Author: Kenneth Roberts
Title: Northwest Passage, Rabble in Arms*, Arundel, etc.
File Under: Historical Fiction, American memory
Age Group: Good readers who need lots of just things to read — 10 and up**
A question that comes up a lot with kids who are really good readers is what to have them read when they are, say, twelve. They've already ripped through Beverly Cleary, and Nancy Drew is a distant memory (yes, Nancy Drew — she'll never go out of style in my book! What a fancy girl in her classic roadster and her fashionable yet practical shoes — love her!). They are beyond “chapter books” — but they are still very much children.
But, dear reader, this age group, no matter how high the reading level, is too young for Jane Austen or Dostoyevsky. The time will come, and meanwhile, there is a whole world of reading out there that is perfect for them now.
These are books that tell great stories and take a long time to read. They are classics in a sense — having stood the test of time — but don't quite reach to the very top level, which tends to involve themes that are lost on a youngster (or, worse, damaging to his developing moral sense). For instance, James Fenimore Cooper is an author that most adults get pretty impatient with, but the young adolescent has all the time in the world! He doesn't even notice the prolixity! He just gets caught up in the world of yore.
These books are for getting lost in. They are fodder, frankly, for the voracious mind, just as a big pot of homemade macaroni and cheese is fodder for their growing bodies. You don't want to feed them junk, but at some point you realize you do need to just feed them in quantity!
The great thing about Kenneth Roberts is that reading his books, you learn a lot about our country's history while being told a rollicking good yarn. There is a species of historical-fiction writer that just perfects the art of telling the vast tale from the perspective of the ordinary person, and Rogers is a strong exemplar.
Rogers will appeal mightily to boys. What boy can't see himself marching for days, like the men in Northwest Passage, on nothing but a bag of parched corn and the water scooped from a clear brook! Parents, here is your summer reading for your smart boys!
What is the Like Mother, Like Daughter Library Project?
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*These books would be fine to read on Kindle. Northwest Passage is out of print, I guess. But keep your eagle eye out at book sales and yard sales, because it's just this kind of book that needs to be on your shelf for the bored child to reach for in desperation, just because something about it catches his fancy. Remember that a Kindle book isn't really yours. It isn't archival the way a real book is!
** I am reluctantly bowing to pressure to post ages for the books. I live by Lewis’ maxim, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
Rozy says
Many mention Beverly Cleary books but leave out what I think are the most delightful: Fifteen, Sister of the Bride, The Luckiest Girl, Jean and Johnny. These are sweet, clean, realistic (for virtuous families) romances. When I read Cleary’s biography I recognized the threads of her stories coming from her own life. Human emotions don’t change with each generation, technology may change, but not emotions. For boys I highly recommend Ralph Moody’s autobiographical fiction series Little Britches, with eight titles taking him from age eight to age 21. Full of character building lessons without preachiness, and lots of adventure and high-jinks, they are wonderful books. What about (for girls) Anne of Green Gables? And Robinson Crusoe for boys?
Leila says
Hi Rozy,
I posted about Little Britches here:
http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/2014/03/manliness-boys-parenting-and-little-britches/
I love the books you mention. My post here is about more “adult” fiction that yet doesn’t fall into the category of a true great book. I think of these books as bridges from the childhood reading (like the Anne books) to the complex and thematic adult world. The main thing is that they are LONG! Very satisfying to those children who aren’t mature enough for the heavier things but who are excellent readers.
Don’t forget that here I am not loading you with suggestions. I am giving you one or a few and hopefully, a guiding principle, if you will. In many cases, knowing about one book or author leads organically to others in the same category.
I would say that Roberts is very different from the ones you mention. The genre here is historical fiction — very alive and real, not at all in the “imaginary” realm that some children are impatient to get out of — yet, they still want and need to read fiction.
jen says
Just searched my library and they have it on the shelf! The best part of moving downtown is the library full of old books. I always look forward to your library project posts.
Emily b says
I love this recommendation–thank you Leila! I recently stumbled upon Stephen Meader’s historical fiction books at a used book sale; did your boys read those? Mine are devouring his books now (though they are hard to find). Thanks for all of the great book recs!
Susan says
Thanks so much! You are the only person who consistently comes up with books I’ve never heard of for my voracious readers. These sound perfect for my nine-year-old history-loving boy.
Rachel says
My mother always said that the proof of a good children’s story was that it could be read and enjoyed by adults too. Great minds think alike, Leila.
Dixie says
Yes, that is such a frustrating age to go to the library. The young adult books section…well, most of those books barely qualify as reading; but much of the adult fiction is just not that interesting or appropriate yet (and of course, half the books on the shelves are trash).
I do remember reading a number of adult books at this time, but only reading half of them, stopping when the characters grew up (and became less interesting). I think I read the early portions of “Jane Eyre” 5 or 6 times before I went on to read the rest as a 16-year-old or so! It was one of my very favorite books, even without having finished it! I’m not sure whether I would recommend that book or not in general at this age — of course, there are a lot of awful things in the character’s childhood — but I do think actually it was fine for me. It seemed another step in the orphanhood theme that so captivates children. Same with some Charles Dickens books…loved Great Expectations until, yikes, he grew up and it got boring!
Auntie Leila, I’d love to hear more detailed thoughts about what you think about which themes might be appropriate at this age. I’m sure some of it depends on the kid. You mentioned James Fenimore Cooper…but “The Last of the Mohicans” almost did me in at this age, with the overwhelming emotions it brought up. Why Cooper but not Austen?
Other recommendations: Mark Twain and, of course, Louisa May Alcott and L.M. Montgomery.
Leila says
Dixie, I just think it’s no great loss if someone doesn’t want to read Cooper, but a tragedy if they think Austen is dumb just because they weren’t old enough to read her!
Also, Austen requires maturity not only in handling her themes and emotions but in grasping her irony and humor. To miss those yet think you’ve read her — I can’t bear the thought.
Dixie says
Oh, I see what you mean. Saving those great classics for a time of more mature understanding. That makes sense.
Heidi says
I second Louisa May Alcott! I think I lived on her books (and the second half of the ‘Anne’ series, which had been over my head earlier) from ages 12-15.
Patty says
Fashionable yet practical shoes…. I love it! One of my goals in life. (Yes, I am that shallow.)
lisa says
I was just thinking today that I need to put a Summer Reading List together for my finished-a-book-in-an-hour 11-year old daughter. Thank you for the book suggestion(s)! 🙂
Michelle says
We love Kenneth Roberts! “Oliver Wiswell” and “Rabble in Arms” are our favorites and are interesting to read back to back, as the story of the American Revolution is told from two very different perspectives.
Kristi says
Love the library project series! I know we’ll need this book (and others like it) in a few years for my new but already voracious reader. Thank you!
Joy says
My older boys loved reading Kenneth Roberts’ books. I need to dig them out for my youngest son. Thanks for reminding me of them.
Amanda says
Oh thank you so much for this library project and thinking of the smart kids who can read anything but should read only certain things. I will be keeping this in mind to stock my shelves before my voracious reader (about to turn 6) reaches 10 or so. He’s already delving into so many books I didn’t anticipate him reading until later and you are so right that sometimes he just needs to be ‘fed’ a nice long book that will keep him satisfied for a while. Thank God for the Wind in the Willows, a decent length book for him, otherwise I would be at a loss with him right now.
Molly R says
My dad recommended the Kenneth Roberts books to me when I was around 12 or 13, and I loved them! I still remember Oliver Wiswell for the different (Loyalist) perspective on the American Revolution. But your description of the adult experience of these books really resonated with me. I picked up Oliver Wiswell at a library sale and just tried to re-read it. But the lengthy descriptions of the one character’s eating difficulties and his discourse on the food of different regions did me in, and I couldn’t get past the second chapter or so. Loved it as a teenager-with-plenty-of-time, couldn’t quite get into it as an all-too-busy-mom of seven! But my thinking is not quite organized enough to place it into the perfect category that you did. Thanks for articulating this!
Anne-Marie says
Here are three more authors for voracious readers: Rosemary Sutcliff, and Joan Aiken.
Sutcliff is to my mind the best writer of historical fiction for children. The made-up characters who are the central figures of her story have richly satisfying lives of their own; they are not just cardboard props for the historical events. She’s also one of the few authors in any genre who convincingly portrays characters with differing degrees of religious belief and practice. Her books are mainly set in Roman and medieval Britain.
Aiken is not so serious. She wrote short stories, including many that feature the kind of rule-bound magic Leila talked about in her post on E. Nesbit, and a long series of books now referred to as the Wolves Chronicles that are alternate history. They’re set in the early nineteenth century of a world in which the Stuart monarchy endures; many of the books feature wicked Hanoverian plots to dethrone or kill the king. The heroes are all children, mostly orphans, who face all kinds of dangers with resourcefulness and courage and loyalty. Plus, the books area very funny.
Anne-Marie says
Whoops, that should be two, not three, authors.
Melissa Diskin says
Dido Twite forever! 😀
Julie says
I cannot tell you how I love these posts. Thank you.
ann says
I just thought parents might like to be forewarned that there is a moment in Rabble in Arms when the patriots kill a man who is suffering from a war wound because he is making too much noise for the situation in which they find themselves. I did find that a bit troubling, teaching it to juniors in high school. It did lead to an interesting discussion. It is difficult because the good guys do it, and it seems so reasonable.
Leila says
Thank you, Ann — just the sort of note we need — I’d love to hear how that discussion went!
Alea says
Thank you! This is just what we need, and you explain it so well. Quantity! Without being morally damaging. Perfect!
I have read most of the way through your book – so I’ll leave you a great review on amazon soon!
Cynthia says
That is the age I read all of James Fenimore Cooper, and I agree, I would never pick him up as an adult–I just don’t have the time! I read lots of Howard Pyle and Ivanhoe around then too, though those I can still stand as an adult! Somewhere around 12-13 is when I discovered Thomas Costain as well–nothing like picking up the history of England for light summer reading!
Bob says
I hope you will indulge this intrusion by the father of a teenage boy. I can’t recommend enough the books by Kenneth Roberts. In addition to being well-written, they are historically accurate. I introduced them to my son when he was 11, along with the Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, and he immersed himself in all of them. Likewise, starting when he was eight, he read and re-read “Johnny Tremain” by Esther Forbes, “Carry On, Mr. Bowditch” by Jean Lee Latham, “Fighting Frigate” by Edward Buell Hungerford, and “Kidnapped” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Good literature all, incorporating action and adventure, encouraging upright, manly conduct, and through reading which my son has cultivated a passion for reading.
Joy in Alabama says
Nobody ever talks about this book anymore, but my sons and I really enjoyed Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James at around ages 10-12. It’s a longer book but younger boys would enjoy it as a read aloud if not able to stick to reading a longer book on their own.
Mama Rachael says
I don’t see Jack London’s books mentioned much. I got White Fang for free last week, and Little Man, age 5, is asking for it anytime I offer to read. Its for those with sensitive appetites, plenty of gruesome things happen, after all, London is talking a lot about ‘the law of the Wild” (yes, Wild is capitalized). He also has lots of rather classical philosophy going on in the book. Hubby, who is a professional philosopher, will comment when he hears the allusion to Plato (that’s what we’ve seen so far).
Little Man isn’t reading too much on his own yet, but I can see these books becoming his favorites. I will introduce Northwest when we’ve gotten through White Fang, or maybe Little Britches. We’ll see. 😀
Liz says
Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazon books were a big hit with my kids and my daughter is now reading them to the grandkids. They would be great for kids of this age to read for themselves. Lots of adventures of kids on their own ((with a few supportive grownups mostly in the background). No mention here of Hilda Von Stockum novels, which even ten year olds could read. Not all of Farley Mowat would be appropriate, but Owls In The Family is an incredibly funny book. While I absolutely get your reservations about Kinddle, it has made books available that kids would otherwise not get a chance to read. I have read Thornton Burgess books, the later Oz books, Eleanor Estes books, Edith Nesbit books to my grandkids for practically pennies and some of the are difficult, if not impissible, to find in print. I have found some in print, I have even gifted my granddaughter with print copies of some of the Burgess books (she has been a real animal lover from her earliest years) Both my grandkids have laughed with delight at the Uncle Wiggley books that also delighted me and my sister as little girls when our librarian grandmother read them to us. I also found them on Kindle after being uable to locate them in my own kids growing up years. I agree with you that the old books continue to delight, at least they continue to delight children who haven’t been to public school or spent their lives watching what currently passes for most children’s programming on TV.