OT! Books Lists For Kids

[badblackpug]

I got to thinking about this while replying the the chore/activity thread, so here goes:

Summer is coming and I like to keep the kids brains active. I "make" them read every day. I'd love to hear other parents and kids favorites. Ages, genders and titles please!

 

[PixiePlanner]

series: American Chillers by Jonathan Rand 3rd-4th grade

series: Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne 2nd-3rd grade

series: Junie B Jones by Barbara Park 1st-2nd grade

My son is also re-reading Harry Potter books 1-5. 6&7 I have read but haven't let him read them yet. They're a little dark.

 

[nicolepdonnelly]

Summer is a great time to do a reading game at the local library- or make your own. Make a little contract with how many minutes child reads a day and they keep a log you sign. When increments are met- small prize is awarded.

great books...
Magic Treehouse and Time Warp Trio are great for 3rd-5th grade- we did a project last summer to prepare for our trip to Italy. I got the kids a copy of Monday with a Mad Genius and some picture books about the Renaissance and they really enjoyed it and doing extra research. They read a Time Warp trio about Gladiators too, lots of dun.
If kids are younger you can read to them.

For middle schoolers a great new series is Tunnels and Deeper- exciting and full of colorful vocabulary.

 

[minniebeth]

Are you looking for specific ages/grade levels?
I used to teach and have tons of lists, but would need to target what you are looking for...
Books are my passion!

 

[wishtdream]

Summer is a great time to do a reading game at the local library- or make your own. Make a little contract with how many minutes child reads a day and they keep a log you sign. When increments are met- small prize is awarded.

[\quote]

I would do that but DD 6 can and sometimes does read a Junie B book a day. She did it quite often last summer when she was 5.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

My boys are 8 and 10. The following are things they are listening to on cd or reading and really enjoying:

Snow Treasure - Marie McSwigan - superb book about kids in Norway at the onset of WWII, my kids adore it (out of print, get it at the library)

The Hundred and One Dalmations - Dodie Smith - so much better than the movies

the Bunnicula series - James Howe - really cute stories about a bunch of pets, including a neurotic cat, a vampire bunny, and a dog that doesn't like to bark

the Geronimo Stilton series - from Scholastic by an Italian author (can't remember the name) - my boys prefer this to the Magic Tree House books and the writing is much better
Any of the DK Star Wars books

the Henry and Mudge books - don't remember the author, but books about a boy and his dog

The Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III series - Cressida Cowell - about an inept Norse boy-pirate who somehow keeps saving the day. Emphasizes that brains trump brawn over and over titles include How to Train your Dragon, How to Be a Pirate, and many others. Full of boy humor (farty jokes, names like "Norbert No-brains" but really really funny) (and David Tennant reads the cds; unfortunately they are only available in Britain)

The Four Story Mistake, Then There Were Five, Spiderweb for Two (the last three books of the Melendi Quartet) - Elizabeth Enright - written during and just after WWII about a family who has great everyday adventures.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

Also, just about anything by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, The BFG to name a few)

The Boxcar Children and its sequals - Gertrude Chandler Warner - about some orphans who don't want to live with their grandfather, after book 1 they love living with him and find all sorts of mysteries to solve.

 

[RMulieri]

We usually go to our local library and do their summer reading program.I have gotten great lists of books for each age group from them

 

[Fabinva]

We get a Summer reading list from their school and they get to do reports on their reading or drawings (k-1st graders) that they turn first week of school year.
My DS last summer was seven and so into Goosenbumps, he read those along with some from school list. My DD6 likes Junnie B. Jones and Katie Kazzoo (sp?) series. Both kids also like Magic Tree house books.

 

[KristiMc]

My ds is 8 and finishing 2nd grade. He loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, & The 39 Clues series (can't wait for book 4 to come out in June). He is currently reading Harry Potter book 1.

 

[NotUrsula]

The American Library Association's 2009 Notable Books for Children:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/childrensnotable/notablechibooks/index.cfm

Previous year's lists are here:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/a...otable/notablechibooks/ncbpastlists/index.cfm

 

[badblackpug]

Nope, not looking for anything in particular. Just wondering what other kids are reading or have read.

 

[Tammysue5]

We have many different titles we have enjoyed. Many of the titles other posters have shared. We LOVE to read over the summer. The boys read everything (ex. Harry Potter) Last son is graduating next week.
We just took DD10 and DD7 to the book store for 2 books to get them started for the summer. DD10 (for some reason LOVES the civil war era...and has a fondness for President Lincoln) she chose 1 book about Abraham Lincoln...he lived for 10,000+ days and these 10 days changed our lives and his forever.....I don't have the title in front of me) She also started one of the series books. She reads at a 9.3 level (which can sometimes prove difficult for mom to allow books that keep her entertained and still be appropriate. )

We actually look forward to our reading time. The kids usually read in the mornings.... then jump in the pool....they have their books ready to read on the deck...and during breaks from the pool they are sitting at the patio table reading. They have always been part of the summer reading program. Never has it been an issue getting them to read.....

I think it is because they have fun picking out books. DD7 has been lucky she has all the books her brothers and sister have gotten over the years.

 

[Aneille]

My first grader is currently enjoying the Cam Jansen mystery series. She devoured the first 2 in 3 days. I just picked up #3 and #4 for her today.

She also has enjoyed reading some of Magic Treehouse series, Junie B Jones, the Stink Series, and Diary of the Wimpy Kid.


On a side note, I recently read The Penderwicks and thought it was a great book. I can't wait until my 7 year old is ready to read it. I would guess its probably aimed for girls 9 yrs and up.

 

[ya librarian]

Speaking as a youth services librarian, I know the key to getting them to read without complaining is having them find something that interests them. Public library summer reading programs and the ALA website are good sources of book lists. I have sadly found that the lists our schools put out tend to be heavy on the curriculum items as well as what I think of as "dead white guys." Nothing wrong with the "classics," but do you only watch movies made before 1950? Your kid will want to read what other kids are reading too. (Captain Underpants rules!)

Don't forget that there are books galore on snakes, turtles, dirt bikes, dinosaurs and even traveling to WDW. Non-fiction really works for that reluctant reader who is only interested in skateboarding (one of my recent challenges).

In addition to the authors/titles/series suggested above, books by Andrew Clements (Frindle), Matt Christopher (sports), Jame Howe (Bunnicula, The Misfits), Diane Wynne Jones (So You Want to be a Wizard series), the Echo Falls Mysteries, the Sammy Keyes Mysteries (like Nancy Drew but snappy and modern), and Encyclopedia Brown Mysteries are all popular summer reading for grades 2/3 - 6 in our library system. Christopher Paul Curtis is an award-winning author who kids really enjoy (The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963). His stuff is both serious and humorous, humor being a very attractive quality in a book for kids.

Manga, particularly Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z and Naruto, are really hot with boys in 4 - 9 grades. Pokemon is still popular with younger kids. Lots of girls enjoy manga too. Just be aware that not all manga is created equal; in Japan, adults read it too, so look for the rating code on the cover (just like movie ratings). Kids also seem to be mad about Spiderman again.

If you have teens, vampire books (think Twilight) are flying off the shelves for both sexes, as is manga. Teens also like funny books but won't admit it. Christopher Paul Curtis strikes again with Bucking the Sarge for teens. My favorite funny book for grades 5 and up is No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman. If you hate those stories where the dog dies, you'll love this book too!

 

[lindsmom]

DD7 (entering 3rd grade next fall) has read all the Junie B's, all the Rainbow Fairies, all the Tiara Clubs, most of the Pony Crazed Princess series, almost finished Cam Jansen. Occasionally she reads Nancy Drew Clue Crew (younger version of Nancy), Ivy & Bean, some American Girl books... When she finds a series she likes, she devours the whole set (preferably in order, she's a bit OCD there).

She didn't like Magic Tree House when she was in first, but we might try them again next year.

Oh, and a few Boxcar Children and lots of Bailey School kids.

 

[andyjack]

Summer is a great time to do a reading game at the local library- or make your own. Make a little contract with how many minutes child reads a day and they keep a log you sign. When increments are met- small prize is awarded.

great books...
Magic Treehouse and Time Warp Trio are great for 3rd-5th grade- we did a project last summer to prepare for our trip to Italy. I got the kids a copy of Monday with a Mad Genius and some picture books about the Renaissance and they really enjoyed it and doing extra research. They read a Time Warp trio about Gladiators too, lots of dun.
If kids are younger you can read to them.

For middle schoolers a great new series is Tunnels and Deeper- exciting and full of colorful vocabulary.

I'm so glad you mentioned Tunnels and Deeper. I saw these books this morning at the book fair but had forgotten their names by the time I got home. I meant to go back and buy them but I didn't have time.

 

[ya librarian]

Well, shoot, the minute I hit "post" I thought of a great series for summer, especially for middle school boys: The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. the first book is The Lightning Thief. We have it in the teen section of our library--that is, when there are actually copies in stock! Fantasy, action-adventure, humor, and a sneaky dose of Greek mythology. The author has a website if you want to preview the books; you can even hear him read the first chapter of several of them. Recommended for age 10 and up.

 

[Tommys Mommy]

I'm always on the lookout for humorous books to add to our "mix" of reading. My DS8 read all of the Franny K. Stein books this past fall & thought they were really funny. He also enjoyed the Humpty Dumpty Jr, Hard Boiled Detective books; I think the third one is due out this summer. Also, how about the "My Weird School" series by Dan Gutman? I even thought those were pretty funny.

 

[badblackpug]

Speaking as a youth services librarian, I know I have sadly found that the lists our schools put out tend to be heavy on the curriculum items as well as what I think of as "dead white guys." Nothing wrong with the "classics," but do you only watch movies made before 1950? Your kid will want to read what other kids are reading too. (Captain Underpants rules!)

Thank you! I have long felt this way. I allow my kids to pick out anything they want (that is appropriate to their maturity level) as "recreational" reading. I knew a woman who wouldn't allow her daughter to read "Captain Underpants" because it was "silly" and "not educational." My kids have all, at some point, really enjoyed "Captain Underpants." I think any time spent reading is educational. We try to alternate books of their choice with the school's summer reading list.