Meadowlark Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I'd love some help for our next trip to the library. I'm having a hard time finding books for a 2nd grader, but at a 3-4th grade reading level. I am admittedly picky about the content and language and seem to be running out of the more wholesome in nature options. He seems to really love books that have to do with the pioneer era and he also likes mysteries. I'll give you an idea of books/series he's loved and not loved. Loved: Magic Tree House A to Z Mysteries Boxcar Children Hank the Cowdog Time Warp Dragon Slayers Academy Beverly Cleary Books Magic School Bus chapter books Capitol Mysteries I survived Cam Jansen Dinosaur Cove Calendar Mysteries Jigsaw Jones The Littles Didn't Love: Gooney Bird Green Geronimo Stilton * Saving Little House books for later this year to fit with our curriculum Even the librarian was stumped. I knew just where to go for help :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Have you done the Fudge books by Judy Blume? They fit the same category as the Beverly Cleary books. How about Artemis Fowl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Basil of Baker Street is one I have seen recommended often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 The Children of Green Knowe The Bell Family The Borrowers The Railway Children Five Children and It Homer Price Alice in Wonderland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammish Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 My DS sounds similar in terms of age and reading level. Two suggestions: The Growly Books (I believe I originally saw it on this board, and it was specifically mentioned as being for kids whose reading level was higher than their maturity level) My Life As A Book (The cover review calls it a kinder, gentler Wimpy Kids, with all the fun and more plot. I know it took DS significantly longer to read than any of the Wimpy Kid books. It also appears to have cute illustrations in the margins to illustrate tricky vocabulary words that appear in the text.) Dick King-Smith books (DS repeatedly checks these out from the library to reread.) (Just a note about the Fudge books: Super Fudge makes reference to Santa not being real. That bit required some quick on the fly editing when DH read it aloud to DS last year!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa H. in GA Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I second the Dick King-Smith books. At that age, my son also liked Clyde Robert Bulla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhappyjoyjoy Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 The Boxcar Children Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohini Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Some that my ds liked: Ralph S Mouse books Ramona Frindle Freckle Juice Bunnicula Velveteen Rabit Pippi Longstocking Stuart Little James and the Giant Peach Danny the Champion of the World Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 - Great Illustrated Classics series Fantastical Adventure - Secret of Droon series (Abbott) - Toots and the Upside Down House; Toots Underground (Hughes) - The Iron Giant (Hughes) - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Fleming) - The Littles series (Peterson) - Flat Stanley series (Brown)- The Borrowers series (Norton)- Charlie & the Chocolate Factory; Great Glass Elevator (Dahl) - Pippi Longstockings; Pippi in the South Seas (Astrid) - Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Wrede) Talking Animal Adventure - Catwings series (LeGuin) - The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient (Sharp) - Poppy (Avi)- The Cricket in Times Square (Selden)- Trumpet of the Swan (White) - Ben and I (Lawson) - Mr. Revere and Me (Lawson) Historical Fiction - Viking Adventure (Bulla) -- 1000s, Vikings - The Kite Fighters (Park) -- 1400s Korea- The Sword in the Tree (Bulla) -- Medieval England - The Whipping Boy (Fleischman) -- 1700s(?) Europe - Brendan the Navigator (Fritz) -- biography and a history-mystery - Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky (Schiller) -- biography - Louis Braille (Davidson) -- biography Historical Fiction - US Colonial / Revolutionary War - Pocahontas and the Strangers (Bulla)- A Lion to Guard Us (Bulla)- Skippack School (de Angeli)- The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dalgliesh) - Sign of the Beaver (Speare) - Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman (Henry) - Phoebe the Spy (Griffin) - The Bears on Hemlock Mountain (Dalgliesh) - The Matchlock Gun (Edmonds) Historical Fiction - US Pioneer Times - Hannah (Wheldon) -- blind pioneer girl- Secret Valley (Bulla) -- pioneers/Gold Rush- The Cabin Faced West (Fritz) -- pioneer girl- Riding the Pony Express (Bulla) -- Pony Express - Chang's Paper Pony (Coerr) -- Gold Rush; Chinese immigrants- "Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express (Coerr) -- Pony Express- The Long Way to a New Land (Sandin)- The Long Way Westward (Sandin)- Wagon Train (Kramer)- Wagon Wheels (Brenner)- The Josefina Story Quilt (Coerr)- Snowshoe Thompson (Levinson)- Sitting Bull (Penner)- Prairie School (Avi) - Caddie Woodlawn (Brink) - The Story of Thomas Alva Edison (Davidson) - Helen Keller (Davidson) - Alex Majors (A.M. Anderson) -- from the OOP "American Adventure series" Mystery/Detective - Jigsaw Jones series (Prellar) - A to Z Mysteries series - Third Grade Detective series (Stanley) - Boxcar Children series (Warner)- Einstein Anderson series (Simon)- High Rise Private Eyes series (Rylant)- Invisible Inc. series (Levy) - Basil of Baker Street (and sequels) (Titus) -- out of print, but worth looking for - Great Illustrated Classics: Sherlock Holmes - Roman mysteries (Lawrence) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Clementine books by Sarah pennypacker. They are similar to the Ramona books, but I like them better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyc78 Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 We are enjoying the Imagination Station series. Similar to Magic Treehouse but with a Christian worldview, published by Focus on the Family. I've also heard good stuff about the Cam Jansen series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 The Alexander McCall Smith kids ones are fun (Akimbo?). They are about an African boy whose father runs a wildlife reserve. The kid has adventures with visiting wildlife/biology experts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexigail Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Encyclopedia Brown Homer Price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Careful with the Fudge books. They are good books, but one of them talks very frankly about Santa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meadowlark Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Careful with the Fudge books. They are good books, but one of them talks very frankly about Santa. I REALLY appreciate the heads up on this...I never would have known and would have been devastated if I would have handed him this book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 I REALLY appreciate the heads up on this...I never would have known and would have been devastated if I would have handed him this book! No prob. I believe the book in question is Superfudge. My girl read them in second grade and LOVED them. We'd hear her randomly laughing in her bed and knew she was reading (or rereading) Fudge. I did have her skip Superfudge. She doesn't know why. I told her she wasn't old enough. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Superfudge also talks about where babies come from when their Mom is pregnant with their sister. I don't have a problem with that but I know some people who were blindsided by it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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