As some of you may know, i have a Sony PRS505 ebook reader. It's a darn nifty device which my father has an unnatural attraction to, but that's beside the point.
In this case, the point is that while he's rightly smitten by the device, i'm… well… not.
It's not that i wouldn't like to. i tried. Thing is, i have no problem reading on devices like LCD screens like my computer, laptop or ipod, so when i'm in the mood to sate the literary muse, that's where i turn. (Plus, i tend to read more websites and technical stuff rather than some torrid page turner about how a stoic band of cowboys defeated Nazi Estonia.)
So, i've been thinking about giving it to my brother. Of course, since he tends to get things that my father likes, he may already have one, which means that i'd probably hand it to the other heavy reader in the family, my niece.
This, of course, raises the question: What books to load up on it for a (nearly) 10 year old?
Since i'm a cheap bastard and happy to sow the seeds of both geekery and a touch of subversion, i'm looking for various free books that i can pile up on it. i've already grabbed some of the stuff i read at that age:
- 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Nothing like a bit of kick ass pacifism - Journey to the Center of the Earth
the non-Disney version that had me looking for holes with Icelandic writing (sadly lacking in Northern Virginia). - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
because there's always room for deductive reasoning - Princess of Mars
Tarzan was overrated - Gulliver's Travels
She won't get all the jokes, but it's good adventure - Alice in Wonderland
Because it's curiouser
i've also included (based on the recommendation of Kent) Charlie Stross' Accelerando (which i've also loaded up for my own reading purposes).
On the wishlist of books i'd love to add to that digital pile:
- The Stainless Steel Rat
- The Princess Bride
- Another Fine Myth
Sadly, i don't have the Foglio version - Roadmarks
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
(i'm planning on giving her the first three in paperback anyway.)
But then things sorta peter out. Granted, that's a lot of reading right there, but since this isn't an assignment, i'm happy with letting her say "Nah, not really into this" and skip. She's already gotten into fantasy, so the stuff i'd be giving her would (i'd guess) be right up her alley. None of it has anything really offensive (even Slippery Jim goes out of his way not to kill anyone).
Can you think of any others that might fit the bill?
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hrm, i guess she might be a little young for "fight club", huh?
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Agreed on the tarzan was overrated thing. You might go to the public library and ask what 10year olds are reading these days; I know I was checking out heaps'o books at that age, every week.
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Oh, and the Hugo nominee novellas and short stories are usually up for free, for a while ... might get those, cos Hugo quality stuff is, well, quality. Then there's the Baen free book setup, grab a handful of those, and let her choose for herself which to continue reading.
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I can only recommend German books, and I don't think this'd be helpful. Hmm. That being said, you might want to sift through the "Young Readers" categories of FB and MB, maybe you'll find a few more candidates there? http://feedbooks.com/type/Young%20Readers/books/top http://manybooks.net/categories/CHI
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Scalzi regularly points to YA books from Whatever. He might even have a category set up so you could find them easily.... Well, no category, but http://whatever.scalzi.com/?s=young+adult looks like it'll get you some help.
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Not for the 10 year old as much as for you: the poem "Treasure Island" by Bert Leston Taylor. http://books.google.com/books?id=9Vk1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=treasure+island+bert+leston+taylor&source=bl&ots=bK7ASnCHoq&sig=8CoWxIM4yi7DK-GObHDG0vDcsf4&hl=en&ei=5dYCSt7GAsjJtgeG2K2XBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
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Frankenstein? Although she may look at her Sony Reader differently after that.
