sdobis Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 I'm going to focus on literature more this coming year with my dyslexic 12 year old daughter. We already read living history and science books together, so I'm not looking for that. I want good books! She loves manga right now. She also loves non-fiction books with the soft heavy pages. Regular chapter books are not her favorite. I may let her choose audio books if that makes it more enjoyable. She will hate books like Ann of Green Gables, but would like Narnia. I don't want to force too many unlinked books on her since my goal is to improve her reading skills and love of books. Thanks for any and all ideas! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Things that might appeal to a kid who likes Narnia: the Wrinkle in Time series The Dark Is Rising sequence the Earthsea Chronicles Gregor the Overlander series Mrs Frisby and the rats of NIHM possibly somthing by Roald Dhal - Danny the Champion of the world, or Boy (which is biographical.) I wonder if she might enjoy some mysteries as well? Maybe something like THe Ruby in the Smoke or The Graveyard Book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rutheart Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 My oldest's favorite books in 4th grade were: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The Indian in the Cupboard, The Island of the Blue Dolphin, The Maze of Bones (first of a series that she read the entire set), The 13 Story Treehouse, 11 Birthdays (sequels were not as enjoyable), Chocolate Fever, and Frindle. She started the year hating books and reading, and by summer time, she declared herself a bibliophile. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 Such good choices! We are listening to Gregor the Overlander now. I'm not sure how she feels about it. The narrator is a little annoying, so that may be a reason for not loving it. How do you prefer to check comprehension? Narration, something written, quiz, nothing at all? My son was always a fabulous narrator, but my daughter is not. She likes something maybe more creative. Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rutheart Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Honestly, for a lot of the books we just chatted about what we did or did not like, very informally. Some of the books were part of a lit class I was teaching at a co-op, so we did group activities for those. Sometimes, we'd watch the movie based on the book, and with minor prompting, she'd start complaining every time the movie didn't match the book. If she didn't notice a change, I might ask how it went differently in the book. It was always pretty obvious she'd actually done the reading. I think the lack of worksheets helped make her realize reading could be fun. If you make 4th grade literature more about habit-forming, it doesn't have to feel like schoolwork. During the fall and spring, literature was often done out on the fort of our swingset. In the winter she'd curl up in bed or on the couch under a blanket, sometimes with a mug of herbal tea or cocoa. It may also help if you read a fiction book at the same time. If you have never read a particular title yourself, your kid may get a kick out of seeing you read that book as well. I spent a lot of time that year making sure she saw both me and her father reading for pleasure. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Do you know what she likes most about Narnia? Is it the fantasy aspect, or the adventure, or the fact that it's a family story? (Or, in comparison to Anne of Green Gables, the easier dialog?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Such good choices! We are listening to Gregor the Overlander now. I'm not sure how she feels about it. The narrator is a little annoying, so that may be a reason for not loving it. How do you prefer to check comprehension? Narration, something written, quiz, nothing at all? My son was always a fabulous narrator, but my daughter is not. She likes something maybe more creative. Hmmm. If she likes creative stuff, for looking for comprehension... * make a timeline for the book * write a different ending * retell a scene from a different character's perspective * make a comic of a scene * act out a scene * make a diorama * make a character map * make a map of the setting She also might like creative questions about the book. Which character would you rather have dinner with and why? Stuff like that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Do you know what she likes most about Narnia? Is it the fantasy aspect, or the adventure, or the fact that it's a family story? (Or, in comparison to Anne of Green Gables, the easier dialog?) She probably likes the fantasy aspect. She doesn't like a whole lot of realism in her readings. Right now she is reading through manga books almost faster than I can get them for her. Before that, she loved mythology, Adventure Time, and My Little Pony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 (edited) If she likes creative stuff, for looking for comprehension... * make a timeline for the book * write a different ending * retell a scene from a different character's perspective * make a comic of a scene * act out a scene * make a diorama * make a character map * make a map of the setting She also might like creative questions about the book. Which character would you rather have dinner with and why? Stuff like that. I like the comic strip idea. She would probably love to change a book into manga and practice her anime. Asking creative questions would be great! Edited April 14, 2016 by sdobis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Honestly, for a lot of the books we just chatted about what we did or did not like, very informally. Some of the books were part of a lit class I was teaching at a co-op, so we did group activities for those. Sometimes, we'd watch the movie based on the book, and with minor prompting, she'd start complaining every time the movie didn't match the book. If she didn't notice a change, I might ask how it went differently in the book. It was always pretty obvious she'd actually done the reading. I think the lack of worksheets helped make her realize reading could be fun. If you make 4th grade literature more about habit-forming, it doesn't have to feel like schoolwork. During the fall and spring, literature was often done out on the fort of our swingset. In the winter she'd curl up in bed or on the couch under a blanket, sometimes with a mug of herbal tea or cocoa. It may also help if you read a fiction book at the same time. If you have never read a particular title yourself, your kid may get a kick out of seeing you read that book as well. I spent a lot of time that year making sure she saw both me and her father reading for pleasure. Ruth I read constantly and have my own book club. She wants to have a book club, but she's too picky about who she wants in her club. It wouldn't work. I think I may choose some books with movies based off of them to let her analyze it from that aspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizlatorre Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 My son (13, but only reading at 4-5th grade level) absolutely LOVES all the Roald Dahl books, and they all have an element of fantasy in them. And there are some good movies for those books. Matilda is probably our favorite Roald Dahl movie. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 (edited) She probably likes the fantasy aspect. She doesn't like a whole lot of realism in her readings. Right now she is reading through manga books almost faster than I can get them for her. Before that, she loved mythology, Adventure Time, and My Little Pony. Okay! I didn't want to head running off in wildly the wrong direction :) Does she like sci-fi as well, or straight fantasy all the way? Try these books: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon A Tangle of Knots Bliss Zahrah the Windseeker Cuckoo Song Akata Witch The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm Cat Girl's Day Off Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister Shadowshaper The Goose Girl Earthsea Gifts (Annals of the Western Shore series) The Goblin Wood The Inquisitor's Apprentice The Conch Bearer The Dalemark Quartet Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer (the fantasy element is very understated) Dust Girl Spellbinder So You Want to Be a Wizard The Apothecary Darwen Awkwright and the Peregrine Pact The Savage Fortress Un Lun Dun Breadcrumbs The Path of Names The Real Boy The Healing Wars The Nine Pound Hammer Hammer of Witches Ella Enchanted The Winding Circle books There! There has to be at least one in this list that she will like! Some of these are set in the real world, despite being fantasy, so I hope that's not a complete dealbreaker. Edit: BTW, if she *is* willing to read sci-fi, I can make a new list. Also, I may continue to edit this list until either the OP makes a new comment (responding to me or not) or upvotes. Because I hate spamming. Edited April 14, 2016 by Tanaqui 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 (edited) I haven't seen anyone mention the Fairyland series by Valente, DD and I loved it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1250010195/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1460607006&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=girl+circumnavigated+fairyland&dpPl=1&dpID=51TrpzPLP5L&ref=plSrch Alice in wonderland? Phantom tollbooth? Edited April 14, 2016 by LMD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriciaT Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 If fantasy with talking animals is a big draw: Guardians of Gahoole Redwall Warrior Cats (My daughter is devouring all the books in these series!) If you want some creative questioning ideas, you could have a look at "Suppose the Wolf were an Octopus" books from Royal fireworks press. They give really fantastic discussion questions, plus a long list of books to choose from. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 The War That Saved My Life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 The War That Saved My Life Is a great book, for sure, but it's not fantastical in any way, shape, or form. It is extremely realistic and kinda depressing at parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Have you tried a Kindle? My dyslexic 12 year old vastly prefers it to any paper books. The new open source Dyslexic font is fabulous. She can control font size, white space, font type, and contrast. Has she read Harry Potter? That series sucked my girl in to reading like no other had. If she likes mythology, Rick Riordan has multiple series of books. The main character has dyslexia in the Percy series. A few have graphic novel versions. DS loves those. He's burning through the Artemis Fowl series now, which has a few graphic novel complements too. The Invention of Hugo Cabret 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Okay! I didn't want to head running off in wildly the wrong direction :) Does she like sci-fi as well, or straight fantasy all the way? She is a huge Dr. Who fan, so she may like sci-fi. I'd be willing to give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 If fantasy with talking animals is a big draw: Guardians of Gahoole Redwall Warrior Cats (My daughter is devouring all the books in these series!) If you want some creative questioning ideas, you could have a look at "Suppose the Wolf were an Octopus" books from Royal fireworks press. They give really fantastic discussion questions, plus a long list of books to choose from. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Thanks! I'm gonna go check this out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. The audio is great for both series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 (edited) Have you tried a Kindle? My dyslexic 12 year old vastly prefers it to any paper books. The new open source Dyslexic font is fabulous. She can control font size, white space, font type, and contrast. Has she read Harry Potter? That series sucked my girl in to reading like no other had. If she likes mythology, Rick Riordan has multiple series of books. The main character has dyslexia in the Percy series. A few have graphic novel versions. DS loves those. He's burning through the Artemis Fowl series now, which has a few graphic novel complements too. The Invention of Hugo Cabret Doh, I missed your post. I couldn't believe that no one had mentioned Harry and Percy. Oh, and Artemis too. My dd loves mythology too and these are all at the top of her list. Edited April 14, 2016 by kitten18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) She is a huge Dr. Who fan, so she may like sci-fi. I'd be willing to give it a try. Okay :) The difference in sci-fi and fantasy is often just the framing. If you're traveling in the sky in some fantastic manner, it's fantasy if you're on a flying carpet, but sci-fi if you're using an anti-gravity belt, even though those are equally non-scientific. For whatever reason, my sci-fi picks do tend to skew slightly older - more kissing, some more violence. It's not 100%, but as always, it's on you to pre-read if you have things you're concerned about your kid reading. Mars Evacuees Ambassador Space Case The Lunar Chronicles Stranger Powerless (superheroes) Leviathan Sky Jumpers The True Meaning of Smekday Airborn Mortal Engines House of the Scorpion Tankborn Salvage Tin Star Starglass Ship Breaker A Confusion of Princes I'll see if I can find some more :) Edited April 15, 2016 by Tanaqui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdobis Posted April 15, 2016 Author Share Posted April 15, 2016 Okay :) The difference in sci-fi and fantasy is often just the framing. If you're traveling in the sky in some fantastic manner, it's fantasy if you're on a flying carpet, but sci-fi if you're using an anti-gravity belt, even though those are equally non-scientific. For whatever reason, my sci-fi picks do tend to skew slightly older - more kissing, some more violence. It's not 100%, but as always, it's on you to pre-read if you have things you're concerned about your kid reading. Mars Evacuees Ambassador Space Case The Lunar Chronicles Stranger Powerless (superheroes) Leviathan Sky Jumpers The True Meaning of Smekday Airborn Mortal Engines House of the Scorpion Tankborn Salvage Tin Star Starglass Ship Breaker A Confusion of Princes I'll see if I can find some more :) Thank you so much for both of your lists! I have a lot of research and reading to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 I do try :) Listen, I carefully only listed books that I know are still in print in the US. There are more I'd list if out of print was an option - and really, most out of print books can be bought off ebay or amazon on the cheap - so if literally none of these work, poke me again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 For SF, she might like some Monica Hughes novels. They aren't really literary, but nice stories and very accesible, and also fairly short. One I enjoyed as a young person was Devil On My Back. I also enjoyed some of Anne McCaffery, particularly The Ship Who Sang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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