Easy to read books that would appeal to a 9 year old

[TheAttachedMama]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am looking for a few  REALLY good books for my 9-year-old daughter.   (She is NOT a girly girl.   She is a huge tomboy... for lack of a better term.  Pretend you are recommendations for a 9 year old boy and she will probably like your recommendations.  hahaha)

 

She is dyslexic and needs easy to read books that would still appeal to a child her age.   She has tried reading Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, but never finished them.   I suspect it is because they are too hard and she is having problems with comprehension.   (She swears they are not too hard, but this is just what I suspect.)   Sometimes if there is an unknown word (that she can't read by sight), I suspect she skips it instead of taking the time to actually sound it out.  And I think that is the root of her comprehension problem.   She understands much better when I have her read aloud because she can't just skip words.

 

We've looked at the high noon books, and I sort of feel "meh" about them.   None of them really look that good.  (Maybe I am wrong?)   

 

She LOVED the scholastic branches set when she was younger, but she has read all of them.   (And she first started those a few years ago, so I would love to move her on to the next step if possible.)  

 

She also liked Cricket in Times Square (when I had her read it aloud buddy style) and Pengey the Penguin.   She also silently read and enjoyed One and Only Ivan and  Flora and Ulysses.  (I know those are all animal books, but that is a coincidence.)  

 

P.S.

 

Before you suggest it, she already listens to a TON of audiobooks.   This would be in addtion to those audiobooks, not as a replacement.   We have a tradition that we gift books for Christmas, so I am looking for some ideas on things I could wrap that she would actually enjoy reading.   

 

And before you suggest graphic novels, we already do a ton of those too.   So this would be in addition to those types of books too.   

[SKL]

Not sure but possibly Understood Betsy?  It isn't an "easy reader," but not difficult either.  It's about a 9yo girl who starts out being very sheltered by an aunt and then moves to a farm with other relatives where she is encouraged and discovers her strengths.

 

Also look at anything by Clyde Robert Bulla for kids.  His writing is very simple and very interesting, and the topics are definitely not girly.

[4Wesley]

My similar 9 year old girl likes Cynthia Rylant books, Pathway and Abeka readers, Boxcar Children Series, Beverly Cleary, Andrew Clements, and biographies like The Childhood of Famous Americans series.

Edited December 7, 2017 by 4Wesley

[HomeAgain]

Ones that are enjoyed here:

 

The 13 Story Treehouse series (each one gets progressively longer - 26, 39, and so forth)

Wayside School books - 2-3 pages per chapter on average.  Older versions have bigger type.

Encyclopedia Brown

You Wouldn't Want To Be..books

Scholastic's True Tales series

Mr. Popper's Penguins

The Wizard Of Oz series

Dr. Doolittle series (again, older versions have bigger type)

The Littles

 

[mmasc]

Deck the Halls, We’re Off The Walls maybe? It’s just an easy, fun type of book. Definitely not brilliant literature. :) My DS (dyslexic) 9YO just found this book at B&N and read it this week. He really enjoyed it. (He just finished the High Noon Tom & Ricky Mysteries and another HN set called Secret Spies before getting this book).

 

ETA: link

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0062206826/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512659474&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=deck+the+halls+we%27re+off+the+walls&dpPl=1&dpID=51g5HEuh8EL&ref=plSrch

Edited December 7, 2017 by mmasc

[Zoo Keeper]

 My struggling reader read and re-read and re-read Tales From the Odyssey (part one, part two ) around that age (yes, it is by Mary Pope Osborne, but it is not at the same level or style of the Magic Tree House series).  

 

D'Aulaires Greek Myths, and Norse Myths were hits as well. 

[historically accurate]

Geronimo Stilton

Illustrated Classic series

Some older selections: My Father's Dragon series, Ralph S Mouse series, Roald Dahl books, Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing/SuperFudge, The Indian in the Cupboard

The Adventures of a South Pole Pig, Quinny & Hopper, and The Misadventures of Max Crumbly are some newer books that my 10 year old just read in her book club

My 10 year old loved Frannie K Stein books a couple of years ago.

What about a graphic novel like BabyMouse?

 

[Hobbes]

Sarah Plain and Tall

Caleb's Story

The Search for Delicious

The Saturdays

Misty of Chincoteague

Swallows and Amazons (maybe)

Red Sails to Capri

Encyclopedia Brown

[Raifta]

Nim's Island was one that my 9 year old son read willingly.  I think because it's nice and short.  

 

 

[wendyroo]

The books she is successfully reading seem to fall in Guided Reading levels S, T and U.  (Harry Potter is higher, level V.)

 

I searched for those levels on Booksource.com, and these are some titles that jumped out at me as good books:

 

The Chronicles of Narnia

In The Year Of The Boar And Jackie Robinson

Matilda

The Tale Of Despereaux

From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

The Sign Of The Beaver

The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake Of 1906

Ben And Me

The Black Stallion

The BFG

The House With A Clock In Its Walls

Loser

The Toothpaste Millionaire

My Side Of The Mountain

Sounder

The View From Saturday

 

Wendy

[TheAttachedMama]

Not sure but possibly Understood Betsy?  It isn't an "easy reader," but not difficult either.  It's about a 9yo girl who starts out being very sheltered by an aunt and then moves to a farm with other relatives where she is encouraged and discovers her strengths.

 

Also look at anything by Clyde Robert Bulla for kids.  His writing is very simple and very interesting, and the topics are definitely not girly.

We did Understood Betsy as a read aloud....and we all loved it!   It would not have been a book she ever would have tried on her own though.   

 

And we have read a lot of the Cylde Robert Bulla books for kids.  (I assigned some as readers when she was younger.  We are previous Sonlight users and they use a lot of his books in their reader packages.)     She liked them once she read them, but she would never have given them a chance if they had not been assigned.    We have several other Bulla books on our shelves, and both of my kids don't pick them up freely.   

[TheAttachedMama]

 My struggling reader read and re-read and re-read Tales From the Odyssey (part one, part two ) around that age (yes, it is by Mary Pope Osborne, but it is not at the same level or style of the Magic Tree House series).  

 

D'Aulaires Greek Myths, and Norse Myths were hits as well. 

 

Do you know my son!?!   He just turned 11 and is dyslexic as well.   These are his favorite books that he has listened to and read over and over and over and over again.   

[Julie Smith]

If you want really easy and quick go for, "Boy vs. Beast". 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Boy-vs-Beast-Battle-Aquatan/dp/1443107476/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1512670745&sr=8-4&keywords=Boy+vs.+Beast

 

They are very easy, and quick to read. 

 

Here is a sample: http://boyvsbeastbooks.com/pdf/BVB1_WaterBeast_Aquatan.pdf

 

After that I would recommend Droon. It is the best series to get kids like your daughter reading. 
https://www.goodreads.com/series/52599-the-secrets-of-droon

 

 

Edited December 7, 2017 by Julie Smith

[TheAttachedMama]

If you want really easy and quick go for, "Boy vs. Beast". 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Boy-vs-Beast-Battle-Aquatan/dp/1443107476/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1512670745&sr=8-4&keywords=Boy+vs.+Beast

 

They are very easy, and quick to read. 

 

Here is a sample: http://boyvsbeastbooks.com/pdf/BVB1_WaterBeast_Aquatan.pdf

 

After that I would recommend Droon. It is the best series to get kids like your daughter reading. 

https://www.goodreads.com/series/52599-the-secrets-of-droon

Yes, we own all of the boy vs beast books and she read and enjoyed those.   I purchased one of the droon books, but I can't get her to try it.  I suggested it and put it on the shelf.    (My kids often refuse all of my recommendations.   I try not to take it personally.)   

[Tanaqui]

LOL, Wendy, I had the same thought, but I went to the AR site. Different leveling system. (OP, you should remember that leveling systems wildly contradict each other, and are a general guideline, not a rule.)

The books you listed all come in between a 3.6 and a 4.9 level. (The 4.9 is Cricket in Times Square, which it sounds like she could not have read independently, she read it with you.) Harry Potter is much harder.

 

I'm going to list these books approximately by difficulty. You will definitely need to read the stretch books WITH her, and I would suggest not picking one of those unless she really is interested in it... though they should work as read alouds. Some of the stretch books are illustrated, which helps. She may need some help with the middle difficulty books as well. Some of the series have entries that may be harder than the group I listed them under, I noted that.

 

Many of these books are a bit long. Honestly, I blame Harry Potter - it's been hard to find a *short* book for kids for a while now.

 

Easy books:

 

Milo and Jazz series

Calvin Coconut series

The Stories Julian Tells

The Year of the Book

Lowji Discovers America

Horrible Harry

Song Lee

Pa Lia's First Day

 

Middle difficulty:

 

Lola Levine

Seaglass Summer

The Year of the Dog (series varies)

The Sasquatch Escape

Clementine (series varies)

The No 1 Car Spotter

Marty McGuire

The Best Friend Battle

Spirit Week Showdown

Little Sister is Not My Name by Sharon Draper (ignore the cover)

Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split

The Soccer Surprise

Ruby and the Booker Boys

Book Uncle and Me

Alvin Ho

Ruby Lu (series varies)

Anyone Can Eat Squid!

Dyamonde Daniel

Nikki and Deja

 

Stretch books:

 

Get Ready for Gabi

Clubhouse Mysteries

Last Kids on Earth

Dragonbreath

Hamster Princess

Anna Hibiscus

Akata Witch

Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

Cat Girl's Day Off

EllRay Jakes

Bobby the Brave

The Zero Degree Zombie Zone

Zack Delacruz

The Jumbies

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

The Great Greene Heist

Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

Pickle by Kim Baker

The Midnight War of Matteo Martinez

[Lecka]

I tried very hard with Animorphs when my son was this age. I tried very hard. It looked like a little easier series to me.

 

What happened: the first 10 books or so are excellent. Then they aren't as good.

 

I ended up reading all the books to my son. He enjoyed. Quality time for us.

 

But he never was inspired to read them on his own.

 

Still -- I thought they would be perfect, and he did like the books. There are girl main characters as well.

[Tanaqui]

What happened: the first 10 books or so are excellent. Then they aren't as good.

 

The author wrote the first few, then they got pushed off to ghostwriters, isn't that what happened?

 

[vonbon]

You've already gotten a lot of good recommendations, but I'll second a few above for what you've described.  I was a tomboy at that age and here's what I really enjoyed: 

 

- Roald Dahl books

- Beverly Cleary books (Ramona series, others)

- My Side of the Mountain

- King of the Wind (and others by the same author)

- Rumer Godden books

- Grace Lin books (range from easy to difficult)

- The Littles

 

- I loved the American Girl books at that age and didn't see them as being overly "girly"; I liked the historical aspects as a kid (especially Molly set in WWII, for example).  There weren't really dolls and clothes tied to them back then.  As an adult, I still like the books a lot, but find the whole AG craze and magazine to be ultra-girly.  I don't encourage the catalog by keeping it in the house, LOL--though I'm sure lots of girls and women love it as a wholesome option compared to a lot of stuff out there!  I still enjoy the books as an adult because of the gentle, yet seemingly accurate intro to some historical scenes.

 

And two series DD really liked: 

- Boxcar Children (I consider most of the series somewhat "fluffy", but they really turned her on to reading)

- Magic Tree House (also considered some of these below her skill level, but she was introduced to a lot of historical events and couldn't get enough of them for a period of time)

 

Sometimes DD doesn't pick books off of the shelf (like Bulla books), but if I encourage them or occasionally require them for school, she grows to love them.  

 

An aside:

We're trying a new thing where DD and I are concurrently reading through a book--together but separately.  She's free to read Chapter 1, for example; then I read it on my own time but try to not to make her wait too long...We're "mapping" the chapters together on a chart (setting, characters, any conflicts/resolutions that arise...the author's message)...then we're each free to read the next chapter.  No one can read ahead until the other has caught up.  This can be hard and really good if you just can't wait to find out what happens next!

 

Last month we read through Island of the Blue Dolphins together/separately.  We were each free to read 2-3 chapters at a time (I glanced ahead to find a good stopping point each time).  Then we had to stop, narrate each chapter to/with each other, and discuss major points, our opinions, our thoughts on it, etc.  Then we were each "free" to read to the next stopping point (1, 2 or 3 chapters, depending).  This has been a great way to go through books that she might not be so motivated to pick up on her own, but really enjoys once she's introduced.  

 

One other new thing we tried this year: We read Baby together (same author as Sarah Plain and Tall and Caleb's Story)...I read the entire book aloud, 1-2 chapters each night while she followed along with a second copy.  I read it at the pace I would have read it to myself--fairly fast-paced.  I think she learned a lot about inflection, tone, speed, and more mature concepts that came up in the book--nuances the author used too--that she would not have gained if she would have been reading it to herself.  The content was on the mature side, so I probably wouldn't have encouraged her to read it on her own; some explanation and insight helped.  So the pressure was off in some ways for her because I did the reading, but there was still growth and an intro to some superb writing skill that you don't usually see in juvenile books.  

 

Hope you find some great, new books!

[LMD]

Flora and ulysses

 

Sophie and the shadow woods

[Lecka]

I didn't know that about Animorphs being ghostwritten. They didn't get good ghost writers. The earlier books are really, really good!

[Tanaqui]

Any book that comes out at a rate of one a month, you have to expect that it's mostly being ghostwritten.

[alisoncooks]

Pippi Longstocking was a success when oldest DD branched off into longer novels.

 

My Father's Dragon is an easy read with short chapters.

 

Ramona and Caddie Woodlawn are great, unconventional girls.

[OrganicJen]

You may want to check out the book lists from Build Your Library. I've been really impressed with how much my son loves their book choices. Maybe the books from one grade level below where your child is could be a good fit.

[Tanaqui]

My Father's Dragon is an easy read with short chapters.

 

I thought of that myself, but decided if I was going to stick with a leveling system then it levels as too high. Same with Ramona. Even when she's in first grade, her books are more difficult!

 

[Lecka]

A lot of the books mentioned would have been too hard for my son. It's a very frustrating time to look for appealing books.

 

Just in case these are on the difficult side -- I hope they are not!

 

If there's any chance of her liking Magic Tree House, I enjoyed reading them to my son in 2nd-3rd grade. He never much read them on his own, he might read a page here and there.

 

He is a good reader now but that age was hard to find books for him.

[fralala]

These may not fit into what you mean by "really good" books. But some recommendations from my experience with a similar kid who is just not at all motivated to read the kinds of books you would find on official lists of Good Books. (She listens to them happily, though.)

 

For solo reading, my daughter really loved the Alvin Ho books (Lenore Look). Couldn't get into the series the same author wrote about a girl, though.

 

She liked the Shredderman series a lot (by Wendelin van Draanen). But not the books that come after Shredderman (Gecko & Sticky).

 

But really graphic novels are the ones I can really count on her reading. And picture books that she can read in one sitting. (Which is actually fine with me-- there are a lot of high quality picture books that work well for her reading level.) And nonfiction books about poop and the history of sanitation. Many of the books listed in this thread are ones she has really enjoyed as read-alouds but would probably not quite do on her own-- the only Roald Dahl book she has read on her own, for instance, is Fantastic Mr. Fox.

[KathyBC]

I really wish I had kept a list of the books my dyslexic ds progressed through when he could read independently. The first one, The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, was such a huge, thrilling step. I know My Father's Dragon was in there. Maybe look at Big Red (Kjelgaard). That was the level we were shooting for, anyway.

 

My once-tomboyish daughter loved the Bunnicula series, though she may have been a bit older.

Edited December 8, 2017 by KathyBC

[TheAttachedMama]

I should clarify.  When I say "really good", I mean books that my 9-year-old would be thrilled to read and describe as "really good".   :)

 

We have done all of the Romona the Pest books as read alouds.   (She loved those as read alouds!)   We own all of the Henry Huggin's collection.   I assigned her the first one (when she couldn't pick a book to read on her own)---and she has not gone back to read any others.   I've been trying to get her to read Mouse and the Motorcycle too.   But she always refuses that recommendation too.

 

I read her Matilda out loud and Charlie and the Cholate Factory (both) and James and the Giant Peach.   We own the other Roald Dahl books, but she hasn't picked those up either.     She loved all of those!

 

I also read her Sarah Plain and Tall aloud.   That was one of my favorite books, but she didn't really care for it.   

 

I have also read her Indian in the Cupboard (the whole series) and she really liked that.   

 

Someone mentioned Pippi Longstocking.   We did that as an audiobook, and she LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.   

 

We've also listened to all of the Wizard of Oz books.   She thinks they are good.   

 

I've read her all of the Narnia books too.   She thought they were ok.  (I know...right?)  But that was her opinion.  

 

It is hard when you have a child who often refuses your recommendations.   I did enroll her in a kid's book club, so now she is getting some recommendations from her peers.   I think that will be helpful!   

[Lecka]

My daughter is a 9-year-old 3rd grader, and I consider her a good reader, and all those books are too hard for her to read on her own.

 

She chooses to read picture books a lot. She loves Dork Diaries. She loves the Little House books and reads on them. She has read every Junie B. Jones book. She has read a lot of Boxcar Children books.

 

My daughter's reading level at the end of last year according to her teacher was P. I just looked and Boxcar Children seem to be level O. You're recommending books for her that would be a T (Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe) or R (Matilda).

 

I think you want to look for an easier level book for her free reading, or story books -- which can have higher levels.

 

I'm not saying to get really into the reading levels, but just -- it fits my sense of these being hard books for a 9-year-old to read independently.

 

You also might need to go a lot easier if she is mildly dyslexic, to stuff that is actually easy for her. Easy books can have good art or be really funny. It's not easy but I think keep looking for stuff that is easier that could appeal to her.

[Lecka]

And peer recommendations are awesome! That sounds great!!!!!!

[Lecka]

And you are getting quality reading suggestions here; but honestly you may need to look at popular series.

 

My daughter advanced her reading level a lot by reading Junie B. Jones and Boxcar Children.

 

You can look at Scholastic Branches. I just looked at and ordered with my daughter (for Christmas) The Land of Fake-Believe and Olive and Beatrix, they looked good to her and she is 9. They are books I would consider too easy for her but she liked them.

 

Maybe Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Lecka

[2_girls_mommy]

At 8 and 9, mine really loved the Ramona books. She is a girl, but tomboyish. But the chapters are going to be more in line with the Cricket in Times Square. Much easier to read than a Harry Potter. 

[Pen]

other books by same author as Flora and Ulysses such as the one with a girl and dog as main characters, but I cannot recall title.

 

I suggest a trip to library (an if you can find a good children's librarian to help, do that), and let her try the first book of a lot of different series to see if anything grabs her interest and is something she can read.

 

Maybe: 

 

 

 

 

 

Magic Tree House  (and Fact Finders

 

 

 

Hank the Cowdog

 

Ranger's Apprentice (if not too hard)

 

 

[Julie Smith]

 

I read her Matilda out loud and Charlie and the Cholate Factory (both) and James and the Giant Peach.   We own the other Roald Dahl books, but she hasn't picked those up either.     She loved all of those!

 

I also read her Sarah Plain and Tall aloud.   That was one of my favorite books, but she didn't really care for it.   

 

I have also read her Indian in the Cupboard (the whole series) and she really liked that.   

 

Someone mentioned Pippi Longstocking.   We did that as an audiobook, and she LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it.   

 

We've also listened to all of the Wizard of Oz books.   She thinks they are good.   

 

I've read her all of the Narnia books too.   She thought they were ok.  (I know...right?)  But that was her opinion.  

 

It is hard when you have a child who often refuses your recommendations.   I did enroll her in a kid's book club, so now she is getting some recommendations from her peers.   I think that will be helpful!   

 

I would insist she try, "The Enormous Crocodile" by Roald Dahl. It is short compared to his other books, so wouldn't be as intimidating. 

 

If she loved Pippi the author actually wrote a little known about book called, "Pippi on the Run". It isn't nearly as good as the others. It doesn't really fit with them, but it is about Pippi and it is a short and easy read. You can also find picture book versions of Pippi where they took a chapter and added lots of illustrations to make it into a stand alone picture book. 

 

If you think she will like easy to read Super Hero books check out the "DC Super Heroes" books. What makes it difficult is that they are hard to search for because when you look for the key words "DC Super Heroes" you get many things that aren't what I mean. Here is a list of titles from that 'series'. I wish you could look inside them to see what they are like, but I can't find anyplace online that will allow you that. Youngest read them when he was 9 and he was not much of a reader. If I remember correctly they are similar to the Super Pet books I discuss below. 

 

Arctic Attack

Catwoman's Classroom of Claws

Emperor of the Airwaves

Five Riddles for Robin

Fun House of Evil

Harley Quinn's Shocking Surprise

Poison Ivy's Deadly Garden

The Puppet Master's Revenge

Two-face's Double Take

The Fog of Fear

The Revenge of Clayface

Last Son of Krypton

The Menace of Metallo

The Museum Monsters

The Stolen Superpowers

Toys of Terror

Under the Red Sun

Killer Kaleidoscope

Master of Mirrors!

Captain Boomerang's Comeback!

Killer Croc Hunter

Toys of Terror

 

If you like the Superhero books above also look into DC Super Pets which is for a slightly younger crowd. They have lots of full color illustrations on almost ever page, large font and color words inserted throughout. Take a look: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Hero-Splash-Down-Super-Pets/dp/1404866248/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1404866248&pd_rd_r=RQ53CXMGJ2JGF761K94K&pd_rd_w=umokX&pd_rd_wg=7asoI&psc=1&refRID=RQ53CXMGJ2JGF761K94K

 

Please note these books are short - and in my opinion great for this level. 

 

Attack of the Invisible Cats

Backward Bowwow

Barnyard Brainwash

Battle Bugs of Outer Space

Candy Store Caper

Deep-sea Duel

Fastest Pet on Earth

Heroes of the High Seas

Midway Monkey Madness

Night of the Scaredy Crows

Pooches of Power!

Royal Rodent Rescue

Salamander Smackdown!

Sleepy Time Crime 

Starro and the Space Dolphins

Super Hero Splash Down

Super-Pets Showdown

Superpowered Pony

Swap Thing Vs. the Zombie Pets

The Amazing Mini-Mutts

The Hopping Hero

The Cat Crime Club

The Biggest Little Hero

The Fantastic Flexy Frog

Edited December 8, 2017 by Julie Smith

[Pen]

The one I could not recall name of is Because of Winn-Dixie.  If she liked both Flora and Ivan, she'd probably like it. But it may still be too hard.

 

Another series my son liked around then, and was pretty easy to read was the Buddy Files mystery series (Buddy is a dog--so if your dd does not like dogs, it wouldn't be a good choice).

 

High Noon, IME, is good for learning reading (instruction, not pleasure reading) with carefully advancing levels of difficulty, and also for people with reading problems who need something like a U.S. History with high school level content, but 4th grade reading level.  None of it that we used is as engagingly interesting as, say, Harry Potter, for someone who would like Harry Potter.  But it is all, IME, far easier reading.  And could be helpful if your dd still needs to work on her reading skills directly, rather than just to find a book or series to enjoy.  If she truly could read Flora and Ivan with fluency and comprehension, then she is not so likely to need High Noon type materials.

Edited December 9, 2017 by Pen

[mamaraby]

What about The Kingdom of Wrenly series?

[Lecka]

My son read those DC comic books. They were on the easier side!

 

If she likes Kingdom of Wrenly maybe she would like Dragonmasters?

 

Once you know the first thing she likes and reads -- it gets a lot easier, because then you have a level and a type of book!

Edited December 9, 2017 by Lecka

[strawberryjam]

"My Father's Dragon" trilogy was the first "real" book my kid read. Also "The Littles" series was a big hit, as well as the Tintin comics. Tintin was what turned me into a voracious reader at that age and it worked for my kid too (who was a "late bloomer" when it came to reading).

[LMD]

There's a new short story, with pictures, series based on the Faraway tree books. I bought one for my new reader who is 7, it's still too tricky for him.

 

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Land-of-Magic-Medicines-Enid-Blyton/9781405280051?ref=grid-view&qid=1512893291668&sr=1-15

[JudoMom]

What about the How to Train Your Dragon series?

[TheAttachedMama]

I would insist she try, "The Enormous Crocodile" by Roald Dahl. It is short compared to his other books, so wouldn't be as intimidating. 

 

If she loved Pippi the author actually wrote a little known about book called, "Pippi on the Run". It isn't nearly as good as the others. It doesn't really fit with them, but it is about Pippi and it is a short and easy read. You can also find picture book versions of Pippi where they took a chapter and added lots of illustrations to make it into a stand alone picture book. 

 

If you think she will like easy to read Super Hero books check out the "DC Super Heroes" books. What makes it difficult is that they are hard to search for because when you look for the key words "DC Super Heroes" you get many things that aren't what I mean. Here is a list of titles from that 'series'. I wish you could look inside them to see what they are like, but I can't find anyplace online that will allow you that. Youngest read them when he was 9 and he was not much of a reader. If I remember correctly they are similar to the Super Pet books I discuss below. 

 

Arctic Attack

Catwoman's Classroom of Claws

Emperor of the Airwaves

Five Riddles for Robin

Fun House of Evil

Harley Quinn's Shocking Surprise

Poison Ivy's Deadly Garden

The Puppet Master's Revenge

Two-face's Double Take

The Fog of Fear

The Revenge of Clayface

Last Son of Krypton

The Menace of Metallo

The Museum Monsters

The Stolen Superpowers

Toys of Terror

Under the Red Sun

Killer Kaleidoscope

Master of Mirrors!

Captain Boomerang's Comeback!

Killer Croc Hunter

Toys of Terror

 

If you like the Superhero books above also look into DC Super Pets which is for a slightly younger crowd. They have lots of full color illustrations on almost ever page, large font and color words inserted throughout. Take a look: https://www.amazon.com/Super-Hero-Splash-Down-Super-Pets/dp/1404866248/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1404866248&pd_rd_r=RQ53CXMGJ2JGF761K94K&pd_rd_w=umokX&pd_rd_wg=7asoI&psc=1&refRID=RQ53CXMGJ2JGF761K94K

 

Please note these books are short - and in my opinion great for this level. 

 

Attack of the Invisible Cats

Backward Bowwow

Barnyard Brainwash

Battle Bugs of Outer Space

Candy Store Caper

Deep-sea Duel

Fastest Pet on Earth

Heroes of the High Seas

Midway Monkey Madness

Night of the Scaredy Crows

Pooches of Power!

Royal Rodent Rescue

Salamander Smackdown!

Sleepy Time Crime 

Starro and the Space Dolphins

Super Hero Splash Down

Super-Pets Showdown

Superpowered Pony

Swap Thing Vs. the Zombie Pets

The Amazing Mini-Mutts

The Hopping Hero

The Cat Crime Club

The Biggest Little Hero

The Fantastic Flexy Frog

 

You are on the right track!   My kids have checked out and read just about all of the books you have listed!  :)   They LOVE those DC super pets books.   hahahaha

[Ellie]

The 1000 Good Books List might have something for her.

[Heathermomster]

Ivy and Bean series

The Moffats by Estes

Jenny and the Cat Club series

[Bluegoat]

One I often recommend for readers at that level is Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang.  It's about a younger boy, but it's really funny even for older kids.  It's an easy read but still writerly, if that makes sense, and not too long.

[vonbon]

The 1000 Good Books List might have something for her.

 

I love this book list!!!  I've recommended the site to many and we've been working our way through it/them for a couple of years.  

 

I haven't met a book on this list I haven't liked or considered worthwhile in some way.  Mostly they're just super recommendations.  We've discovered many authors on these lists I wouldn't have otherwise come across.