creekmom Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I'm starting to get concerned that my dd still does not enjoy reading. She's reading Mr. Popper's Penguins right now for assigned reading, and she is "tolerating" it. I'm trying to find something for "free" reading that she'll look forward to each day. She enjoyed the Pippi Longstocking books but is not interested in them anymore. She enjoys funny books - like Super Fudge. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I'm starting to get concerned that my dd still does not enjoy reading. She's reading Mr. Popper's Penguins right now for assigned reading, and she is "tolerating" it. I'm trying to find something for "free" reading that she'll look forward to each day. She enjoyed the Pippi Longstocking books but is not interested in them anymore. She enjoys funny books - like Super Fudge. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Have you tried "Trixie Belden", "Emily of New Moon" or "The Boxcar Children"? Now I am whispering: When my ds was this age and a reluctant reader, there was a series of books called "Captain Underpants". It was amazing how even the boys ripped these books out of each other hands (he was in ps then). While this was certainly not my choice of literature, it got him going and we were able to move on from the toilet humor. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I'm starting to get concerned that my dd still does not enjoy reading. She's reading Mr. Popper's Penguins right now for assigned reading, and she is "tolerating" it. I'm trying to find something for "free" reading that she'll look forward to each day. She enjoyed the Pippi Longstocking books but is not interested in them anymore. She enjoys funny books - like Super Fudge. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! My DD7 adores the Bunnicula books, and the "Pain and the Great One" books as well. The Wayside School books are humorous too. I'll ask her what books she recommends and post again later :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane in CO Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Mysterious benedict society and Harry potter over here....that is how my 8 year old spent his Christmas break ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I remember enjoying Bunnicula. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I remember enjoying Bunnicula. :lol: Me too! It was so weird when she starting reading it :D Hard to believe I have a child old enough to read the books I loved as a kid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I'm starting to get concerned that my dd still does not enjoy reading. She's reading Mr. Popper's Penguins right now for assigned reading, and she is "tolerating" it. I'm trying to find something for "free" reading that she'll look forward to each day. She enjoyed the Pippi Longstocking books but is not interested in them anymore. She enjoys funny books - like Super Fudge. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! My dd loved all the American Girl books at that age. She read them for years, over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is pretty funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 My DD7 adores the Bunnicula books, and the "Pain and the Great One" books as well. The Wayside School books are humorous too. I'll ask her what books she recommends and post again later :D My son loved all of the same books. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or anything by Roald Dahl is really fun to read. Alice in Wonderland and Pinnochio were also really fun to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Take her to Barnes & Noble and just have fun looking in the kids section. You wouldn't have to buy or tell her that you're looking for her interests, but she might be more likely to get interested looking through books that are displayed there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 What interests her? I bought my ds a book about recycling (Usborne level reader) and he has read it several times. He struggles with reading so this is a huge deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Roald Dahl could keep her busy for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I wouldn't be too worried about her unless she really struggles with reading, which is different that just not wanting to do so. My dd, who is mildly dyslexic, didn't really 'get into' reading until she was almost 10 1/2! Regardless, I still had her read and read to her. She now loves reading but also still enjoys Read-Alouds. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Ramona series-Beverly Cleary actually there are a lot of fun ones by B. Cleary Half Magic- Edward Eager The Witches- Roald Dahl Clementine-Sara Pennypacker Chocolate Fever-Robert Smith How to Eat fried Worms-Thomas Rockwell Freckle Juice-Judy Blume By the Great Horn Spoon-Sid Fleischman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLCH Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 (edited) We found The Puppy Place series "Where every puppy finds a home" at our library. We've only just started the first one GOLDIE about a golden retriever who needs a home. I sent DD off for free reading & she was back right away because "it's not a good book." :glare: So we are sitting down together taking turns reading aloud every other paragraph, chapter by chapter, hopefully she'll be excited to try more puppies, there seemed to be many breeds to choose from & they have tips for puppy owners. Edited January 13, 2010 by OLCH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I'm starting to get concerned that my dd still does not enjoy reading. She's reading Mr. Popper's Penguins right now for assigned reading, and she is "tolerating" it. I read King of the Wind over and over at that age. I didn't understand it all, but I was excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 Thank you for all the great suggestions! My mom gave me a huge box of kid's novels including some Beverly Cleary and Babysitter's Club books from when my sister and I were little. I'll have to look through those for some ideas. Anyone else have suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 DD read this last year and loved it so much she is reading it again: RIDING FREEDOM by Pam Munoz Ryan Mariann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarleneW Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Mine LOVES all the American Girl books- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 My daughter started her love of reading with the Magic Tree House books. She has since read every book we have ever gotten, I can't keep her out of them! She stays up reading by the glow of her alarm clock! :grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Our dd's used to carry around Beatrix Potter's books. They also wore out various creature identification books - Audubon's, etc. They couldn't read every word in the ID books, but they could figure out a good bit. They would bring them to me to ask me about things and I would explain here and there. Also, all 3 dd's loved horses. So they had quite a few horse identification books. Not just children's books. Adult books, too. Real photos. They were very motivated to read these. These kinds of books were their treasures. I suppose it made reading the school lists a little more bearable in the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 (edited) Does she enjoy you reading to her, but not reading to herself? If that's the case, I would keep reading to her. Many 8 yr olds like to read, but some don't yet. I would keep reading her lots of books, of all kinds. To help her become more fluent, I would take turns reading. You read 5 pages, she reads one. As she becomes more confident, it's highly likely she will begin to love reading. At this point, you want her to love books. The love comes first, above all. A great turn taking series is The Cobble Street Cousins by Cynthia Rylant. Very well written, good vocabulary, and an appealing format. I'd not panic yet. Edited January 14, 2010 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runamuk Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 My daughter (just turned 10) is really enjoying the Sisters Grimm books by Michael Buckley. She's also enjoying the Percy Jackson books and I noticed that she's taken all of my old Trixie Belden books into her room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly in FL Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Well...the first books I thought of when you said "funny" are the Captain Underpants books. Both my 11yo and my 8yo love reading them. They laugh and laugh. One series of books that my 8yo DD just loves is the Jack Russell: Dog Detective books, written by Darrel and Sally Odgers. She has read them over and over. ~Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or anything by Roald Dahl is really fun to read. My kids LOVED The BFG by Roald Dahl. We did it as a read-aloud when they were younger than 8, but it would be GREAT for fluent readers ages 8-10 or so to read by themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 My dd loved all the American Girl books at that age. She read them for years, over and over again. I have to admit that I used the AG books to get my reluctant reader going last year. This year, I have the opposite problem with her. Now she complains that we don't have anything challenging enough for her. The AG books were just the hook she needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 (edited) Mr Popper's Penguins makes me want to pluck my eye balls out! I know it's on all 'the lists' but it's awful to many of us. When you think about good books available, MPP needs to drop a few notches. ;) I include it in my list of worst children's lit ever. I do not get why it's so popular. That said, many kids love it. Let them read it, or you read it, and try to plod through. I pity you (and me-- I have read it three times already. I cringe throughout), yet we parents can be so self-sacrificing. ;) I would also include the English translation of Wheel on the School in with worst books, ever. It might we good in Dutch, but it is hideously repetitive and unnervingly predictable in it's English translation. I feel for your child! Mr Popper's Penguins.....Ack! I would start daily readalouds and see if this helps turn the corner for her. What sort of books does she like. I have my own literary biases...;) My kids loved the Mary Poppins books, and anything Cynthia Rylant. My suggestions for read aloud and turn-taking reading aloud, might begin with The Cobble Street Cousins (Rylant), Matilda, The BFG by Dahl, The Witches, then Mary Poppins books. The MP books are well written, and MP is outrageous. Children get that. Matilda is one of the best children's readalouds ever written, imo. The Wormwoods are nuts! Learning to love books is more important at this age than slogging through alone. Maybe take turns reading pages (you do 4, she does 1 etc). Whatever you do, let her toss Mr Popper's Penguins. Or take over reading it, and get it over with in an afternoon or two. It's small book. And my apologies to adults who love this book; I've never met one, but I know you're out there. lol :) Everyone likes what they like, right? If you have a younger sibling in the mix (or even if you don't) I would read the entire The Light House Family series. You can bang that out in less than a week, and every one will feel happy and at peace. :) It's quick, it's lovely, it's literate, and the illustrations soothe even tired, aggravated adults. The Van Gogh Cafe is a Rylant book many adults enjoy reading aloud as well. Winn Dixie is another one (Camillo). Children who struggle getting interested in books often need a lot of adult support, perhaps even at ages people think parents ought to have stopped reading to their children. But take heart. In Charles Dickens' day (and other times) fi, adults read aloud to each other as a form of entertainment and recreation. The monthly Oliver Twist installments, fi, kept many a pub filled with eager listeners. That participatory excitement can help the more reluctant child reader. Some kids really need to *hear* the joy of words and the prose. If she is struggling with chapter books, try shorter chapter books from the library to read on her own-- such as Henry & Mudge, or George & Martha books, maybe some Frog and Toad thrown in. Sometimes that is all it takes to get kids on fire wrt books. Reading interesting books to your child every single day will help her be excited about reading on her own. Some authors young kids enjoy on their own also include Shirley Hughes and Jan Brett. Sure, they are illustrated, but the language is rich and the pages of text are not intimidating. Mastering the small prepares one for the grand...and all. :) Edited January 21, 2010 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I think it is best for kids to read something that is a bit below their actual ability. So, for instance, if she can easily read chapter books, maybe have her read the harder Dr. Suess books for fun--like "The Sneetches" or "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins" or "Horton Hears a Who". Or maybe something really funny, like the Amelia Bedelia books; or sweet like the Frog and Toad books. When my DD was building fluency, she read a bunch of Magic Tree House books. She loved them to death, and then quite suddenly decided that they were all the same and that she never wanted to read them again. She jumped right into B. Cleary and C.S. Lewis, and never looked back. I think that she was consolidating her gains while she read those MTH books, and that it was good for her to plateau for a while. I agree with those who say to keep reading to her as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Whispering with Liz in CA, my oldest son fell in love with reading after reading some of the Scooby Doo chapter books. I was so ashamed when I bought those books.:001_smile:. I wanted the store to wrap them up in plain brown paper bags. But they inspired my son--who has moved on to reading much better things! What would he pick out at the store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 When we go to the library with dd8 I choose a whole bunch of books that are a bit low for her but are still fun - like the Cam Jansen books. Then I also get a couple of chapter books. She likes the Box Car Children, The Littles, and the AG books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 My 8 yo dd loves the Harry Potter Books, but they might be too advanced. Geronimo Stilton is a new favorite here. The girls like all of the American girls stories nancy Drew Notebooks (or Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew) are perfect reading level for an 8yo and they are short Rainbow Fairies - same goes Maybe try audio books - is the problem interest or ability. My oldest read the magic treehouse books after she listened to them because she was more comfortable doing it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 Thank you all so much for the great advice. She has started reading More Stories from Grandma's Attic- and loves it! The American Girl books are also books that she'll read on her own. I read aloud every day to my dc, and she always begs me to keep reading... I know she loves a good story, so I'm hoping one of these days she'll decide reading a good book on her own is very much worth her time and energy! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 Mr Popper's Penguins makes me want to pluck my eye balls out! I know it's on all 'the lists' but it's awful to many of us. When you think about good books available, MPP needs to drop a few notches. ;) I include it in my list of worst children's lit ever. I do not get why it's so popular. That said, many kids love it. Let them read it, or you read it, and try to plod through. I pity you (and me-- I have read it three times already. I cringe throughout), yet we parents can be so self-sacrificing. ;) I would also include the English translation of Wheel on the School in with worst books, ever. It might we good in Dutch, but it is hideously repetitive and unnervingly predictable in it's English translation. I feel for your child! Mr Popper's Penguins.....Ack! I would start daily readalouds and see if this helps turn the corner for her. What sort of books does she like. I have my own literary biases...;) My kids loved the Mary Poppins books, and anything Cynthia Rylant. My suggestions for read aloud and turn-taking reading aloud, might begin with The Cobble Street Cousins (Rylant), Matilda, The BFG by Dahl, The Witches, then Mary Poppins books. The MP books are well written, and MP is outrageous. Children get that. Matilda is one of the best children's readalouds ever written, imo. The Wormwoods are nuts! Learning to love books is more important at this age than slogging through alone. Maybe take turns reading pages (you do 4, she does 1 etc). Whatever you do, let her toss Mr Popper's Penguins. Or take over reading it, and get it over with in an afternoon or two. It's small book. And my apologies to adults who love this book; I've never met one, but I know you're out there. lol :) Everyone likes what they like, right? If you have a younger sibling in the mix (or even if you don't) I would read the entire The Light House Family series. You can bang that out in less than a week, and every one will feel happy and at peace. :) It's quick, it's lovely, it's literate, and the illustrations soothe even tired, aggravated adults. The Van Gogh Cafe is a Rylant book many adults enjoy reading aloud as well. Winn Dixie is another one (Camillo). Children who struggle getting interested in books often need a lot of adult support, perhaps even at ages people think parents ought to have stopped reading to their children. But take heart. In Charles Dickens' day (and other times) fi, adults read aloud to each other as a form of entertainment and recreation. The monthly Oliver Twist installments, fi, kept many a pub filled with eager listeners. That participatory excitement can help the more reluctant child reader. Some kids really need to *hear* the joy of words and the prose. If she is struggling with chapter books, try shorter chapter books from the library to read on her own-- such as Henry & Mudge, or George & Martha books, maybe some Frog and Toad thrown in. Sometimes that is all it takes to get kids on fire wrt books. Reading interesting books to your child every single day will help her be excited about reading on her own. Some authors young kids enjoy on their own also include Shirley Hughes and Jan Brett. Sure, they are illustrated, but the language is rich and the pages of text are not intimidating. Mastering the small prepares one for the grand...and all. :) Thanks so much for your detailed reply to my question (about getting my 8 yr old dd to enjoy reading)! I was wondering if you had any favorite websites or blogs that list book suggestions for children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Ramona's got my daughter started, there are a bunch in the series by Beverly Cleary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 At that age I read King of the Wind 3 times and it "caught me" into being a reader. About a horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prim*rose Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 My 8 yr old loves The Sisters Grimm, any Jedi book (but she loves Star Wars) and some other favorites are the "News" series - Viking News, Explorer's News, Roman News, Greek News, Revolution News, etc. She devours these! ETA: Misty of Chincoteague books are also a fave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 A couple of ideas -- The Sophie books by Dick King-Smith Sophie is about four years old in the first book and she is a bit of a tomboy. As the series progresses, she grows older. She might be seven or so in the final book. She has a pet snail and wants to be a lady farmer. She lives with her parents and, if I recall correctly, her two brothers. They are a nice family. The books are set in Britain, which may not be a surprise if you know that Dick King-Smith is British, and in the present day. The chapters are fairly short and in the various books I recall a visit from grandmother, interactions with a very girly-girl, and lots of pet goings on. I believe that Sophie also has a worm collection in one of the books. Here are the titles: * Sophie's Snail (1988) * Sophie's Tom (1991) * Sophie Hits Six (1991) * Sophie in the Saddle (1993) * Sophie Is Seven (1994) * Sophie's Lucky (1995) and here's a link to Sophie's Snail. Other ideas -- Calvin and Hobbes books Hank the Cowdog series Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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