The Vine: September 25, 2009
Inevitably there is backstory (which I have tried to keep short), but ultimately this is a request for book title suggestions.
My mom lives in rural Utah.She volunteers for a tiny and ill-funded (understandably; the town has fewer than five thousand residents) 501c3 that provides afterschool tutoring and snacks to about 20 kids, all ESL elementary and middle school students, most several grade levels behind for reading comprehension, very few have even one parent that is comfortable speaking English.
The kids are seriously fantastic.They are engaged, they are interested, they are nifty.They are also easily discouraged when it comes to reading.The reading material that’s provided by the school is clearly remedial and involves lots of word lists, and they’re not learning to read for fun.Reading is a chore, and it’s worse, somehow, than even math, something I cannot imagine.
The stuff the program has is mostly picture books (although recently, there has been an onslaught of Twilight donations, and they do have Captain Underpants), but what they do have that’s at a comfortable reading level, or even an easy-ish stretch, they have all read over and over or is dull subject matter for them, so their comprehension and confidence aren’t increasing.
The reading levels seem to span from about 2nd grade through about 7th grade. My mom needs books for the kids.The kids need stuff to read that’s fun and interesting, and, oh, please, not all about vampires.
I’m good with getting them books (hello, tax deduction!), but I don’t know what titles to get.Kids aren’t still reading Nesbit, are they?Those are the only children’s chapter books I remember, before I started raiding my parent’s bookshelves.
Can your readers give me suggestions? Books that y’all loved, elementary school through, say, 10th grade.Fiction, non-fiction, whatever made you want to read more.
And yeah, the library would seem like a natural resource for this, but parents have to sign off on library-card applications for minors, and — not so much most of these parents.The two kids reading above grade level have library cards.My mom checks out ten children’s books every two weeks for the kids, the maximum allowed.
If you want more details on the program for whatever, I can give you that.
Thanks!
Annie
Dear Annie,
Perfect timing for your letter, for two reasons!First, once the contest page goes live, you and/or your mom can browse some of the reading-project requests and see what other teachers have asked for, to get ideas.I know I’ve added a few Captain Underpants requests to the list.
Second, I myself just finished plowing through the first three books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.(“PLOOPY.”Manny kills me, you guys.)I don’t know what formal grade level the books are, but I got wind of them from an 11-year-old young lady who found them hilarious, and there’s a website. It also looks like the books come in Spanish, if that’s the kids’ first language; they could start out on the Spanish-language version, get psyched about the books, and be inspired to continue in English. Or at least be inspired to continue.
At that age, I had my nose buried in Stephen King, which I wouldn’t advise but wouldn’t exactly discourage, either (this is why I shouldn’t have kids; heh) — but I also still liked re-reading the Newbery Award set my mom had gotten me: The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and I think Johnny Tremain came as part of that set.(Please tell me someone else had a discussion with her best friend about Rab coming off as a smug dillweed.…Just me and Agent Weiss, then?Great.)
Readers?Any thoughts — on inspiring books for pleasure reading, or on wanting Rab to march off to war and shut it already?
Tags: Ask The Readers contests popcult
If we’re talking about graphic novels, you might try Babymouse, too–also good for reluctant girl readers.
I’m actually going to raise a note of caution about the Little House books; I grew up with them and loved them, but rereading Little House on the Prairie in particular as a grownup, the race issues are really disturbing to me. The descriptions of savages, etc., may be historically appropriate to the time period, but I wouldn’t give a kid that book today without making it part of a discussion about racism and Native Americans.
Chiming in on Robin McKinley (in addition to Beauty, Hero’s Crown, and The Blue Sword, I’d add Outlaws of Sherwood) and Patricia C. Wrede (she also has some race issues, but not in the Dragons books).
Sorting through my five-star books on Goodreads, I find:
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (a kid and his family live on Alcatraz Island; historical stuff and awesome treatment of a family member with autism)
Evernight and Stargazer by Claudia Gray (a vampire high school, but totally different from Twilight)
Meg Cabot
the Temeraire books by Naomi Novik (historical fantasy with dragons fighting the Napoleonic Wars. not specifically YA, and some adult content, but a great way to sneak in some history)
Also, in terms of genre books, I read The Belgariad by David Eddings for the first time when I was in junior high, and it had a profound impact on me and my reading/writing habits. Now I can see its flaws, but I’d still recommend it to a kid, I think.
I don’t have any reccomendations – other than ditto to the Encyclopedia Brown, Westing Game, and Lois Duncan. what a great reminder of childhood those names are. I had a crush on Encyclopedia Brown (I was in the 2d grade). I do have a recommendation against Lord of the Rings (very hard to slug through if English is your native tongue, I cannot imagine how impossible it would seem in a foriegn language).
and reading this made me want to go on a shopping spree and mail a box of books to Annie and her mom.
All of the “Little House” books. I’m 37 and I still read them over sometimes.
I would also second “Henry Huggins” and Beverly Cleary’s other books. I also liked some of Judy Blume.
Ohh, also! Lot’s have folks have mentioned Ursula K. LeGuin, but may I specifically recommend the Catwings books? They’re A) short, intended-for-early-readers chapter books and B) about cats! With wings!
As a high school English teacher dealing with a lot of these problems, I’ve found literate comic books to be a big help. Kids who say they “don’t read” will read the comic books, learn vocab so that they can understand the pictures, love the comic books, and then trust me to give them other stuff that is less comic-y.
Because it’s hard to pick comic books that are literate and age-appropriate unless you know the field, here are a few. (All of these come in bound editions, so you don’t have to deal with single issues.)
The Bone series, by Jeff Smith. These just came out in beautiful colorized versions. They are adventurous, fantastical, and HILARIOUS.
The Runaways series. The series is about six teenagers who discover their parents are supervillains and run away. You can get these in little paperback digests.
Asterix. Kids love ’em.
Tintin is great, and *extremely* literate. If their English is too basic, Tintin might be too overwhelming. But if they can carry a conversation already, it makes a great challenge. The Secret of the Unicorn is a great start — it’s the beginning of a two parter (the second part is Red Rackham’s Treasure) and there are pirates!
I only saw one reference to Judy Blume, which is a shame, cause she’s an excellent read for younger ages. :)
Madeline L’Engle, Narnia, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Dr. Seuss, and Cynthia Voigt (Dicey’s Song). I read the Hobbit when I was 10, loved it and immediately tried to get into the Trilogy…that didn’t work. :/
I also recommend Hitchhiker’s Guide, strangely enough. Its not that hard of a read, and is a fun series.
Great topic! Here’s a list I put together some time back for some young friends of mine:
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women; Eight Cousins; Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women at Christmas (for a shorter read)
Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three (and the rest of the Chronicles of Prydain series)
Anderson, R.J. Faery rebels: spell hunter (by a new fantasy author, this is a terrific book!)
Baum, L. Frank. The wonderful wizard of Oz (and the rest of the Oz books)
Burnett, Frances Hodgson. A little princess; The secret garden
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona Quimby, age 8; Runaway Ralph
Davidson, Margaret. Helen Keller’s teacher
DeAngeli, Marguerite. The door in the wall; Thee, Hannah!
Enright, ELizabeth. The four-story mistake; The Saturdays; Then there were five
Farley, Walter. The black stallion
Fitzgerald, John D. The Great Brain (and the rest of the Great Brain series)
George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the wolves; My side of the mountain
Grahame, Kenneth. The wind in the willows
Henry, Marguerite. Justin Morgan had a horse; King of the wind; Misty of Chincoteague; Stormy, Misty’s foal
Juster, Norton. The phantom tollbooth
Kjelgaard, Jim. Big Red
Konigsburg, E.L. From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Lampman, Evelyn Sibley. Tree wagon
L’Engle, Madeleine. Meet the Austins; A wrinkle in time
Lewis, C. S. The lion, the witch and the wardrobe (and the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia)
Lofting, Hugh. The voyages of Doctor Dolittle
MacDonald, Betty. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
MacDonald, George. At the back of the North Wind; The light princess; The princess and the goblin; The princess and Curdie
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, plain and tall
O’Brien, Robert C. Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH
O’Dell, Scott. Island of the blue dolphins
Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia (and the rest of the series)
Park, Linda Sue. A single shard
Porter, Eleanor Hodgman. Pollyanna
Pratchett, Terry. The amazing Maurice and his educated rodents (HUGE favorite with kids); The wee free men, and its sequels A hat full of sky and Wintersmith; Nation
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (and the sequels)
Scieszka, Jon. The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales
Sidney, Margaret. Five little Peppers
Silverstein, Shel. Where the sidewalk ends
Snicket, Lemony. The bad beginning ( and the rest of the “A series of unfortunate events” books)
Speare, Elizabeth George. Calico captive; The witch of Blackbird Pond.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. A child’s garden of verses
Taylor, Sydney. All-of-a-kind family
White, E. B. Charlotte’s web; Stuart Little; The trumpet of the swan
Wiggin, Kate Douglas. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the big woods (and the rest of the Little House books)
the clementine series by susan juby is hi-larious
I remember devouring the Chronicles of Narnia series when I was 11. Although it has Christian religious overtones, in all but the last book (The Last Battle) they are pretty subtle – if you don’t know they are there, you will probably miss them. Given your location (rural Utah) that probably might not be *too* much of an issue anyway.
I used to love the Trixie Belden mysteries as a kid. I’m not sure about that series, but I think the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew books have been updated for more modern audiences.
Let’s see, what else – oh yeah, Superfudge and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Fairytale anthologies – especially the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen.
Also, give graphic novels a try – especially those of literature classics, like the Hobbit. They can be a good introduction to “the real thing” as their skills increase.
One more vote for the Great Brain series, especially since it’s set in Utah. I grew up there, and found the books had a special resonance for me because of the setting.
Man, now I want to go reread them myself.
I have a ten year old son who’s a rather advanced reader, and in the past few years he’s gone through:
Magic Treehouse and Captain Underpants (when he was quite a bit younger)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black)
Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)
The Wimpy Kid series (Jeff Kinney)
Skeleton Creek (not sure of the author, but there’s also a website that’s integrated into the story)
Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer)
The 39 Clues
How to Train Your Dragon series (Cressida Cowell) – they’re making the first book into a movie now
I tried to get him to read Harry Potter, but he wasn’t interested since we listened to all the books on CD over the period of a few years. I’m also trying to get him interested in Stephen King because I have a huge collection, and I know he’d love it. I figure The Talisman is a good introduction to SK for a tween boy – it’s probably a bit better than Pet Sematary, which was the first one I read back when I was about his age.
I agree with all the previous suggestions, and so will only add ones I didn’t see on the list:
I’m sure Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain are great, but for girls aged 8 to 14 or so, you can’t beat his Vesper Holly series – basically, a cross between Indiana Jones and Nancy Drew.
The Pippi Longstocking books, by Astrid Lindgren et al. (from the ’70s, whoo!)
Freddy the Pig books, by Walter R. Brooks and Kurt Wiese (These books are from the ’30s, but have modern reprints; my father read them to me as a kid, and I remember them being laugh-out-loud funny at the time, but will admit I haven’t read them since)
There are so many good recommendations here. One I would add would be Harriet the Spy — I read that over and over when I was around 9 or 10.
Sars, I see a lot of my very very favorites listed by the other Tomato Nationalists. However, I can’t BELIEVE that nobody has mentioned Keith Robertson as a writer! His books are fabulously funny (or at least, were to me), and they’re suitable for a span of ages, and feature very enterprising boys AND girls: Henry Reed, Inc.; Henry Reed’s Journey; Henry Reed’s Baby-Sitting Service; Henry Reed’s Big Show; and Henry Reed’s Think Tank. Non-Reed books include: Ticktock and Jim: Deputy Sheriffs; The Dog Next Door; In Search of a Sandhill Crane; Tales of Myrtle; and The Carson Street Detective Agency series: The Mystery of Burnt Hill; Three Stuffed Owls; The Crow and the Castle; The Money Machine. The Henry Reed books are particularly subversive; the first one was written in 1958, the last one in 1986, and Henry’s partner in his adventures is a highly capable girl who is younger than he is. It doesn’t seem odd NOW, but for the 50s – wow. And it isn’t presented as if it’s a radical idea, either.
The Henry Reed books are illustrated by Robert McCloskey, who has his own books (written by him, not just illustrated) worth reading: Lentil; Make Way for Ducklings (a Caldecott Medal Book) Homer Price; Blueberries for Sal (a Caldecott Honor Book); Centerburg Tales: More Tales of Homer Price; One Morning in Maine (a Caldecott Honor Book ), Time of Wonder (a Caldecott Medal Book); and Burt Dow, Deep Water-man.
I’d say any or all of the above would be welcome additions on library shelves. I’d also be happy to think that maybe the Tomato Nationalists and any youngsters in their orbit would enjoy them, too.
@Dawn: The Trixie Belden books are being reissued. They’ve only done minimal updating–changing dollar amounts and some of the “hello, period piece” stuff like that, but not much else. I’m having a blast rereading them. :)
I second Sars’ “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” rec. Also, love the Little House books, the Anne of Green Gables books, and above all Sarah Dessen books (she writes books for teen girls–they might be a bit too adult for younger kids).
Annie, would you mind posting the name of the organization?
My mother just retired from teaching, and might be willing to re-home part of her library of children’s books, and I have some duplicates I’d be happy to give to the cause of inspiring new readers. And I kind of want to order some of these to read myself and then pass along…
If you need another data point, my 10-year-old-son loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and it’s tough to tear him away from his comic books.
I’m not sure about their availability, but I’d recommend Gordon Korman’s Macdonald Hall books – he wrote the first one when he was in Grade 7, so they’re definitely accessible to a younger audience. As well as being funny as anything…
How about Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel and illustrated by Maurice Sendak?
I used to love the Shoes series by Noel Streatfield – Ballet Shoes, Theater Shoes, Skating Shoes, Traveling Shoes, etc.
I also liked the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace.
Also, the All-of-A-Kind-Family series by Sydney Taylor.
If you still have a local library, call them. They may be able to set something up where a librarian comes with a stack of books. I have a few classes I do this with–the students look through library books and magazines, and decide on a couple dozen to keep in the classroom for about a month.
That way, they get to see a variety of reading material, and learn how to judge for themselves whether or not they’ll like a book.
From the shelf of the 10 year old boy that lives in my house, I would second Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Capt Underpants, Artemis Fowl, 39 clues all of them are series. I would add Chasing Vermeer/Wright 3/Calder Game series, Harry Potter, Eragon, Peter and the Starcatchers which are also series. The books by Edgar Eager, Pushcart War and Toothpaste Millionaire, Children of the Green Knowe, Daniel Pinkwater’s Hoboken Chicken Emergency and Lizard Music most of which are my childhood books, but he enjoyed them when I inflicted them upon him.
i didn’t read every single rec, but I can’t believe the dearth of horse-related entries… am I the only person that still has a box of horse books that they will NEVER part with??? For the animal loving kids, then:
I read voraciously today thanks to Margeurite Henry’s Little Fellow. That was the book that took me from word-calling to reading and that is a day I’ll never forget. Anything she wrote would be on my list, provided, of course, that the reader likes whatever animal is starring in that book.
Sam Savitt wrote about lots of animals besides his excellent horse stories, all well crafted and with gorgeous illustrations to boot. Sharon Wagner’s Gypsy from Nowhere and sequels follow the basic traumatized-girl-rediscovers-herself-via-horse story with a bit of mystery added, and Sterling North’s Rascal is well worth the read if anyone likes raccoons.
Seconding all the Judy Blume and Cleary recs… I just bought of bunch of Ramonas at the used bookshop.
Waaaaaay upthread, somebody mentioned Follow My Leader… loved that! Makes me feel like fourth grade again!
My immediate first thought was the DIary of a Wimpy Kid series. My son isn’t a big fan of reading but he LOVED those (as in spent his own money to buy one loved) and I thought they were pretty funny myself. He also really liked the first 3 Harry Potter books. After that I think he got intimidated by the sheer length of them.
I remember LOVING Flat Stanley when I was a kid. The younger kids might really like that book. My son also ready that one when he was younger (2nd, 3rd grade?) and liked it.
And Annie — thanks to you and your mom for what you’re doing. Very, very awesome.
DIARY OF A MAD WOMBAT
i’m 50 something, and the book is fascinating, wonderful, fun, great funny illustrations, and you WANT to read it again and again. and look at the picture again. it is perfect for your mom’s kids.
the kids will laugh till their sides hurt, they will learn a bit about wombats and Australia.
http://www.amazon.com/Wombat-Notable-Childrens-Younger-Readers/dp/0618381368
I know that you have no reason to believe me, but BUY THIS BOOK FIRST !
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And there is a website, that talks about this book and other really good children’s books.
the part of the website that does a weekly best children’s book is
http://stickersanddonuts.com/tag/childrens-book/
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For an older child ( 4th grade, maybe?)
The Vampire Bunny
aka
Bunnicula the Vampire Bunny
by James Howe
available at amazon.com
I thought of some others…
Since I graduated to chapter books the summer before kindergarten, my mom was really squirrelly about what she would let me read–the whole Adult Content thing–so the very first chapter books I read were the Carolyn Haywood “Betsy” books. I think that they were all written in the 40s and 50s and are oh-so-wholesome Americana–lemonade stands, doll tea parties, mother sewing a new dress–but I LOVED them. I also read the Maud Hart Lovelace books ALSO about a little girl named Betsy and her two friends, Tacy and Tibb. I seem to remember that they go all the way through Betsy getting married, but also just heaps of wholesomeness.
I second many of the previous posters’ recommendations, especially the Little House books (and the “sequels” about Laura’s mother’s childhood, by Maria D. Wilkes), Joan Aiken, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, and others. I would like to add the Redwall series by Brian Jacques (medieval knights and adventures, but the knights and adventurers are cute fuzzy forest creatures who live in castles and what-not, so they are exciting but also cute) and my all-time favorite childhood book, “Good Night Mr. Tom,” by Michelle Magorian. This book is set in WWII England and does have some heavy themes, including the near-deadly physical abuse of the main character at the hands of his mother, but it is wonderful and redemptive and will make you cry every time. Maybe better for older readers and even then you might want to pre-read if you can and make your own judgment.
Ditto on Island of the Blue Dolphins. Any and all of Scott O’Dells books are very engaging.
Also Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George.
While awards may or may not always be telling, I’d recommend checking the full list of Newbery Medal winners – there’s a list of winners for a reason!
I confess that I’ve only skimmed the comments (170 so far, wtg!), but I thought I’d recommend another resource I haven’t seen listed yet: the Reading is Fundamental website. http://tinyurl.com/o3jjgc
They have book lists for various age ranges that could be helpful, but I especially liked some of the other ideas and tips — like creating a construction paper “bookworm” for each child and adding a new segment to the worm for each book they read.
Maphead, by Lesley Howarth. Seriously, this book is SO GOOD.
These are all for the middle school age group – definitely for older kids and contemporary authors.
Jodi Lynn has a series – the first title is Glory – that is great and an easy read. It is about a girl from a crazy, almost cult-ish religious community who is expelled for misbehavior. She is forced to drink something she is told will kill her horribly, then cast out and left to die. The story is about her struggle to see the world before she dies.
Edward Bloor usually has high-interest books for boys. I especially like Tangerine.
Chris Crutcher also has high-interest books for boys, but girls often like them, too. Very sports-oriented.
Laurie Halse Anderson – anything by her. Specifically Speak, Catalyst and Fever 1792
The Bluford High series is a huge hit with my school’s intensive reading classes.
Jerry Spinelli is also great. Stargirl was a fun read.
Oh, and you can check out www dot teenreads dot com for student-written reviews, interviews and recs.
I *loved* the Indian in the Cupboard series (by Lynne Reid Banks) when I was a kid. They were great stories and tied in a bit of history, which is fun.
@Bev: I love “diary of a wombat”. So very, very true.
I’d also like to add the Morris Gleitzman books if they’re available at all – they seem to appeal a lot to (roughly) 10 year old boys – lot of snot jokes – and the language is very accessible.
When I was in fourth grade, I read “Where the Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls. And then I cried and made my best friend read it, and she cried. Also, must chime in to agree with the recommendations of the Little House books, the Anne of Green Gables books, the Great Brain books. I picked up a copy of “The Witch of Blackbird Pond” for myself at a garage sale recently because I freaking loved that book. I’m also a fan of “The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline” by Lois Lowry. And count me among those who read all the Ramona books.
Jeez, this is taking me back!
There are so many excellent suggestions here. Just reading the names brought back many happy memories.
I have a few manga titles to recommend. The graphics are a big part of the storytelling, and there are all sorts of different stories available that way. The back-to-front, right-to-left reading pattern is also intriguing for some kids (others will just find it lame).
Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, and Naruto are some of my favorites. All three are action-adventure, coming-of-age stories with a very strong underlying message of friendship or brotherhood.
@Sars: “Maybe some Herriot, if they like animals? I don’t know about the grade level on those — I don’t remember having to look anything up, but some of the Britishisms are tricky for American/ESL readers in grade school — but I always remember his battle to eat as many giant pickled onions as that other vet.”
Herriot also for the people that inhabited them, vivid characters that were so alive you wondered what they were doing long after you finished the books.
I always remember how he had to relieve the rich lady’s little dog of his wind/gas problem by squeezing his bottom. And that the dog enjoyed it immensely. He also seemed to always have his entire arm up some poor cow’s backside too………
I like the idea of reading something in your native language and then rereading it in your foreign language. I did that while learning French and knowing the story line made it easier to concentrate on grammar & vocab without getting bored.
This may have been addressed earlier, but are you looking for books that the kids can relate to based on their experiences? Sandra Cisneros might be a little above the reading level you’re looking for, but that was the first thing I thought of.
Looking on the Amazon Spanish language list for kids/YA there’s a bunch of Stuff by Francisco Jimenez.
Also, any of the Roald Dahl or Neil Gaiman that is meant for kids would be good.
@LaBella Donna – Goodness! I haven’t thought of the Henry Reed books in years, and I LOVED them. My Amazon wish list is about to get longer…
Most of the books I loved have already been mentioned many times, but here’s a couple more:
A A Milne – When We Were Very Young, Now We Are Six, etc – at least for the younger kids, though I don’t believe you’re ever too old for Pooh
Terry Pratchett – He’s got several “children’s” series – the Tiffany Aching books and Amazing Maurice are the most recent, but there are older ones as well: The Carpet People; Truckers, Diggers & Wings; Johnny and the Bomb, Johnny and the Dead, and Only You Can Save Mankind. They’re intelligently written, and hilarious. The Britishisms are fairly minimal, and shouldn’t get in the way
@Mary Beth: Aw, “Where the Red Fern Grows” was, come to think of it, probably my first experience with the sort of book that makes you all sniffly and teary-eyed. Good stuff.
And man, reading all these recommendations has opened the nostalgia floodgates for rillz. I can’t for the life of me think of where all my kids-reading-level books have gotten to, and that makes me sad. To throw my hat in the ring:
– ‘The Egypt Game’ by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, if no one’s already mentioned it (it’s on the Newbury list, at least). It’s unusually dark for such a young reading level, but it fires the imagination so wonderfully.
– Someone mentioned ‘Julie of the Wolves’ by Jean Craighead George, which is great, but even beyond that I’d recommend her “environmental mysteries”, which are part of a loose series: ‘The Firebug Connection’, ‘The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo’, and ‘Who Killed Cock Robin?’. They’re science-y but not too complex for kids, and they’re great introductions to the idea of environmental stewardship.
Whoops. That’s ‘Who Really Killed Cock Robin?’ (for nitpicking’s sake).
Oh, and! ‘Oliver Dibbs to the Rescue,’ another environmentally-themed kids’ book. It involves prairie dogs, and it’s a really easy read. (I read this book SO MANY TIMES as a kid. I was a card-carrying treehugger at, like, seven.)
Okay. Done now. Maybe.
I manage a bookstore, and a book that I loved as a kid that I constantly recommend to reluctant readers is The Westing Game. I know a bajillion people have recommended it, but it is so fab, AND if you have a Books-A-Million near you, they may have it in their bargain kids section (we have it at my store for $1.97).
We also do a storytime at my store, and I’ve gotten super hooked on the Junie B. Jones stories. Girl readers get so engaged by them, and she is a mouthy broad for a first grader. GREAT character.
Carl Hiaasen writes great kids books; action-packed, hilarious, and educational without being preachy. “Hoot” won a Newbery, and there is a great price on it here: http://tinyurl.com/ybgra7o
Oh, also, ANYTHING by Mo Willems for the younger kids. His “Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus” storybook series is one of the most hilarious things I have ever read in my life.
Loved The Incredible Journey so much I still have my copy. As I do of North to Freedom (about escaping the Nazis, I think). And I read all the Black Stallion books (still available in stores and libraries). The Prince and the Pauper was a hit for me, too. (I don’t save many books, so that some of these still reside is a sign of how good they were. I gave a suitcase full of books to my post-college fiance’s sisters. Then didn’t marry him. ACK! Oh well, the books were well used, I’m sure.)
I have friends who loved The Chronicles of Narnia when they were kids and even now, but I can’t get into them. If you send me an addy at bodiva at comcast dot net I’ll send a set of nearly new Chronicles that sits here taunting me.
Patricia C. Wrede (she also has some race issues, but not in the Dragons books).
This is true, as far as it goes; let me say that while I heartily love those books, the reason there are no race issues in them is that there are no human people who aren’t white.
I don’t have time to read through all the comments tonight, but it sounds like these kids need what are called “high interest/low reading level” (or sometimes just “high/low”) books. One of my absolute favorite publishers is a Canadian company called Orca. Their Soundings (high school interests) and Currents (middle school interests) books are engaging, well-written, interesting to modern teens, and are written at about a third grade reading level, if I remember correctly. All their books that I’ve read have been wonderful stories that I thoroughly enjoyed, and they look, to the reader, just like any other YA novel or chapter book. (Not those boring, odd size, ‘remedial’ looking books kids won’t be caught dead with.)
Australian author John Marsden has a great back catalog of books for children all the way through to young adult. His most popular series, starting with “Tomorrow when the War Began”, is being turned into a large scale production film which is very exciting for hardcore fans like myself.
I don’t think these have been mentioned previously, but I would actually recommend some of the Star Wars readers for 1st through 3rd graders.
My 8 yr-old brother is really reluctant to read most anything but he absolutely devours all of those Clone Wars books. I’ve just got him started on the Jedi Quest chapter books too.
Other recommendations for younger kids that my little brothers love:
The Bunnicula books
Shel Silverstein
Also recommend:
Diana Wynne Jones (particulary Howl’s Moving Castle)
Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonsong/Dragonsinger books
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (her Goose Girl series is also excellent)
I’d also highly recommend any of Meg Cabot’s Grade School or Young Adult books. They’re easy to fly through and they drop right into the head of (usually hilarious) teen-aged girls.
Anything by Shel Silverstein. Lots of pictures, short poems, and so amazing.