Entropymama Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Help! My 2nd grade dd (will be 3rd in the fall) does not like to read. I can barely get her to read Junie B Jones, which I don't like much. I'm looking for good books she can read over the summer. I think you all know what I mean by good. :001_smile: So far the only series she likes that I like are American Girls. Suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 American Girl books are good. A few other thoughts... * Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows I love, love, love these about two friends. Contemporary. * Judy Moody series by Megan MacDonald Also contemporary. Judy is a little sassy, but a way better character than Junie B. Jones. Also, there's a lot of family stuff and less school stuff in the series than in some series. * Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry * Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker If those are too hard, you could look at some of the more formulaic stuff like The Magic Treehouse. Oh, and the Cam Jansen series is nice because they're so short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 If I had a kid who generally didn't like to read, I would think that the best bet would be to take them to the library regularly and let them pick out whatever they wanted to read. I wouldn't even care what it was, I'd just be happy they were reading. And I'd hope that by doing so, they'd get more interested in reading in general so that maybe a little further down the road they'd be more into reading what I considered "good" books. For now though? ANY book is a "good" book. Another thing you might want to implement is "reading challenges." I came across this somewhere (a magazine? online? I forget!). A mother said she noticed her kids read less in the summer and so to encourage them to do a little more reading, she'd give them "reading challenges" which were basically coming up with silly places for the kid to read. I tried this with my daughter who does like to read but who also is less interested in reading over the summer (I bribed her by telling her if she completed the reading challenge she could have a stick of gum). So for instance she might be told to read under the kitchen table for X number of pages or X number of minutes. Or by sitting on the steps and moving up one step for every page read and then back down again. Or by reading aloud to the parakeet (or turtles or goldfish) etc. Of course, there's always reading aloud together, too! Or audiobooks if all else fails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 What about Beverly Cleary books? Roald Dahl (Charlie & Chocolate Factory, BFG) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 (edited) . Edited July 12, 2022 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 (edited) How about any of these? B is for Betsy (and anything else) by Carolyn Haywood http://www.amazon.com/B-Betsy-Carolyn-Haywood/dp/015205099X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275837745&sr=1-1 Jenny Linsky series by Esther Averill http://www.amazon.com/Jenny-Cat-Club-Collection-Childrens/dp/1590170474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275837766&sr=1-1 Sophie the Snail (and anything else) by Dick King Smith - I bought these through the Book Depository http://www.amazon.com/Sophies-Snail-Dick-King-Smith/dp/1844281353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275837888&sr=1-1 Animal Stories by Thornton Burgess http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Quack-Childrens-Thrift-Classics/dp/0486278182/ref=pd_sim_b_5 My Father's Dragon series by Rith Stiles Gannett http://www.amazon.com/Three-Tales-My-Fathers-Dragon/dp/0679889116/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275837993&sr=1-1 Catwings and others by Ursula K. Le Guin http://www.amazon.com/Catwings-Ursula-Leguin/dp/0439551897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275837920&sr=1-1 Cobblestreet Cousins, Lighthouse Family by Cynthia Rylant http://www.amazon.com/Aunt-Lucys-Kitchen-Ready-Chapters/dp/0689817088/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275838018&sr=1-12 American Girl series Ramona series Milly, Molly, Mandy by Brisley http://www.amazon.com/Milly-Molly-Mandy-Storybook-Joyce-Lankester-Brisley/dp/0753453320/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275836954&sr=1-1 Betsy-Tacy http://www.amazon.com/Betsy-Tacy-Books-Maud-Hart-Lovelace/dp/0064400964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275837419&sr=1-1 Spiderwick Chronicles Boxcar Children by Warner Clementine series by Pennypacker http://www.amazon.com/Clementine-Sara-Pennypacker/dp/0786838833/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275838052&sr=1-1 The Littles series http://www.amazon.com/Littles-John-Peterson/dp/0590462253/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275838071&sr=1-1 Roald Dahl Magic Tree House series Dragonslayer's Academy Rainbow Magic fairy series Fairy Realm series http://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Realm-1-Charm-Bracelet/dp/0060095857/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275837452&sr=1-1 Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry Pony Crazed Princess Judy Moody Ivy and Bean The Unicorn's Secret http://www.amazon.com/Moonsilver-Unicorns-Secret-Kathleen-Duey/dp/0689842694/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275838281&sr=1-3 Edited June 6, 2010 by lisabees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 Thank you so much for all your suggestions!! I'm going to print this out and take it to the library. I'm starting to think part of the problem is me being too picky. One PP said to let her pick anything, but when I do that she picks books way below her reading level - picture books for preschoolers mostly - but maybe that's ok since she does assigned reading at other times? She does like to read aloud to her younger siblings so maybe that's an area to focus on. I like the reading challenge idea, too. We're doing the library's summer reading program which has some pretty good prizes, so I hope that helps. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 How about some of Cynthia Rylant's series? All of my dc have liked her at some point, even my ds who was a reluctant reader the longest. The Cobblestreet Cousins might be a bit beyond her now, but there is a series with animals living in a lighthouse Ds and I took turns reading chapters from. She has some other fun series, too. I find that series can often help. My ds still doesn't like to read much fiction, but if he finds a series he likes, he'll read them all, and they're not literature, sad to say. Ds also liked the Nate the Great books, as did at least one of my dds. They're at a late first/early second grade reading level, but if she likes it, that's okay. Has she read all of the American Girl series? Has she read any of the American Girl mysteries or extra books? Will she read them a second time? Some of the other books mentioned here are at higher levels. Something else I think would be good to add to what she reads would be to get unabridged recorded books for her to listen to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyinva Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Could it be that she is a nonfiction girl? I have one of those. Calvin & Hobbes and Boxcar Children were the other hits at that age, when nothing else really was clicking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Could it be that she is a nonfiction girl? I have one of those. Calvin & Hobbes and Boxcar Children were the other hits at that age, when nothing else really was clicking. Right, how could I forget the Boxcar Children? Also, nonfiction! My middle one was only interested in nonfiction for a while, and my ds definitely is, but he spends most of his time studying the pictures since they're often books on airplanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 My 2nd grade dd has loved many of the series mentioned above. It brings back happy feelings just to see the list. :001_smile: One other series I didn't see mentioned is Childhood of Famous Americans. They are easy to read biographies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammaofbean Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 many picture books are written with advanced vocabulary, because they are meant for adults to read. i also hold the standard here that reading to siblings or friends is probably the most valuable reading. i would let her check out stacks of picture books and be fine with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 many picture books are written with advanced vocabulary, because they are meant for adults to read. i also hold the standard here that reading to siblings or friends is probably the most valuable reading. i would let her check out stacks of picture books and be fine with that. This! If she likes the American Girl books, then she might also enjoy the Our Canadian Girl series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 This! If she likes the American Girl books, then she might also enjoy the Our Canadian Girl series. Of course!!! How could I have forgotten this? My dd's loved the few we own (my mother gave them to us). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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