plain jane Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 My 8yo loves reading but it is not an area of strength for him. He has really been enjoying the Geronimo Stilton series but feels like he is ready to move on to something a bit more difficult. Because reading is hard for him I need recommendations for a step above this reading level that would also be of high interest to an 8/9 year old boy. What have your boys loved at this reading level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Spiderwick and How to Train Your Dragon mostly, that I can remember. My current 8yo (girl) *loves* Thornton Burgess books. She's read a large portion of the smaller Adventures of ____ books. And the Magic School Bus chapter books. The smaller Roald Dahl books were great intro chapter books. Frank Einstein may go over well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Dick King Smith was popular in my house. Farm animals talking and having adventures. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Below are a few ideas, but they might be too big of a jump -- but perhaps intermix longer chapter books in slowly, and continue to strengthen his success with reading and build confidence/fluency with more books at a similar level as Geronimo Stilton: - Scholastic Branches series - Secrets of Droon series - Dragon Slayer Academy series - A to Z Mystery series - Jigsaw Jones Mystery series Grade 3-4 chapter book ideas: - Time Warp Trio series (Scieszka) - Roman Mysteries series (Lawrence) - The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet (Cameron) - Follow My Leader (Garfield) - Dolphin Adventure; Dolphin Treasure (Grover) - The Mouse and the Motorcycle (Cleary) - Mr. Revere and I; Ben and Me (Lawson) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfantasticfour Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 My DS9 never liked leveled readers much, though he loved "Wagon Wheels" by Barbara Brenner, because it is based on a true story of boys who had to travel alone over many miles in the frontier days, to find and reunite with their father. But my son has never cared much for modern fiction...he even turns his nose up at Henry Huggins from Beverly Cleary. He still prefers to hear good fiction read aloud, and some examples of note have been Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Latham Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit Pippi Longstocking (Astrid whose last name I forget) Peter Pan by JM Barrie (unabridged) Little Lord Fauntleroy (parts of which we all found tiresome due to the over-the-top angelic depiction of him but still worth reading) He likes family read-alouds, likes audiobooks (but prefers my reading if the audiobook is a Librivox recording as those aren't generally the best), and he reads nicely and expressively when he takes a turn, at the books above, but somewhere between two lengthy paragraphs and a page, he wears out and wants me to read more. As for the fiction books aimed at kids his age, he mostly hates them. He says they are boring, and I quite agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 My son loved Geronimo Stilton books a few years ago. He also liked (still likes in some cases) books of Pokemon characters, the Pokemon stories, some manga, comic books like Calvin & Hobbes - some of these are actually higher reading level than you would expect, but aren't big blocks of text which helped. More traditionally, he liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Stink books, Judy Moody, Hank Zipzer, Mouse and the Motorcycle series. He really liked series with the same characters over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 For a pleasure reading books of David Walliams were a big hit exactly after Geronimo Stilton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Wrenly books were huge fr him. Cam Jansen, Nate The Great, Dragon Masters...those kinds of books. One series my boys both loved that I don't see mentioned often, is Tales From Maple Ridge. But my reluctant reader, especially, kept wanting to read books well below his level. From three word "level A"scholastic readers, up to relatively good books like Bunjitsu Bunny (which I can not recommend enough). And what REALLY got him reading, were graphic novels. He got the Amulet series for Christmas and has already read them all at least twice. This is my boy who this time last year swore out loud that he'd never read for fun :laugh: There are really well done GNs out there! He started with adaptations of like Hercules and Jason & the Argonaughts--stories he knew inside and out-- then moved into other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 You might try Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang. Beverly Cleary stories might be a good fit too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Puppy Place Magic Puppies Any appropriate-level book with a dog/puppy. So, so many. He finally moved on to Rick Riordan and Greek gods, thank goodness. I concentrated on reading to him individually, more than my older DS who was ready to read anything when he was 7. I forget that, besides our regular read alouds for both, my younger one needs me to read to him just a bit above where he is, so he can see he can do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 My oldest didn't want anything to do with novels, but he devoured anything non-fiction. So I would go to the library and bring a stack of books on a variety of subjects and he would read through it. After a couple years of that I finally got him to read some chapter books, but I think reading all that non-fiction really improved his reading and vocabulary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 My son liked the Classic Starts books from B and N, Boxcar Children, Magic School Bus, Nate the Great, Beverly Cleary books, How to Train Your Dragon, Star Wars, and Capt. Underpants something or other. Then he went on to Hardy Boys and Narnia, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Hank the Cowdog was a big hit here, also Calvin and Hobbes and the Tin-Tin books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 39 Clues for my oldest son. My current young reader will read anything, including the back of a shampoo bottle. (True story.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Suggestions I didn't see that were hits for my son: Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales (graphic novels about different disasters in history..."Donner Dinner Party" is the title of one) The "I Survived.." series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Suggestions I didn't see that were hits for my son: Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales (graphic novels about different disasters in history..."Donner Dinner Party" is the title of one) The "I Survived.." series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Zac power Magic tree house 56 story tree house series Ranger in danger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) My struggling readers made huge strides when I used a kindle fire and did immersion reading (text is highlited as the audio plays). I do this for books that are slightly above reading level, but intersperse physical books, also. Edited January 23, 2017 by Outdoorsy Type Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 My oldest didn't want anything to do with novels, but he devoured anything non-fiction. So I would go to the library and bring a stack of books on a variety of subjects and he would read through it. After a couple years of that I finally got him to read some chapter books, but I think reading all that non-fiction really improved his reading and vocabulary. My brother spent three or four years around this age reading a few kids books on alternative energy over and over and over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Around that age I recall some of the following: Wagon Wheels (someone else mentioned this- my kids both LOVED it!) TornadoMagic Tree HouseThe Bears on Hemlock Mountain The Matchlock Gun Diary of a Wimpy Kid series The Legend of Zelda manga series Encyclopedia Brown The Littles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) I've managed to collect all the Sonlight readers for grades 1-4, so that's what I used for my boys until they were ready to choose any books that appealed to them. Beverly Cleary and Andrew Clements books stand out in my memory. They still don't love reading the way their sister does. Sigh... But at least I know they can read most anything they are interested in. Edited January 25, 2017 by TKDmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaquitita Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 13 story treehouse series, chapter books but with tons of pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Magic Treehouse series every Beverly Cleary book The Boxcar Children series The Littles Hank the Cowdog Calvin and Hobbes Dinotopia (chapter book series) Thornton Burgess books Magic School Bus (picture books and chapter books) Lots by Roald Dahl I think the above books were all read hundreds of times by my two boys... And then, later, 39 Clues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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