E-book recommendations for 8 to 11 year olds
Published on 15th April 2020
If you have an 8-11 year old looking for something to read, here are some fantastic new additions to Borrowbox. Even if you don’t have an 8-11 year old, our colleague Sarah would still recommend anyone to take a look. There are some cracking e-books that have recently been added to the app.
The Dollmaker of Krakow by R. M. Romero. One night a little doll named Karolina comes to life in a toyshop in Krakow, Poland, in 1939 and changes the life of the gruff, broken-hearted Dollmaker. “The human children who had owned them were kind to dolls at first, but eventually, the children grew up, leaving their once-beloved playmates to gather dust and mildew in attics and beneath beds. When their wood and cloth and porcelain could sustain their souls no longer, they went back to the Land of the Dolls.”
This is a wonderful story that blends both the magic of a Grimm’s fairytale and the realism of the Nazi occupation of Poland during World War II.
The Warden’s Daughter by Jerry Spinelli. From Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli (Maniac Magee, Stargirl) comes the knockout story of a girl who must come to terms with her mother's death from inside the walls of a prison. “How do you be a child to a mother you never knew? For twelve years my father had been enough. Family photos and a yellowing newspaper story had been enough. Sure, from the time I’d first heard the story, I’d thought about my mother. Anne O’Reilly. The lady who saved me from the milk truck. I cried for her. For myself. Sometimes. And that was it. That’s how the world was. Other kids had mothers. Cammie O’Reilly didn’t. End of story. Now, in the weeks after Mother’s Day, something was changing. Enough was no longer enough. Dormant feelings stirred by a smile at a ballpark moved and shifted until they shaped a thought: I was sick and tired of being motherless. I wanted one. And a second thought: If I couldn’t have my first-string mother, I’d bring one in off the bench. But who?”
This book by the author of “Stargirl” is funny and poignant. The perfect book to read while in isolation as you won’t be able to put it down. I know I couldn’t.
The Song from Somewhere Else by A.F. Harrold. Frank doesn't know how to feel when Nick Underbridge rescues her from bullies one afternoon. No one likes Nick. He's big, he's weird and he smells – or so everyone in Frank's class thinks.
“The inside of the house wasn’t what Frank had expected. Nick’s school jumpers always had food on them and his shirts weren’t always washed as often as everyone else’s. He certainly never brushed his hair. And everyone knew he smelt, probably had fleas. But the house didn’t seem to be like that. For a start the hallway was clean and bright. The walls were white, and big colourful abstract pictures hung on them. More pictures were stacked against the wall as if they were waiting to find homes. There were no carpets, but the floorboards were painted white and made it feel like you were on holiday. It was calm, quiet. Underneath the clumping of their shoes on the floorboards was a quiet quite unlike any she’d ever heard at home. Her brother would always cry in the middle of a silence, or her dad would turn the radio on in the kitchen and let old, boring pop music fill the house. The only thing, the only odd thing, she thought, was the smell. It was something like a forest. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it didn’t smell like indoors.”
The popular children’s author brings us a book that will make you think. And reminds us to never judge a book by its cover!! It’s also fantastically illustrated by Levi Pinfold.
The Young Rebels by Morgan Llywelyn. His pupils are inspired by his vision of freedom and an Irish Republic, and John Joe and his friend Roger see the Easter Rising as their chance to fight for Ireland's freedom. But the two boys are horrified to learn that they are too young to take part. They disobey orders to stay away from the city centre and quickly become caught up in the dramatic events of the Rebellion. Called to be brave and resourceful beyond their years, they witness events that change their lives forever. Another dramatic blend of history and fiction from the inimitable Morgan Llywelyn.
“I hate the Irish language, it’s the language of poverty. Unfortunately it’s one thing we have no choice about. I wonder if my father realised this is a bilingual school? If he knew he might not make me stay here. He shares the government’s contempt for everything Irish. The attitude is: everything that’s English or from England is noble and fine. Anything that’s Irish – meaning native to this country – is dirty and stupid. Why would anyone go to all the trouble to create a school like St Enda’s for boys who are dirty and stupid?
My first weekend at St Enda’s will be hard. I know I’ll feel lonelier than ever. The day pupils will go home and only a few of us will be left here. There used to be more boarders but some of them have dropped out. The Head and the other teachers support a political movement which is not popular with everyone. Irish nationalism.I don’t see why a school should be involved in politics. Politics is as boring as history, which I hate. Neither has anything to do with me.
While my classmates and I are on our way to the refectory, I say in a rather loud voice, ‘Studying things that happened donkey’s years ago is as stupid as studying a language nobody uses anymore.’We return from our collation to find the Head in our classroom, writing on the blackboard. He puts down the chalk, gives me a long look, and leaves the room. On the blackboard is written, ‘The Irish language is your special birthright. It is a secret code that belongs only to you.’ I never had a secret code before.”
This is a fantastic book for anyone, young or old, who loves history. It is set in Padraig Pearse’s school, St. Enda’s and in the book, Pearse is not an historical figure who died over 100 years ago; he’s a living person. A book about what it’s like to live through an experience that entire history books of the future will be written about –something everyone in 2020 can relate to!
Watch our how-to video on Borrowbox.
Access eBooks/eAudiobooks on your phone, tablet or reader. Once you have installed the app, search for Dublin in the ‘Library’ field provided and then sign in using your library membership card number and PIN.
Members of other library authorities will need to access BorrowBox using a different link.