THE CHILDREN'S HOMER by Padraic Colum
The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer remain the two greatest adventure stories in Western literature, but they are not easily approached by youngsters in the standard translations by Fitzgerald, Fagles, and Lattimore. Padraic Colum has skillfully adapted these two tales into a single narrative suitable for elementary and middle school students. I read this version aloud to my oldest son when he was ten years old, and it served as a valuable springboard for discussions on the protagonists and their qualities -- the anger of Achilles, the cunning of Odysseus -- as well as on the influence of the Greek tradition on our modern institutions and values. But this is a painless dose of high culture, since youngsters will be caught up by the sweep and excitement of the story.
THE BAD BEGINNING by Lemony Snicket
I kept my sons engaged through all 13 volumes of Lemony’s Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the books were as much a delight to the grown-up as to the youngsters. Mr. Snicket (in real life, Daniel Handler – assuming that this quirky author has a life that can be described as ‘real’) breaks almost every rule of children’s literature. He borrows devices from experimental fiction, rambles on like a parody of Tristam Shandy, peppers his books with arcane cultural references, and steadfastly refuses to offer the expected happy endings and plot resolutions. Yet the whole crazy-quilt of a story keeps even young readers hooked. And no one (except perhaps the renowned Ms. Rowling) is better than Snicket at balancing humor and adventure. A Series of Unfortunate Events does lose steam in the later volumes, but the opening book in the series, A Bad Beginning, is a masterpiece of children’s literature.
TREASURE ISLAND by Robert Louis Stevenson
The tremendous success of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies series -- responsible for some three billion dollars in box office receipts -- has made buccaneers with poor personal hygiene as popular as Britney and Paris. But landlubbers beware: most of the pirate tales at your local bookstore are as worthless as a dimestore doubloon. Parents should seize the opportunity to introduce youngsters instead to this literary classic, which will challenge their reading comprehension, but still keep them entertained.
Article comments
1 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Well-written (as usual) round-up. Also selected as Book Editor Pick (see Book Page), but sorry: no fabulous prizes.
2 - Anna Creech
I have to disagree with you on Eragon, or at least ask that all of the sources for Eragon be included in the list. I'm glad to see The Hobbit on there, but any of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series should be included, as well. I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed how much Paolini borrowed from her dragonlore. Oh, and George Lucas should get his props, too. I mean, who didn't see the parallels with that? Orphan farm boy discovers mystical powers and heads out on an adventure to save the world aided by his mentor with a dark past -- it's Star Wars with dragons.
3 - Jared Wright
Yeah, great list, although I'll check Paolini at the door also. The rest all have their special place for sure.
4 - Dalton
It's 'Tolkien', not 'Tolkein'
5 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net , which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States, and to Boston.com. Nice work!
6 - Fleiger
That's a good article, and since I have read almost all (except 3, 4 and 7), I am pretty sure I am talking from experience. I didn't like "Series of Unfortunate Events" as the books are a bit too dark for my taste (considering childrens' books of course), and I am looking forward to getting to the Pullman Trilogy soon.
And I agree, despite the (mostly true) allegations of "inspirations" against Inheritance trilogy, I loved it... The Earthsea series is a superb one too.
Would you mind heading over to my post on My Top 5 Fantasy series?
7 - Fleiger
@Anna Creech:
Orphan farm boy discovers mystical powers and heads out on an adventure to save the world aided by his mentor with a dark past
Remove the "dark past" of mentor, and you get The Belgariad from David Eddings...
But I am assuming that you meant mysterious past, given as you are refer to Star Wars. So, the similarities are perfect.