serendipitous journey Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 ... while maintaining enthusiasm in a lukewarm reader? What would you suggest? Button's nearly 7, has an exceptional vocabulary and is a fine reader but doesn't LOVE reading. He's gotten interested in 3rd Grade Detectives, which came in a Sonlight literature set; I'm assigning them for reading, along with some of the other Sonlight books, for a while AM and PM over the "summer". He finishes 1/2 at a sitting. I'd like to step up the complexity a bit, or at least drop the twaddle level down a tad ... maybe Magic Treehouse? Encyclopedia Brown? thoughts? thanks for any suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Andrew Clements writes books that are right at that level. Frindle is one, but there are many others. The Henry Huggins books are great! Also: The Search for Delicious, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The Indian in the Cupboard, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, books by Roald Dahl ... What about Classic Starts abridged classics? We do like Encyclopedia Brown for pleasure reading, but each chapter stands alone so I consider it pretty fluffy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 Andrew Clements writes books that are right at that level. Frindle is one, but there are many others. The Henry Huggins books are great! Also: The Search for Delicious, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The Indian in the Cupboard, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, books by Roald Dahl ... What about Classic Starts abridged classics? We do like Encyclopedia Brown for pleasure reading, but each chapter stands alone so I consider it pretty fluffy. Thanks so much! Frindle is one we're reading soon, it is required by a language arts unit I want to do, but I didn't realize the author was a good source for more books (which is a silly thing not to think of, really!); I would never have thought Mrs. Frisby b/c for some reason I was ranking it closer near Watership Down in complexity but memory is obviously failing there! and am glad of the other recs, I'll start looking at the library; and for the abridged classics recommendation. Esp. appreciate the Encyclopedia Brown heads-up: I had though from the Amazon reviews that it required careful reading, but they had not made it clear that the narrative flow didn't run strongly across sections. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 We do like Encyclopedia Brown for pleasure reading, but each chapter stands alone so I consider it pretty fluffy. Would you also consider Winesburg, Ohio fluffy then?:confused: Sorry, I just don't quite get that reasoning. It may not be high literature for other reasons though. I think it's desirable for kids to read books that are below level for them because that's what builds their reading fluency and confidence. And while the repetitiveness of the stories grates on us as adults, it helps teach kids basic things about reading comprehension and plot. I'd look at all those Rob Roy chapter book series - The A to Z Mysteries, the Capital Mysteries, etc. Also, Cam Jansen and Boxcar Children. None are great literature, but they'll do that. For more challenging reads, Frindle is a good thought - not exactly a mystery, but enjoyable. Clements' Keepers of the School series is a bit easier and has a mystery component. Emil and the Detectives might be about the right challenge level. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler might be another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 farrarwilliams, thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into those; I think he might really like the story from the Mixed Up Files. ... I think it's desirable for kids to read books that are below level for them because that's what builds their reading fluency and confidence. And while the repetitiveness of the stories grates on us as adults, it helps teach kids basic things about reading comprehension and plot. ... It feels good to read that -- it's what's been mulling around in my brain, but I hadn't pinned it down. We are doing a bit of more challenging reading right now -- he's doing a chapter a day from a Landmark history book on his own, and I go over any new names or concepts for him before he starts -- but frankly I want him to get a good feel for the standard, hackneyed plots so that he can appreciate and enjoy the better-quality spins on them. I'm giving him ALL of the 3rd Grade Detectives I can get my hands on, for example, b/c I want him thoroughly familiar with the mystery genre; we'll be hitting Song School Greek in a year, and one reason we can't tackle it earlier is that the materials are based a Greek-alphabet mystery story. He has no concept for the generic parts of a mystery story and would be totally flummoxed by it. But I do also want to get him in the habit of reading things that are both fun and fine ... I am thinking when we start "school" in September, AM reading may be something a step up in literary value and PM might be just for fun ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Ana, if you think Button will like Mixed Up, I think he might enjoy Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer and her other books. The level of reading seems easier than Mixed Up. It's an interesting book because it's a mystery involving math and art. Sort of like The Da Vince Code but for kids. If Button reads it, he may start carrying his own set of pentominoes, just like one of the main characters who uses them as a problem-solving tool. DD has been doing that this week, just taking them everywhere, as of any moment she will stumble upon a mystery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 My kids have always enjoyed Encyclopedia Brown. How about The Hardy Boys? We've collected a lot of them over the years, as well as Nancy Drew. But it's the original ones that I recommend. There's also The Boxcar Children books that he might enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Would you also consider Winesburg, Ohio fluffy then?:confused: Sorry, I just don't quite get that reasoning. It may not be high literature for other reasons though. I don't know what Winesburg, Ohio is. What I meant was, as far as children's literature goes, I look for stories that have more complex plot & character development than can be done in a 10-page story. I'm not really knocking E.B., because it's not trying to be complex and nuanced. E.B. is a quick, fun read but isn't what I'm looking for when I assign reading. I want my son to get sucked into a story that takes some time to reveal itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Ana, if you think Button will like Mixed Up, I think he might enjoy Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer and her other books. The level of reading seems easier than Mixed Up. It's an interesting book because it's a mystery involving math and art. Sort of like The Da Vince Code but for kids. If Button reads it, he may start carrying his own set of pentominoes, just like one of the main characters who uses them as a problem-solving tool. DD has been doing that this week, just taking them everywhere, as of any moment she will stumble upon a mystery. ... what a sweet image! I'll give him Chasing Vermeer before Mixed Up then, and be sure to have some pentominoes on hand :) ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 My kids have always enjoyed Encyclopedia Brown. How about The Hardy Boys? We've collected a lot of them over the years, as well as Nancy Drew. But it's the original ones that I recommend. There's also The Boxcar Children books that he might enjoy. He did like the Boxcar Children #1, which we read aloud; and LindaFaye at CharlotteMasonHelp schedules all of them through 19 for 2nd grade reading: I'll look into that. I think he'd like the Hardy Boys! and am also thinking the original are best. I thought after EB and some other reading? I think the plots may be a bit hard for him to follow just yet ... I don't know what Winesburg, Ohio is. What I meant was, as far as children's literature goes, I look for stories that have more complex plot & character development than can be done in a 10-page story. I'm not really knocking E.B., because it's not trying to be complex and nuanced. E.B. is a quick, fun read but isn't what I'm looking for when I assign reading. I want my son to get sucked into a story that takes some time to reveal itself. This "sucked into a story that takes some time to reveal itself" is very evocative. I agree .... I am grateful to get such a variety of views from this board, esp. since you all seem to be speaking for the various parts of my own brain! (that was meant as a compliment. it doesn't sound flattering, somehow, but was sincerely meant) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 ... while maintaining enthusiasm in a lukewarm reader? What would you suggest? Button's nearly 7, has an exceptional vocabulary and is a fine reader but doesn't LOVE reading. He's gotten interested in 3rd Grade Detectives, which came in a Sonlight literature set; I'm assigning them for reading, along with some of the other Sonlight books, for a while AM and PM over the "summer". He finishes 1/2 at a sitting. I'd like to step up the complexity a bit, or at least drop the twaddle level down a tad ... maybe Magic Treehouse? Encyclopedia Brown? thoughts? thanks for any suggestions! I second Encycolopedia Brown Also look into Enid Blyton- A prolific british writer who's penned hundreds of books for children. Most of them are very accessible for young readers. I would recommend "Children of cherry tree farm" series by Enid Blyton as a start. There's usually a simple mystery involved in most of her books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) Don't be in a rush to pass by all those lovely books designed for young readers! And while the other posters have listed some *great* titles, a number of them are at a 5th grade+ reading level -- very long and frustrating for a 6yo, who is right on the cusp of deciding whether he really *likes* reading or not. JMO, but I would WAIT on these suggestions from previous posters -- or, if you think DS would enjoy them now, do them as read-alouds: - Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH - Indian in the Cupboard - Wayside School - Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Chasing Vermeer - Hardy Boys - Enid Blyton books It's GOOD for beginning readers to do a lot of solo reading that is short and BELOW their reading level to help build confidence and *enjoyment* of reading. Just make regular trips to the library to keep stocked up! Stepped readers are great, as are series of books that he "clicks" with. Also, it's fun to get a magazine in the mail each month -- how about "My Big Backyard", or "Ranger Rick", or "Appleseeds", or "ASK", or "Jack and Jill", or "Highlights" or "National Geographic Explorer" or... Reading is more fun if you think you're "getting away with something" ;) -- allow him to take a pile of books of his choice to bed at night and give him an extra 15-30 minutes with the lights on. You can do books that are at/little above his reading level together "popcorn style" ("you read a page, I read a page"), as part of your daily school. Below are some ideas for books of high-interest for boys. They all either at about the same level as Third Grade Detective, or up a step or two. Warmest regards, Lori D. DETECTIVE - Jigsaw Jones series (Prellar) - Cam Jansen series (Adler) - A to Z Mysteries (Roy) - Basil of Baker Street series (Titus) - High Rise Private Eyes series (Rylant) - Invisible Inc. series (Levy) - Boxcar Children series (Warner) - Incredible Journey series (Berry) - Einstein Anderson series (Simon) - Encyclopedia Brown series (Sobol) - Seymour Sleuth series (Cushman) - Roman mystery series (Lawrence) REAL LIFE - Billy and Blaze series (Anderson) - Light at Tern Rock (Sauer) - Follow My Leader (Garfield) - The Moffats series (Estes) - Grandma's Attic series (Richardson) - The Robinson Crusoe Reader (Cowles) - The Hundred Dresses (Estes) - The Toothpaste Millionaire (Merrill) ANIMALS (real) - Stone Fox (Gardiner) - Follow My Leader (Garfield) - Dolphin Adventure; Dolphin Treasure; Dolphins and Me (Grover) - Billy and Blaze series (Anderson) - Buddy, the First Seeing Eye Dog (Moore) - Five True Dog Stories (Davidson) - Seven True Horse Stories (Davidson) - Nine True Dolphin Stories (Davidson) ANIMALS (talking) - Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater) - The Cricket in Times Square (Selden) - Chester Cricket series (Selden) - Charlotte's Web (White) - Trumpet of the Swan (White) - The Mouse and the Motorcycle (McCleary) - Runaway Ralph (McCleary) FANTASY - Aladdin (Mistry) - Moomintrolls series (Jansson) - Toots and the Upside Down House (Hughes) - Dragonslayer Academy series (McMullan) - The Littles series (Peterson) - Catwings series (LeGuin) - The Borrowers series (Norton) - My Father's Dragon -- and sequels (Gannett) - Charlie & the Chocolate Factory; Great Glass Elevator (Dahl) - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series (MacDonald) FUN TALL TALE - Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures series (Brown) - A Grain of Rice (Pittman) - The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh) - The Whipping Boy (Fleischman) - McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm (Fleischman) - Pippi Longstockings; Pippi in the South Seas (Astrid) - Miss Pickerell series (MacGregor) - riddle series (Eisenberg & Hall) -- ex: Ribbit Riddles, Bunny Riddles, Puppy Riddles, Creepy Riddles, etc. HISTORY ADVENTURE - Viking Adventure (Bulla) - The Sword in the Tree (Bulla) -- Medieval England - The Minstrel in the Tower (Skurzynski) -- Medieval England - The Kite Fighters (Park) -- 1400s Korea - A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla) -- Colonial US - Phoebe the Spy (Griffin) --American Revolution - true story - The Secret Valley (Bulla) -- Gold Rush/pioneers - Riding the Pony Express (Bulla) - Robin Hood: Tale of the Great Outlaw Hero (Bull) - Tales of Robin Hood (Claybourne) - Marco Polo (Graves) - The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh) -- Colonial US - Hannah (Whelan) -- blind pioneer girl - The Little Riders (Shemin) -- WWII occupied Europe BIOGRAPHY - Brendan the Navigator (Fritz) - The Story of Thomas Alva Edison (Davidson) - Helen Keller (Davidson) - Helen Keller's Teacher (Davidson) - Louis Braille (Davidson) - Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky - The Secret Soldier: The Story Of Deborah Sampson (McGovern) - The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft (Moore) - Escape North! Story of Harriet Tubman (Kulling) - Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race (Kulling) - The Wright Brothers (Reynolds) - Little Sure Shot: Annie Oakley (Spinner) - Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman (Henry) - Dinosaur Hunter (Alphin) - The Great Houdini: World Famous Magician (Kulling) STEPPED READERS - The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War (Little) - The Trojan Horse: The World's Greatest Adventure (Davies) - Days of the Knights: A Tale of Castles and Battles (Maynard) - Pirates: Raiders of the High Seas (Maynard) - Antarctic Adventure: Exploring the Frozen Continent (Martin) - Pompeii... Buried Alive! (Davis) - Ice Mummy: Discovery of a 3,000 year old Man (Dubowski) - The Titanic: Lost and Found (Donnelly) - Tut's Mummy: Lost and Found (Donnelly) - To The Top! Climbing the World's Highest Mountain (Kramer) - Mountain Climbing: Scaling the World's Highest Peaks (Martin) - Civil War Sub: Mystery of the Hunley (Jerome) - USS Monitor: Iron Warship That Changed the World (Thompson) - Race Into Space (Arnold) - Moonwalk (Donnelly) - Horse Heroes (Petty) - Man O'War: The Best Racehorse Ever (Mckerly) - Horse Named Seabiscuit (Duvowski) - Jumbo (Worth) -- famous PT Barnum circus elephant - Giant Squid: Mystery of the Deep (Dussling) - Tentacles! Tales of the Giant Squid (Redmond) Edited August 27, 2012 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Disclaimer: I am probably one of the few adults to still occasionally read her. BUT Bear in mind these are English books from the 1950's. The children are upper middle class white children. All different people are to be treated with firm compassion. The sexes are very stereotyped to say the least. And in the 1950's Americans were "our brash and somewhat immature cousins" so they don't tend to come off well either. Also when I was a child in the seventies they had been removed from most school libraries as they were considered to have simplistic vocabulary. They can be great fun but if you use them you might want to have a talk with your son about post war British society first. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Don't be in a rush to pass by all those lovely books designed for young readers! And while the other posters have listed some *great* titles, a number of them are at a 5th grade+ reading level -- very long and frustrating for a 6yo, who is right on the cusp of deciding whether he really *likes* reading or not. JMO, but I would WAIT on these suggestions from previous posters -- or, if you think DS would enjoy them now, do them as read-alouds:- Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH - Indian in the Cupboard - Wayside School - Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Chasing Vermeer - Hardy Boys - Enid Blyton books It's GOOD for beginning readers to do a lot of solo reading that is short and BELOW their reading level to help build confidence and *enjoyment* of reading. Just make regular trips to the library to keep stocked up! Stepped readers are great, as are series of books that he "clicks" with. Also, it's fun to get a magazine in the mail each month -- how about "My Big Backyard", or "Ranger Rick", or "Appleseeds", or "ASK", or "Jack and Jill", or "Highlights" or "National Geographic Explorer" or... Reading is more fun if you think you're "getting away with something" ;) -- allow him to take a pile of books of his choice to bed at night and give him an extra 15-30 minutes with the lights on. You can do books that are at/little above his reading level together "popcorn style" ("you read a page, I read a page"), as part of your daily school. Below are some ideas for books of high-interest for boys. They all either at about the same level as Third Grade Detective, or up a step or two. Warmest regards, Lori D. DETECTIVE - Jigsaw Jones series (Prellar) - Cam Jansen series (Adler) - A to Z Mysteries (Roy) - Basil of Baker Street series (Titus) - High Rise Private Eyes series (Rylant) - Invisible Inc. series (Levy) - Boxcar Children series (Warner) - Incredible Journey series (Berry) - Einstein Anderson series (Simon) - Encyclopedia Brown series (Sobol) - Seymour Sleuth series (Cushman) - Roman mystery series (Lawrence) REAL LIFE - Billy and Blaze series (Anderson) - Light at Tern Rock (Sauer) - Follow My Leader (Garfield) - The Moffats series (Estes) - Grandma's Attic series (Richardson) - The Robinson Crusoe Reader (Cowles) - The Hundred Dresses (Estes) - The Toothpaste Millionaire (Merrill) ANIMALS (real) - Stone Fox (Gardiner) - Follow My Leader (Garfield) - Dolphin Adventure; Dolphin Treasure; Dolphins and Me (Grover) - Billy and Blaze series (Anderson) - Buddy, the First Seeing Eye Dog (Moore) - Five True Dog Stories (Davidson) - Seven True Horse Stories (Davidson) - Nine True Dolphin Stories (Davidson) ANIMALS (talking) - Mr. Popper's Penguins (Atwater) - The Cricket in Times Square (Selden) - Chester Cricket series (Selden) - Charlotte's Web (White) - Trumpet of the Swan (White) - The Mouse and the Motorcycle (McCleary) - Runaway Ralph (McCleary) FANTASY - Aladdin (Mistry) - Moomintrolls series (Jansson) - Toots and the Upside Down House (Hughes) - Dragonslayer Academy series (McMullan) - The Littles series (Peterson) - Catwings series (LeGuin) - The Borrowers series (Norton) - My Father's Dragon -- and sequels (Gannett) - Charlie & the Chocolate Factory; Great Glass Elevator (Dahl) - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series (MacDonald) FUN TALL TALE - Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures series (Brown) - A Grain of Rice (Pittman) - The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh) - The Whipping Boy (Fleischman) - McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm (Fleischman) - Pippi Longstockings; Pippi in the South Seas (Astrid) - Miss Pickerell series (MacGregor) - riddle series (Eisenberg & Hall) -- ex: Ribbit Riddles, Bunny Riddles, Puppy Riddles, Creepy Riddles, etc. HISTORY ADVENTURE - Viking Adventure (Bulla) - The Sword in the Tree (Bulla) -- Medieval England - The Minstrel in the Tower (Skurzynski) -- Medieval England - The Kite Fighters (Park) -- 1400s Korea - A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla) -- Colonial US - Phoebe the Spy (Griffin) --American Revolution - true story - The Secret Valley (Bulla) -- Gold Rush/pioneers - Riding the Pony Express (Bulla) - Robin Hood: Tale of the Great Outlaw Hero (Bull) - Tales of Robin Hood (Claybourne) - Marco Polo (Graves) - The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh) -- Colonial US - Hannah (Whelan) -- blind pioneer girl - The Little Riders (Shemin) -- WWII occupied Europe BIOGRAPHY - Brendan the Navigator (Fritz) - The Story of Thomas Alva Edison (Davidson) - Helen Keller (Davidson) - Helen Keller's Teacher (Davidson) - Louis Braille (Davidson) - Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky - The Secret Soldier: The Story Of Deborah Sampson (McGovern) - The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft (Moore) - Escape North! Story of Harriet Tubman (Kulling) - Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race (Kulling) - The Wright Brothers (Reynolds) - Little Sure Shot: Annie Oakley (Spinner) - Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman (Henry) - Dinosaur Hunter (Alphin) - The Great Houdini: World Famous Magician (Kulling) STEPPED READERS - The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War (Little) - The Trojan Horse: The World's Greatest Adventure (Davies) - Days of the Knights: A Tale of Castles and Battles (Maynard) - Pirates: Raiders of the High Seas (Maynard) - Antarctic Adventure: Exploring the Frozen Continent (Martin) - Pompeii... Buried Alive! (Davis) - Ice Mummy: Discovery of a 3,000 year old Man (Dubowski) - The Titanic: Lost and Found (Donnelly) - Tut's Mummy: Lost and Found (Donnelly) - To The Top! Climbing the World's Highest Mountain (Kramer) - Mountain Climbing: Scaling the World's Highest Peaks (Martin) - Civil War Sub: Mystery of the Hunley (Jerome) - USS Monitor: Iron Warship That Changed the World (Thompson) - Race Into Space (Arnold) - Moonwalk (Donnelly) - Horse Heroes (Petty) - Man O'War: The Best Racehorse Ever (Mckerly) - Horse Named Seabiscuit (Duvowski) - Jumbo (Worth) -- famous PT Barnum circus elephant - Giant Squid: Mystery of the Deep (Dussling) - Tentacles! Tales of the Giant Squid (Redmond) :iagree: Great lists! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 LoriD, thanks so much for that list! I just pasted it onto another thread, and realized I'd never told you how much I appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 So glad it was helpful. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKidAcademy Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 LoriD, thanks so much for that list! I just pasted it onto another thread, and realized I'd never told you how much I appreciate it! Thank YOU for thanking HER! I'd have missed this fabulous list that will benefit my struggling and reluctant reader. Thanks, Lori! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Thank YOU for thanking HER! I'd have missed this fabulous list that will benefit my struggling and reluctant reader. Thanks, Lori! LOL! You're welcome. Again. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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