DesertBlossom Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Dd automatically rejects long chapter books. And the fairy books she picks out from the library aren't my favorite. So I am trying to steer into more quality literature. She liked The Hundred Dresses and Sarah, Plain and Tall. That's about the length she'll tolerate. I suggested Ramona Quiby but she said it was too long. *bang head* Any other recommendations for shorter chapter books that are worth reading? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ella Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 My daughter was like this last year in 3rd grade. She was a very early reader, but as an 8 year old, she wanted to read short chapter books. She read a lot of Encyclopedia Brown (not my favorite, but we got them from the library), The Sew Zoey books, Gooney Bird books, Violet Mackeral series, etc. We got all those from the library and she read them quickly, but enjoyed them. She is now almost 10 and this year has read some more challenging/longer books like Black Beauty, the Penderwicks series, Tale of Desperaux, etc. I relaxed a little last year when I read somewhere that sometimes kids just need to gain fluency by reading "easier" books. Here's a trick I have realized helps my kids get into a book or series. I get the audiobook and we listen to it as a family, in the car, etc.. Often, my older kids end up picking up the book and either reading ahead or if we listen to the first book, they are dying to get the second, etc. books by the time that we finish the audiobook. So you might try that-"hooking" her with the audiobook and then she might enjoy the story enough to persevere through a longer book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ella Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Also, the shorter chapter books I recommended are probably more like 2nd/3rd grade level. You didn't mention your daughter's age, so they may be a little young for her, but they are short and decent quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 Also, the shorter chapter books I recommended are probably more like 2nd/3rd grade level. You didn't mention your daughter's age, so they may be a little young for her, but they are short and decent quality. She just turned 8, 2nd grade. She's a good reader, just doesn't have the stamina for the big books. I suggested some Amber Brown books, which she snubbed. At our library book sale I picked up The Princess Test and she just dived into that. And she just read Emmaline and the Bunny in one sitting. Thank you for the other suggestions. I just put those on my library list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Sarah, Plain and Tall has several sequels. Also, maybe... The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla Five True Dog Stories by Margaret Davidson A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman The Light at Tern Rock by Julia L. Sauer The Apple and the Arrow by Conrad Buff The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill When she's ready for just a little more, my daughters loved the Boxcar Children series at this age/level. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Mrs. Noodlekugel by Daniel Pinkwater The My Father's Dragon trilogy by Ruth Stiles Gannett Some of the American Girl books are 70ish pages, and they're slightly better than the Rainbow Fairy books. The Tashi books by Anna Fienberg aren't exactly chapter books (they have two stories per book and otherwise aren't broken up by chapters), but they're the right length. 26 Fairmount Avenue (and sequels) by Tomie dePaola is biographical, but reads like a chapter book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 My 8 year old DD is reading: The Rainbow Magic books.... :rolleyes: The Kingdom of Wrenly series The Dragon Masters series These are all on the lower end of your requested reading levels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aelgraham Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 My 9-yr-old is loving the books by Dick King-Smith. He wrote "Babe The Gallant Pig" and "The Water Horse"-- both great movies-- and quite a few others. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Catwings Cynthia Rylant has several good series Mercy Watson Magic Treehouse Flower Fairy Friends Some of the American Girl books Also, don't forget picture books! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer132 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Have a look at the book suggestions for Heart of Dakota's Drawn into the Heart of Reading. There are quite a few short chapter books on her lists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Bunnicula Anna Hibiscus Betsy-Tacy Mrs. Piggle Wiggle The Mouse and the Motorcycle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Also, don't forget picture books! I was coming here just to say that! Picture books are often written with the assumption that an adult is reading them. As such, they come in a wide range of "reading levels", suitable for all ages. I often tell people who have young, advanced readers that picture books can be more suitable than chapter books written on their level (less sudden death-of-a-dog syndrome, and less kissing), and the same probably applies here. Picture books are frequently short, so you can read them in one sitting (don't have to recall the plot from one day to another) and even when they have a lot of words on one page - they have pictures! The pictures can break up the text, and they certainly are a pleasant bonus. They are pretty unthreatening, even when the content is challenging. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2pandc Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I just pre-read The Bears on Hemlock Mountain for a literature discussion with my dd8. Very cute, and has short chapters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye is terrific and just about the length of the two books you mentioned. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinmyboys Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Short chapter books my ds 8 has read this year: Whipping boy Fantastic mr fox Stone fox Courage of sarah noble Tornado Magical mrs plum Jaime and angus Frindle Some Andrew lost books Lots of encyclopedia brown Thought of some more he read: Freckle juice Bears on hemlock mountain Chalk box kid Third grade angels Dory Fantasmagory He also read the year of billy miller. It is over 200 pages but easy and lots of white space on the pages. He was really proud of himself for that long book and he really liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishes Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 If you have access to an e-reader you can download longer books and they aren't quite as intimidating because kids can't judge their length.. Once they get hooked into reading something like Ramona or the Boxcar Children, they might be more willing to persevere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 If you have access to an e-reader you can download longer books and they aren't quite as intimidating because kids can't judge their length.. Once they get hooked into reading something like Ramona or the Boxcar Children, they might be more willing to persevere. This was my strategy. They can increase text size and can't balk at how long the book is (because they can't see how fat it is). Love our basic kindle. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternallytired Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 My third grade niece got my kids started on A to Z Mysteries. Most are written at roughly third grade level, and I feel like they're decently written. The one nice thing is that there are so many of them; my kids seem to be using them to build fluency, since I've seen their comprehension gradually getting stronger the more they read. Now to find a "next-size-up" series... (Others I'm planning to grab from the library are the Flat Stanley books, Boxcar Children, and some American Girl books. We loved My Father's Dragon as a read-aloud, but the font was small so I couldn't convince them to try the other books on their own.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 My America books (grades 2-5) in the Dear America series Keeker and the Sneaky Pony series the rest of the Princess School series Mercy Watson series Amish series for kids: Always Trouble Somewhere series http://www.amazon.co...24476440&sr=1-1 Double Trouble series: http://www.amazon.co...GJVD55D38MR17QE The Adventures of Lily Lapp http://www.amazon.co...43Z16QWKC41QXNG Breyer Stablemates series http://www.amazon.co...1Y5FT5DHC4TK7WX Mice of the Herringbone series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 My daughter is enjoying the Wayside School stories right now - possibly because the chapter length is very short even if the books appear slightly longer than you are looking for. Roald Dahl also writes a good many shorter books that if she enjoys can lead to longer books - The Magic Finger, The Giraffe the Pelly and Me, Esio Trot, Fantastic Mr Fox are the shorter ones moving to George's Marvellous Medicine, James and the Giant Peach and then on to The Witches, Matilda and the BFG which are longer. She went through a number of Dick King Smith books before these too - some are very short and others much longer. And before that she was reading the grade 3 Sonlight books (Tornado, Keep the Lights burning Abby, Prairie School, The Littles series, Chalk Box Kid) Sometimes the issue is print size and other times they want pictures still so try a number of things. You could also possibly get a book of short stories which looks like a chapter book, but can be dipped into or given up with more ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Is Number the Stars by Lois Lowry too hard? I think I was in 4th or 5th when I read it. Turn Homeward, Hannalee was one of my favorites around 4-5th grade. I hated reading until I was about 12 but I enjoyed fiction books that had real historical value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 A to Z mysteries aren't great literature, but not horrible either. Both my children enjoyed them when they were capable readers but intimidated by long books. We got most of them at the library but bought a few. My daughter read the ones we own 2 or 3 times each and then my son read them, so we got our money's worth. 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.