Choosing books for a kid who reads far above grade level...HELP!

[WarriorMama]

Suppose you had a child who was going to be just turned six at the beginning of first grade, but who already reads fluently at a fourth grade level or higher.

 

How on earth would you go about picking books for assigned independent reading that will challenge her reading level yet not be completely age inappropriate?

 

I would love any and all suggestions! Who knew planning first grade was going to be so frustrating? ;)

[Crimson Wife]

I would take a look at the recommended books for conservative Christian literature-based programs and go from there.

[ouzel]

I had this issue with my son. I essentially had to pre-read many books to make sure they worked for him. He read lots of natural history.

[WarriorMama]

I would take a look at the recommended books for conservative Christian literature-based programs and go from there.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but that would be essentially the same as starting from where I am now, since I'd have to be screening for religious messages I don't agree with and still on the lookout for whether a book is just too 'old' for her content-wise.

[Staceyshoe]

We had a very early reader too, and I understand how difficult it can be to find something that is both academically and developmentally appropriate. My son absolutely adores non-fiction, such as science encyclopedias. Some of My Best Friends Are Books is a book written exactly for parents of children like this, and it has great suggestions for fiction. You might want to see whether your local library has it.

[WarriorMama]

I had this issue with my son. I essentially had to pre-read many books to make sure they worked for him. He read lots of natural history.

 

My daughter leans toward non-fiction a lot because of this, too. I guess I'll be doing some pre-reading this summer!

 

Any fiction that you found worked out great? :bigear:

[WarriorMama]

We had a very early reader too, and I understand how difficult it can be to find something that is both academically and developmentally appropriate. My son absolutely adores non-fiction, such as science encyclopedias. Some of My Best Friends Are Books is a book written exactly for parents of children like this, and it has great suggestions for fiction. You might want to see whether your local library has it.

 

Thanks! I just put it on hold.

[Mandy in TN]

SL Adv 2 readers and SL 3 readers should both be a good fit. In the descriptions the books with Christian content have a little X next to them. Also, many of the authors used have written other books that are appropriate.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Mandy in TN]

Also, look on the accelerated board. This question has been asked over there... more than once.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Dana]

I'd think books by Beverly Cleary would be fine. My son also enjoyed Half Magic by Edward Eager. Patricia Wrede's Dragon series (Talking to Dragons, Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons).

 

You may also want to look on the Accelerated Learner's board. I'm sure there have been similar discussions there & I think there are some threads that have quite a few book lists.

[bluemongoose]

I also have this problem, it is challenging, but a good problem to have, right?

 

The kind ladies on here recommended older books, and I have found that these work really well. The stories are perfect as far as maturity, but written at a higher level.

 

Examples:

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Series

Betsy and Tacy Series

Mandie Series

Little House Series

Milly Molly Mandy

My Father's Dragon

 

 

I also started with this list that someone posted:

 

http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000-primary.html

 

Scroll down to the Advanced reader section. I have found most of these perfect for her!

 

Hope that helps!

[TracyP]

I have used the 1000 Good Books site to get ideas. My dd loves the Pathway Reader series. Here is a discussion I bookmarked from the accelerated board that had some ideas. I also find that older classic books seem to be a good choice generally - Charlotte's Web, The Little House series.

[crazyforlatin]

We have the same exact problem - although DD turned 5 recently. I don't necessarily let her read any 4th grade level book she chooses, but I do let her read books that she can read through quickly to expand her vocabulary and fill her mind with stories. Recently I found this series, Geronimo Stilton, kind of like Magic Tree House in that it provides good facts for kids but is a grade in advance. We also started with The Time Warp Trio, again similar to MTH but more advanced. She doesn't seem to need only books at the 4th grade level and is perfectly happy with lower level chapter books. I think with young kids who read at an advanced level, we don't need to constantly give them books beyond their age. These kids just happen to read lower level chapter books faster but can still enjoy the content. DD loves Rosemary Sutcliff's books as well as primary level books. I mix different levels of books for her independent reading.

Edited July 18, 2010 by crazyforlatin

[PeterPan]

-historical fiction (we used the TQ guides extensively for this)

-non-fiction (my dd enjoyed cat encyclopedias, horse encyclopedias, books on cat behavior, that type thing, inexpensive in the bargain section of Borders)

-anything from the VP catalog or popular reading lists

 

I haunt the Goodwill/thrift stores and used sales to find stuff. Once you find an author you like, you can collect them. For instance I just picked up an obscure Avi book at the thrift store last night (plus 17 others, hehe). Just because they can read something doesn't mean they should jump over all the other types of children lit that address themes that will touch them. Honey for a Child's Heart, which has good book lists, makes a case for this. So you might read some of the excellent picture books to her ANYWAY. Our library has a large section of what I call picture books that are actually pretty advanced in theme, dealing with travel, race, aging, loss, war, etc. These are topics she can handle profitably with you that you might not want to toss at her as whole chapter books unsupervised (and not pre-read), kwim? And of the SL core books through core 4 would be fine for her to read herself. You can collect all the COFA's (Childhood of Famous Americans series), of which there are about 220. My dd has always been a funny bird, reading across levels, so I wouldn't limit yourself to any one level, either high or low. I'd just throw it all out there and see what sticks. My dd will be on a Calvin & Hobbes or Family Circus comic books binge one week and then reading Swiss Family Robinson (for the 4th time through) the next. It's all what strikes their fancy. My dd likes things with an imaginative element, things she can act out, so books like BoxCar went over big, even if the reading level is mediocre. She was reading Swiss Family Robinson at the same time, a huge difference in level, lol. It's just what strikes them.

 

My dd isn't into reading poetry yet for herself, but Shel Silverstein is amazing for someone who is. The point is just to diversify the genres. Don't think only fiction.

Edited July 18, 2010 by OhElizabeth

[Farrar]

Look at lists of read aloud books for 1st graders and let him read them himself instead. Also, classics are good to turn to since they're typically more difficult in language but very tame in their topics. I can think of so many possible books, that it's not worth it to list them here. Unless you're very sensitive to this sort of thing (and it's fine if you are), I don't think you'll find most books for elementary schoolers will be inappropriate in themes or topics. Obviously, there are some exceptions. I suspect you'll have a much harder time if he gets to 4th grade and is still that far ahead and wanting to read young adult or even adult level books.

[nmoira]

We're secular homeschoolers, and I've been dealing with this with my eldest. I don't assign reading at that age, but have always made plenty of books available.

 

Here are some suggestions; I've tried to err on the side of gentle:

 

Freddy the Pig series (Freddy Goes to Florida is the first)

Joan Aiken - Arabel's Raven series, and her short story collections

Natalie Babbit -- The Search for Delicious

Marguerite Henry

Baum -- Oz series

Michael Bond -- Paddington novels

Brand -- Nurse Matilda stories

Buckley -- The Sisters Grimm series (I think DD started reading those at 5... they might be a bit much for a young sensitive reader)

Eleanor Cameron -- Mushroom Planet series

Frances Carpenter -- "Wonder" books, "Grandmother" books

Beverly Cleary

Padraic Colum

Cressida Cowell -- How to Train Your Dragon, etc.

Roald Dahl

Spiderwick Chronicles

Edward Eager

Eleanor Estes (almost anything, especially the Moffats series)

Fitzgerald -- The Great Brain series

Sid Fleischman

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Roger Lancelyn Green

Hale - The Peterkin Papers

Tintin and Asterix

Holling C. Holling

Bunnicula

Eva Ibbotson (most of these are fairly light, the few that aren't are readily apparent from the descriptions)

Jansson -- Moomintroll series (Comet in Moominland is the first)

Emily Windsnap

Kastner -- Emil and the Detectives

Dick King-Smith (the novels... The Sheep-Pig/Babe, etc)

King -- Stig of the Dump

Kipling -- Just So Stories

Astrid Lindgren -- don't stop at Pippi

Eric Linklater -- The Wind on the Moon, Pirates in the Deep Green Sea

George MacDonald

Margaret Mahy (The Great Piratical Rumbistification, etc. Her books are geared to a range of ages; you can tell by the descriptions if they are appropriate)

Martin -- Uncle books

E. Nesbit

Mary Norton (The Borrowers series, and dont' forget Are All the Giants Dead?)

Sleigh -- Carbonel books

Streatfeild -- Shoes books (Ballet Shoes, etc. We started these as read alouds, because there was so much to explain)

James Thurber -- The Wonderful O, The Thirteen Clocks, The Great Quillow

Mary Poppins

E.B. White

 

Lang coloured Fairy Books (The Blue Fair Book, etc.)

Grimm

collections by Neil Phillip

Tanglewood Tales

Geraldine McCaughrean has several books of retellings of world tales an mythology

Ethel Johnston Phelps - Tatterhood and The Maid of the North

 

Ambleside Online book lists

Hoagies Gifted reading lists and links to more reading lists

Edited July 19, 2010 by nmoira
typos

[mammaofbean]

it really depends on what content you are trying to avoid.

 

for dd i try to avoid books with bullying or mean friends or divorcing parents as the main theme, or a bigoted pov. death of children or well developed characters we also avoid. she likes fantasy, adventure and mystery. oh, and funny books. she started reading alice in wonderland the other day. time warp trio books are great. the first 3 harry potter books would be fine. many american girl books are fine, but some are too intense with the death.

[HeidiKC]

We had the same problem, so I remember a few books he read at that age that were at the 4th grade level: Curious George books! Also, the Paddington books are at the 5th grade level. He also LOVED The Boxcar children, and that was probably about 3rd-4th grade reading level.

 

I would suggest the above website - it's by Renaissance Learning, which is the same company our school uses for Accelerated Reader (AR program). I don't know if homeschoolers are familiar with this, but at school they are required to read books at their level and then take quizzes. I have no idea WHY it is called "Accelerated" Reader. It has nothing to do with acceleration and every child from 1st-2nd grade on participates.

 

Anyway, if you go to kansas.bookconnect.com, you can look up particular books to see what reading level they are, and then you can also search by reading level and interest level. Go to Advanced Search and for Interest Level you select "Lower Grades" and then you type in a range of reading levels, maybe 3.6-4.4 or whatever. I'd just leave it at that, other than selecting English as the language. But it is a great tool, because you can also search for certain topics, etc. I still use it for my son who is reading way above grade level. It is almost harder now than it was in 1st grade. There are lots of books you can find at 4th grade reading level that are meant for younger kids (even lots of WONDERFUL picture books, and I'd recommend you do a lot of those since he is still young and probably loves picture books), but now that he is reading at more like a high school level, it is really hard to find books at that level for a 10-year-old boy. Unfortunately this has meant that he mostly reads below his level.

 

You might just go to the library and look through some nice picture books (especially some of the fables, myths, etc.) for some that look more difficult (the ones meant as read-alouds) and look up the reading level on kansas.bookconnect.com. Some of those are even at a 6th-7th grade reading level and I don't think you'll have a hard time at all finding something for him.

 

I think I have my son's reading list from 1st grade (when he was reading at a 4th grade level), and if I find it I will send it to you.

[HeidiKC]

the first 3 harry potter books would be fine.

 

Just FYI, the Harry Potter books are 7th grade reading level. I'd wait, since you'll be needing 7th grade reading level books in a couple of years and he may not like Curious George, etc. at that time.

[MaMa2005]

As someone else said, check out the Accelerated Board.

 

DS is 5 (and very sensitive) and reading on a 5th-6th grade level. For the last part of the summer, he has been reading books from the picture book section in the library. For example, we are going to the West Coast for a week long vacation in September. I have checked out some wonderful picture books on San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. DS has had a great time reading them and they have some vocabulary that has stretched him.

 

I think we forget that picture books are usually read aloud by adults. The reading level is often much higher than initially thought. There are so many great books out there that I have relaxed a bit for summer reading and am just letting DS have some fun reading and looking at pictures.

[crazyforlatin]

Another "problem" for advanced readers is that the books they read usually have smaller font size, but their eyes may get tired easily since they are so young, so with the Harry Potter books, I managed to buy/borrow editions with large font size. Paddington already has a comfortable font size. I found read-aloud editions (so very large font) of the first two Little House series and the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian (Voyage will come out in October). By the way, for Harry Potter, I may not let her read beyond the 4th or 5th book or I may have to prepare her in advance for darker parts.

 

I wonder if there is a thread for suggested books with large font size. It's hard to find these books and it takes time to read through all the reviews, hoping to find someone who mentions large font size.

 

Oh yes, I found Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz in a large font size.

 

Am I the only one who worries about font size?:001_huh:

[Quad Shot Academy]

 

Am I the only one who worries about font size?:001_huh:

 

No, I always get the large font when they have it. I found a way to search my library for the large font and most of the classics they have in large font are great for younger kids!

 

My son read through the entire original Nancy Drew series at that age. He also really liked Geronimo Stilton. I also got him a lot of advanced picture books and nonfiction too.

[PeterPan]

Font size has been an issue here. I'm hoping it will resolve completely (it is already improving) as we finish this last month of vision therapy. (keeping fingers crossed!) You think nothing of it when they're 5 or 6 or 7. When they're 10 and you mention it to an optometrist, you kind of get funny looks.

 

Oh, and my new great discovery, which I SHOULD have realized long ago: many of the books come in "young adult" editions that have a slightly larger font or format to suit younger readers. I recently scoured amazon for HOURS trying to pick the best version of LotR for dd. I never could decide, so we finally just went to B&N and bit the bullet. She found a set I'm not sure I had even seen on amazon. It's probably somewhere on there, buried with all the options, as usual. But on the back of the book, bold as brass, it says young adult edition. Go figure.

 

Well humph, I used the isbn to find it on amazon. They don't label it that way. Nevertheless, this is the edition she chose. http://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Ring-Being-First-Rings/dp/0618574948/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279497896&sr=1-1

[FriedClams]

I have 2 like this. I used to preread but I can't keep up with them I've relied heavily on sonlight lists, classical Christian homeschooling 1000 great books lists and ambleside lists. We do some pop culture stuff (how to train a dragon series. For example) and with those we discuss content, attitudes, etc. In relation to the bible's standards. Now my kids areputting down books that would not meet family standards.

[crazyforlatin]

Font size has been an issue here. I'm hoping it will resolve completely (it is already improving) as we finish this last month of vision therapy. (keeping fingers crossed!) You think nothing of it when they're 5 or 6 or 7. When they're 10 and you mention it to an optometrist, you kind of get funny looks.

 

Oh, and my new great discovery, which I SHOULD have realized long ago: many of the books come in "young adult" editions that have a slightly larger font or format to suit younger readers. I recently scoured amazon for HOURS trying to pick the best version of LotR for dd. I never could decide, so we finally just went to B&N and bit the bullet. She found a set I'm not sure I had even seen on amazon. It's probably somewhere on there, buried with all the options, as usual. But on the back of the book, bold as brass, it says young adult edition. Go figure.

 

Well humph, I used the isbn to find it on amazon. They don't label it that way. Nevertheless, this is the edition she chose. http://www.amazon.com/Fellowship-Ring-Being-First-Rings/dp/0618574948/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279497896&sr=1-1

 

I never thought of that - looking under young adult. I bought The Hobbit, the version that is beautifully illustrated by Michael Hague, but the font size is small, well for a 5-year old. It was really disappointing - probably my fault for thinking it must be large font since the book is quite big. Do you happen to have The Hobbit in a larger font size?

[Quad Shot Academy]

Do you happen to have The Hobbit in a larger font size?

 

My library has this one listed as large type. You can't see a sample of it on-line though.

[kym]

I have used the 1000 Good Books site to get ideas.

 

Ditto. I printed out that whole list and took it with me to the library when dd (now16) was a first grader. We kept her stocked up with good books using it.

[StephanieZ]

SL 2-Int was a nice fit for my advanced reader last year (older 6/young 7) and she'll be using 2-Adv this year (older 7 turning 8 in the late fall) which also look nice. It's not hard for her, but they are great books and I don't see the need for *hard* reading material for her right now. You can also look at the Read Aloud Sl titles for Gr 1-3 and pick some of those that seem to fit. SL lists are a good starting point -- but some content can get rougher in the RAs so do preread the RAs before handing them over.

 

Most picture books are at about gr4 level, but short and pretty, so a nice match if attention span is short and the child still enjoys pictures (who doesn't?) Many chapter books are at that level. DD7 can now read pretty much everything. She's reading Eragon now as her pleasure book. . . (gr 5.6) but those little-bit-easier gr3-4ish level readers in SL2-Int & 2-Adv are very nice in content and challenging enough.

 

Many, many nice chapter books are at about the gr4 level. The Little House series (gr level about 4.3) and the like. . . then there is the Anne of Green Gables (gr 5.9) series, etc. etc that are a notch higher and much lengthier. We're reading the Anne series together now just b/c I wanted to enjoy it WITH her, but she could read it aloud to me if I wanted to ask her to do it. (I don't. I want to read it to her.) Honestly, I think she is usually reading along with me as I read aloud. I want to be sure to get through the series sooner rather than later so she doesn't go off and do it on her own. I just love that series!

 

I think that having easier reading material much of the time is pleasant and relaxing for her. . . and there is obviously no need to push the technical ability in such a precocious child.

[Sahamamama]

My daughter leans toward non-fiction a lot because of this, too. I guess I'll be doing some pre-reading this summer!

Any fiction that you found worked out great? :bigear:

 

We're in the same boat here with a 5.5 yo K'er who reads like a 4th/5th grader. She will begin first grade next year, just before her 6th birthday.

 

This year for K she's enjoyed reading these Little House books:

 

 

• Little House in the Big Woods

• Little House on the Prairie

• Farmer Boy

• On the Banks of Plum Creek

• By the Shores of Silver Lake

 

[That's as far as I want to go in this set for now, because the content gets a bit mature as the series continues.] Like your daughter, mine reads non-fiction all. the. time. Lots of library books come through this house -- pick a topic! ;)

 

IMO, it's easier to advance the student's reading level through challenging Read Aloud than it is to find fiction that is both age-appropriate and substantive enough for early, avid readers. Instead of looking high and low for books that don't seem to exist, I've tried to put the "challenge" into how we do Read Alouds. I know, she isn't reading these books independently. BUT, the other side of it is that she does so much reading on her own, of her own choosing, and enjoys every minute of it. And isn't that the point? To grow readers who love to read? I have to tell myself to relax with what she independently reads, as long as I've "pre-screened" it and put it in the Book Box (non-fiction) or Book Basket (fiction) or on her own little shelf (her own books), it's all good.... It's okay, really, to just let that "self-selected" material be something you've put in a Book Basket! How devious. ;)

 

Instead of trying to put the "growth factor" into her independent reading material, I have decided to put it into choosing challenging books to read aloud to her -- Heidi, The Jungle Book, Charlotte's Web, The Wind in the Willows, Black Beauty, Peter Pan, Just So Stories. These dense, richly textured books are full of wonderful words. They have poetry, dialogue, memorable characters, wholesome stories, humor, wit, and advanced vocabulary. They are well-written and a joy to read aloud. They are precisely what early, avid readers need... to hear.

 

It isn't that my daughter couldn't read the words in these books. In fact, after we've finished the story as a Read Aloud, the book goes on her shelf. Then she does read it, but only as a familiar story about characters she has grown to love, told with words and concepts that have been explained. IMO, this develops her listening level, her narration level ("Where did we leave off in the story?"), her ability to hold onto a complicated story over a long period of time (about two months), her skill in predicting what will happen next, her vocabulary, and so on.

 

So, while I am interested in finding age-appropriate, on-level books for her to read on her own next year, I'll place more emphasis on what we tackle together. If we're reading aloud wonderful chapter books as we snuggle on the bed, then I don't have to worry about the content (as much), and my daughter is getting the benefits of well-written fiction. I'm there to explain anything that needs clarifying, talk about the story, answer her questions, and simply share the book's world with her. We talk about Heidi and her grandfather as if they are old friends. We talk about Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger all the time now. Just the other day, we were walking along a river bank as a family and my daughter made a comment about Ratty's home -- but only the two of us understood it. :001_wub: That was a sweet moment. We knew the story was ours.

 

Whatever fiction your first grader reads, she's going into that book's world, with or without you being there to explain, guide, or share. And you might want to share the book's world with your six year old, and let independent reading take care of itself. Skill can develop through non-fiction. Let her read about asteroids and volcanoes and red-eyed tree frogs all day if it suits her. Grow as readers through challenging Read Alouds. My two cents.

 

Besides, if your girl is anything like mine, her independent reading ability is already phenomenal. It probably doesn't need much tinkering with, anyway. HTH.

[crazyforlatin]

My library has this one listed as large type. You can't see a sample of it on-line though.

 

Thank you so much! :auto: to order now.

[Laura Corin]

You need my lists. Scroll down for your child's age level.

 

Laura

[WarriorMama]

I also have this problem, it is challenging, but a good problem to have, right?

 

It's a great problem to have! Thanks for the suggestions!

[WarriorMama]

We have the same exact problem - although DD turned 5 recently. I don't necessarily let her read any 4th grade level book she chooses, but I do let her read books that she can read through quickly to expand her vocabulary and fill her mind with stories. Recently I found this series, Geronimo Stilton, kind of like Magic Tree House in that it provides good facts for kids but is a grade in advance. We also started with The Time Warp Trio, again similar to MTH but more advanced. She doesn't seem to need only books at the 4th grade level and is perfectly happy with lower level chapter books. I think with young kids who read at an advanced level, we don't need to constantly give them books beyond their age. These kids just happen to read lower level chapter books faster but can still enjoy the content. DD loves Rosemary Sutcliff's books as well as primary level books. I mix different levels of books for her independent reading.

 

Oh, I agree. She frequently reads all over the place, on all sorts of different levels. I just want to have some stuff on hand for when I want to challenge her, or when she starts telling me things are 'too easy'. :tongue_smilie:

 

Great suggestions, thanks!

[WarriorMama]

We're secular homeschoolers, and I've been dealing with this with my eldest. I don't assign reading at that age, but have always made plenty of books available.

 

Here are some suggestions; I've tried to err on the side of gentle:

 

Freddy the Pig series (Freddy Goes to Florida is the first)

Joan Aiken - Arabel's Raven series, and her short story collections

Natalie Babbit -- The Search for Delicious

Marguerite Henry

Baum -- Oz series

Michael Bond -- Paddington novels

Brand -- Nurse Matilda stories

Buckley -- The Sisters Grimm series (I think DD started reading those at 5... they might be a bit much for a young sensitive reader)

Eleanor Cameron -- Mushroom Planet series

Frances Carpenter -- "Wonder" books, "Grandmother" books

Beverly Cleary

Padraic Colum

Cressida Cowell -- How to Train Your Dragon, etc.

Roald Dahl

Spiderwick Chronicles

Edward Eager

Eleanor Estes (almost anything, especially the Moffats series)

Fitzgerald -- The Great Brain series

Sid Fleischman

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Roger Lancelyn Green

Hale - The Peterkin Papers

Tintin and Asterix

Holling C. Holling

Bunnicula

Eva Ibbotson (most of these are fairly light, the few that aren't are readily apparent from the descriptions)

Jansson -- Moomintroll series (Comet in Moominland is the first)

Emily Windsnap

Kastner -- Emil and the Detectives

Dick King-Smith (the novels... The Sheep-Pig/Babe, etc)

King -- Stig of the Dump

Kipling -- Just So Stories

Astrid Lindgren -- don't stop at Pippi

Eric Linklater -- The Wind on the Moon, Pirates in the Deep Green Sea

George MacDonald

Margaret Mahy (The Great Piratical Rumbistification, etc. Her books are geared to a range of ages; you can tell by the descriptions of they are appropriate)

Martin -- Uncle books

E. Nesbit

Mary Norton (The Borrowers series, and dont' forget Are All the Giants Dead?)

Sleigh -- Carbonel books

Streatfeild -- Shoes books (Ballet Shoes, etc. We started these are read alouds, because there was so much to explain)

James Thurber -- The Wonderful O, The Thirteen Clocks, The Great Quillow

Mary Poppins

E.B. White

 

Lang coloured Fairy Books (The Blue Fair Book, etc.)

Grimm

collections by Neil Phillip

Tanglewood Tales

Geraldine McCaughrean has several books of retellings of world tales an mythology

Ethel Johnston Phelps - Tatterhood and The Maid of the North

 

Ambleside Online book lists

Hoagies Gifted reading lists and links to more reading lists

 

Wow, what a fantastic list! Thank you so much! I actually have a lot of these already (compulsively collecting books for the future, lol), so I guess it's time to go digging through th closet for the books I thought we weren't going to need for another year or two!

 

Thanks again!

[WarriorMama]

So, while I am interested in finding age-appropriate, on-level books for her to read on her own next year, I'll place more emphasis on what we tackle together. If we're reading aloud wonderful chapter books as we snuggle on the bed, then I don't have to worry about the content (as much), and my daughter is getting the benefits of well-written fiction. I'm there to explain anything that needs clarifying, talk about the story, answer her questions, and simply share the book's world with her. We talk about Heidi and her grandfather as if they are old friends. We talk about Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger all the time now. Just the other day, we were walking along a river bank as a family and my daughter made a comment about Ratty's home -- but only the two of us understood it. :001_wub: That was a sweet moment. We knew the story was ours.

 

Whatever fiction your first grader reads, she's going into that book's world, with or without you being there to explain, guide, or share. And you might want to share the book's world with your six year old, and let independent reading take care of itself. Skill can develop through non-fiction. Let her read about asteroids and volcanoes and red-eyed tree frogs all day if it suits her. Grow as readers through challenging Read Alouds. My two cents.

 

Besides, if your girl is anything like mine, her independent reading ability is already phenomenal. It probably doesn't need much tinkering with, anyway. HTH.

 

This is essentially the situation I've set up for first grade next year, too - lots of challenging literature and history read-alouds. I think it's a good approach! I was an early reader whose parents stopped reading to me as soon as I could do it independently, and I didn't want to do that to my daughter.

 

It never occurred to me to stress less about finding books that will stretch her reading level as long as we're reading so much together. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[WarriorMama]

You need my lists. Scroll down for your child's age level.

 

Laura

 

I DO need your lists! Those are great, thanks for sharing!

[karensk]

These may have already been mentioned....

 

Have you seen Bethlehem Books (their home page is here)? There's a lot of historical fiction. Compared to most juvenile fiction at the public library, their books for ages 11-14 are much more conservative in terms of religious/moral perspective. You'd still probably want to preview them, as some contain things related to the cultural setting (like one of the gruesome practices of the ancient Assyrians in Victory on the Wall). Some that we've liked: The Winged Watchman, Madeline Takes Command, The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow, Victory on the Walls. I've loved anything by Hilda van Stockum, too.

 

Fairy tales and myths -- Some are more graphic than others, so you'll probably want to pre-read these, too. One of my favorites are Padraic Colum's retellings, like The Children's Homer.

 

Others:

Narnia

Dr. Doolittle series

Beverly Cleary

Marguerite Henry

The Wind in the Willows

The Black Stallion series

Pinocchio

 

HTH!

[MommaofBoys]

My 7yo son is reading A Wrinkle in Time, by Madelaine L'Engle right now, a chapter a day. It's his first chapter book to read independently, and he likes it. We'll probably do Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books next. I've got no idea what the grade level is on those, however, and the religious content in L'Engle might be too much for your family.

[Tangerine]

You need my lists. Scroll down for your child's age level.

 

Laura

 

 

Fantastic! Thank you for those.