The Vine: December 2, 2011
Hi Sars — I’ve enjoyed your site for years and hope to tap into the book knowledge that you and your readers have. I have a 7-year-old son who is a voracious reader. I love that he loves to read, and try to keep him supplied with books, and that is the question — I’m looking for recommendations. These are the books that he has read and enjoyed:
Cam Jansen series
Puppy Place series
Bailey School Mysteries
Box Car Children
A to Z Mysteries
Magic Tree House
Secrets of Droon
Dinosaur Cove
My Weird School Daze
Black Lagoon series
I’ve also bought him all of the Stepping Stones books that I could find — Knights of the Round Table, Swiss Family Robinson, The Time Machine, 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Three Musketeers, Oliver Twist, Last of the Mohicans, Swiss Family Robinson.
He’s also just started the Hardy Boys books, I think they are a little difficult for him but he is reading them and enjoying them.
He has read all of his books numerous times so I don’t begrudge buying him new ones when I can find something for him to read.
One problem is content. Although he reads at a higher level, his maturity level is still 2nd grade. For instance, he read one of the Henry and Ribsy books by Beverly Clearly about a year ago and it was mentioned in the book that “dad is the tooth fairy.” And I’m not opposed to Harry Potter but I’m not sure if might be too mature for him at this point.
If you or any of your readers have any suggestions, I would really appreciate it. They don’t have to be series, I like the series because it makes my life a little easier. I can buy in bulk and he’s occupied for a little while at least.
Going Broke Buying Books But Loving Every Minute Of It
Dear Broke,
First of all, hooray, a question involving kids that’s aggro-free! Hee.
Second of all, hooray, I can recommend a series Skyrockets’s son tore through in about two weeks. (He’d just turned seven at the time; mileage will vary between kids the same age, of course.) It’s by the inaptly named Andy Griffiths, and it starts with a classy tome called The Day My Butt Went Psycho. The titles get even more highbrow from there, obviously (Zombie Butts From Uranus).
You might also try Gnod’s literature map, although entering Griffiths’s name, in addition to popping up Wimpy Kid‘s Jeff Kinney right next to Griffiths, also put Donald Trump near him in the cloud? So those suggestions may need a little curating.
Readers? Stock that kid’s bookshelf. (Three per comment, please. Thanks.)
Tags: Andy Griffiths Ask The Readers Beverly Cleary Jeff Kinney kids popcult
Word of caution on Little House series which a few people have mentioned–reread them first. I just did and there is lots and lots of casual racism (Indians are evil, minstrel shows are fun, French are lazy, etc.), sexism (where to start?), and violence (Farmer Boy, which I planned to read to my son after we finished our current book, starts with the teacher having to fight off older boys with a horsewhip–they had beaten up two previous teachers to break up the school, killing one of them, and were after him). Not to mention they are made up a lot more than one might think (Little House on the Prairie in particular is largely made up, and hugely racist to boot).
I don’t know how you feel about comics, but my dad used to read Calvin and Hobbes before we went to bed at night.
OK, I am a paraprofessional children’s librarian, and I would heartily second pretty much everything on this list. The things I can’t second yet, well, it’s because I haven’t read them yet. Also, Mel upthread? THANK YOU and your analytical friend for that kidalog thing. I’m going to recommend that my library link to it from our subject guide on Books and Literature.
This is an oddball suggestion and probably hard to find, but…..
When I was that age, my aunt gave me a bunch of books that her and my mom had read in the 1960’s, called the ‘Happy Holisters’. It’s a family with 5 kids who solve mysteries with their parents. I loved those books.
Back in the 1980’s, our public library still had the books and I think you can get them on ebay.
I must recommend “Thirteen Ways To Sink A Sub” by Jamie Gilson… a story about a fourth grade class who conspires to sabotage a substitute teacher. It was a favorite from my childhood and sounds like it might be up your son’s alley. I know there were other books in the series… I want to say at least 4-5 more but it’s been close to 20 years since I’ve read them.
I have to second (or fifth) the suggestions for the Louis Sachar Wayside School series (if your son has an odd sense of humor), Harriet the Spy, and anything by Roald Dahl. Loved, loved, LOVED Westing Game but I think it might be better for him in a few years.
I remember being the kid reading above grade level in elementary school. I don’t think I had any ill effects from having to deal with some of the more mature themes… a lot of times, I think some of them sailed right over my head. I suspect that I learned the truth about Santa Claus in this fashion, although I don’t remember any traumatic devastating aha moment either.
After I posted, I realized someone already suggested the ‘Happy Hollisters’…….it makes me kind of happy that someone else read and loved those books :)
I adored a lot of Bruce Coville’s books–ghosts or sci-fi, generally, and funny. They’re a regular feature in my “things I reread every summer when my brain takes a break from grad school” list (I also reread my Nancy Drews).
If you’re worried that Hardy Boys/Nancy Drews are too old for him, there were “junior” versions of Nancy Drew (and, therefore, presumably the Hardys as well) that I remember coming across. However, I think I got into both of those series at around 8 years old; he might just take time to get into them.
There have been so many other great suggestions from people, but I’ll put my power of “Second!” behind the Oz books. (Though it’s L. Frank Baum, not Frank L.) There are a bunch of them, and they’re really enchanting. I got the whole lot of them on Kindle for, like, two bucks and read them over the summer. They’re not miserable to read as a grown up, and they’re plenty magical for kids (plus: really adorable illustrations). What’s more, there’s no chance of a dad/toothfairy disaster: Oz is 100% magical, as are all the other “fairy countries” the characters visit. Alice in Wonderland fits into a similar mold, but it might be a little old for him.
Megan McDonald’s Judy Moody and Stink series — funny and perfect for that age, for both boys and girls.
Broke Mom here – I just wanted to thank each and everyone who took the time to reply. You’ve given me so many more suggestions than any other resource I’ve tried- including the librarian and his teacher. I’ve got such a long list now – I’m excited for him. I’m kicking myself for not sending in this question a year ago.
@M.Nightingale and @Amanda – thanks for the reminder of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. It was one of my favorite books a child. I still have the copy that I read and re-read in storage – I will find that and pass it along to him. He’s never seen the movie so he’ll read it with fresh eyes.
@Sarabeth – The Lion,The Witch and The Wardrobe is one of his dad’s favorite movies. That is going at the top of the list.
Thanks again – you guys are awesome!!!
Dito on the Moomintroll books. While full of incredibly fun, imaginative stories, Tove Jansen also managed to address some amazingly complicated emotional topics in completely kid appropriate ways. “The Hemulen Who Loved Silence” from Tales From Moonimvalley should be required reading for learning about how people can be happy in different ways.
And perhaps a little early for him, but the Susan Cooper books: Over Sea, Under Stone, etc…a lovely re-interpretation of Arthurian Legends. THe movie “Tale of the Seeker” was a pale shadow of the book it was based on, so don’t let that put you off.
I’d also recommend the “kids from the Polk Street school” series by Patricia Reilly Giff. There are about twelve of them and they’re funny and sweet. I loved them. The Beast in Mrs. Rooney’s Room is the first one. They may be too easy for your son, but you never know!
I always loved anything by Lois Lowry. The Anastasia books are probably too girly, but there’s a related series about her little brother Sam that has 3-4 titles and they’re likely age appropriate.
Robert Kimmel Smith wrote 3-4 really good books (War with Grandpa, Jelly Belly, Chocolate Fever) that may be more for an 8 or 9 year old, but are funny and good.
Also, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and the other NIMH books. They’re excellent.
Enid Blyton’s books for younger kids – the fantasy Faraway Tree series, for example. Even the Famous Five series is pretty tame – I loved them when I was eight. Go for the originals, though, not the “modernized” ones.
Also, Richmal Crompton’s Just William series is hilarious – for grown ups as well – he’s an eleven year old English village boy who gets into scrapes and has adventures in forests and fields with his friends the Outlaws. It spans from the 1920s to the early 1960s and he always stays eleven…
Loving all of the recommendations! We’re expecting our first child in a few months, and I cannot wait to introduce her to all of these books! It’s like meeting up with old friends after not seeing them for decades…
Anyhow, I don’t think anyone else has mentioned these, but when I was your son’s age, I remember tearing through several of the Enid Blyton juvenile detective series, particularly The Famous Five and The Secret Seven series. They were written in the 1940s-60s, so I don’t know how well they’ve held up, but I remember JK Rowling mentioning them amongst her literary influences.
One of my favourite contemporary authors, Neil Gaiman, has written a number of books for children & young adults. The (Newbery Award-winning) The Graveyard Book is still a bit on the mature side for your son, but I think Coraline & Odd and the Frost Giants might be more appropriate in the meantime.
Suzanne, I’m glad you like Kidalog! I’ll pass your kudos on to Kristy – it is a real passion of hers.
A word about the Judy Blumes – there is a chapter in one of them (Superfudge, I think) that delves a little too deep into the mystery of Santa Clause, so they might not be quite right yet (which I learned the hard way reading it aloud to my 4th grade class).
I would also recommend the FableHaven books by Brandon Mull. They’re about a brother and sister who’s grandparents run a sanctuary for mythical creatures and the adventures that ensue. I believe there are 4 of them.
Oh, you have my sympathy! I have a 10 year old reading at pretty much an adult level at this point – the struggle to find age-appropriate books that aren’t boring is a constant in my life.
One series that almost all the kids she knows read a few years ago was the Warriors series by Erin Hunter.
She loved the Animal Ark series – but we found them used, I have no idea if it is still in print.
Others have already suggested most of the other ones I would suggest, so I’ll leave it at 2
To those recommending the Little House books – I think if seven is too young for “Dad is the tooth fairy,” it is too young for “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.” My teacher read those books to my third grade class, and as an eight-year-old Native girl, let me tell you – worse than the racist portrayal of the First Nations in the book was the little handwave from the teacher of “Of course, that’s just how ‘people’ thought back then, and we know it’s wrong now, but isn’t nostalgia nice, tee-hee.” It was my first lesson in the fact that white people’s fun is considered more important than non-white people’s dignity, and I think if people insist on passing those books down to their kids, it should be to kids old enough to participate in a frank and nuanced discussion on racism and colonialism.
My own recs for historical fiction for the younger set: The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, Christopher Paul Curtis’s books, and The All-of-a-Kind Family series.
The Dragonbreath series, by Ursula Vernon. She’s working on the series now, so more books are in the works.
The D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths and Book of Norse Myths are excellent. I devoured those in third grade. They apparently also did a whole bunch of other books, about trolls and animals and Benjamin Franklin (not all in the same book, though). Gorgeous to look at, and pretty easy to read.
There’s also kid-friendly volumes of Sherlock Holmes out there, if you think he’d like some mysteries that are a bit less silly.
white people’s fun is considered more important than non-white people’s dignity
I’m not telling you how to live, but if you put that on a t-shirt, this bathroom tile would buy it in a hot minute.
As you were.
Madeleine L’Engle remains my favorite author even now. I think I read “A Wrinkle in Time” around 3rd or 4th grade. When she passed away a few years ago I got on ebay to find editions that matched the ones I checked out of my school library.
I have been reading my 5 year old son the “Indian in the Cupboard” Books by Lynne Reid Banks and “The Castle in the Attic” by Elizabeth Withrop.
May I also recommend a website: http://www.thriftbooks.com. I use it all the time to buy used books with free shipping.
My nephew is 8 with advanced reading skills too.
He has loved the Roald Dahl books, and worked his way through Harry Potter with no issues. As long as you are there to talk them through the heavier themes then your kid will probably do fine with them too.
I’ll keep my other recommendations to authors from my part of the world, who others may not know of.
Stuff I remember from when I was an 8 year old who read were things like (New Zealand)authors
Tessa Duder (especially the “Alex” series about a teenager who is training for the olympics, by Maurice Gee (writes books for
Maurice Gee – winner and many times nominee for best NZ childrens books. He writes for adults too, with some very heavy themes so check you get his childrens books not his adult ones.
Margaret Mahy – best known for her picture books and rainbow wig, but also writes for older children and young adults. She’s possibly New Zealands most prolific and best loved children’s author.
I remember also loving stuff by (Australian) author Paul Jennings, especially any book starting with “Un” Unreal, Unmentionaable, Uncanny etc. They are compilations of short fantastical stories and very cool. I remember one was about a kid who touched a man he met and his tattoos transfered to the kid (the tattoo reversal was acheived).
@Claire: hee I had the same reaction to the change from Bums to Butts.
I’m a big Andy Griffiths fan who read him as a twenty-something post grad English student (gosh my degree was awesome), which I think says something about the maturity level of my sense of humour. Anyway, I wanted to recommend two other Australian authors who may not be that well known in the States:
I liked Paul Jennings when I was young, but I’m not sure how well they hold up now. That said, I know he’s still very popular here, especially with boys, as his books are full of (age appropriate) weird and gross things. And humour based on bodily functions.
Morris Gleitzman has a similar humourous style to Griffiths and Jennings, although I would say his writing has a broader focus in terms of content and age range and I highly recommend his Once series for older readers.
I’m just so thrilled that so many of my favorite childhood books have been mentioned in these suggestions.
So some of my choices are going to seem repetitive, but that’s just how good those books are!
1. The Great Brain series, absolutely. I remember as a kid, the ghost of the silver mine story scared the hell out of me, and the fourth book is a little grim with the dealings of the found kid Frankie, but overall, they’re just smart, fun, and funny books.
2. The Little House books must’ve been read 80 million times by me as a kid, and interestingly enough, it took me a long time to progress through the whole series based on what age I was. When I was little, I didn’t want to move beyond the first one, and then as I — and Laura — grew older, I had my favorites that usually corresponded to what age I was. I know, oversharing, but it might be a good way to have lots of reading material all up front.
3. The Rescuers series! The clever and beautiful mouse Miss Bianca having all sorts of adventures with her trusty sidekick Bernard as written by Margery Sharp. Yes, there was that animated movie, but the actual books are so much more fun and interesting.
I don’t think anyone has mentioned the Martin Bridge series of early chapter books written by Jessica Scott Kerrin – they’d probably be a pretty easy read for your son, but they’re really wonderful. Martin Bridge reminds me of a male Ramona or Clementine – very spirited, gets into mischief sometimes, but has a wonderful heart. I believe there are 7 or 8 books in the series, all very quick & fun reads.
Nth-ing the Roald Dahl, Happy Hollisters, Wayside School, and Bobbsey Twins. For something new/different, you might try
1) the Black Stallion series, by Walter Farley – some of them have a fair bit of race-fail, but there’s a good deal of solid horse-loving story in there as well. If these are too old/long for him, Ben and Me (Robert Lawson) is another solid animal book.
2) The Jedera Adventures – one of half a dozen or so stories by Lloyd Alexander about Vesper Holly. I’d recommend all of his books, but many have more adult themes than your son might be ready for. Time Cat and The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian would probably be ok, though it’s been a while since I’ve read them. Book of Three is straight up adventure, but the rest of the series gets darker – ditto with the underappreciated Westmark trilogy.
3) Little Men, by Louisa May Alcott. Again, decidedly a product of its time, but engaging characters.
Don’t forget the nonfiction, too. My three are more than used up, but consult the librarian for books that cater to his interests – sports, arts, history, whatever.
The Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events books are great for an advanced reader at that age. The content isn’t too alarming but there’s lots of word humour.
‘How about T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone?’
Oh, HELLS YES!
Great question! I’d recommend The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright about four siblings who decide to pool their allowance each week to allow one to have an adventure in the city. He might also like The Borrowers by Mary Norton, which I adored when I was that age. What kid doesn’t love the idea of little tiny people living in their house? I would also recommend The Rescuers by Margery Sharp. It’s completely different from the Disney film (that film is the basis of my extreme hatred of Disney, actually – I can hold a grudge!), but is a really exciting adventure story. Finally, you might want to check out Coraline by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books (The Wee Free Men is the first one in that series).
What a fun question.
I would recommend the three below. There are no “Dad is the toothfairy” moments and I really enjoyed them even as an adult.
1. Angie Sage – The Septimus Heap series
2. Neil Gaiman – Coraline, Stardust
3. Louis Sachar – Holes
Anything by two Australian authors, Morris Gleitzman and Paul Jennings. They write separately and together.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Gleitzman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Jennings_(Australian_author)
There are also some authors who you’d probably find it worth following even if they’re not always technically writing series: the wonderful Ann Cameron books about Huey, Julian, and Gloria; Claudia Mills’ elementary school books that hit squarely at kid anxieties (plus a new actual series about a kid called Mason-Dixon); the terrific African-born author Atinuke, who has a hilarious chapter book out now called _The No. 1 Car Spotter_. (Some of those are nice for mixing things up a bit from the relentless whiteness of children’s literature from the past, too.) These are all right at his age group but funny, thoughtful, and rewarding books.
If he’s at all a dog fan, there are several nice dog POV titles that are right about there–Lucy Nolan’s hilarious Down Girl and Sit stories, Dori Hillestad Butler’s detective stories The Buddy Files, Doreen Cronin’s country-humored The Trouble with Chickens.
I have a similar problem with my 8-year-old daughter. She loves the Dear Dumb Diary series. You could also check out the Flat Stanley books. She liked the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, but parts of them are written in cursive and I’d have to read those for her. Her twin brother isn’t as much of a reader. He’ll read the Captain Underpants books and the Wimpy Kid series.
You can order Scholastic books online at store.scholastic.com
Another vote for Geronimo Stilton – they are fun, and if he likes them there are 40+ of them!
Also check out the Andrew Lost series, sciencey adventures with lots of gross factor, which appeals at that age.
Half Magic, and all the books by that author. Sideways Stories From Wayside School (hint: there’s a student at the school who turns out to be a dead rat under 12 layers of raincoats; he’ll love it). Also, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, about a little girl and her brother move into a museum.
Lots of good recs I don’t want to duplicate, but here’s one I didn’t see: anything by John Bellairs, especially The House With A Clock In Its Walls. Pretty sure I read that one till it was in tatters.
I’ll second Terry Pratchett and recomend the Bromeliad Trilogy as well as his Tiffany Aching books.
If he’s into planes I seem to recall liking the Biggles books by W E Johns but he may be a bit young for them yet.
I forgot to mention this series earlier, but the Bunnicula books are a lot of fun, and there are 7-8 of them, I think. I lived on those things for a few months in grade school.
How about a comic book series? My coworker was raving about the “Lunch Lady” comic book series her son (age 6) is devouring.
I’m happy to see most of my recommendations have already been posted.
As a reading teacher, I can tell you that in nearly all cases Harry Potter is far less traumatizing to kids than adults expect. That said, books 5 – 7 in particular do contain violent and potentially scary content. You know your son best. If you think the books are too mature for him, you may be right. Consider discussing this issue with him. Learning to choose the content that is right for you is also part of becoming a successful reader. Helping him decide, and continuing the discussion as he moves through the books is a big help to young readers – especially advanced readers who will continue to run into this problem.
Another thing to consider: if the Hardy Boys reading level is too advanced for him, Harry Potter will be as well.
If he does manage just fine with the Hardy Boys, I recommend these series:
Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson – the often hilarious backstory of Peter Pan and Neverland.
The Ranger’s Apprentice, by John Flanagan – a medieval fantasy with plenty of battles and intrigue.
If not, I second (third?) the recommendation for Andy Griffiths and add his Schooling Around series – especially the book, Pencil of Doom.
So excited to see these answers. I have a 7 year old (2nd grader) who is also a voracious reader, and these recommendations sound perfect for her. I want to second (3rd? 4th?) the mentions of the Edgar Eager books (Half Magic, Magic by the Lake, Knights’ Castle, Magic or Not, etc.). I loved them as a kid and my daughter does now (although I note that some of the language used is a bit outdated, so she does have to ask me about idioms). I’ve let her read the first three Harry Potters, but haven’t let her go further, thinking that they get a bit too dark with the deaths and all. She’s begging to read more, though. She also loved Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, the How to Train Your Dragon books (which, as noted above, do not mirror the movie), Matilda by Roald Dahl. Also, I don’t know if they still publish them, but we still have our old sets of the Choose Your Own Adventure books, and she’s crazy about them. They’re perfect before bed reading, because you can get a new story every time based upon your choices, but it can be completed in a short time.
-‘The Kid Who Ran For President’ and ‘The Kid Who Became President’ by Dan Gutman present a lot of information in an age-friendly way, might be of help if you want to get him interested in the coming election.
-Anything by Dick King Smith (try ‘Harry’s Mad’) if he enjoys animal stories.
-And Andrew Clements has a knack for coming up with kids’ books with unique concepts; ‘Frindle’ is his best-known, but ‘Things Not Seen’ was my favorite.
Also re: Harry Potter, you could start him on the first book now and then dole the rest out a year at a time. That should keep his maturity level and that of the books at a fairly even keel. (Plus, it’s only fair to make the next generation wait for a while in between books the way we had to!)
My six year old loves the Lunch Lady series and Amulet books. They are both Comic books style but have great stories that are age appropriate and fun!
I second alot of what’s already been said, especially the Great Brain.
I haven’t seen anyone mention Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain chronicles. That’s a great series for young boys with some overtones of Welsh mythology. Young boy growing up on a farm, dreams of being brave warrior, slaying dragons, over the course of the series grows and matures and finds out war isn’t glorious when your friends die (but that’s the later books, like Harry Potter-by the time he gets to them, he’ll probably be ready). Unfortunately, the first book in the series is easily the weakest, so you might have to encourage him to keep going, because they get seriously awesome. The books are The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, House of LLyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King.
Gordon Korman’s older stuff. I haven’t read his newer stuff (apparently he has a new series) so I can’t recommend them, and I think I would save the Bruno and Boots series till he was a little older, but he also has at least a couple of books that I would think would be age-appropriate (the Twinkie Squad for instance?). Personally, I still enjoy his books, even though I don’t think I was ever the intended audience.
Oooh! I’ve got one. Since it looks like your son likes both mysteries and animals, can I recommend the Bunnicula series by Deborah Howe? (There’s the first, Bunnicula, and then Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight…) A dog and a cat who investigate mysteries around their house, told from the perspective of the dog. Fantastic books, and I think just the right age level.
So glad other people also love The Great Brain series! My favorite was “Me and My Little Brain,” when JD tries to emulate his older brother’s clever, swindling ways.
In addition to Harriet the Spy, there’s a sequel called “Sport” that focuses mostly on her male best friend. Although that has some heavy stuff that might be too much for a 7-year-old — a funeral and a really, really bad mom character.
@ ferretrick: Oooh, LOVE the Prydain books!! My oldest boy devoured them multiple times.
1. The Dragon in the Sock Drawer series by Kate Klimo. Boy finds geode that turns out to be a dragon’s egg & has to protect his dragon from St. George (yes, THE Saint George).
2. Beverley Cleary, especially the Henry Huggins books.
3. PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH!!! My favorite book ever–I give it & recommend it to every child I meet and have yet to have a kid tell me they didn’t like it. There is a great 50th anniversary edition out with “love letters” from all kinds of people from Mo Willems (Pigeon & Elephant & Piggie series) to an amazing teacher who based her whole curriculum around the book for decades. Totally worth picking up!
Well, I am bookmarking these comments for eternity – my 5 year old is becoming a voracious reader, much to my delight!
Quick additions from me:
I believe I was 8 when I read Where the Red Fern Grows.
I love already reading the books in the “Shakespeare Can Be Fun!” series. Definitely could be read alone by your reader.