Literature at 5-6th grade Level for younger but advanced readers

[heather6]

Starting this thread at the suggestion of another poster.

I'm looking for books that are written for younger middle-school kids that do not have a lot of death, sex, coming of age topics. I have a 9 y old who is very advanced in reading and finding good books that are content appropriate is a struggle. I'm looking for books that would be deemed more literature than pleasure reading. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

[PeterPan]

Have you looked through the VP catalog? I used that, SL, and TQ (TruthQuest) guides to keep my dd in books. Around that age I also started taking my dd to the adult section to look for adult stuff (Alison Weir, Starkey, etc.). My dd was very into history. It's also a good age to start reading periodicals. Muse magazine works really well for that age. You can outline it too, if you're wanting to begin outlining. 

You can look at booklists for guides like TLP, Litwits, etc. Sonlight is a little iffy, because they do allow in more objectionable elements. You'll want to prescreen. That was also the age I started taking my dd to the YA section of the library and helping her find things. Working together, we could find what was good. There's a lot of good, new stuff! Also consider other genres, like poetry. You could keep her in poetry for a year without a problem. Clyde Bulla has some books with summaries of operas, Gilbert & Sullivan musicals, etc. We read the short versions and then watched videos or went to performances. For Shakespeare, same gig, only we used a wonderful book by Fiery At the Opera  If you haven't read the picture book versions of the Shakespeare, a 4th grader can still do them too. So you'd read the beautiful picture book, discuss, then watch the video. I googled for study guides, so we watched the Ambrose versions of the plays and used guides I found online to discuss.

[PeterPan]

Who Should We Then Read?: Jan Bloom: 9780970962812: Amazon ...  This also might help you. I have it, used it. It's going to be your older stuff, classics.

Just saw your other thread saying this is for a boy. Also consider rabbit trailing what he's interested in. My ds enjoys non-fiction quite a bit. 

The Demon Under the Microscope: From Battlefield Hospitals to Nazi Labs, One Doctor's Heroic Search for the World's First Miracle Drug

That will be a start. Just rabbit trail from there on amazon, depending on whether you want science or history or what. A lot of books it's recommending there are books I used with my dd. Try them on audio if they're a stretch by interesting to him.

The Great Fire  Anything by Jim Murphy will be at his level.

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Stonewall Jackson: Loved in the South Admired in the North (Sowers)  This is part of the Sowers series. Also YWAM has books at that level. 

Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin social studies) anything by Russell Freedman. 

         Poetry for Young People: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow       This is the poetry for young people series, which is terrific for that age. Also look at your funny stuff like Shel Silverstein, Prelutsky, etc.

My ds also enjoys Teaching Company courses. You can get them on audible for a credit or your library might have them. Just sample and see what he likes. I tried to make materials available to my dd (who was an exceptional reader) at a lot of levels. So at that age, I might put out books for gr 3 all the way through adult, all on the topic of the week, just to see what would click. I think it's also good to connect with *ideas*. Books by Bartoletti, Freedman, etc. are going to get them to think and engage. He may be coming into his debating stage, where he'll enjoy considering ideas and discussing pros and cons. If not now, maybe in a year or two. It's just something you can watch for. 

Edited August 5, 2018 by PeterPan

[Porridge]

Consider looking on the Ambleside Online website. Their suggestions for literature and free reading are excellent.

[Targhee]

I highly recommend the book Some of My Best Friends are Books (as a resource for you), and using the ARBookfind website (which allows you to set reading level and interest level independent of each other, as well as topics of interest).

I have had a similar situation with my kids. I can’t remember everything they read at 9-10, though there was a lot of non-fiction.  There was also a lot of fantasy/sci-fi/mythology/legend/fairytale (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Golden Fleece, Pyle’s Robin Hood, White’s Sword in the Stone, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea).  This was also when the love of Sherlock Holmes seemed to start. Black Beauty. Treasure Island. Though it isn’t a really high lexile level all my kids liked The Number Devil at that age because of the fun ideas in math.

Classics tend to be a “safe” place as far as content goes (no impropriety, angst), as well as a source for advanced reading level because of the language (and that they didn’t dumb things down trying to reach kids). 

 

[Tanaqui]

Quote

Classics tend to be a “safe” place as far as content goes (no impropriety, angst), as well as a source for advanced reading level because of the language (and that they didn’t dumb things down trying to reach kids). 

 

No impropriety or angst, but you're often struck with sneak-attack racism, sexism, classism, anti-semitism.... I'd rather have the angst, thanks. OP, I'm busy right now but haven't forgotten and will get back to hopefully by the end of the day.

[Tanaqui]

So here is my sample 4-6 list! A few notes: Obviously, you still need to pre-read, as we may have different standards. Also, at this age, I don't think it's wise to make much of a distinction between "pleasure reading" and "literature", and so I haven't tried. People who do try tend to end up with a lot of books about dead dogs. When more sensitive issues come up, I will point them out. (Also also, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "coming of age" topics. Divorce and child abuse? Entering middle school and dating? Bar Mitzvahs and Confirmations? Um...?)

The First Rule of Punk

The Jumbies (scary!)

Like Magic (one child is stressed about the birth of the new baby. Another runs away for a few hours to the library. Everything resolves neatly by the end)

Two Naomis

Stef Soto, Taco Queen

Only One Year

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It (the main character sneaks off sometimes to form a relationship with his estranged grandfather who opposed his parents marriage for race reasons. If that seems a bit much, try The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond, which is broadly similar but much lighter themes)

Allie, First at Last

Dragonwings (racism, plus the San Francisco Earthquake near the end. Nobody named dies)

Crunch (kids are alone during a fuel crisis, but they cope admirably)

Bayou Magic

Seesaw Girl (growing up in medieval Korea sucks)

Princess Academy (ignore the silly title)

Save Me a Seat

Mission Mumbai (messy divorce)

The Penderwicks

Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer (I love this book)

How Tia Lola Came to Stay

All-of-a-Kind-Family

Dash by Kirby Larsen (the Japanese Internment, but written in a lighter fashion - and the girl does get her dog back)

Year of the Dog

Seaglass Summer

Ella Enchanted (based on the story of Cinderella, so the mother does die)

Zahrah, the Windseeker (some peril, everybody survives the end of the book)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (some peril, to my recollection everybody survives)

The Conch Bearer

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (note spelling! You may prefer to start with Dancing Shoes, Theater Shoes, or Skating Shoes, all of which have tighter timelines)

The Lemonade War

Toothpaste Millionaire

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything (okay, this one really is just fun and can't be justified as literature, but it's adorable)

Strawberry Hill

The Mighty Miss Malone (being black during the Depression sucks, bigtime)

The Birchbark House (smallpox happens, twice)

Yang the Third and Her Impossible Family

Pickle by Kim Baker

Greenglass House (one character is revealed at the end to have been a ghost the whole time. Another character tries to shoot this character, to little effect because, I mean, she's been dead 50 years already)

Indian Shoes

Ruby on the Outside (having a mom in prison also, you got it, sucks)

Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

Ghost by Jason Reynolds (haven't had a chance to read this yet, but it's high up on my TBR pile!)

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring

Front Desk

You Go First (not this author's strongest work, but the one that's most likely to be acceptable to this age range.)

Aru Shah and the End of Time (it's about the potential end of time. Also, the main character's dad turns out to be the big bad, because why not?)

A Long Way From Chicago

Jupiter Storm

Deaf Child Crossing

Love Double Dutch

The House That Lou Built

Fleabrain Loves Franny (polio)

Lucky Broken Girl (car accident)

Amy and Laura (back in print on kindle!)