Thanks to Covid-19, we are spending an unprecedented amount of time indoors, with no foreseeable end in sight. If you’re worried that you’ve already found the end of the internet in an effort to entertain your restless family, we’re here to help!
One way we can leverage all this extra “togetherness” is to share stories with our family. Stories over time give your kid a bigger perspective. Stories—even fictional stories—help kids process the world around them.
And with so many big changes happening—changes that are difficult for even us to process—stories are one of our greatest resources to give kids and teens context for a time when things won’t feel so strange or scary anymore.
To help get you started, we have reached out to the most expert experts we know - the Funk family - to compile a list for you. Pastor Dustin and Lauren have two teenage sons who have read - or have been read - every book on this list, and we think there are some gems that your son or daughter will love as well.
In case you don't know where to start, we asked Lane Funk, current grade 7 student at Collide, for his top 3 choices from the list and here's what he gave us: The Chronicles of Narnia, Where The Red Fern Grows (my personal favourite), and The Cay.
So whether you’re reading these books aloud together or reading them separately to talk about later, these stories can create meaningful discussions and ongoing conversations between you and your son/daughter.
Here's the list! (Bonus points if you can find the movie version of these stories to compare and contrast with the book!)
The One and Only Ivan by K.A. Applegate The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Silas Marner by George Eliot Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner Blue Willow by Doris Gates Old Yeller by Fred Gipson Treasure in an Oatmeal Box by Ken Gire Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Billy Budd by Herman Melville Moby Dick by Herman Melville Little Britches by Ralph Moody The Day of the Blizzard by Marietta D. Moskin Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordoff and James Norman Hall Wonder by R.J. Palacio Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor The Cay by Theodore Taylor The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
-Darryl Janzen