Mary, my DS8 loves the series of books about a robot named Norby by Janet and Isaac Asimov. The first one in the series is called Norby, the Mixed-Up Robot. There are at least 12 to 15 books in the series and are about a young cadet named Jeff who goes off and has amazing adventures on other planets. They are not as dense as Isaac Asimov's adult books (and are not frightening at all), and can be found in the juvenile section of the library. But they are still challenging for kids who are reading at the 6th-8th grade level. We started reading them to our son when he was five or six, and he now enjoys them on his own.
We are also beginning to explore the Jules Verne books. I would love suggestions from other people, particularly in the science fiction/fantasy avenue. We have to be kind of careful about content, though, since his reading level doesn't match his fear of things hiding under his bed level. He will love Tolkien some day, but it would keep him up at night now!
