How to Teach Your Child to Get to Know Stephen King
Most of the Stephen King readers I know discovered this man in their youth. They stumbled upon a copy of Cujo or Firestarter at a library book sale and took it home, and then they couldn’t tear themselves away, and then their tiny story-loving minds exploded. At its best.
There are many reasons to encourage your kids to pick up Uncle Stevie. If you disagree with this idea, if you think that he writes nothing but the gruesome horror monsters, I bet you haven’t read many – or none – of his novels. King understands childhood with all its fears and wonders, and he can create a protagonist – and, well, an antagonist – with the best of them. Damn, he’s the best of them all.
So if you want to help your child make out some truly fantastic fairy tales, you should start with these books.
Dragon eyes
Essentially, Eyes of the Dragon is a fairy tale, and King wrote it for a child: it is dedicated to his daughter, who is said to have complained to her father that he never wrote what she wanted. read.
In the story, the king is killed, and his son Peter is accused of this murder. Peter will have to defeat the evil wizard and his own brother in order to take his rightful place on the throne. One problem: he has been sitting in the tower for years. This is enough time to develop an escape plan. King fans will recognize the name “Randall Flagg”, a sorcerer who pervades much of King’s universe.
Wind through the keyhole
While not technically part of King’s greatest opus, The Dark Tower series, The Wind Through the Keyhole is a Dark Tower novel. Consider this as Book # 4-½.
Keyhole tells a story within a story about a boy named Tim, his sweet mother, and his evil stepfather. The Tale of Magic Keys and the Taxpayer Wizard takes Tim on a magical quest – along with the “tiger” (as King’s spelling), a dragon, and a few swamp people – to save his mom.
Short people in yellow robes
Technically, Low Men is part of a novel in the larger book Hearts in Atlantis , which somehow reads like a novel and storybook. Low people can stand alone, and in the opinion of this humble reader, these are some of the greatest pages King ever wrote.
Summer 1969 and Bobby Garfield is in love with the bike and the girl. His widowed mother often works, leaving Bobby to strike up friendships with his upstairs neighbor, Ted Brautigan, a sweet old man who hires Bobby to look after lost pets and quirky cars. It doesn’t take long for Bobby’s mother to fear friendship.
Low Men is full of fully drawn characters that are flawed, frustrating and sympathetic to you. In addition, there are the title guys, the recurring characters in King’s work, who are the most sinister in Hearts .
Long walk
Written under the King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Long Walk reads as if it definitely inspired The Hunger Games : every year in the near future, 100 boys are selected to compete in walking competitions. The winner gets whatever he wants for the rest of his life. To win, he must maintain a constant speed of 4 mph. Those who don’t … well, like I said, they think about the Hunger Games .
Gwendy Button Box
Co-authored with writer Richard Chismar , Gwendy ‘s Button Box tells the story of 12-year-old Gwendi, who was once given a mysterious box by a stranger. Different buttons represent each continent. One lever serves up treats that will make your life so much better. Another hand out valuable rare coins.
Then there is the black button.
“That’s all,” Farris says and stands up. “All shebang. Big kahuna, as your father would say. “
So what could this mean?
Body
This short story is included in the collection ” Different Seasons” . It is also the basis for Stay With Me. You probably know this story: a group of friends find out about the body of the missing boy, and one summer they went in search to find this body and become heroes of their city.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: A Pop-Up Book
Yes, you read that right: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon has a pop-up version. It’s quite a miracle: the extra pages in each corner of the book, unexpected pop-ups with add-ons, and a really great use of clear plastic to illustrate wasps swarming and watching a night sky full of meteors.
In the story, Trisha is separated from her mother on the Appalachian Trail, leaving only the Walkman. She listens to her favorite Red Sox and eventually turns to her favorite player to guide her through the forest and all its horrors.
And if you haven’t already, read these books yourself. You can then take your child to the mini-book club as you finish each exciting new story and die to talk to someone about it.