Some of my favorite read-alouds for young boys (and girls, too)

This post is inspired by Fanny's comment (on this post) of her desire to find more books to read to her young son. Here are some fun books, all written for the 8 to 11 year old range, all older classics, that work beautifully and are especially appealling for reading aloud to young boys (and girls, who will love them too.)

The Great Brain
by John D. Fitzgerald
illustrated by Mercer Mayer

A funny romp of a book, told through the eyes of the youngest brother John D. (or J.D. as his family called him), about life in a family of all boys around the later part of the 1800's. The adventures, schemes, mayhem and mischief, usually concocted by his brother Tom (the Great Brain), that the boys are involved in will leave you laughing and blessing the patience of mothers everywhere. These books are also good to give reluctant readers, because they are so engaging, and well-written, and they keep moving.

These books (some of them) have been re-published, which is wonderful, as it's always a shame when good stories become unavailable to readers. And there are more in the series (that you might only find at your library, 'though I think Amazon has a few of the series):

• More Adventures of the Great Brain
• Me and My Little Brain
• The Great Brain at the Academy
• The Great Brain Reforms
• The Return of the Great Brain
• The Great Brain Does It Again
• The Great Brain Is Back

The Genie of Sutton Place

by George Seldon
(First published in 1973)

Set in New York City, this is a heartwarming and hilarious story by the author of The Cricket in Times Square (another good read-aloud) about what happens when you employ a genie to help you solve your problems. When Tim's father dies, Tim goes to live with Aunt Lucy in her Sutton Place apartment, bringing along his mutt, Sam. Then Sam falls in love with Aunt Lucy, following her all around the apartment, lying his head on her lap or foot whenever she sits down. Aunt Lucy doesn't love Sam back, and quickly gets so annoyed that she tells Tim the dog has to go. Desperate to keep his beloved pet, Tim seeks the help of Madame Sosostris, an old friend of the family and also a Medium. The solution they stumble across takes Tim to the National Museum to release the trapped Slave of the Carpet. When the genie turns Sam the dog into Sam, the man, hilarity and disaster ensue. It is a funny, charming, gripping story that will leave you smiling at the end.

As a read-aloud, this book works for kids as young as five or six, if they're used to narratives. (The first part of it is a little slow as the story is being set up.) For the child who will read it alone, they might need to be a little older, say 8 or 9 - unless, of course, you've already read it aloud and they want to relive the magic themselves.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print. You can still purchase copies second-hand, and definitely try your library, as they usually have older classics like this.

Ben & Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin By His Good Mouse Amos

Written and Illustrated by Robert Lawson

(First published in 1939)

Amos the mouse feels the need to set the record straight on how Benjamin Franklin got the ideas for all of his marvelous inventions.
A witty, humorous and interesting look at a great figure in history.
ALSO try Lawson's other historical fiction book along similar lines: Mr. Revere and I.





The Enormous Egg
by Oliver Butterworth
illustrated by Louise Darling
(First published in 1957)

Nate Twitchell is shocked to discover that his hen has laid a very un-hen-sized egg. It's so enormous, she can't sit on it. When it hatches, he and the whole town, indeed the whole country, get the surprise of a lifetime when out pops a triceratops. Find out what happens as this enormous baby starts eating and eating...
A fun story, set in the 1950's, that my little girls loved when I read it aloud to them a couple years ago.