Summer reading suggestions for 2nd grader at an advanced reading level?

[texasteacher35]

Enchanted Forest books, or Narnia??

 

[texasteacher35]

The Dollhouse People and there is a sequel. I loved these books...the stories were really good! Read these with my daughter wen she was younger.

My son was tested in Illinois and he can 'read' at a 10th grade level...which sounds ridiculous...comprehends at a 7/8th grade level...but no book is appropriate for him at that level, so we have to keep it an a more enjoyable read. We are going to start Diary of a Wimpy Kid and some Percy/Olympians series books. magic treehouse waaaay too easy, even though he likes the story lines.

 

[jkearson]

My 3rd graders love the Rainbow Fairies series. They are easy reads. My more advanced students like the 39 Clues series of mysteries. "Skinnybones" and "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" are also very popular. "The Hundred Dresses" is one of my favorites and I believe all children should read it.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Popular in our house--Roald Dahl books (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG, etc.), the Great Brain series by J.D. Fitzgerald, and the all-time favorite, Phantom Tollbooth, by Norman Juster. My DS7 got dinged by his teacher for not reading well out loud--it's because he doesn't like to be "told" to read, little brat!--but he loves reading Phantom Tollbooth. Go figure! I think the word play appeals to him.

We also let him read the first three Harry Potter books, but we do try to be aware of content. He has older siblings--oldest starts college this fall--so there are books in our house that aren't appropriate.

I second the idea of asking the librarian. My kids beg to go to the library, there's just something about picking out your very own books!

A little OT, but look for reading programs, too--you know, read X books over the summer, get a prize. TD Bank gives you $10 for reading 10 books if you have an account there. This is good up to age 18, and is the easiest money my kids ever made!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Um, how advanced? How about the Harry Potter series? At lest the first two or three.

 

[lucyem]

1) Why not visit your local library?
2) Librarians are trained in such book list recommendations.
3) I bet they would be overjoyed to help an ambitious reader.
4) They LIVE for that!

I am a refernce librarian and this is exactly what i would suggest. This is something we do all the time.

 

[minnieandfamily]

My daughter is entering 2nd grade and is also reading at an advanced level. I am having the same problem trying to find books for her that are age appropriate yet challenging enough. She is currently reading the Ramona series, but will need some ideas after that! I will definitely be checking out the suggestions on this thread!

Here are some series that she has enjoyed:

Whatever After by Sarah Mlynowski
Mermaid Tales by Debbie Dadey
Never Girls by Kiki Thorpe and Jana Christy
My Little Pony chapter books by G.M. Berrow
Magic Kitten/Pony/Puppy/Bunny

I also search online for school summer reading lists for older grades to get ideas!

 

[Mkrop]

Baily School Kids Series

Flat Stanley Series

 

[amym2]

Doesn't get any easier the older they get! My suggestion would be to lead her to more non-fiction books, as they are typically written at a much higher level. The non-fiction companion Magic Treehouse books are very good and are more a 3rd/4th grade level. Maybe she would be interested in some of the "Who Was..." series- there's even a "Who Was Walt Disney?" My DS11 has been reading those since he was in 2nd grade, and although he is way above that reading level now, he still reads them anytime a new one comes out. There are tons of them at our library or Barnes & Noble- Jim Henson, Sacagawea, Helen Keller, etc.

In terms of fiction, ditto the Andrew Clements or Roald Dahl books. I've never been able to get either of my kids to read Beverly Cleary or Judy Bloom's books, although DD9 and I did read "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" (which I believe is the one with the Santa Claus reference the PP made). DD tried the Boxcar Children but couldn't get into it.

 

[Ginny Favers]

My daughter is an advanced reader going into second grade, too, and right now she is reading her way through the Roald Dahl boxed set.

She also likes the TinkerBell chapter books, and loved Tuck Everlasting. I also just bought her the You're Invited to a Creepover series (her choice!). But honestly, she will read anything, no matter how difficult, if it pertains to her interests (dancing, for one).

Also-- if she likes the Clue Crew, Fancy Nancy has a new set of mystery chapter books. My daughter read the first one last year.

 

[Mkrop]

How about Kingdom Keepers since they are Disney or do you think they might be too scary?

 

[jennylyn_b]

Judy Blume books might be good for her

 

[kbnmommy]

Oh how exciting!!! I love to hear of a child who loves to read!
My suggestions would be anything Rhoald Dahl (The Magic Finger and the BFG were my daughters- and my- favorites), Junie B Jones (not my favorite but my DD couldn't get enough), and def the American Girl books (history and good fiction in one!!!! My DD5 loves these!).

 

[Kemorr]

My DD is an advanced reader, as well and we have the same problem. She is going into first grade and probably reads at a 6th grade level. For reference, she read the entire Beverly Cleary boxed set available at Costco in 10 days last summer before starting kindergarten. The school let her read up to a certain level (3rd grade, which is still way too easy for her) in K, then stopped advancing her and decided to work on her writing instead. They basically said there was no point in rushing through the levels.

Anyhow, what struck me about your original post was that you said you showed her the Little House series and she had no interest. About 6 months ago, I bought the boxed set of the series and DD initially had the same reaction - no interest. I got her to agree to let me read her the first chapter and if she wasn't interested, she didn't have to keep reading. After I finished the first chapter she grabbed the book, finished it in one night and has since finished the whole series in about 2 weeks. It might be worth trying this with your DD.

 

[theworldneedscolor]

I also recommend trying to persuade your daughter to read Little House; I absolutely adored them when I was her age! I was also a very advanced reader, and would spend all day with a book. Here are some other things I really enjoyed when I was in elementary school:

The Mandie series
Rebecca of Sunnybrooke farm
Pollyanna
Heidi (that's a really great one)
anything Roald Dahl
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Harriet the Spy
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
Esperanza Rising

I'd also recommend giving Harry Potter a try, at least within the next year or so. The first few are still reasonably lighthearted, and by the time she would start the last four, she might be more mature. Like your daughter, I was freaked out by dark subjects (I too covered my eyes during scary commercials). However, I read the first Harry Potter book in kindergarten, and I fell in love with it. I've now read them all over ten times The series has had an impact on my life in a way that no other book has.

 

[texasteacher35]

Popular in our house--Roald Dahl books (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG, etc.), the Great Brain series by J.D. Fitzgerald, and the all-time favorite, Phantom Tollbooth, by Norman Juster. My DS7 got dinged by his teacher for not reading well out loud--it's because he doesn't like to be "told" to read, little brat!--but he loves reading Phantom Tollbooth. Go figure! I think the word play appeals to him.

We also let him read the first three Harry Potter books, but we do try to be aware of content. He has older siblings--oldest starts college this fall--so there are books in our house that aren't appropriate.

I second the idea of asking the librarian. My kids beg to go to the library, there's just something about picking out your very own books!

A little OT, but look for reading programs, too--you know, read X books over the summer, get a prize. TD Bank gives you $10 for reading 10 books if you have an account there. This is good up to age 18, and is the easiest money my kids ever made!

LOL my son DS7 was told sort of the same thing about not reading out loud well. His brain reads faster than the words can come out of his mouth. I am working on his reading aloud over this summer...reading some easier books, so he will slow down and pronounce each word...when he is reading aloud, he tends to not pause between anything, but his mind processes it just fine. LOL so funny! I'm glad I am not the only one!!!

 

[Mkrop]

DS15 was an advanced reader as well, and a fast reader. His teachers back then told me to concentrate on writing and most especially reading comprehension. Even though he can read it, is he getting the true picture of the story. So he had to tell me about the story and then they told me to get him the workbooks for over the summer that have a little story and then some follow up questions. Turns out he did need help in both areas but only a little help...he loved doing the workbooks too!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

LOL my son DS7 was told sort of the same thing about not reading out loud well. His brain reads faster than the words can come out of his mouth. I am working on his reading aloud over this summer...reading some easier books, so he will slow down and pronounce each word...when he is reading aloud, he tends to not pause between anything, but his mind processes it just fine. LOL so funny! I'm glad I am not the only one!!!

I'm glad someone else has this problem, too!

Part of the issue here is, he's #4 of 4. He's exposed to a lot, and gets read to by older siblings who blow through books--I have readers, what can I say? And although my oldest is great with him--she's majoring in elem. ed.--the middle two don't read aloud well, because they're too fast.

I understand the teacher has certain goals, and I'm not happy that DS7 doesn't want to participate when he's being evaluated. But, lifetime love of books was always our goal, and I think we're there, so I'm not sweating it.

 

[MNdisneymom]

I have a boy, and he's a little older....but he was in a similar situation at that age....


A few ideas..Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman. Kids competing in a big game in a toy company...and you get to solve the puzzles with them as they go. Really fun read.

Guys Read Funny Business. Short stories written by several well known kid authors. ( If she can ignore the "guy" part, the stories Are really good...I read several of them when DS finished the book.)

The Wizard of Oz series..14 of them in the original series (written by Baum)...all in the public domain. So free if you want to read them electronically.

This might be a bit more intense...the Fablehaven series by Brandon Sanderson. Slightly lower reading level than HP. Good kid fantasy.

 

[texasteacher35]

I'm glad someone else has this problem, too!

Part of the issue here is, he's #4 of 4. He's exposed to a lot, and gets read to by older siblings who blow through books--I have readers, what can I say? And although my oldest is great with him--she's majoring in elem. ed.--the middle two don't read aloud well, because they're too fast.

I understand the teacher has certain goals, and I'm not happy that DS7 doesn't want to participate when he's being evaluated. But, lifetime love of books was always our goal, and I think we're there, so I'm not sweating it.

I know, it's funny! My Ds7 is #2 of 2. But his sister is 10 years older. LOL I was teaching and getting my masters, didn't have time to have another one for a while. haha. I taught middle school and high school math, but I always read to both kiddos from an infant on up. They both love to read, although my daughter is much more creative- although we are all 4 math people in the household. She is heading to Alabama on a full scholarship for chemical engineering. She still loves to read!!!!!

Drew reads so fast I have made him slow down for the comprehension part. I make him stop mid sentence and say- what is going on so far. What do you think will happen next? What character is causing a problem? Or whatever. Just to make him stop and think about the meaning behind the words. It's kinda funny!!