My mother in-law gave Mikey the Boba Fett Omnibus for his birthday. I recommended a Star Wars graphic novel of some sort because (1) Mikey loves Star Wars and (2) Mikey takes after his mother and can’t seem to go a day without reading something. My mother in-law knocked it out of the park with this one. I wasn’t aware there were omnibuses and was expecting a quick 40 page book for Mikey to burn through in an hour or two. This one is 496 pages and it took him about a week to finish. He loved it and would often share with me intricate plot points and funny dialog. I pretended I wasn’t bored to tears. Boys and Star Wars. Does it ever end?
Mikey is a really good reader. He was recently tested at school with the rest of his class and is reading at 4th grade (independent) and 5th grade (instructional) levels. His teachers want the children reading 20 minutes per day over the long summer break and I’m all for it. I would like to read the Harry Potter series with him, but I made the mistake of getting a little too enthusiastic with my character voices when we first tried the series over a year ago. I may have laughed a really spooky Voldemort cackle that gave Mikey nightmares, causing him to vow at 3:00 am to never read or watch Harry Potter so long as he lives.
I asked him last night to give me one more shot if I promised to keep the theatrics to a minimum.
Aside from Harry Potter, are there any other good books at Mikey’s level that he should read over the summer? And how do I find books appropriate for his reading level? I’m looking on Amazon but everything is broken down by age range. How old are 4th graders, 9 years old? Scholastic has this neat book finder, but it’s limited to Scholastic books. Mikey has already read all the Magic Tree House books. How about Lemony Snicket? Is it scary? Mikey isn’t a fan of scary; he’s a wimp like me. Oh, I know! C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia! That might be the one we get for the summer if I can’t get him to forgive me for the Voldemort incident.
Lemony Snicket isn’t scary, per se, but the orphans get a handful of misery doled out to them in every book, and starting at about book 7 they get a little darker. They don’t mess around. But don’t get me wrong, they’re definitely not nearly as scary or dark as the later 3 of the Harry Potter series. I love the Lemony Snicket books (I don’t have kids, just love good children’s literature) and think they are definitely well worth a read.
Dare I suggest Hardy Boys and/or Boxcar Children? Those and Nancy Drew were my 3rd-7th grade joys thanks to my parents’ old childhood collections, though I’m guessing he’s not a fan of Nancy Drew. =) I got in trouble more than once in school for reading at my desk instead of reading my textbook, even in 3rd grade, ha!
I was also a huge Enid Blyton fan, but she’s British and might be hard to find in So.Cal. Adventure and mystery books were my faves as a kid (and I was always light years ahead of my age group’s reading level -too bad it wasn’t the same with my math skills, ha!).
I also have an advanced reader, and we struggled finding books appropriate for his reading level that were also age-appropriate. Some favorites in the past couple years: A Cricket in Times Square, anything by Beverly Cleary (esp. the Henry books and Socks), Lunch Lady graphic novel series, Jigsaw Jones series (pretty easy, quick reads), many Roald Dahl books (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the BFG, the Magic Finger…), How to Train Your Dragon series, The Phantom Tollbooth, some Judy Blume (all the Fudge books and Freckle Juice). We always check the junior graphic novel section of our library, as well as the science/nonfiction. Oh! and a good gift suggestion for grandparents is a magazine subscription; our favorite for Mikey’s age is Ask Magazine (a Cricket magazine). My son saves his and rereads them all the time, but at 8 1/2, has moved up to the next level magazine, Muse.
oh, and Beverly Cleary’s books: Mouse and the Motorcycle -all the Ralph books, and all the Henry and Ribsy books too while I’m at it. Those are great books; good clean fun.
And I just remembered: The Spiderwick Chronicles. My son ate those up last year. Not super scary.
My eldest boy turns 7 in September and he is really advanced in his reading as well. Below are a few of the books we’re reading with him or contemplating reading with him. They are all series books and might be something that Mikey is interested in. I strongly suggest Percy Jackson and the Olympians. We’ve read through the first two with Kaleb and he absolutely gobbled them up.
Added bonus: I know that Nicholas very much likes dinosaurs – and How to Train Your Dragon is all about dragons, which are just another form of large reptile. You might get a two-for-one and get both of the boys interested.
Suggestions:
The Hardy Boys
Nancy Drew
39 Clues
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
How to Train Your Dragon
Guardians of Ga’hoole
Encyclopedia Brown
Hope these suggestions help!
Chronicles of Prydain (The Book of Three is the first one) by Lloyd Alexander might challenge him, but he would love it.
One of my eight year old boys loved A Little Princess, which also has the virtue of being long.
Also, not only Ask but also any other of the Carus magazines–Cricket is a fantastic literary magazine.
Oh, wow! So many great suggestions already! I completely forgot about the Mouse and the Motorcycle. I remember my brothers reading that and Ramona from Beverly Clearly. (I read Ramona, too.) That’s the problem with advanced readers–the maturity gap between a 7 year old and a 9/10 year old is wide, and some of the books at his reading level are not age appropriate for him, like Melissa mentioned.
Keep them coming! I can already see this is going to be an awesome summer.
Sounds like our boys are two of a kind! When not checking out 10 Star Wars books from the library, mine very much enjoyed books by Eleanor Estes, Elizabeth Enright, and Edward Eager. He likes a little bit of magic, reading books that come in a series(just started in on Hardy Boys), and nothing too “creepy.”
The Boxcar Children, perhaps? The first one is the best, of course, but they’re all great. D and I both read them as kids and loved them, so perhaps that’s proof that they are equally good for boys and girls.
I loved, loved, loved Encyclopedia Brown.
The Ramona books, which I guess are probably more popular with girls, but I think boys could appreciate them.
Anything by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, although a couple of those might be construed as spooky, so you might want to check that first.
If I had nothing to do but read young adult books all day, I’d be a happy camper. My dream job would be to edit young adult books. Which is probably the dream job of approximately 3 million other people.
I second the Roald Dahl books. Our son, who will turn 5 next week, loved listening and helping to read James and the Giant Peach (we just finished it last night). Your boys might both enjoy it and I bet you probably wouldn’t scare them too much with voices for Centipede or Ladybug. We’ve read Ralph S. Mouse, Charlotte’s Web, The Tale of Despereaux, all the C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia…and I’m running out of ideas. I prefer to read chapter books at night. There’s just something about leaving off on Chapter 17 and drifting off to sleep, wondering what will happen next (and it motivates our son to get ready for bed the following night b/c he’s excited to find out!). All of the books have been appropriate for our son (so far) though Dahl uses the other word for donkey. If Mikey likes graphic novels, the Tintin series is entertaining and we’ve read a few of the Muppets series (King Arthur, Robin Hood, etc). Good luck – would love to know what you choose so we can add to our list!
I echo the recs for Boxcar Children and The Chronicles of Narnia. Although I admit, I think I mostly loved the Boxcar Children because of my totally romanticized vision of setting up a little house. And being an orphan. (And do you remember the awesome chowder they made on the island??) And OMG, I just googled it and realized that their last name is the same as mine (Alden)!!! But I digress.
I love the posts about your boys. I have 2 daughters (2 and 5 yo) and it’s so fun to get a glimpse of what life might have been like with two boys instead!
Jules,
The above mentioned are wonderful suggestions,
And Boxcar Children series is wholesome enough
For young readers. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is popular
Among the 5th grade set but content may be a bit advanced
For a soon to be 2nd grader. I suggest googling “leveled readers”
For a list or check with your local library too. Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary,
Diary of a Wimpy Kid all good choices too.
I loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Anything else I read would probably not be appreciated by Mikey (Little House in the Prairie, Judy Blume, Anne of Green Gables). Maybe you will find something here: http://www.thencbla.org/PTMpages/teachers/greatbooksforboys.html or http://www.bpl.org/kids/booklists/seriesyoungerboys.htm
Perhaps Mikey would enjoy The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston. Here is the description from my local library:
A lonely young boy comes to live in an old English country house and has fanciful adventures with the children who played there generations ago.
You can preview the first few pages at Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Children-Green-Knowe-L-Boston/dp/0152024689/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1#_
These are repeat suggestions, but two books I especially enjoyed hearing read aloud when I was around that age were The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster) and Matilda (Roald Dahl). I just read this review of The Phantom Tolbooth from Amazon and it sounds about right:
” I read [The Phantom Tollbooth] first when I was 10. I still have the book report I wrote, which began ‘This is the best book ever.'”
–Anna Quindlen, The New York Times
FOR SURE try Judy Bloom’s Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (and that whole series with Fudge). So funny for adults as well as kids.
I can’t believe no on else has suggested this (or maybe I haven’t read closely enough), but I suggest Ask A Librarian. Seriously, that’s what they’re there for.
Says the former librarian :-)
Ooh, and wearing my librarian hat – I just remembered that John Scieszka, author of The Stinky Cheese Man, has a series called Guys Read featuring boys’ favorite authors writing for boys. Good stuff.
Oh, I tried! She was clueless. I actually wondered if she was a librarian and not just a reference clerk.
I was a voracious reader as a very young child (and still am.) Your post made me recall a series I read in early elementary school. I’m not sure if it is still all in print, but your library would likely have it. It is called the Alvin Fernald series, about a boy inventor, his side kick friend “Shoie” and tag-along little sister “the Pest”. It was originally published in the 60s, but I read it in the early 90s, and found it captivating then. The first one from the series is available on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Marvelous-Inventions-Alvin-Fernald/dp/193090021X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308373741&sr=8-1 I think the suggested age range is 8-12. The only heads up is I’m sure Mikey and Nicholas will start coming up with inventions of their own–my sister and I sure did ;o)
Also, I remember my one of my little sister’s teacher’s reading aloud “The BFG” (The Big Friendly Giant) by Roald Dahl to her class, and she loved it. Also, one year for my sister’s birthday my mom had to go on a business trip and she made an audio recording of herself reading us a children’s edition of Anne of Green Gables. We loved that tape. To this day we can recite passages (especially the sections where my mom made mistakes) Just an idea to keep in mind.
Oh my gosh! What an awesome mom you have! Great idea. :)
Roald Dahl cracked me up, anything by him, but my favorite is Mathilda -hilarious! Encyclopedia Brown was also great.
The Borrowers: little people living in big humans’ homes…totally fascinated me as a child. I wondered if Borrowers lived in our house. =)
Oh I used to love my weekly trips to the library! I had my own bag. Now I’m wishing the libraries over here were like the American ones, sigh.
This is a UK website http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/ but most of the books would be available in the US too and the recommendations are spot on. He might like the Scream Street series. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a must. Captain Underpants is a bit rude but engaging. The Beast Quest series are very easy readers (maybe too easy?).
Percy Jackson has been the biggest winner for my son. He could not put them down.
You could graduate him on to Alex Rider as he gets more confident (probably age 10 – 11).
Michael Morpurgo books fab for his age too.
I read Watership Down and Hobbit/Lord of the Rings obsessively at about his age, and repeatedly through my teens. Each year, I discovered more to them as I matured. The original Tarzan books might be fun for a boy too. Rudyard Kipling’s stories were always amazing and age appropriate.
I just read an article about a website ReadKiddoRead.com that claims to give reccommendations for books to inrtrigue for all levels. I haven’t checked it out yet but I plan to. Maybe worth a peek for you?
Oh, I’m so glad somebody said Encyclopedia Brown!! Those were awesome! I also loved the Borrowers and all the Roald Dahl books (especially the BFG). Lemony Snicket is okay. A bit gloomy, but they have good themes — sticking together, being brave and clever, overcoming bad circumstances. They get really formulaic and repetitive, though. The constant vocabulary lessons are annoying. But maybe not for a kid.
I really loved the Klutz series as a kid. They’re not fiction, they’re all about different activities and crafts. But they’re great for keeping you busy in the summer time and I think help encourage you to figure things out on your own.
Wow, Great suggestions! I’m always looking for series for my 8 year old. I will have to bookmark this post. I recently read The Mysterious Benedict Society. It is a little advanced for my son, but sounds like it might be perfect for yours. There is a whole series.
Our whole family is reading the Bone Series. It’s a comic book series, so it won’t take him long to read, but all of us are enjoying it.
My son just got the first book in the Big Nate series and he seems to be really enjoying it. Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are also favorites. He is also working his way through a lot of Roald Dahl’s books.
Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries are hot in my summer program right now. I have 3 kids that bring books daily (yay!) and that’s what they are spending their time reading. They are all in between their 4th and 5th grade years if that’s any help, but have been reading the series for well over a year now.
When I was a Reading and English teacher, I used Perma-Bound’s website to order most of my books. They list books by reading level and intelligence level, which is very helpful if you have a student of higher or lower reading level than their age. You have to have an account to order from the website, but you could use it as a guide for what books to buy from Amazon. http://www.perma-bound.com/library/
I’ve been busy scribbling down all these suggestions – some I have, some I’d forgotten – for my six year old who’s reading a good few years above his age. But I agree that there’s an emotional maturity gap to consider when you have an able reader. We tried Harry Potter on my son last summer but Voldemort scared him to pieces (but will give him another go this summer!). Narnia was much beloved. Also, Blyton’s Famous Five and Adventure series; Pippi Longstocking (not just for girls!); the Moomins; Astrosaurs; the Mr Gum books. If Mikey likes animals, perhaps try Lauren St John’s books, The White Giraffe, Last Leopard etc. and Michael Morpurgo’s Butterfly Lion.
A couple more I haven’t seen mentioned…the Poppy series by Avi (about a mouse and other animals) and one of my favorites, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. And the graphic novel series Owly.
My kids are very open to poetry anthologies, and I’ve been trying to encourage that. Shel Silverstein gets checked out of the library repeatedly.
Just my opinion, but while Diary of a Wimpy Kid is very popular in my house, it’s definitely middle school issues and humor. That said, my now 3rd grader reads them over and over. He also likes 39 Clues, but a year ago I think they would have been too scary (and a little over his comprehension, even though he could read the words).
A little more age appropriate are the Stink books (Judy Moody’s little brother). These are good for independent reading, while Poppy and Mrs. Frisby are more challenging and make good read-aloud with an adult choices.
My son is insane for Star Wars too! Didn’t know those books existed! My son is going into fourth this fall. Right now he is reading the second book in the series The Name of This Book is a Secret – Pseudonymous Bosch. He loves it! Chapter book with some illustrations. Adventure, magic! It’s got it all. He also loved Dahl. He burned through most of his books in third grade. It’s great variety since they are all different lengths. Another fun one that you might find at the library is the Nicholas series by Ren� Goscinny. It’s a recently translated series that was first published in France in the 50s. It has great characters and illustrations. A very mischievous boy that your son may enjoy following!
i second (third? fourth?) many of the recommendations above. you can’t go wrong with roald dahl, e.b. white, or beverly cleary.
i was thinking of books i loved as a kid that would specifically appeal to boys–my side of the mountain, the sign of the beaver, and hatchet came to mind. they all have a similar adventure/survival theme. (maybe a bit advanced, though? you might consider them as a read-aloud.)
homer price by robert mccloskey would be good as an independent read. oh, and the great brain books!
My nine year old guy seconds all those mentioned by Tanyia and adds:
Dragon Rider
Dragon of Lonely Island
Hardy Boys (the originals. I’m not a fan of the new graphic novels and have nixed those.)
Because of Winn Dixie
City of Ember series
I have three boys and they all LOVE Pippi Longstocking. There’s a new edition illustrated by Lauren Child and it’s hilarious. Also, The Railway Children (different from The Boxcar Children), Pollyanna and Just David by Eleanor H. Porter. My boys always balk at reading stories about girls, but they end up loving them.
Daulaire’s history books don’t have chapters but they are a good long read and SO well written. My 8-year-old loved Leif Erickson and Columbus.
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
Heidi
I love the old books, though, can you tell?