................... Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 My son is really getting into reading. He has finished the Nate the Great series and I am ordering him a few books from Scholastic book fair. There is one really great advantage to looking at the Scholastic paper flyer/catalog thingie...it lists the reading level of each book. It lists Nate the Great as 2.5, and Magic Tree House as 2.1-3.5 A while ago I picked up Magic Tree House number 20-something and thought it was way too hard for my son. So...I'm just curious. Has anyone noticed that the books increase in difficulty, or do they just jump around, not necessarily increasing with difficulty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shasta Mom Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Yes, they do increase in difficulty - but slowly...I can remember looking at a book in the 20's and it had more complex writing than the beginning ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 I'm not sure my son will be able to handle the small type-face, but I'll give the first four book-pack a try. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 The books do increase in difficulty. He may surprise you with the small type. My dd7 loves them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reya Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Clightly, and very slowly. They aren't ever good kid lit, though, at any level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 Clightly, and very slowly. They aren't ever good kid lit, though, at any level. They aren't really...but ds loves them! And he's learned a ton of stuff from them, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 My dc enjoyed them. They were some of the books that caught their interest and pushed their reading along. The history is fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 One thing I noticed is that there are tons of sentence fragments in the first few books, so don't use them for copy work at all! They do become more complex and better-written as you go, but not consistently, like a reader would do. The research guides are definitely a step up, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsunolefan Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 There is a general trend toward increased difficulty, but there is some fluctuation from book to book. The earlier books are around a second grade to lower third grade reading level. The Merlin Missions books (which are the most recent in the series) are at an upper third grade to early fourth grade reading level. The reading levels are those that are determined by the Accelerated Reader program (what you saw in the Scholastic Catalog). I still go to the Accelerated Reader website to get the reading levels of books so I can gauge whether it might be a good fit for my kids. My daughter loves the Magic Tree House series and can't wait for the stage show which is coming out next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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