August 2008 Suggestions for Reading Aloud

It's the "dog days" of summer, so named originally because the "dog star", Sirius, rose around sunrise at this time of year. It's also the last month of summer, and we are inundated with advertising reminding us that school will be starting again soon, for those on a traditional school calendar. If your children have put off doing assigned "summer reading", why not jump-start them by reading the first part of the book aloud together? If you haven't already started reading aloud regularly, this time of getting ready for the change in family routine to accommodate school schedules is a good time to establish a new routine. Most American children aren't getting to bed early enough to get as much sleep as they need. Use an evening reading time to get them to unwind and settle down for an earlier bedtime.

Dog Stories for Preschoolers:

Where's Spot? , by Hill - for really young children (under three), this is a simple, cute story with heavier-weight pages and a little flap to lift on each page as Spot's mother goes looking for him.

Good Dog, Carl, by Day - a funny, mostly-wordless picture book about what happens when the dog is left to tend the baby. Age two and up.

A Boy, a Dog and a Frog, by Mayer - a wordless picture book with really detailed drawings. A boy and his dog set out one day to try to catch a frog, but have a series of cartoon-style misses and finally give up and go home - but in the end, the frog follows their wet footprints and jumps into the bathtub with them. Age three and up.

The Dog Prince, by Mills, illustrated by Nolan - a spoiled, selfish prince offends an old woman, who turns him into a hound, and a hound he stays as he learns some manners from a goat girl and eventually defends her goats in a completely unselfish heroic act. Lovely, traditional watercolor pictures complement the traditional, fairy-tale tone of the story. Age four and up.

No Roses for Harry, by Zion - another story about Harry the Dirty Dog, this time about an unwanted gift - a doggie "sweater" with roses on it, which Harry is embarrassed to wear in public. Age three and up.

Dog stories for elementary to middle school listeners:
Lots of classics:

Lassie Come-Home, by Knight - the original story of the beautiful collie who escapes from her aristocrat owner to return to the poor family she loves. There is also a beautifully illustrated, abridged edition, abridged by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by Susan Jeffers. The original version is probably for second or third grade or above listeners, the abridged version for first grade or higher. This is the rare dog story with a happy ending.
Old Yeller, by Gipson - combination pioneer story and dog story; told in first person by Travis, a teenage boy who is trying to be the man of his pioneer family on the Texas frontier while his father is away temporarily and a stray "no-account" yellow dog shows up. One of those books that will make you laugh in some places and cry in others. It has a sequel, Savage Sam, which has fallen out of favor, I suppose because the plot turns on a portrayal of the Indians as savage kidnappers. Third or fourth grade and up.
Big Red, by Kjelgaard - starring an Irish setter (a valuable show dog belonging to a wealthy neighbor) and the teenage boy Danny, this is another story about the loyalty of a good dog to his master. Kjelgaard wrote many other dog stories, including some sequels to this one (Irish Red and Outlaw Red) and one about a greyhound called Desert Dog. Third or fourth grade up.
Other dog classics: Beautiful Joe, by Saunders (an early novel about the abuse of dogs), The Incredible Journey by Burnford (a lab, a bull terrier, and a cat travel across Canada to find their humans), Where the Red Fern Grows, by Rawls (a boy and a pair of coonhounds in the Ozarks), Bristleface, by Ball (see my July post), The Call of the Wild and White Fang, by London (sled dogs in Alaska), Lad: A Dog, and sequels, by Terhune (collies), and Finn the Wolfhound by Dawson (Irish Wolfhound, first in England and then in the wilds of Australia). Finn the Wolfhound is a bit longer and probably best for fifth grade or above listeners.

Ajax, Golden Dog of the Australian Bush, by Patchett - old enough to be a classic, but not as well-known as the others, perhaps partly because it is by an Australian author. This is a book about a GIRL and her loyal dog, and their adventures in the Australian bush. It also has a happy ending. I loved this book when I was in upper elementary school, and I recently bought a hard-back copy off Ebay. For third or fourth grade and up.

Stone Fox, by Gardiner - this is a fairly short book, but the end packs a real punch. Willie decides he must train his dog, Searchlight, to win the annual sled dog race so that he can use the prize money to save his grandfather's Wyoming potato farm. However, he will be competing against the native American Stone Fox whose team of Samoyeds has never lost. Guaranteed tear-jerker, to read to third graders or above.

My Life in Dog Years, by Paulsen - autobiographical stories about eight different dogs from Gary Paulsen's life. Also by Paulsen: Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod, and Dogsong, and several other books featuring dogs.

No More Dead Dogs, by Korman - only peripherally a dog story, this recent, funny contemporary book is about a middle-school boy in trouble because he doesn't want anything to do with reading another book where the dog dies in the end - yet he ends up reluctantly involved with staging a play based on that book, and, from the teacher's point of view, creating mayhem along the way. Korman's humor makes his books popular with kids - read aloud to fourth or fifth grade and up.

Because of Winn-Dixie, by Dicamillo - I haven't seen the movie, but the book is sweet and funny. Opal is the only child of a preacher (her mother is long gone), and lonely because they just moved to a new town, when she spontaneously claims a big, hairy dog who is bouncing through the local grocery story. Third grade and up.

For older readers -
Dogsbody, by Jones - a fantasy and dog story with a sense of humor. Sirius, a kind of seemingly immortal being, is unjustly accused and punished by being turned into a puppy on Earth. To regain his proper form, he must perform a nearly impossible task within the limitations of his dog body. For sixth grade or above listeners.

Bandit: The Heart-Warming True Story of One Dog's Rescue from Death Row, by Hearne (This may be a re-issue or revision of the book titled Bandit: The Dossier of a Dangerous Dog) - Vicki Hearne, a dog and horse trainer and university philosophy professor, is at her best when she is telling stories about the animals she has trained. Some of her ideas are too complex for younger readers, but a bright teen who is interested in animals will really enjoy this one. If so, next try Hearne's book Animal Happiness. Probably for eighth grade or above.

All Creatures Great and Small, by Herriot - autobiographical, stories of starting his career as a vet in rural England, this book is not specifically about dogs, but all sorts of animals. It is full of self-deprecating humor and real incidents from his experiences. There are also sequels. Fifth or sixth grade and up.

Deerskin, by McKinley - the darkest of Robin McKinley's fairy tale novelizations, the main character in this book is a princess whose father decides to marry her - so early in the book is an incident of sexual abuse of a teenage girl. It is not detailed or particularly graphic, but you should read it yourself and decide whether it is something you would want to share with your teenager. Once you get past that, the rest of the book is about how the girl and her dog (and eventually, a whole pack of dogs, since she becomes a kennel worker in the realm of a neighboring kingdom) heal physically and emotionally. Although it is grim in the first third of the story, I find it ultimately uplifting, an affirmation of how the human spirit can rise above horror with love.

More Books to Read Aloud - July 2008

Keep your children interested in reading after age eight!

Excerpt from news report on ksl.com, June 13, 2008: "There's a decline of reading as children age. And it's kind of a drop off at the age of 8," said Patrick Muir with Shadow Mountain Publishing. He says the survey [by Scholastic] discovered the problem wasn't TV, music or social life. "One of the key reasons they found is [that children] have difficulty finding books that they like," he said.

Age EIGHT??? That's about the age kids are just starting to read independently - and they are already losing interest? How are they ever going to improve enough to read at a college level?

It's right around the time children turn eight years old that most parents and teachers stop reading aloud to them. ~ After all, by then the kids know how to read themselves.~ Why keep reading aloud to them? One big reason is that you will help your children continue to find GOOD books - books they will want and like to read themselves. (Also, incidentally, books and authors that you chose - important if you want your children reading things that reflect your values.)
....so here are more of my suggestions:

Picture books:
It's really summer now!
I am Eyes (Ni Macho) by Ward, illustrated by Hogrogian - very simple, brief text with lovely color (watercolor?) pictures - a child in Kenya wakes up and lists things she sees throughout the day - for age two and up
Oh Lord, I Wish I was a Buzzard by Greenberg, illustrated by Aliki - a child in Mississippi helps her (sharecropper?) father pick cotton on a long, hot summer day, and keeps wishing she was a dog, or buzzard, or snake, or butterfly, that didn't have to work in the hot sun - brief, repetitive text, for age two and up.
Time of Wonder, by McCloskey - an older Caldecott book, a nostalgic look back at summers spent on an island off Maine, with color pictures; or
One Morning in Maine, by McCloskey - same author/illustrator, same setting, but black & white drawings with more of a story line - this one follows Sal through the day on which she loses her first tooth - digging clams, taking the motorboat to the village, getting an ice cream cone, and feeling grown-up because she is losing her baby teeth. Age three and up
... and while we're doing Robert McCloskey, my favorite of his:
Blueberries for Sal, by McCloskey - Sal and her mother go picking blueberries up one side of a hill at the same time a mother bear and her cub are eating blueberries up the other side of the hill... wonderful drawings and a memorable story. Age three and up.
One Grain of Sand - A Lullaby, by Seeger, illustrated by Wingerter - exceptionally beautiful illustrations for a simple, sweet lullaby by Pete Seeger. The tune is written out at the beginning in case you want to sing it, but sung or read, a wonderful bedtime story for ages eighteen months and up.
Harry, the Dirty Dog, by Zion, illustrated by Graham - another older book, about Harry, a white dog with black spots who runs away from home to avoid taking a bath, and gets so dirty he is a black dog with white spots... and when he goes home, no one recognizes him, and he ends up begging for a bath. Age two and up
How the Sun was Brought Back to the Sky, by Ginsburg, illustrated by Aruego & Dewey - a folk tale about how the chicks and their animal friends bring back the sun after days of dark clouds; bright, cute pictures. Age three and up.
What You Know First, by MacLachlan, illustrated by Moser - a little girl doesn't want to leave her prairie home when her family is moving, and starts by telling how she will stay by herself, but ends by deciding what to take with her to remember, and to show her baby brother about where he was born. Illustrated with beautiful engravings. Probably age four and up.

Longer stories for middle elementary and up:
A White Heron, by Jewett, illustrated by Cooney - too long to be really a picture book, but with illustrations on most pages - a shy Maine farm girl meets a nice young man who is hunting for a white heron. She wants to please her new friend, but in the end, she does not tell him where to find the heron. First or second grade up.
Two that are politically incorrect in parts, but still fun to read (to grades two and up) if you don't mind that:
Mary Poppins, by Travers - the prim, strict but magical governess, in the original, authentic version, and...
Doctor Doolittle, by Lofting - the doctor who can speak to animals (including some that you won't find outside the pages of these books, like the push-me-pull-you that has a head on both ends) and his unlikely adventures.

Homecoming, by Voight - realistic fiction; it's summer on the east coast in the 70's when Dicey's mother packs up the four children to go to an aunt's house in another state - and then walks into a mall and doesn't come back out. The father is long gone. Dicey decides to take her sister and two brothers on to their destination, on foot, with only about fifty dollars to buy food along the way. This is a wise, sad, but ultimately optimistic book about family love, determination, and facing responsibility. It is a long book, but the times I have read it aloud, the children listening loved it. It is the first of several books about the Tillerman family and their friends. Third or fourth grade up.

Bristleface, by Ball - dog story, set in the South in the early 1900's; this is a story in the tradition of Where the Red Fern Grows, about the love between an orphan boy and a hunting dog, but with humor as a bonus. There are some really funny scenes in this book, along with a real tearjerker. It is certainly one of my favorite dog stories. Third grade up.

Kim, by Kipling - historical fiction, set in India during the time of the British empire, I suppose there are some politically incorrect bits in this book, too, but it is a grand adventure, following the orphan boy Kim as he survives by his wits, and picks up a piece-meal education, alternately employed by players of "the Great Game" (the British spy network), and following a devout holy man on a pilgrimage to enlightenment. Fourth or fifth grade up.

For teens:
The Arm of the Starfish, by L'Engle - part spy thriller, and a small part science fiction; Adam, just out of high school, has a summer job working for a famous scientist (Calvin O'Keefe, from A Wrinkle in Time)on an island off Europe. The lab is working on figuring out how starfish are able to regenerate body parts that have been cut off, and , secretly, on beginning to apply the technique to humans. In the airport on his way there, Adam is contacted by a beautiful girl about his age, Kali, who tells him Dr. O'Keefe is working with "the wrong people", and that Kali's father is trying to prevent the scientist's work from falling into evil hands. Adam must figure out who is really on the right side in a confusing life-and-death struggle. Although this book is not as well-known as A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels, this one is my favorite of L'Engle's work. As in many of her books, the themes of real love, selflessness, and forgiveness play a big part. Probably for seventh grade up.

The Blue Sword, by McKinley - fantasy, Newbery honor book; Harry, a teen-age orphaned tomboy, leaves her home to join her brother at a military desert outpost, on the edge of a frontier inhabited by mysterious nomads who ride fabulous horses and whose rulers are reputed to have magical powers. When the desert king, Corlath, comes to warn the military commander that they have a common enemy who is about to invade, his warning is ignored, but his "kelar" (magical instinct) tells him Harry is important, and so he kidnaps her and takes her far out into the desert. This is a beautifully-written and exciting story that has plenty of action for boys even though the main character is a girl. Sixth grade up. It is, VERY loosely speaking, a sort of sequel to The Hero and the Crown, but is set hundreds of years later and you can read either book independent of the other. This one is somewhat easier to follow, so if you are reading to kids under thirteen or fourteen, I'd read this one first.

Books to Read Aloud - June 2008

Summer vacation is here (although you can't tell by our weather), and most kids are out of school for two or three months - a great time to catch up on reading for fun! Make weekly trips to the library to choose books to read, and take a little more time to read to your kids on these long summer evenings, or on a hot afternoon when they can sip lemonade while they listen.
Often children or teens will want to re-read a book you have read aloud to them, or an old favorite they have read before. Sometimes parents worry that this is a waste of time, but actually, re-reading is a great way to build up reading fluency and speed. If a child ONLY wants to read one book, over and over, you might want to encourage him to try something else in addition to the favorite - and remember, one of the best ways to do that is to read something new out loud to him!

Picture Books:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Carle - not really a natural history lesson (though the caterpillar does turn into a butterfly at the end), but a colorful, fun counting book - a classic that doesn't seem to ever go out of print, for two-year-olds and up.
The Windigo's Return, by Wood, illustrated by Couch - an Ojibwe tale that explains the origins of mosquitoes, with lovely, sometimes almost batik-like, illustrations. The Windigo is a man-eating monster who must be trapped - maybe a little scary for some little ones, so use your judgment - for three or four year olds and up.
The Legend of the Whale, by Stansfield - this reads like a folktale, and the illustrations are brightly-colored, stylized paintings with an aboriginal feel to them, but it is actually an original story that explains the origin of the whale in a kind of allegory about peace. I often find myself irritated at children's stories with a "message", but this one has enough fun details to win me over. A bit long for really young children - probably good for four & up.
Miss Rumphius, by Cooney - Miss Alice Rumphius wanted to travel to faraway places and then come back to live by the sea - and her grandfather told her she must also do something to make the world more beautiful. This story has been criticized by some because it tells how she planted lupine seeds around her community (ie, bringing in possibly "invasive species"), but it is truly a classic, wonderfully written and illustrated. When your children are older, you might want to discuss reasons it might not be a good idea to spread around plants that aren't native - but for now, enjoy the story! Short enough to read to a three year old, meaningful enough to read with elementary children, or even teens.
Once There Was A Tree, by Romanova, illustrated by Spirin - originally written in Russian, and translated into English - an old tree is struck by lightning and then cut down for firewood. The story follows what happens to the stump, as it is used by insects, animals, and eventually decays and a new tree grows. It is both a natural history story, and a rumination on philosophy - who does the tree stump belong to? The illustrations are delicate and intricately detailed. For three and up.
The Bee-Man of Orn, by Stockton, illustrated by Lynch in this oversized picture-book, but available in various editions - as picture books go, this is quite a long story, and the sly humor would go right over the heads of young children, although they might enjoy the story anyway. I'd try it with second graders and up.

Survival Stories for Elementary & Middle School-Age Children

Hatchet, by Paulsen - probably now the best-known survival tale for kids, this is about a boy who is in a small plane over the Canadian wilderness when the pilot dies of a heart attack. Brian must survive months waiting for rescue. Realistic fiction, listening for third grade and up. (There are also sequels.)
Swiss Family Robinson, by Wyss - though dated in some ways, this classic is still a good read with a little "suspension of disbelief". A family is ship-wrecked on an island with exotic animals and plants, and they begin to build a life for themselves using supplies retrieved from the wreck, and resources they find on the island. (The tree-house home alone is worth reading the book for!) Third grade and up.
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by O'Dell - historical fiction, based on an actual incident - a native American girl is accidentally left behind on the island where she has been raised when the rest of the tribe leaves. She must find food, maintain shelter, make clothes, and conquer loneliness as she grows up all alone. A classic that still stands up to expectations, well worth sharing - third or fourth grade up.
The Sign of the Beaver, by Speare - historical fiction, set in early Maine - a twelve-year-old boy's adventures when he is left to take care of the family's cabin while his father goes to get the rest of the family, and is befriended by a local native American boy. Third or fourth grade up.
Julie of the Wolves, by George - a thirteen year old Eskimo girl runs away from her village when she is told to marry an older boy, and learns to survive and become accepted by a wolf pack. There is a scene early in the book where the older boy knocks her down and attempts to rape her, but a child who didn't already know about sex wouldn't realize that was what was going on, since it is implied rather than described. The information about the wolves is scientifically-based (the author is from a family of naturalists/biologists), and the book is well-written and haunting. The ending is ambiguous - did she choose to go back to civilization or not? There is a sequel. Fifth or sixth grade and up.
Touching Spirit Bear, by Mikaelsen - realistic fiction - a violent teen juvenile delinquent who has not been improved by previous punishments is sent to live alone on an island off Alaska, where his anger management problems get him into more trouble, but there is no one to blame it on but himself. This book has been a favorite of some of my teen students. I'd try it for sixth graders and up.

One you might want to read with teens...
Life as We Knew It, by Pfeffer - realistic fiction, except that it is set in the VERY near future after the moon is knocked closer to the earth by an asteroid - setting up for floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, and the breakdown of society and government. The main character, Miranda, is an average tenth grader before the disasters, wondering if she will ever be asked out, living just outside a small town in Pennsylvania. None of the spectacular disasters occur where she lives, but until the power and radio stations go out, a few months into the story, we hear about the news. Gas gets terribly expensive and eventually unobtainable, food gets scarcer and scarcer, and the weather turns terribly cold. The ending is optimistic, but much of the story is quite frightening, especially set against the general anxiety these days about gas prices and climate change. If your teen is a worrier, you might want to skip this book. On the other hand, it is a gripping and powerful story, in the main believable, and shows Miranda maturing and becoming responsible rather than self-centered.

...and one you probably DON'T want to read with your teen -
How I Live Now, by Rosoff - don't get me wrong, I really liked this book in many ways, but I wouldn't want to read it aloud to my children. You need to know, right up front, that two of the main characters are teen-age cousins who fall in love and have sex. No, it is NOT graphically described, but it is happening. The main character, Daisy, is an American girl not getting along well with her father and stepmother, and is sent to England to spend the summer with an aunt and cousins she has never met. She immediately likes them all, and within days her aunt leaves on what is supposed to be a weekend trip, but a war breaks out. Daisy and her cousins are fending for themselves on the farm without adult help or supervision. At first it seems idyllic, since the war doesn't impinge on the farm for a while, but then the farm is commandeered by the army, and the teens are sent off to live with other families - the girls to one place, the boys to another. A subtle sub-plot is that Daisy is anorexic, but that is one of the things she matures out of in the course of the book. It doesn't sound like an appealing book, but Daisy's narrative voice captured me in the first couple pages, and never faltered. I was completely swept into her world. If you find the fact of the sexual relationship to be objectionable, you probably don't want your teen reading this book. As an adult reading it, I loved the book.

More Books to Read Aloud - May 2008

From the BBC website, April 10, 2008:
Less than half of fathers regularly read bedtime stories to their children, research has suggested. Some 42% of fathers said they were bedtime story readers, compared with 76% of mothers, a poll of 2,207 adults for the National Year of Reading found. Boys are consistently outperformed by girls when it comes to reading.
Television was children's most common pre-sleep activity.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls said reading opened doors to everything. "Reading to your children for 10 minutes at bedtime is the best way of improving our kids' chances when they get to school."
... Ten minutes? Well, that's a good start! ;)

Spring is here, or at least it should be soon. Here are some picture books with spring themes:

Make Way for Ducklings, by McCloskey - an old classic Caldecott book, this story follows Mr. and Mrs. Mallard in their search for the right spot to build their nest and raise ducklings. When writing and sketching for this book, Robert McCloskey bought ducklings and put them in his bathtub to keep them handy for drawing, and if you look at the pictures you will see that each duckling has its own personality. Good for preschool through first grade.

The Carrot Seed, by Krauss, illustrated by Johnson - this classic recently celebrated its 60th anniversary! This may be the quintessential children's story - a little boy plants a carrot seed and faithfully takes care of it even though everyone keeps telling him it probably won't come up. Of course, the adults (and older brother) are wrong, and the little boy is right. This is a very short, simple story, with simple, minimalist, almost cartoon-style illustrations. If you happen to be a gardener, you will recognize how appropriate a choice carrots are for the story - nearly every year I despair of my carrot seeds ever sprouting, and then one day, there they are. Pre-school through early elementary.

The Legend of the Bluebonnet, by de Paolo - lovely pictures illustrate this traditional Native American story about selfless sacrifice by a young orphan girl who gives up her most treasured possession to help her people. The story also explains the origin of the bluebonnet, state flower of Texas. Preschool through middle elementary.

The Marsh Crone's Brew, by Olsen, translated by Jensen - if you can find it, this is a charming little Scandinavian story about the seasons as experienced by the "marsh people" - including such details as the ice melting off the puddles because the marsh people breath on them, and how butterflies fly out of the marsh girls' ears after the mischievous marsh boys blow into them. Pre-school through early elementary. (Out of print, hard to find.)

One Watermelon Seed, by Lottridge illustrated by Patkau - a counting book that centers around gardening - it includes counting by tens, and has lots of little details in the pictures for kids to notice. PreK through early elementary.

One Child, One Seed: A South African Counting Book, by Cave, photographs by Wulfson - a counting that follows photographs of a family from planting through harvesting and making a meal. This is another book that has a simple enough story line for pre-schoolers, but also has additional text for older children, and gives a glimpse of another culture. (PreK through middle elementary)

The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth, by Jackson, illustrated by Ellis - (nonfiction) introduces spring holiday celebrations from different cultures and time periods - bright-colored, cheerful pictures. Elementary.

A Seed is Sleepy, by Aston, illustrated by Long - (nonfiction) colorful, accurate illustrations make this an attractive introduction to some basic botany. The text is on two levels - a very simple level for preschoolers, and a more detailed level for lower elementary kids.

Planting A Rainbow, by Ehlert - (nonfiction) Ehlert's bright, stylized illustrations are perfect for the story that follows the yearly cycle of gardening. PreK to early elementary - this could also be used to help teach colors.

The Lotus Seed, by Garland, illustrated by Kiuchi - elegant, soft-colored oil paintings illustrate this story about a grandmother remembering having to leave Vietnam when she was young. It could be used with other books (like My Grandfather's Journey, or Grandmother's Journey) about emigration and family heritage. Elementary.

For older children:

Spring Comes to the Ocean, by Jean George - nonfiction, marine biology for the middle elementary set.

My Side of the Mountain, by George - realistic fiction, but plays to everyone's fantasy to just leave everything behind and live alone in the woods (without parents, of course!). This old classic will appeal to boys, or any child who is interested in nature. Jean George weaves accurate information about wildlife into the story. Third grade & up listeners.

Charlotte's Web, by White - The people part of this book would be realistic fiction, but more of it features Wilbur, the runt piglet, Charlotte, the spider, and various of the other animals. Try to avoid letting your children see a video version of this, and read it to them instead. E.B. White's prose is delightful, and the story is just plain, old-fashioned fun right up to the bittersweet ending. Second grade and up.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by Lewis - I first heard this read aloud on the radio when I was maybe in fourth grade, and I found it quite dark and frightening, but probably today's children are exposed to lots more scary stuff than I was. Four British children on vacation from school climb into a big wardrobe in an old house, and find themselves in another world, where animals can talk, mythical creatures like satyrs really exist, and the evil White Witch has taken over, making it "always winter and never Christmas". The children's adventures are almost incidental to the main conflict, which is a parable for the crucifixion and resurrection story, as anyone well-versed in Christianity will recognize by the end of the book.

As an adult, I find the writing in some parts of this book to be only passable, and I nearly gagged on the line "war is ugly when women fight". However, as a child I found it interesting, and liked the whole series. Actually, my favorites in the series were The Magician's Nephew, which you really could read first, since it is about the creation of Narnia, and The Last Battle, which probably wouldn't make much sense unless you had read at least two of the earlier books, since it is a sort of parable about the end of the world, though, as I remember it, it is a much more comforting version than the book of Revelations. (third or fourth grade up)

For Teens:

The Bean Trees, by Kingsolver - the writing in this book begs to be read aloud. The narrator has a wry sense of humor and an engaging voice that immediately captures your interest. Although there are body parts mentioned, there is nothing you could call a sex scene. The main character leaves rural Kentucky as soon after she gets out of high school as she can earn enough money to buy an ancient Volkswagen, and starts driving west, very pleased to be one of the few girls in her class who didn't get pregnant and/or married. But soon she finds herself taking care of an abandoned, abused toddler, and living in the desert Southwest, working for a woman who runs the Jesus is Lord used tire shop and helps illegal political refugees from South America. Inevitably, child services finds out about the unofficial "adoption", and Taylor, who had thought she didn't want to be a mom, is frantic to find a way to keep custody of her little girl. All these disparate threads get woven into a terrific story, probably for ninth grade and up listeners, although I think my younger son was only eleven or twelve when we read it, and he liked it.