What now after Harry Potter??

Hi folks. I'm really hoping that you can help me with some book suggestions.

My son has just read the first 4 Harry Potter books over the Xmas holidays. He's only 6 and so we think that he's probably not ready for the content of the others in the series so we're trying to find something else that will really capture his imagination in the same way...but with content suitable for a six year old. He's absolutely bereft as he was living and breathing those books - is there anything out there that can get him excited again?

I was wondering about the Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials series. Would those be suitable for a six year old? He obviously doesn't mind a bit of darkness and action as he's seen quite a bit of that in the Harry Potters...

Any suggestions will be very gratefully received. I asked at the library, but they didn't really seem to know quite what to suggest!

[Deleted by Amazon on 13 May 2012 05:20:16 BDT]

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Philip Pullman's Dark Materials not very suitable for a 6 year old - riskier than carrying on with Harry Potter. For younger kids, Pullman has written for example the Firework-Maker's daughter.

Your son would almost certainly like the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan - very popular and even better if has a passing acquaintance with Greek Hero Tales. Books on myths were popular with my boys e.g. the Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff, the Orchard Book of Viking Stories, the Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green, Britannia - 100 Tales from History by Geraldine McCaughrean etc.

CS Lewis's Narnia books would be obvious (except the last one) but I expect you've already been there already...

Probably, he might like:

Lion Boy by Zizou Corder & 2 sequels
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson (probably where JK Rowling pinched platform 10 3/4 from) and other titles such as Not just a Witch, the Haunting of Hiram, Dial-a-Ghost etc.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer & lots of sequels (you might want to check this first because the hero is not on the side of the angels in this but it is very funny)
Magyk, Flyte etc by Angie Sage
The Pig Scrolls by Paul Shipton (esp. for those with a nodding acquaintance with Odysseus)
The Sword in the Stone by T H White

If he does not mind female protagonists, he might like....
The Worst Witch books by Jill Murphy
Lily Quest and the Dragon of Ashby by Natalie Jane Pryor and about 6 sequels
but these books are easier and more obviously of 6-year-old age group so might not suit.

I would say Artemis Fowl by Colfer. He's a boy genius who thinks that he can get gold off the faries, he doesn't know what he has let himself in for - faries with attitude! Great books, so if he likes the first one you have more to read.

A librarian once told me that her seven year old son was enthralled by The Seven Stones (C. P. Goy) and on the edge of his bed with excitement. Having read it myself, I frequently recommend it, especially in situations where you need appropriate content but a more demanding read than is usual for that age group. Watership Down (Richard Adams) would also fit the bill, and the Ranger's Apprentice series (John Flannagan) is not too gory. Also, have you tried The Jungle Books?

Before the holidays, the SUNDAY TIMES did an article featuring "THE YEAR'S BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS". For 9 - 12 year-old fiction they picked:

"Billionaire Boy" by David Walliams.
"Justin Thyme" by Panama Oxridge.
"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman.
"Ghost Hunter" by Michelle Paver.
"My Name is Mina" by David Almond.
"Reckless" by Cornelia Funke.
"The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan.
"The Ogre of Oglefort" by Eva Ibbotson.
"The Iron Man" by Ted Hughs.

"Ghost Hunter", "Reckless" and "My Name is Mina" might not be suitable for aged 8 or under ... but the others should be fine for an advanced young reader.

Try:

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

A classic book that I loved when I was a youngster ...

Best

Dave

There's a fabulous book coming out next month and available for pre-order (I read an early draft) called Fintan Fedora: The World's Worst Explorer Good for kids ages 9-12, so says the jacket, but my younger son enjoyed it, as well.

septimus heap books are great by angie sage

Maybe 'Inkheart' by Cornelia Funke. A book about a man and his daughter who read books and sometimes the words come of the pages into real life. Include some baddies who are after them and the special book they can read out of called Inkheart. Fun characters, not violent interesting story and setting and funny too..

My son recommends The Dragon Whisperer. Very readable. Nothing too challenging for a younger reader but "brilliant" he says. Michael Scott's The Alchemyst (Secrets of Nicholas Flamel) which appeals to a lot of Harry Potter fans. Fast paced - lots of magic and adventure.

Pullman is too old, I'd say. But then I would have said that Potter was too for a six year old.

If he can manage the language of Potter at 6 (i.e. his reading ability and level of understanding) then try him on the Percy Jackson books. Also The Diamond Brothers series by Harrowitz are very good and also funny - The Falcon's Malteeser is the first one. Also try The Phantom Toll Booth. Then there's the Cressida Cowell series, Hiccup: How to Tame your Dragon.

What about the Artemis Fowl series? Again, might be too old for a six-year old but possibly not for one who enjoys Harry Potter!

I'm also an author and my book The Green King is being well received in schools - I've done readings where the children already had copies and were really excited by it. It's aimed at 8 years and higher and is magical, mythical and adventurous - a little scarey perhaps but not more than a Dementor!

best

Stephanie

He could read Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" series, starting with Over Sea Under Stone (Dark Is Rising). And don't forget CS Lewis' Narnia series, I would start with Magician's Nephew, The ("The Chronicles of Narnia") which comes chronologically first and which he might not know.

Thank you all so much for the fabulous suggestions - I'll be checking them all out! A few of them he's already read, (Narnia and the Cressida Cowell How to train your dragon books), but most of these suggestions are new to me, so thanks!!

Please, if you have any more suggestions then do go ahead and add them as, at the rate he's devouring books at the moment, I'm going to need a ready supply of ideas! :)

You may like to try Diana Wynne Jones. The Chrestomanci books are probably suitable, say The Lives of Christopher Chant or Charmed Life to start with. She has written about 30 so far - all excellent! try some yourself!

The Dusk Society

I recently bought a book called the Dusk Society. I think it would appeal to people who like Harry Potter, it has magic, secret organisations and Wizards etc. However, it also blends in famous historical figures and situations together with a range of classic characters such as Sherlock Holmes and Dracula. I really recommend you give this book a go. It's a graphic novel, basically a big fat comic book and at the price it is currently listed at - it's a bit of a steal :)

6?? Are you serious? What a shame - he is too young to grasp the darkness at the heart of the 3rd and 4th book in the Harry Potter series and would have been much better off reading it when older. Don't let him miss out on books aimed squarely at his age. Pushing him onto Philip Pullman would be a waste as even if he had understanding of the language, 6 is too young to even begin to grasp the plot or subtlety of the story. Septimus Heap would be good - but also 'younger' books like Dick King Smith and Michael Morpugo.

Hi!
Thanks for the reply. He's read many of the Dick King Smith and Michael Morpurgo books already and, whilst he enjoyed them, it's been nothing compared to the enjoyment and excitement that he got from reading Harry Potter. I hope that you don't think that I was neglectful in letting him read that series - I eventually caved in after he'd begged me for days and I knew that it'd keep him good on a long train journey that we had to take :) He will, I'm certain, read the Harry Potter series again at some point in the future when he can read them all...although I'm sure that he "got" 99% of the book and the plot. It seems that the sci-fi genre is what really enthralls him, and at present I'm not of too much help in that direction because I've not read much of that genre. I'm going to start educating myself immediately by reading some of the suggestions here...

Ordinarily I would have said 6 was too young for this suggestion, but perhaps not if he has successfully read some of the books you mention. Try him on the Charlie Fletcher trilogy, 'Stoneheart', 'Ironhand' and 'Silvertongue' and he will be whooping with delight!

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P PATEL >>>
I really don't think any of those are the least bit suitable for a six-year-old boy. "Boys Don't Cry" for example has both teen pregnancy and homosexuality as its central themes - suitable for young adults maybe, but not young children. What's needed here are books that are challenging to read but but still appropriate to the innocence of a younger age-group. Finding books for advanced young readers isn't easy; they need to have both vocabulary and plot that will stretch the child, whilst not drifting into more adult themes. There are suitable books out there - and that is what is being asked for here.

Have you tried The keys to the kingdom series by Garth Nix and pretty much anything buy Rick Rioden

"Pauline Patel says:
Try anything by Malorie Blackman especially the "Noughts & Crosses" Trilogy"

If I remember correctly, Noughts and Crosses delves into teen relationships and pregnancy? Perhaps not suitable for a 6 year old, no matter how advanced.