Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy what book your kid is reading this week

Hi all

intention is to know different books kids of a particular grade/age reading. we hopefully know wide variety of books and please write couple of lines about positive and negative points of that book as well

DD- grade 2- the story of ferdinand- DD saw a play on that at our local theatre and wants to read the book. Wonderful, i can not point out any negatives

BFG- one of the classics of Dahl's books and this was her class teacher's read aloud book, could not wait till her teacher finishes it, finished at home. Non american book, easy to read though

Hoping to get a huge collection of kid's favorites in a gifted forum!!!!!!!

What a great idea!

DS7 just finished "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Now reading a Magic School Bus chapter book: "Space Explorers."

Also, for the grown-ups out there . . . Roald Dahl wrote for adults too! He has a terrific collection of (very twisted) short stories -- the Roald Dahl Omnibus. DS refuses to pick up Dahl (or anything else DH and I say he should read).

dd7 second grade is read The Penderwicks at Pointe Mouette

DD9 in fourth grade is reading her Discovery Kids Almanac for the 100th time (at least!), The Cinderella Diaries and I Survived - Pearl Harbour Explosion (much better than the shark attack one she read last week). She is really into non-fiction lately and she promised to do her whole book report project in November without complaining if I buy her a new Almanac (her idea!).

DS8 in 4th is reading Scrumble ( I think thats how its spelt ). He seems to like it, and from the pages hes read me on various nights before bed, it seems very well written, is interesting, has great imagery, and expanded vocabulary (extra bonus lol).

DD has become obsessed with Shel Silverstein poems. DH reads her them from his old books at bedtime. She loves the creepy ones. She walks around reciting them. Her favorite is "Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me, Too." She had the whole thing memorized after only a couple of readings.

We heart Ferdinand, too. Him and Horton are two of our favorite heroes.

DS8, 4th grade, just finished The Warlock by Michael Scott and is halfway through Son of Neptune.

DD7 is reading "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. I find it challenging to find material for my high PRI scoring DS6. Right now he is reading and re reading a Toy Story joke book.

DD10(6th) just finished "Farewell to Manzanar". She also re-reads Shel Silverstein a lot, among others. She also just read a bunch of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books and really enjoyed them.

DD8 just chose 2 Geronimo Stilton, a Wishbone Mysteries and...this is funny...Pinduli by Janell Cannon (of Stellaluna fame). I think, at first glance, Pinduli seems below her abilities, but the story is sort of complex..."an endearing young hyena who shoes the creatures of the African savanna how a few tiny words-bad or good-can create something enourmous." Plus the way she grabbed it and exclaimed that it was from the same author as Stellaluna, which WAS one of her favorite books when she was little...the connection was what I liked...plus, she can read it out loud to DD4.5 She is also reading Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix, class read aloud is Ramona and Beezus and she's really into her Discovery Kids magazine issue on spiders!

DD4.5 is a kalidescope...she chose something like Dr Meow's Hospital or something from the library, lol! She reads individual words or with your prompting, but hasn't yet demonstrated a want to read independently. For her, it's a social event and she has several favorite books memorized. Chrysanthemum is a favorite (and well loved around our whole school) and Fancy Nancy...she loves the magnificent vocabulary . I just started reading Little House in the Big Woods out loud to her and she also likes "Play Safe, Stay Safe" and books about going to Kindergarden, hahahah!

I'm pretty sure I have read that...is that about Japanese internment camps?
Fan of CYOA too

DD8 is re-reading one of the Mysterious Benedict Society books for the umpteenth time (a fun and great read for gifted kids), a easy non-fiction on Helen Keller (inspiring), a non-fiction on Sir Francis Drake (not sure how we got this, but a good overview history and fascinating), and has started on Anne of Green Gables (enjoying it).

DD8 has recently been re-reading School of Fear: Class is Not Dismissed, Lafcadio (Shel Silverstein), and probably some Percy Jackson. Much of her reading is done on the sly, so I don't know exactly what's in the current rotation.

DD10 is reading the Ranger's Apprentice. DD8 is re-reading her stack of cookbooks.

DD7 is reading Marie-Grace, just finished a Geronimo Stilton, and several of the Ivy + Bean books. She has also been reading any Wierd School books she can get her hands on. (All this from my child who until 3 weeks ago wanted to do math rather than read.) She is reading 1+ books a day right now.

DD10 and DD12 were arguing over the new Rick Riordan book earlier this week - I think DD12 won and has already finished it. DD10 is reading the latest School of Fear and Gilda Joyce books. She also read a Geronimo Stilton book her little sister had sitting around.

In addition to finishing the Rick Riordan, DD12 is reading The Shakespeare Stealer, and Bram Stoker's Dracula. She finished The Hobit earlier in the week, and has just finished all of the Pretty Little Liars books (not exactly quality literature, but she reads so much that is high quality, she's allowed to have a little fluff thrown in).

I spend entirely too much on books!

DS6 just read one of the stink moody books (judy's little brother) last night and has another one for this weekend.

DS11 is reading a book called Dark Life.

I occurs to me that since our kids skipped over easier book levels, they missed out on many wonderful books, especially some of the classic picture books.

It is, written from a young girl's perspective of being in the camp- dd finished it in 2 days, really enjoyed it a lot!

Agreed. And since, like so many other kids here, she reads so voraciously, I honestly don't concern myself with it. She hasn't gotten to venturing into "too mature" material yet so we're good

DS10 - Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel - He loved this book and is now beginning another by the same author.

DD9- Carlotta and her Kittens and others by this author.

DS 5.5 is reading the most recent NERDS book, one of the Droon books, and his Highlights magazine. He finished the new Pseudonymous Bosch book and is really liking the Wayside school books.

I still bring in picture books occasionally -they are where he is emotionally often but I am doing it less as he gets them in Kindergarten.

Love book threads - now I have stuff to check out for my bottomless pit of a reader!

DeHe

DS10 just read Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley. Tales of Beetle the Bard by JK Rowling, the 10th Pendragon book, and just started Long Spikes by Jim Arnosky.

DD8 is reading Ellie McDoodle

My 13 year old son is reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology.

DS9 is reading The Story of Science: Einstein Adds a New Dimension by Joy Hakim, any Calvin & Hobbes he can get his hands on (Calvin & Hobbes is a daily requirement), and Speak up and Get Along by Scott Cooper (this one I kind of planted in his room)... Also, whatever else he can find and hide at school, I'm sure. (Usually involves world records of doing something gross.)

Hi

Thank you all for your input. I would appreciate input from some more posters with young kids in grade 1 and 2 level. Please share your young gifted kids book reading list

Today, DD5 brought home from the library: more Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, *cringe* Rainbow Fairies, and a couple of Magic Treehouse (which she has already read, but picked them up anyway). Non-fiction? she wants none of it, but did read a couple I had laying out on the couch last week. I wonder if that trick will work again this week...

DD7 is reading book 1 of Erin Hunter's Warrior series, which she has picked up and put down many times before but may be ready for now (themes are a bit dark). She is also reading Magic or Not, by Edward Eager, and Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson. At school (they do a lot of independent reading) she just finished Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great.

Any suggestions for moving beyond the rainbow fairies. My niece loves them, I thought the American girl books but not sure she will like the magic tree houses. Thanks

DeHe

Magic Tree House, Tales From the Odyssey, anything by Roald Dahl, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Magic School Bus (the chapter books are better than the other books, IMO), DS likes the Star Wars "easy readers," Wayside School, Droon . . .

DS (3 3/4): Magic Tree House series, Puppy Place series, Wizard of Oz (usually we read a page each :)), non-fiction about the human body... ANythign is fair game these days as long as it is not scary!

DS 7 Grade 2/3 reads a variety of books weekly. Some are stretched out over weeks, others are devoured in a day or two. Our only real rules are that they be unabridged and "decent" by our family's standards. The books I'm aware of this week are:

• The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
  
  This is his fourth or fifth reading of this. He loves it more each time. Good book for character issues. No bad points here.
• Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge
  
  Errr... this is "fluff" book. Some things I don't like about these Hardy Boys books are the way they talk about girls "Ooh, she was a hottie." Okay, so they don't say "hottie," but they might as well. Also, IMO they make derogatory remarks about "fat" people. I don't like that.
• The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  
  This is his second read of this. It's an easy read, and full of adventure and excitement. This book brings up cultural issues that we are able to discuss. (How attitudes about people/ideas change over time.)
• St. George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
  
  A very "noble" book. It's a very easy read for ds, but the artwork is lovely to look at and the story is quality.
• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
  
  This is a must read (when they are strong readers). It is SO hilarious! It doesn't take long to get used to the language, assuming your child has read at least some quality literature. Very, very good book.
• The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
  
  This really is an advanced book, but my ds likes it. He's reading it slowly. I think because we are Christians and he has regular exposure to the KJV/NKJV Bible he hasn't struggled at all with this language. Plus, he's been exposed to the concepts the allegory is referring to, so he "sees" those where someone who hadn't been exposed would not be able to do that.

This week, DS8 is reading Catching Fire (part 2 of Hunger Games) and Gregor the Overlander (by the same author). If he leaves one at school, he reads the other one at home. He usually has at least 2 books in process as one book is left somewhere where he is not... And don't worry, we have plenty available "on deck" so I do not have to hear the dreaded, "I don't have anything to reeeeaadddddd!!!!!!"

DS11: Frontier Wolf, by Rosemary Sutcliffe, as it ties in with his study of Roman civ. Last week was The Bronze Bow.

Calvin & Hobbes and The Far Side galleries are daily requirements here too!

We are all over the place..DS8 is enjoying the How to Train Your Dragon series, as well as the Uncle Albert books...and he can't wait for the new George and the Big Bang book to come out :-)

DD7 is reading Gregor the Overlander (Book 1 of a 5 book series) her sisters loved them when they were younger.
DD11 is reading The View from Saturday as an assignment for class.
DD13 is reading The Castle in the Air because she liked Howl's Moving Castle.

DD8 just disappeared into her room with I Am Number Four. (I have no idea how kid-appropriate it is; the movie was PG-13. DD has a high tolerance for action movies viewed at home in a brightly-lit room.)

Belle, we love Hawking's George books too, I have already gotten a copy of the Big Bang! Not sure what the deal is because I couldn't buy it directly from Amazon (or Barnes & Noble online) but was able to buy it from one of the Amazon Marketplace vendors. Maybe its out in Britain but not in the US?

I wasn't sure if the Hunger Games series is appropriate for this age? I read them and know my DD8 would enjoy them, but we've already had a few incidents at school where what she says has been misunderstood by other kids or adults...when I told her they were about kids fighting other kids to the death, she said "cool!" I realize she means that sounds exciting and with lots of tension, but other people might take that as her saying it would be cool for kids to kill kids...am I the only one who worries about that?

DS4.5 is reading Zac Power books in the car and James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl) before going to sleep. He has a Magic Treehouse book (about earthquakes?) that he is picking up and putting down from time to time.

My kindergartner is reading "Life of Fred - Cats" and loving every weird, mathy minute of it!

I wish our library would get the new Life of Fred books already . We checked out fractions over the summer.

DD10 Call of the Wild

DS10 Robinson Crusoe

They're liking the classics lately - recent reads: Journey to the Middle of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables

I was the same way. DS8 had asked to read Hunger Games a while ago and I wouldn't let him. Finally I gave in, and I basically hovered over him asking him, "Are you scared?" "Do you think you are going to have nightmares?" "You can talk to me about anything in the book that bothers you." etc, etc. He wasn't bothered by it like I was. (I almost stopped reading the book after the first couple chapters because I was so disturbed.)

We've talked about the dark future portrayed in it, but I have not seen or heard anything from him about kids who kill.

The Thief Lord (by Cornelia Funke?)- It's about orphans trying to make it on their own in Venice. It has a tiny bit of fantasy and several quirky characters.

DS 6 just finished Thrill-o-Rama a Phineus and Ferb book. His dad is reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to him though he could probably read a lot of it himself. Recently he's been reading the Droon series as well as A-Z mysteries and Ready Freddy.

I used to have (actually, I think I still have them up in the attic...) a whole set of US History books, like one about The Star Spangled Banner and one about the battle of the Merrimac and Monitor, etc...they were awesome...and I remember a book about money...it was pretty fascinating and talked some about stock and how we wound up with paper money, etc...fascinating stuff!

DS(7)2nd grade just finished Bulging Brains. He has read Angry Animals and Nasty Nature. He much prefers to read nonfiction. He also has reread Weird but True for the 5th time. He has been reading the Warriors and Time Warp Trio graphic novels. Love Calvin and Hobbes.

At night he reads with his dad and they have been reading Andrew Clements, A week in the woods. He has liked Frindle and other books by Mr. Clements.

The Best School Year Ever, by Barbara Robinson
Warriors, The Sight, by Erin HUnter

I think she's finished the 8 or so old Peanuts books I got at a booksale--she loves Peanuts. I should totally get her some Far Side! Calvin and Hobbes has been deemed "sexist."

DD is 7 and in 2nd.

DD8 has started Origami Yoda, DS10 just finished Darth Paper and started Jane Eyre. He said he wanted something in his lexile level and wanted to push himself a little. Go DS, go! lol

DS(7) 7th grade is working on Doctor Dolittle ( the original book by Hugh Lofting)

He is writing a summary after every chapter.

DD just finished the first 3 Artemis Fowl books and The Magician's Elephant..all over the weekend..ugh. Hard to find a balance between reading level and appropriate books!

DD6 is reading chocolate fever this week. Not a big book, but funny. A must read for chocolate lovers! (who is not????)

DD7 is reading "What your Third Grader Needs to Know" and "What your Fourth Grader Needs to Know" as well as "Beezus and Ramona".

I love threads like these! Always looking for some new ideas--

My son (5yrs) just finished Time Warp Trio, 2095 and will start either something from Magic School Bus or Tom Sawyer (Great Illustrated Classics)

Are they core curricum books from Ed kirsch?

DS6 OBSESSED with Scooby Doo! series of mystery books... It will be a sad day at my house when he finishes all of them :-)

Yes, the ones by E.D. Hirsch Jr.

DS7 just finished The Hobbit and he is starting Son of Neptune, as DD10 just finished it for a book report for school. DD10 is starting The Low Road.

My six year old is interested in the Goosebumps books (we have a box of them we inherited from cousins) because it is Halloween. He found one in particular that is a choose your own style where every so many pages you make a choice and it send you to a page...it ends up that there are 26 different combinations that you can choose. He is trying to read all 26 different versions.

I need to make a run to the library and restock his available choices so he can choose between Goosebumps and something a bit different.

DD(10) has started The Hobbit, but it doesn't seem to have caught her attention too much Was one of my faves! She just finished the first three Lemony Snicket books.

I read it as a 10th grader in high school. I don't think I am HG or PG but I do think of that book as a high school book...I don't really think I could have read it at 10, too much to slog through (I really loved it but it did take effort to read it and generally reading for me is effortless).

I guess I've given up on my kids' reading habits, I let them read what they like because borrowing 100+ books from the library and losing them was driving me nuts. Anyway, my sons, 9 & 7 only want to read adult books now, so they read the Star Wars series. All of the ones they can get their hands on. They own about 20 or so, and borrow from the library (I only allow 5 at a time) and they re-read them. When they want a break from Star Wars, they read Harry Potter or Kids Almanacs (National Geographic and Time-they've practically memorized them). I think that the adult topics in Star Wars go over their heads (I really hope), because they only talk about the fighting. I'm trying to steer them to the classics, but haven't succeeded so far.

DS7 discovered the Guardians of Ga'hoole, and he's on the third book.

DS7 is reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. He's also reading a terrible book from his school library called "Super Diaper Baby" ugh.

My 2nd grader (will be 8 in December) *devoured* The Hobbit. We read the first few chapters together, and then he stole it from my bedside table (!) and kept reading it on his own. I think it's all about what interests a kid.

DS9 finished the 2nd Benedicts Society Saturday and started The Sword and the Stone he will be done with it by tomorrow and says next he wants to reread Pathfinder again by Orson Scott Card. I have to keep a flowing supply on hand!!

DD was given the Guardians of Ga'hoole this summer and had a hard time (so did I) getting past the image of the older brother pushing him out of the nest.

I was given a copy as a fifth grader, and I wore it out, reading and re-reading it countless times, partially because good reading material was hard for me to come by at that time. So imagine my hilarity when The Hobbitt was assigned reading in my 9th grade AP English class.

Yep, it's definitely a high school book.

I enjoyed the Hobbit as a pre-teen, but it took me until adulthood before I was able to make it through the LOTR.

DD8 likes to start longer chapter books, but almost never finishes them. So far this week, she's read a few pages of Harry Potter #4, A Series of Unfortunate Events #2 and Ranger's Apprentice #1.

DD8 is reading Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas 1935 for school, and The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid (for the bazillionth time) at home.

dd6 reading tale of despereaux -nice story by Kate decamillo, may take whole week

DS9 is reading Andy Griffiths - Just Shocking (tacky boy stuff).

DS7 is reading The Order of the Phoenix, and various Pokemon books.

Hahahaha! DD8 is on HP Order of the Phoenix. That's the first one the gets REALLY long...she got SDB from the other 3rd grade teacher. Disgusting, but it made her smile and school related things generally don't . I think it's a sign of the times that we even pander to children in that way...in an effort to get them to read at all, they are offered tripe like that when there are wonderful books that are still fun and funny without being gross.

On the other hand, I too enjoy a good fart joke from time to time, though I do not allow the use of the word FART in my house

ok...I give up...since I let DD8 come home and we are probably going to homeschool, she is getting far more reading time and we've been at the library probably 3 or 4 times in the past 2 weeks! I can't keep up!

She's working on HP Order of the Phoenix...that's taking a while because she got distracted by a great illustrated greek mythology book, a couple Geronimo Stilton's, some "scary stories for sleepovers" (short stories) and now an "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fantasy", full of elves, wizards, etc...

I consider it developmentally-appropriate humor, which fits in with my overall "let kids be kids" philosophy. It takes a while to appreciate more subtle humor like irony, but potty humor is instantly accessible. So not only do I permit it, I indulge.

My daughter recently had a homework assignment in which she had to give a parent a test on her spelling words, and we had to do it twice, because I wrote "poop" eleven times on the first one.

I mainly dislike the SDP books because Ethan already has a tendency to be very silly, and it seems like that book ratchets it up to 100!

Hello, my 4th grader is enjoying Eargon series. Great Fanasty Also last year he read The Mysterous Benedict Society series and loved it!!! Great Mystery!

Ds is reading "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry at school, and I think "How to train your dragon" as bedtime reading.

The best part about books like that is having my rather proper mother call to say, "Ds left 'Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets' here."

DS11 is reading some kind of manga
DS10 is reading a Murderous Maths book
DD8 is reading a Rainbow Fairy Princess book and The Indian in the Cupboard

dd7 is reading horrible sceince books and magazines and the secret garden (she discovered the classics)
dd8 is reading the princess academy - it's a school assignment

We have the general horrible science one - love it, I think I like it as much as DS 5.5!!! Can't wait to get more. Are the magazines worth it, aren't different enough from the books?

DeHe

I must admit, I had quite the giggle saying "Deputy Doody" lol!

DD 6...reading trying to read all the Catwings books in a day and DD9 is reading Dancing Shoes.

DS almost 3 is reading the MTH book on Thanksgiving and The Nutcracker. He also reads a book on digestion over and over again.

Yes recommend the magazines too, dd has the books too but the magazines she is obsessed with, I think because their colorful and come with goodies, like a heart or the lungs, or a skeleton and at the end of each there's a couple of pages with activities which she loves

Methinks I'll have to get some Horrible Science magazines for ds8 - is the best place the same place you can get the books from ? Can't think of it right now but have it bookmarked somewhere !

purchased the magazines through

http://www.horriblebooks.com/orderinfo.htm

the books I had gotten through e-bay a while ago, I didn't know about this place at the time

We are all Warriors (Erin Hunter) all the time over here right now. Well, and Peanuts.

My reluctant reader has found a book he loves !! It's "The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook" by Eleanor Davis - this is part of the description on Amazon -
"Grade 3-7�Julian Calendar, 11, is a supersmart transfer student trying desperately to fit in at his new middle school. Just when he starts to believe that he'll never find his place, he discovers two other brilliant minds and together they form the Secret Science Alliance. These three braniacs create their own book of blueprints for such cunning creations as the stinkometer, sticky and dangerous gluebombs, and the flying Kablovsky Copter.""
It's a graphic/comic book novel - perfect !! Shame she hasn't written any others like it yet !!

Thanks !!

Dd is reading otherwise known as Sheila the great another great book from Judy Blume
Dd really like that author