ChristusG Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'm looking for a stocking stuffer for my 8 year old. She's pretty particular about the books she reads. She won't read on her own unless it's a book that she is really into. The only books she has done this with are the Mercy Watson series (she devoured these) and Dr. Doolittle. She just finished Tom Sawyer but said it was just okay (took her forever to read it). She started an American Girl book but has yet to get past the first chapter. So I'm not really sure what grabs her attention in a book. I'm looking for books in a series so she can get more of them if she likes it. She was tested as mildly dyslexic last year and was reading below a pre-k level at the end of 1st grade. When tested again a few months ago (at the end of 2nd grade) she had made great strides and tested at an upper third grade level. So I'm not looking for a hard book, but I don't want an easy reader either. But something enjoyable (I don't mind if it is fluff). I want something to capture her attention like Mercy Watson did. I looked at the Poppleton books, and while I think she'd like those (and there are lots of them), I'm wondering if they are too easy and short? Any suggestions? (Also, we don't go for books with name calling and such like Ramona, Ivy/Bean, Junie, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrobynne Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 No good ideas here, but I'm so glad someone else mentioned Mercy Watson! Those were the first "long" books my middle son would read because he wanted constant pictures. The illustrations on those are amazing! If your niece loved them for the same reason, I'd try for something with lots of illustrations but I'd love some ideas on what that might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) Does she like cats? Jenny and the Cat Club was a huge hit here. Fairly simple with a very sweet, engaging story line. There are several follow-ups to this volume. It is a bit longer than Mercy but there are several books in this volume. Edited October 23, 2012 by Alte Veste Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Some series my kids liked around that level were Nate the Great (Marjorie Weinman), Henry and Mudge (Cynthia Rylant), Mr. Putty and Tabby (Cynthia Rylant), and Amelia Bedelia (Peggy Parish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 If she likes animal, she might like the Animal Ark books: http://www.amazon.com/Kittens-Kitchen-Animal-Ark-1/dp/059018749X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351006726&sr=1-1&keywords=animal+ark . Geronimo Stilton is another she might like: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Treasure-Emerald-Geronimo-Stilton/dp/0439559634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351006832&sr=8-1&keywords=geronimo+stilton . HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I was going to suggest Jenny and the Cat Club too - there are a lot of them and they're very easy and cute. Also, Lulu and the Brontosaurus... But I'm trying to remember if there's anything in there with any name calling as Lulu is spoiled and silly. It's a very silly book so any name calling is going to be a bit like the elderly neighbors in Mercy Watson - hard to take seriously and meant to be laughed at. There's a sequel now too. Nate the Great is also a bit easier but about at that level. Cobblestreet Cousins and Lighthouse Family by Cynthia Rylant are both good, very wholesome series that are easy to read at this "in between" stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 My oldest devoured Mercy Watson and also loved Lulu and the Brontosaurus and its sequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Cobblestreet Cousins and Lighthouse Family by Cynthia Rylant are both good, very wholesome series that are easy to read at this "in between" stage. These were going to be my suggestions, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_JWM Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Did she read an abridged version of Tom Sawyer or the full book? That's usually a middle-school book, so I'm impressed that she would stick with something at a much higher reading level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Catwings is the book my 8yo dd is getting for Christmas. She loved Mercy Watson too. It is a series. The chapters are short, and it looks to be heavily illustrated. The reading level is just a bit above Mercy which is perfect because I'm hoping my dd will want to read this on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Ariel LOVED the Catwings series (it's a set of 4 books), and likes the Animal Ark books. She was a big fan of Mercy Watson, too. She didn't like the American Girl books, and literally described at least one of them as "awful". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 My 8 yr old loved Mercy Watson. She's also not a big fan of reading... She's reading Charlotte's Web now and likes it, she also liked a book called "Pie". The only other books I've gotten her to read voluntarily are the Rainbow Magic Fairy books. They are total drivel, but she loves them and right now I'm eager for her to just gain reading fluency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 My second grade son loves listening to the Animal Ark series (he's dyslexic and just barely learning to decode at this point). So, if she likes animals, I second that. One warning: I haven't found anything the least bit objectionable, insulting, etc, in the books, but the main characters are middle schoolers, and there will sometimes be passages that my son simply finds boring. Another animal series that has been a hit is The Puppy Place series. It follows an elementary age boy and his family who foster puppies. Each book follows a different puppy's story. There's a similar series called Kitty Corner about, get this, fostering kittens :). If she likes mysteries, you may want to check out the A-Z mysteries series by Ron Roy. These also feature protagonists a bit older than your daughter, but my son enjoys them. The author also has a "Calendar Mysteries" series that follows the younger siblings of the A-Z mysteries. These are shorter and written at an easier level, so they might be better to start with, but you know your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.