want to be sure and read these in order.)
http://artofmanliness.com/2009/11/15/50-best-books-for-boys-and-young-men/
Good listing of books. I have read many of them over the years and am having my 14 year old son read some of them this summer.
I’m sure I missed some but here is a recap. I tried to place asterisk by ones mentioned more than once.
Book List Recap
1. The Wormling Series (5 books) by Jerry Jenkins
2. Hostage Lands by Douglas Bond
3. Kingdom’s Edge series by Chuck Black***
4. Terrestria Chronicles by Ed Dunlop
5. Sherlock Jones by Ed Dunlop
6. Jed Cartwright by Ed Dunlop
7. Codebearers series by the Miller Brothers
8. G.A. Henty series
9. Laddie
10. The Foundling
11. Around the world in 80 days
12. Redwall series
13. Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIHM*
14. Little Britches by Ralph Moody****
15. Man of the Family by Ralph Moody*
16. The Home Ranch by Ralph Moody*
17. Marry Emma and Company by Ralph Moody*
18. Carry on Mr. Bowditch*
19. My Side of the Mountain**
20. Around the World in 80 Days
21. The Phantom Tollbooth
22. Kavik The Wolf Dog by Walt Morey
23. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
24. With My Rifle By My Side by Kimberly Jo Simac
25. The Dangerous Book for Boys!!
26. Swiss Family Robinson
27. The American Adventure series.
28. Wally McDoogle books by Bill Myers
29. My Life as Crocodile Junkfood!*
30. Future Men by Douglas Wilson
31. Chronicles of Narnia**
32. Scout by Julie Nye
33. The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr
34. Cheaper By The Dozen, by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr.
35. Great Wheel by Robert Lawson
These are books not yet listed. These are some of our favorites from the last 5 years. My son is in 3rd grade this year.
The Cricket in Times Square by Garth Williams
Abel’s Island by William Steig
Andre by Lew Deitz
The Boy Who Sailed Around the World Alone by Robin Graham
Sea Pup by Archie Binns
The Cricket Winter by Felice Holman
Copper Toed Boots by Marguerite de Angeli
Milly Molly Mandy and Billy Blunt by Joyce Brisley
Luther Burbank Nature’s Helper by Lillian Bragdon
The Little Riders by Margaretha Shemin
The Great Bamboozlement by Jane Flory
Three Cups of Tea (children’s version) by Greg Mortenson
Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat
Homer Price and Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey
Catching Their Talk in a Box by Betty Hockett
The Great Ringtail Garbage Caper by Timothy Foote
McBroom’s Wonderful One Acre Farm by Sid Fleishman
Star of Light and The Tanglewoods’ Secret by Patricia St. John
Papa Panov’s Special Day by Ruben Saillens
Out of the Darkness The Story of Louis Braille by Russell Freedman
Lots of great suggestions here. Enjoy!
Patricia M. St. John got two mentions, but in addition I’d like to recommend her book Twice Freed and her autobiography.
Ralph Moody (Little Britches) was mentioned a lot and deserves all of them.
For something new to the list: The Old Squires Farm and Sailing on the Ice by C.A. Stephens. (Major contributor to the Youth’s Companion magazine that Laura Ingall’s family read during the Long Winter.) These story collections about civil war orphans raised by their grandparents in Maine are funny and inspirational.
Some other family favorites for read aloud, now back in print:
The Runaway’s trilogy by Victor Canning
Crusade in Jeans by Thea Beckman
The Mad Scientists Club books by Bertrand Brinley (Two story collections from Boys Life magazine and two novels with the same characters).