Monthly Archives: July 2023

Top ten books loved by my 9 year old

Our boy went through a year of not reading much when he was 8. He’d become bored of the junior non-fiction on offer, and despite his teachers trying to encourage him to try fiction, it just wasn’t his thing at the time. The last post I did was 2 years ago.

This past year everything’s changed again, and it’s back to nightly reading in bed – and we’ve again found ourselves telling him multiple times to put the book down and go to sleep. And… I’m pleased to report this year he’s finally found a taste for fiction!

1. Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

“This is fiction, but it’s like non-fiction. Because it could be a true story”. This was his summary of Goldfish Boy, which was the first non-fiction novel he finished cover-to-cover. He was so absorbed, he finished it in just a couple of nights.

It’s about a boy who lives his entire life inside, and from the clues he observes by looking through the window, he goes on the journey to solve a neighbourhood crime. The 9 year old was gasping, sighing and cheering out loud as he turned the pages and tried to solve the mystery himself.

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54. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres (100 book challenge)

Fifty-four books done!

In my very first post back in 2014 – when my almost now-10-year old was a little baby and I was wondering where I was going to find the time to read all these books – I calculated that it was going to take approximately 1,500 years to get through the 100 book challenge, at the rate I was reading at the time.

The other day I mentioned to my partner that I was about to finish Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, that I’d started 6 months ago.

“It must be a terrible book!”

No.

“It’s actually a great book. I’m enjoying it a lot.” I’m just REALLY slow at reading.

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Top 10 books loved by my (other) 6 year old

Last year I predicted that by now my little girl would be reading books all by herself, and the nightly ritual of me reading to her would be over. I was right in one way – she’s now racing through books on her own – but we’ve now started reading side by side before bed instead, which is a very special time for us both.

She’s discovered some really sweet books this year, and kept reading the absolute favourites. Here are the Top 10 for this little 6 year old!

1. Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls – 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

What a beautiful book! This one is filled with pretty illustrations, easy-to-read text, and inspirational stories. From Marie Curie and Greta Thunberg to many other women (some whose stories I didn’t know myself), this book is one that we both enjoy reading.

For a little girl who sometimes doubts what she can achieve, each page is a reminder that all the incredible women in this world started out just like she did. I believe that our amazing girl will have a story that could go in a book like this one day, and I hope that by reading these stories she can believe it too.

2. A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems

Oh how we love the Piggy and Elephant books! Number 5 on last year’s list, they are on the list again, because they are just so funny. Piggy is full of energy and emotions, where Elephant is a bit more serious (and very patient).

I can’t help but make the connection between these two characters and our own two children. Even the illustration on the front of A Big Guy Took My Ball is exactly how our two kids often are: the big one trying to play a game (or solve the world’s problems) and the little one draped across his shoulders yelling about a missing ball.

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