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Joined: Dec 1969
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Hi everyone - I have been asked to create stickies for threads with lists of book recommendations gathered from member posts for different age ranges (0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13+). Here is the thread for the 6-8 age range.
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Thanks for setting these threads up, Mark! I am the "moderator" of the 6-8 list, which means that if people make suggestions for books in this age range, I will edit this post to add them to a master list, so they are all together on the first page. Feel free to post your suggestions, and also any suggestions for list format, etc. I will link to the book on Amazon if I can find it there. Books for gifted kids aged 6-8Fictionthe Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott Watership Down by Richard Adams Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater Jenny and the Cat Club (and others) by Esther Averill Poppy and others by Avi Basher books series by Simon Basher Oz series by L. Frank Baum The Penderwicks ( series) by Jeanne Birdsall The World According to Humphrey series by Betty G. Birney The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black Faraway Tree series and others by Enid Blyton Paddington Bear (and others) by Michael Bond Secrets Series by Pseudonymous Bosch Green Knowe series by L. M. Boston Flat Stanley series by Jeff Brown The Miniature World of Marvin and James (and others) by Elise Broach The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley Lauren Ipsum by Carlos Bueno Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Ruby Redfort: Look Into My Eyes by Lauren Child anything by Beverly ClearyPinocchio by Carlo Collodi Eleanor by Barbara Cooney How to Train your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell The Adventures of Vin Fiz by Clive Cussler James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl The BFG by Roald Dahl Matilda by Roald Dahl Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl The Lemonade War and others by Jacqueline Davies The Secret Science Alliance by Eleanor Davis 26 Fairmount Avenue and sequels by Tomie DePaola City of Ember and others by Jeanne DuPrau Half Magic (and others) by Edward Eager The Saturdays (and others) by Elizabeth Enright The Familiars series by Adam Jay Epstein My Mom the Pirate by Jackie French The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman My Father's Dragon (and others) by Ruth Stiles Gannett The Fairy Doll by Rumer Godden The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden Asterix comics by Rene Goscinny 13 Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths The Genius Files and sequels by Dan Gutman George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen and Lucy Hawking ”B” is for Betsy (and others) by Carolyn Haywood Redwall and others by Brian Jacques Finn Family Moomintroll (and others) by Tove Jansson Toys Go Out series by Emily Jenkins We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster The Secrets of Hexbridge Castle and sequel by Gabrielle Kent The Water Horse (and others) by Dick King-Smith The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Galaxy’s Most Wanted by John Kloepfer Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson Catwings (and others) by Ursula Leguin (be sure to preread, as this author spans a very wide age range) A Wrinkle in Time and others by Madeline L’Engle (first book is also available as a graphic novel). the Narnia series by CS Lewis The Year of the Dog and others by Grace Lin Pippi Longstocking (and others) by Astrid Lindgren Dr Dolittle series by Hugh Lofting The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace Gooney Bird Greene series by Lois Lowry Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (and others) by Betty MacDonald Dragon Slayer's Academy by Kate McMullan Wildwood and sequels by Colin Meloy The House at Pooh Corner (and others) by A.A. Milne Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat While Mrs. Coverlet Was Away and Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians by Mary Nash The Borrowers by Mary Norton How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet Clementine by Sara Pennypacker Nick and Tesla’s High Voltage Danger Lab and sequels by Bob Pflugfelder and Steven Hockensmith Jigsaw Jones by James Prellar Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah Mcintyre Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and others by J.K. Rowling The Lighthouse Family (and others) by Cynthia Rylant Alec Flint series by Jill Santopolo The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor series by Jon Scieszka A Cricket in Times Square by George Selden To Catch a Mermaid (and others) by Suzanne Selfors A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket A Whole Nother Story series by Cuthbert Soup Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Geronimo Stilton series by Geronimo Stilton All of a Kind Family (and others) by Sydney Taylor The 13 Clocks by James Thurber Dragonbreath series by Ursula Vernon Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner Calvin and Hobbes comics by Bill Watterson The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White Little House in the Big Woods (and others) by Laura Ingalls Wilder (some of the later books in the series may not be of much interest to younger kids) Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams Dealing with Dragons and sequels by Patricia Wrede Non-fiction(ish)This list includes stories that are technically fiction, but their primary purpose is to teach instead of to tell a story. This separation was a judgment call, and I’m willing to move books from one category to another if askedBeast Academy math books The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton Tell Me a Picture by Quentin Blake The Elements: The New Guide to the Building Blocks of Our Universe by Jack Challoner The Magic School Bus books by Joanna Cole Phineas L MacGuire series by Frances O’Roark Dowell The Great Scientists by John Fardon (no luck finding this on Amazon – any more hints?) Did Fleming Rescue Churchill? by Jamies Cross Giblin and Eric Brooks The Elements and Mad Science by Theodore Gray Where's Wally series by Martin Handford (do you mean Where’s Waldo? No luck finding Wally on Amazon) Horrible Science series Horrible History series Junior Genius Guides Muse magazine Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas by Jim Ottoviani Q is for Quark by David M Schwartz G is for Googol by David M Schwartz You Can Count on Monsters by Richard Evan Schwartz Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobol Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks (graphic novel) Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus (prereading recommended as it touches on sensitive subjects) Science Comics series by Various Read aloud suggestions I'm keeping these separate on the list for now, but any of the above books might be read-alouds if you preferPeter Pan by J.M. Barrie The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones (7 books in this Chrestomanci series) Moby Dick by Herman Melville The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
Last edited by ElizabethN; 04/10/18 01:00 PM.
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Thanks Mark and ElizabethN!
What is to give light must endure burning.
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Roald Dahl Books:
James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The BFG
Matilda
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Danny the Champion of the World
George's Marvelous Medicine
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Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (and others)—Betty MacDonald
The Spiderwick Chronicles--Holly Black
The Night Fairy—Laura Amy Schlitz
Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan—E.B. White
Owls in the Family--Farley Mowat
Beverly Cleary
Pippi Longstocking (and others)—Astrid Lindgren
My Father's Dragon (and others)—Ruth Stiles Gannett
Finn Family Moomintroll (and others)—Tove Jansson
The Lighthouse Family (and others)—Cynthia Rylant
All of a Kind Family (and others)—Sydney Taylor
Jenny and the Cat Club (and others)—Esther Averill
Half Magic (and others)—Edward Eager
The House at Pooh Corner—A.A. Milne
The 13 Clocks--James Thurber
Mr. Popper's Penguins
the Narnia series--CS Lewis
Catwings (and others)—Ursula Leguin
Paddington Bear (and others)—Michael Bond
Little House in the Big Woods (and others)—Laura Ingalls Wilder (some of the later books in the series may not be of much interest to younger kids)
The Fairy Doll—Rumer Godden
The Story of Holly and Ivy—Rumer Godden
A Cricket in Times Square--Selden
the Secrets of Droon series--Tony Abbott
DragonSlayer's Academy--Kate McMullan
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Detective Series:
- Droon Series (Abbott)
- Jigsaw Jones (Prellar)
- Encyclopedia Brown (Sobol)
- Geronimo Stilton (Stilton)
- Boxcar Children (Warner)
Fantasy Series:
- How to Train your Dragon series (Crowell)
- Flat Stanley series (Brown)
- Dragon Slayer Academy series (McMullan)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; The Glass Elevator (Dahl)
- Oz series by Baum
Talking Animals:
- Dr Dolittle series (Lofting)
- My Father's Dragon trilogy (Gannett)
- Cricket in Times Square (Selden)
- Jungle Book (Kipling)
Classics for read alouds:
- The Hobbit (Tolkein)
- Narnia (Lewis)
- Peter Pan (Barrie)
- Moby Dick (Melville)
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Question for the moderator. There are a number of books that easily fit into more than one category. Should we post it to both? For example a lot of 8-12 year old fiction, is good for this age for a very advanced reader or as a read out loud but still good for kids 8-12.
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I think it should probably be posted in both. I will add the rest of the books suggested, but it will probably take me a little while to look them all up on Amazon. Posting with links would make my job shorter, but it's not a requirement.  I am also soliciting suggestions for breaking the main list up into categories, as I can see that it is already really too long.
Last edited by ElizabethN; 06/02/14 11:57 AM.
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Dealing with Dragons -- Patricia Wrede
Read outloud or advanced readers
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The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
(7 books in this Chestomancy series)
Picture books with more text
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The Dragon who Lost his Head,
Eleanor -- by Bill Pete
The Stinky CHeese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Sciekska & Lane Smith
Science/Math
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Magic School Bus Books by Scholastic
Q is for Quark
G is for Google by David M Schwarz, Kim Doner
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Junior Genius Guides -- seems to be a newer series, written by a man who held a record in Jeopardy! winnings. DS7 loves them. http://pages.simonandschuster.com/juniorgeniusguidesThe Miniature World of Marvin & James, also Masterpiece by Elise Broach
Last edited by ConnectingDots; 06/04/14 04:30 PM.
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Rabbit Hill--Robert Lawson
Green Knowe series--L. M. Boston
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland--Lewis Carroll
To Catch a Mermaid (and others)--Suzanne Selfors
The Penderwicks (series)--Jeanne Birdsall
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Horrible Science series
Toys Go Out series
Cuthbert Soup "Another Whole Story" series
Asterix comics
Calvin and Hobbes comics
the Dick King-Smith books
E.B. White "Trumpet of the Swan"
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The Girl Who Could Fly - Victoria Forester (a favorite!)
The Sisters Grimm series - Michael Buckley
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How about Phantom Tollbooth and Wizard of Oz series
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The Familiars series (my son could not get enough!)--Adam Jay Epstein
All EB White books-- Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little
The Cricket in Times Square-George Seldon
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM-Robert C. O'Brien
My Father's Dragon series--Ruth Stiles Gannett
Roald Dahl books--James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Borrowers--Mary Norton
The Humphrey series--Betty G. Birney
Little House on the Prairie series (books 1-5)- Laura Ingalls Wilder
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I know that the list is long, but please try to avoid duplicating what's already there when making your suggestions. Thanks!
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OK, I think I am now up to date on all of the suggestions. Let me know if you see any errors or omissions.
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Treasure Island. Unlike other Classics Children Ought to Read -- Robinson Crusoe (written before the idea of a novel as a coherent narrative), Swiss Family Robinson (written for moral edification) -- this is actually a really good book!
DD6 was intensely interested, not at all put off by the difficulty level (though with lots of explanations from me, both of vocabulary and historical context). But she got pretty freaked out by how scary it was. She had been asking for books with "wicked" characters, but this was a little too rich for her blood. Unlike their rather sanitized Disney descendants, these pirates are freaky nasty scary.
DD's evaluation: "Let's read this when I'm older." May work for some in this age group, maybe even DD by the time she's 8.
(P.S. As a less scary substitute for her blood-thirstiness, I've been reading her the Tintin adventures The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure.)
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Theo Gray's The Elements and Mad Science
Muse magazine
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The Saturdays (first of the Melendy series) - Elizabeth Enright
Gone-Away Lake (and Return to Gone-Away) - Elizabeth Enright
The Borrowers (series) - Mary Norton
Betsy-Tacy (series) - Maud Lovelace
"B" is for Betsy (series) - Carolyn Haywood
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OK, I believe I'm up-to-date. I can't believe that Betsy-Tacy and the Borrowers weren't on there yet!
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I love this list!
I would recommend The Phantom Tollbooth to the read-aloud section.
Also, Enid Blyton's magic Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair Collection for independent reading.
Last edited by mayasmom; 06/27/14 07:39 AM.
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I second the suggestions of My Father's Dragon books - My Father's Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon, and Dragons of Blueland.
For those with kiddos that still like books with some pictures - these are great! Also the print is fairly large and it doesn't take up the entire page.
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I believe I'm caught up through here. I haven't been putting books in the read-aloud section if they are already on the main list, and I alphabetized by author to make it easier for me to find if I've posted something already. Let me know if I missed your suggestion!
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Do my eyes deceive me or is Harry Potter such a given that no one has suggested it?
DD6 has been breathing down DS8's neck to get him to read each one more quickly so that she can move on. A sensible parent would have bought two sets.
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Do my eyes deceive me or is Harry Potter such a given that no one has suggested it? I'd guess the latter. "Goblet of Fire" should soon arrive for my 7yo daughter. All three children have been reading the series. They think it's weird that I have not read Harry Potter.
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We just got back from Italy, and I realized there is a wonderful book that is often missing from American book lists. Pinocchio!!
The true, unabridged version of The Adventures of Pinocchio is an amazing story, and the original shares some qualities with epic poems (Gilgamesh, The Odyssey). It has 36 chapters, and is significantly darker than abridged Disney-fied versions (it is not darker than Harry Potter).
The copy we bought is unabridged by Carlo Collodi, and illustrated beautifully by Roberto Innocenti, a Florentine-based illustrator. It is a larger book since it is heavily illustrated, but I think they really add to the story. My DD has probably already read it 5 times since we bought it, and it seems to be replacing Charlotte's Web as her current favorite! (She's the type of child who reads the same book many, many, many times. Pretty much until it's memorized and then when she's bored she'll just start reciting it from memory to keep herself occupied. Makes for interesting dinner entertainment when we're out at a restaurant!)
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HP's content is a little mature for some kids in this age range, in the later books. We've stopped DS6 at book 3 for now.
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Pinocchio is already on the list.
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I posted about HP before finishing the series, myself (Bostonian, my kids think it's weird that I AM reading them!). DD6 is near the end of #3 and I'm going to stop her there for now. DS8 started #4 before I finished it and I'm concerned, given events late in the book. If he's okay with #4, I'll let him read #5, but #6 & #7 are going to be misplaced for a while.
DD6 and DS8 have both been enjoying D'Aulaire's Greek Myths.
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is DD6's current fave.
Last edited by CoastalMom; 09/16/14 12:57 PM. Reason: Forgot Flora.
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DW cried when Dumbledore died. DD at 6 barely blinked. It's all individual.
For parents concerned about their children's emotional response, Book 4 is the watershed, as that's the one which culminates with a child murdered.
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DS8 just finished the first book in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques and loved it. We learned there are numerous books in the series and have just requested three from the library. I didn't see this series on the list.
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DS8 just finished the first book in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques and loved it. We learned there are numerous books in the series and have just requested three from the library. I didn't see this series on the list. I've added it - thank you!
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Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas, by Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks.
It's in graphic-novel format and appears to be aimed at an adult audience (e.g. it mentions Louis Leaky's philandering, so you might want to preview it), but it is totally accessible for a smart child.
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Updated up through this point. Thanks for everyone's suggestions!
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New suggestion: the Poppy series, by Avi. They have some sad bits and some odd dialect, but there are a number and DS loved them.
I need some new suggestions for DS6...help!
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Galaxy's Most Wanted by John Kloepfer
A group of smart kids attending STEM camp summon alien life to Earth and then have to put their "planet-sized" brains together to stop an alien invasion.
DS7 is loving it.
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The City of Ember series by Jeanna DuPrau (4 books, sci-fy)
The Lemonade War series by Jacqueline Davies
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Updated through this point.
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Lauren Ipsum is kind of like the Phantom Tollbooth of computer science. I highly recommend it! It's being sold two ways, through No Starch Press or through Amazon and Kindle. My six year old loved it, but older ages would as well.
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Ds7 just read George's secret key to the universe by Stephen and Lucy Hawking. I was a long overdue step up for him and he enjoyed it.
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Oh, and the Nick and Tesla books!
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Watership Down.
Tailchaser's Song.
I love both of those books. My son is younger, so I'm not sure what level a gifted kid is reading at at this age range, but if Harry Potter is on the list, these two seem about that level. If nothing else, as read alouds.
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Max Axiom "comic" science books. Non-fiction.
Life is the hardest teacher. It gives the test first and then teaches the lesson.
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Watership Down is very sad and dark in places...not that HP isn't, but most people are aware of that. I'm about to give it to my 11yo, though she could have handled it younger, but not at 6.
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Two favorites from my childhood that I've just rediscovered for DD7: While Mrs. Coverlet was Away, and Mrs. Coverlet's Magicians, both by Mary Nash.
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Along the lines of the James Patterson suggestion:
"The Adventures of Vin Fiz" by Clive Cussler
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DD8 just finished Look Into My Eyes, book 1 in the Ruby Redfort series (written by Lauren Child) and declared it one of her faves.
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Age 6-8 covers a lot of territory... I'll make a couple of suggestions for the younger end of that range, mostly books at the normal grade 3/4/5 reading level, but which are interesting for young strong readers: Fiction: Phineas L MacGuire series, Frances O'Roark Dowell Dragonbreath series, Ursula Vernon Alec Flint mysteries, Jill Santopolo The World According to Humphrey series, Betty G. Birney The Year of the Dog (& sequels), Grace Lin The Secret Science Alliance, Eleanor Davis Gooney Bird Greene series, Lois Lowry My Mom the Pirate, Jackie French We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes, Patrick Jennings Non-fiction(ish): Did Fleming Rescue Churchill?, James Cross Giblin & Erik Brooks Tell Me a Picture, Quentin Blake Non-fiction: Kids Discover magazine ( www.kidsdiscover.com) The Day-Glo Brothers, Chris Barton & Tony Persiani For readers unfazed by length: Fiction: Magyk (& the rest of the Septimus Heap series), Angie Sage -- long fantasy books that are fun and the author has said she intended them to be suitable for age 8 (so they're lower on violence, etc., than, for instance, Harry Potter)
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DS newly 9 has recently rapidly consumed The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch. Loved them.
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Wow, it's been over a year since I updated the first post of this thread! Thanks for your suggestions, everyone.
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Is there any way to figure out which of these are graphic novels/graphic comics? DS6 and DS4 are on a graphic novel kick right now (we're reading to them), and we're tearing through the ones I know pretty fast! I'm running out of titles that are age-appropriate, especially for DS4!
We've been reading the Zita the Space Girl, Baby Mouse, Squish, Lego Ninjago, Bird and Squirrel, Super Agent Jon Le Bon, Guinea Pig Pet Shop Private Eye, Mr. Pants, Binky the Space Cat, Tiny Titans and Scooby Doo Team Up.
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I'd say A Certain Small Shepherd is more of a picture book, but has pretty good/strong vocabulary. You might want to be aware that it's a religious book (I don't want anyone to be offended or surprised) and that the beginning is pretty sad, especially for a four-year-old, and that for modern graphic novel fans it might be too slow. But if your son is mature, I think it's s good fit.
Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.
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For graphic novels, my DS6 loves the Amulet series. He recently read, and enjoyed, Stickman Odyssey, too.
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There's a graphic novel version of A Wrinkle in Time that DS8 really enjoyed.
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There's a graphic novel version of A Wrinkle in Time that DS8 really enjoyed. This sounds like a great summer read for DD.
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Thank you for the suggestions. The Amulet and A Wrinkle in Time look like they would be terrific reads, but they both look like they would be too scary for both boys at this point. Zita the Space Girl was definitely on the line in terms of level of comfort.
Anything more lighthearted would be great at this point. It doesn't have to be great literature - after all, we tear through about 5-6 books a day (some are still picture books)!
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Maybe Rapunzel's Revenge will interest them without being too scary (by Shannon Hale)
For fast light heart reading - maybe The Bad Guys books will be amusing (by Aaron Blabey)
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My son loves the Jenny and the Cat Club series and also the Catwings books. They aren't graphic novels but both series are charming and not scary at all.
We also read some of the Little House on the Prarie books lately and those were a hit. They contain so many fascinating details about pioneer life and descriptions of how things were made. My son loved them.
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26 Fairmount Avenue is an 8-volume illustrated autobiography of Tomie dePaola's childhood, from about age 4 to 8. We are doing it as a read-aloud series, but be perfect as independent reading for any kid 4-8 who was interested.
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Heck, I want to read that.. I've always loved Tomie dePaola's work! 26 Fairmount Avenue is an 8-volume illustrated autobiography of Tomie dePaola's childhood, from about age 4 to 8. We are doing it as a read-aloud series, but be perfect as independent reading for any kid 4-8 who was interested.
Z - 01/23/11 and O - 05/12/13
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I just reserved some of the Frank Einstein books at the local library. I think my son is going to LOVE them!
My son has recently become obsessed with the Nathan Hale graphic novels. The first is called "One Dead Spy" and it's about the revolutionary war. His favorite was "Big Bad Iron Clad", which was about the Civil War.
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A Wrinkle in Time, both novel and graphic novel versions were a big hit with DD6. She says the series is now one of her all-time favorites, up there with HP.
She also really enjoyed the Amulet series. I got into it too but I'm not really sure if I would have let her read it if I had pre-read it as I should have.
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Not sure if already mentioned, but DS8 is extremely fond of the Wildwood series by Colin Meloy
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Mana, can you provide a little more detail about what "the Amulet series" is so I can add it to the list? Otherwise, I think the first-page list is up to date through here.
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Yikes, I am over 3 months late.
I would not recommend the Amulet series for young readers for its violent content. The first book starts off with a parent suffering a very traumatic death. Definitely 8 and up for most children.
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OK, I'll leave it off this list, then. Thanks!
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My son really enjoyed Bridge to Terabithia, The One and Only Ivan, Old Yellar, Rain Reign, Where the Fern Grows, and Tuck Everlasting. These all deal with some sort of death in the novels though, so discretion is advised for more sensitive readers.
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Relatively new and great non-fiction graphic comics for this age group: - The Human Body Theatre by Maris Wicks - And the whole Science Comics series (the first is Coral Reefs - Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks) is terrific as well. There are already four or five and more will be coming out soon (including one on the human brain!). - Also, Sea Creatures #1, Reef Madness and Sea Creatures #2, Armed and Dangerous by Christophe Cazenove. There are likely more coming out, as they were first published in French and there are more available in the French series. - And also, older but still great: All of the Joseph Midthun Building Blocks of Science and Building Blocks of Math books. DS6 loves all of the above! And I would almost recommend to add the Beast Academy books on the list! DS6 has taken to reading them for pleasure.
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Lovely gentle chapter books to feed the imagination:
Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Ottoline books by Chris Riddell
Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve
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City of Ember (Series) by Jeanne DuPrau (Science Fiction)
Holes by Louis Sacher
Both of these have been favorites in our house. (Mystery)
DD9 - 3rd Grade, DS6 - Kinder
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Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events" books are DS6's newest reading obsession. I definitely recommend these stories for their dark humour and irony. Here's a link for books 1-13. https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wre...ny+snickets+series+of+unfortunate+events
What is to give light must endure burning.
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"The Genius Files", a five-book series by Dan Gutman about 12-almost-13-year-old gifted twins, and their adventures with a secret government agency (under the oblivious noses of their professorial parents). https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Files-Mission-Unstoppable/dp/0061827665And Lemony Snicket is also on our list for the immediate future.
...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...
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Oooh, that sounds terrific, aeh! I could see DS hibernating and devouring those!
What is to give light must endure burning.
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DS8 just devoured the Mr. Lemoncillo's Library series by Chris Grabenstein,along with a few other books by the author. He said "this might be the best book I have ever read" midway through the first one.
Also really enjoyed "The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes" and "The adventurer's guide to dragons (and why they keep biting me)" by Wade Albert White.
Somehow, DS11 missed these on his reading journey. Which is incredible, given how much time he spends reading!
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Could anyone recommend books or series that are sort of 'realistic' fiction but don't feature snarky little kids? My son (age 7) is reading at about a 3rd grade level and has decided that 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' is just the best thing ever. I do think the series is funny but he's not emotionally sophisticated enough to understand why the main character isn't always very nice. He's also been reading the 'Weird School' series and it has similar issues with name-calling, etc. I don't want to be prudish but would love to find something that has 'real life' story lines but is a bit more wholesome. Any suggestions?
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I don't want to be prudish but would love to find something that has 'real life' story lines but is a bit more wholesome. Any suggestions? We got a lot of mileage out several mystery series. As I recall, Jigsaw Jones were pretty decent, ABC Mysteries were OK (and lots of 'em!). Magic School Bus novels were fun. I think we went to all of these after plowing through way too many Magic Tree Houses.
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books... that are sort of 'realistic' fiction but don't feature snarky little kids... Any suggestions? Have you looked at historical fiction? Oscar's Gift is similar to "American Girl" books, but featuring a boy as the main character. The author is a former director of SENG.
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Thank you everyone! I'm trying to pay attention and figure out what he finds so appealing about these books. I think it's a combination of the humor and feeling like he can 'relate' to the issues. I just wish we could find something funny where the kids chooses a better way to handle his problems.
Historical fiction is a whole genre we've never tried so I'll look into that for sure. Platypus, not sure how old your kids are now but my son is kind of enjoying a series called the Field Trip Mysteries.
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Suggestions sound good above.
A couple of years ago I posted some suggestions to this thread. From that post (#220358), for your DS, considering his apparent taste for humor+science, I'd call out:
Phineas L. MacGuire series, Frances O'Roark Dowell -- by Lexile level, it's supposedly about typical 5th grade level, but I don't think it's really that hard -- it may be the occasional scientific vocabulary word pushing the Lexile level up -- incorporates some science into some funny but good-hearted stories.
Dragonbreath series, Ursula Vernon -- this isn't literally "realistic" (as it's about an anthropomorphic dragon and his anthropomorphic other creature friends) and the stories are fantasy type, but it's quite funny in a not-nasty way (my husband kept reading these to our kids for years as he enjoyed them) and it's a hybrid of "normal" text with occasional breakouts into comic panels which may give it extra appeal to a Wimpy Kid fan.
I'd also take a look at:
Time Warp Trio series, Jon Scieszka -- the author is interested in getting kids reading, and in particular interested in getting boys reading. Seems to work well for many boys: get exposed to some history in a fun way.
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Thanks Peony! Awesome suggestions.
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I have a collection of recommended reading lists designed specifically for students ages 6 and up that are reading at a 4th to 5th grade level. All of the books are pre-screened for content and maturity. The lists are based on age, reading ability, and interest. https://resources.njgifted.org/elementary-books.html
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That's lovely- thanks for sharing that!
Books DS6 has been enjoying this summer:
- Grandpa's Great Escape (David Walliams)
- Gangsta Granny (David Walliams)
- Demon Dentist (David Walliams)
- The One and Only Ivan (Katherine Applegate)
- Science Comics (coral reefs, flying machines, dinosaurs, robots and drones, plagues)
- The Series of Unfortunate Events books
- Captain Underpants books
- Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
- Horrible History books
- Horrible Geography books
- The Narnia books
- Re-reading pretty much the whole works of Roald Dahl
- Harry Potter (books 1 and 2- we'll wait to continue the series)
- Tin Tin comics (translated into English)
- The "Who Was"/"What Was" series
- Beast Academy comic textbooks (not kidding- he seriously loves these)
I've also reserved an English translation of "The Little Prince" by Antoine de St Exupery at the library, as DS' French isn't yet strong enough to read the original. Once he's up to speed, I could see him loving the "Petit Nicolas" series by Gosciny, as well as Asterix et Obelix.
DS is also urging me to let him read some of these, which I'm debating due to concerns about maturity/horror themes:
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Treasure Island
- The Goosebumps series
- The Hobbit
- Rick Riordan's "Magnus Chase" series
I also found a neat book with 40 philosophy questions that he'd love, and a few books by Stephen and Lucy Hawking that play with physics in a fun way for kids. Will see if DS is interested.
What is to give light must endure burning.
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Love your DS's list, aquinas. I'll have to see if my no-longer-quite-so-little wants to try some Roald Dahl. Our summer list so far:
- Waggit
- Guardians of Gahoole series
- Warriors (cat series, as well as associated dog (Survivors) and bear (Seekers) series)
- Pegasus series (The Flame of Olympus and following--kind of a Rick Riordan-alike, but enjoyed by my child)
- Redwall series
- The Familiars series (described as for fans of HP and Warriors--bingo!)
- The Call of the Wild
Other than The Call of the Wild, which appears to have been selected by DC on the basis of wolves, you might notice a pattern of fantasy-quest series, preferably with anthropomorphized animals.
I'll admit to having let DC read through all of the HP books at five or six. YMMV, of course, but they didn't seem to be too scary at the time, but that might be because DC heard them all read aloud first, by DC#1 (in a British accent, of course!).
As we're discussing this, I'm reminded of George MacDonald. Those might be appealing too -- The Light Princess, The Princess and the Goblin, etc.
...pronounced like the long vowel and first letter of the alphabet...
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Also agree about the Dragonbreath books! My 7 year old loves them. This summer he also fell in love with the Secret Coders series and the Myth-o-Mania series, which I also enjoyed!
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The book "This is How We Do It," by Matt Lamothe (2017) is a beginner's guide to world studies and diversity, showing a day in the life of seven children around the world. Amazon link - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1452150184
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Adding a link to a thread with books enjoyed by gifted children of various ages, called what book your kid is reading this week (2011), in the Parenting and Advocacy forum.
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