What is your 7 year old reading?

[Sunshine Mama]

I'm interested in hearing what your 7 year old is reading independently (not what you are reading aloud together). We do lots of read alouds together which he loves but he doesn't read much independently. He does like to re-read books we read together. He reads very well (vocab at a 5th grade level and comprehension at a 3rd grade level). Mainly I think its a comprehension thing. He's a perfectionist (like his mom) and if he doesn't understand everything going on in the plot he gets discouraged and gives up. If I'm not reading the book, I can't answer his questions. I've tried to get him to read books like Nate the Great, Encylcopedia Brown, and Cam Jansen. He says he'd rather read them with me. He has read all the Magic Tree House series and the A to Z Mysteries which he loved. Any suggestions for another series? Anyone else with a similar child? Thanks!

[Karen in CO]

How about the Stink books by Megan MacDonald ? He's the bright, younger brother of Judy Moody who is in second grade in the books. My dd8 like both the Judy Moody and the Stink books when she was that age. They have simple plot lines, short sentences, too much dialogue for my tastes, a touch of educational content, respect among siblings and family members, and good, clean humor. I found them to be good transitional readers. We actually used them after Magic Tree House books and before more complex books.

[Julie of KY]

Third Grade Detective series

easy books by Clyde Robert Bulla

Magic Schoolbus chapter books

lots of easy science and history books

[Snickerdoodle]

Have you tried Thorton Burgess books? Mine really liked those.

Edited May 4, 2009 by Snickerdoodle

[Snickerdoodle]

This series has a lot of books and mine really liked them too:

 

So you really...

[Susie in CA]

My son loved these:

 

Geronimo Stilten (lots of books in this series)

The Secrets of Droon

Moongoble and Me by Bruce Coville

[dragons in the flower bed]

My six-year-old most frequently turns to Magic School Bus Chapter Books, Horrible Histories. For some reason he also likes Joy Berry's Help Me Be Good series of picture books about common behavioral problems. I think he's much like your son, wanting to really understand things, and all three of these series are explainer types of books that don't make you rely on subtext to get stuff.

[Chris in VA]

Boxcar Children were big hits here. Nancy Drew (old series) held my child's attention for a long time--she read about 40 of them--until she realized they were all the same plot line! :lol: You could try Hardy Boys. I think they are on the twaddle-y side, but I'm ok with that.

 

My dd re-read many of our read alouds. I think they gave her advanced vocab and really helped her fluency. She re-read Caddie Woodlawn, Secret Garden (that was challenging for her), and the Little House books--she re-reads THAT series about once or twice a year!

 

You could also try the If You Lived With The...series, or a book of fairy tales/folk tales that he isn't familiar with. I really like the book we are going to use next year--ooo, can't find it--I think it's American Adventures or something like that. I'm pretty sure Sonlight uses it. Also, Abraham Lincoln, by the D'Aulaires, is good. I wouldn't worry about matching books to the historical time period for free reading.

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

I'm interested in hearing what your 7 year old is reading independently (not what you are reading aloud together). We do lots of read alouds together which he loves but he doesn't read much independently. He does like to re-read books we read together. He reads very well (vocab at a 5th grade level and comprehension at a 3rd grade level). Mainly I think its a comprehension thing. He's a perfectionist (like his mom) and if he doesn't understand everything going on in the plot he gets discouraged and gives up. If I'm not reading the book, I can't answer his questions. I've tried to get him to read books like Nate the Great, Encylcopedia Brown, and Cam Jansen. He says he'd rather read them with me. He has read all the Magic Tree House series and the A to Z Mysteries which he loved. Any suggestions for another series? Anyone else with a similar child? Thanks!

My ds7 doesn't do any independent reading unless it is a comic book. He will read the Chester History Comix. I figure it is reading, so I'm satisfied, and it is better than browbeating him into thinking reading is a chore. The main reason I'm not worried is that my older son did not start reading for pleasure until the summer after he turned 8. Now just a short year later, he can read anything I put in front of him and gets in trouble for having his headlamp on too late at night.

Ds7 does read fluently aloud, but has a tendency to skip some words in his hurry to get to the good part of the story. He likes the Magic Treehouse books, which he reads to me every day without any help from me, other than an occasional prompt to slow down and read every word.

 

It can get a little intimidating and/or frustrating seeing post after post about early readers (like the kids who are reading at 2 years!) and younger kids reading what may be considered advanced books independently and without prompting. I try to remember that each child is unique, and it is not a competition. I'm going to keep plugging along with the oral reading and let Ds7 mature into an independent reader at his own rate.

Edited May 4, 2009 by MeanestMomInMidwest

[DarlaS]

Have you tried Thorton Burgess books? Mine really liked those.

 

Do you mean the animal stories books (The Adventures of Reddy Fox etc)? I got my ds a 6 book boxed set last year for Christmas and some of his older siblings have even been seen reading them. They are good!

 

I got the Dover editions though and do wish they had a few more pictures.

 

This is the set we have (and I hope to add more soon!):

http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Thornton-Burgess-Animal-Stories/dp/0486276341/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241437276&sr=8-1

[Snickerdoodle]

Yes, I am speaking of the animal books by T. Burgess.

 

I feel very blessed that my kids like reading and read for pleasure constantly.

 

I do notice that my older son (7yo) has always liked books with more historical themes such as books about the Ancient Romans, Ancient Greeks, Alexander the Great, and his current favorite, The Revolutionary War.

 

I also noticed that my younger son wants a lot of books with a more natural science theme.

 

Neither of my boys is huge into fiction and although the older has read some of the books I pick out such as My Side of the Mountain or The Tale of Desperaux, he seems to prefer books that are non-fiction in nature.

[TengoFive]

I haven't read the other replies, but here's what my 7 year old likes:

Magic School Bus chapter books

Dragonslayers' Academy

Myth-O-Mania

[DarlaS]

Neither of my boys is huge into fiction and although the older has read some of the books I pick out such as My Side of the Mountain or The Tale of Desperaux, he seems to prefer books that are non-fiction in nature.

 

My boys (three of them) are like this too. My oldest has shown in interest in physics and technology from an early age. He reads computer programming language manuals for fun. Right now he is on a bit of a Stephen Hawking kick (He's 15). DS #2 loves history, "how to" type books and biographies. He has only recently gotten into mythology and fantasy fiction (Septimus Heap etc.). My 5 yo (reader of the Burgess books) devours books about science. My daughter loves stories. (Finally--someone I can relate to! :D)

 

Have you seen the science oriented magazines published by Carus (Cricket publishers)? My littlest has been getting Click for about a year now and I'm about to upgrade him to Ask. It's good stuff.

[Evergreen Academy]

One of my two eight-year-olds sounds so much like your son! He is a very bright boy (also a perfectionist) who reads well above grade level, but really doesn't enjoy it and would prefer to have me read to him. He also gets frustrated and confused by plots in reading (never in listening) and has poor reading comprehension. This surprised me because of his reading ability, but once I realized it we've had to back up and choose readings he's comfortable with, with oral narrations every few days to check his comprehension. We were doing the narrations every day for a bit; I had him do shorter readings, and he often had to go back and re-read the story because he'd rushed through and really muddled things up. Believe it or not, his independent readers of choice are the Rod and Staff Bible reader, Pathway Readers or Christian Liberty Nature Readers - he's a fact-minded kid. He's also loved the "You wouldn't Want to Be" series mentioned by another poster and has read every young reader Bible we own - several times. Like your son, he enjoys re-reading familiar stories, but I'm making him choose new ones for his school reading.

 

My other second grader has more difficulty with comprehension when I read to him, but LOVES to read - they are all so different! He loves books about animals having adventures like:

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

Ralph S. Mouse

Runaway Ralph

Henry and Ribsy

Stuart Little

 

Aimee

6 kids ages 5-18, homeschooling youngest four grades K, 2, 2 and 5

[AngieW in Texas]

My oldest was able to read books like the Ramona/Beezus/Henry series by Beverly Cleary at 7yo.

My middle was able to read books like the Magic Treehouse and Horrible Harry series at 7yo.

 

My youngest is dyslexic. She was able to sound her way through basic code words at 7yo. She was reading through the first three sets of I See Sam books at that age. The first non-decodable books she read were the Rainbow Magic Fairies series at just past 8yo. Even then, she needed help. By 8.5yo, she was able to read them independently and was solidly at early-mid 2nd grade level.

[budeb]

Hi there!

 

My six 1/2 y/o LOVES the Thornton Burgess books... there are a lot of them. He also has read the Boxcar Children books 1 - 19 are by the original author... the ones that follow are "created by"... meaning other authors have written the ones after book number 19. He LOVES re-reading "Little Pilgrim's Progress" by Helen L. Taylor... and any non-fiction books on animals and natural disasters like volcanoes.

 

THT,

Deb

[carolyndsg]

My ds(7 this week!) is fascinated with the Roman Army and Knights, but he's not quite reading chapter books on his own. He did enjoy reading together with me The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short by Gerald Morris (relatively new). We've also picked up the Dragon Slayer's Academy.

 

For independent reads, we look in the "Easy Reader" section at the local library. Like many here he is often more motivated my nonfiction titles. When studying India, I stumbled across "The King's Warrior: A story of Ancient India" by Jessica Gunderson. It tied in with the chapter about Asoka perfectly including his change of heart! I did help him read that and he enjoyed it because the protagonist was about a boy who wanted to be a great general whatever the cost. She has other titles in the series.

 

Does your local library have a database that helps you find a book with similiar topics or themes as the one you just read? It can be dig out some titles I would never find on my own. In our system it's called NoveList.

 

Carolyn

[Mom22ns]

My son loved these:

 

Geronimo Stilten (lots of books in this series)

The Secrets of Droon

 

 

You're son must be a lot like mine. Those were his two favorite series when he was 7. He also read all the A-Z mysteries and liked the Mary Kate and Ashley Mysteries (although he doesn't like to admit that now:lol:)

[Sasharowan]

My ds8 (as of yesterday) really enjoys Bruce Coville's Moongobble and Me series. Light fantasy with a bumbling wizard, a boy, a frog, and monsters that end up being friends. He has also read Mary Poppins, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and several Nate the Great lately.

 

I wanted to add that he was struggling with Green Eggs and Ham at his last birthday and now he is reading Mary Poppins in 2-3 weeks and Moongobble books in one day. Sometimes it just takes maturity. My daughter has just now at 9.5 found a series she is happy to read, Boxcar Children.

Edited May 5, 2009 by Sasharowan
spelling and adding stuff

[kamom]

Boxcar Children

anything by Carolyn Haywood

Little House Series

 

Missionary Stories with the Millers

and four others by same author

 

Childhood of Famous American Series (especially those by Augusta Stevenson) good history lessons and good reading combined

 

Old classics like PollyAnna, Heidi etc.

[ElizabethB]

You could try the 1879 McGuffey readers. They have the difficult words at the beginning, with diacritical markings to help aid pronunciation.

 

From the Third Reader on, some of the more obscure words also have definitions.

[RootAnn]

My dd7 was really REALLY struggling with reading those "Level 2" learn to read books at the beginning of the year. By Christmas, she was zipping through The Boxcar Children. She's also ready as many Trixie Belden's as we have available and loves any books about ponys or horses. In desperation for her very quick zipping through, we've turned to Judy Moody, Animal Ark, Hank the Cowdog, & other similar series available at the local library.

 

For school stuff, I offer her more "meaty" things, but she likes "easy" & interesting "mystery" stories for fun reading. It has been a real challenge keeping up with her zoom in comprehension and her wish to read so much. This is the kid that said she hated reading this summer. (She loves to be read to.)

 

My almost six year old isn't interested in learning to read. So, we'll see!

[blessedmom3]

hardy boys

[wimseycat]

My dd is reading Nancy Drew. You could substitute the Hardy Boys here. Also, Encyclopedia Brown, Henry Huggins, Magic TreeHouse, Narnia, and Edith Nesbit books. It is funny to hear, "Mom, what is an inheritance?" "What does embezzlement mean?" "What is a prowler?" We have had some interesting conversations thanks to Nancy and Encyclopedia Brown!

 

Annika

[littlemomof3]

I have a 1st and a 3rd

 

1st reads little duck stories in the first grade Spectrum Reading workbook

 

3rd grade reads Magic Tree House and a few paragraphs in a Spectrum Reading Comprehension book.

 

Right now we dont really have a "reading" program.

[lauracolumbus]

My ds liked Jon Scieska's books at that age---they might be for a higher level reader, but he loved the humor.

 

He read Scieska's autobiography in one setting--laughing the whole time. About the only other thing I could get him to read after his first foray into chapter books like Magic Tree House were non-fiction books-sciency, sports type books.

 

Laura

[camibami]

(((sigh)))

 

The only thing she will read on her own, without me scheduling ala "school", is Goosebumps. Currently, "Say Cheese and Die...Again!".Oh, and her Animal Crossing DS game, there is reading on that.:tongue_smilie:

 

She could not *be* more different than her big sister!

[JABarney]

I'm liking this thread.... thanks for asking this.

[Mom-ninja.]

It can get a little intimidating and/or frustrating seeing post after post about early readers (like the kids who are reading at 2 years!) and younger kids reading what may be considered advanced books independently and without prompting. I try to remember that each child is unique, and it is not a competition. I'm going to keep plugging along with the oral reading and let Ds7 mature into an independent reader at his own rate.

 

Thanks for posting this. I'm sitting here trying not to feel dismayed. My 8yr old is still working on phonics and is not any where near reading independently. *sigh*

[TundraAcademy]

My 4th grader took several years to pick-up his reading skills. This year he finally went from reading 2nd grader easy chapter books (A to Z Mysteries, Jigsaw Jones) to The Great Brain series (5th grade).

 

So, please don't get dismayed if your child seems slower. I'm realizing through my own 3 boys that everyone progresses at different speeds!