Kid book recommendations

[librarychica]

It’s the season of summer reading! And despite my corporate employment I am a librarian at heart. So let’s start a book thread.

[mommyatty]

The Fudge books by Judy Blume are what DD (rising third grader) is reading. She loves them.

For DS (rising first grader) he likes the First Comics readers for his reading level (currently a level E or F). Honestly those books got us over the refusing to read hump. They are short and end with a little punchline. I can’t recommend them highly enough for reluctant readers. We got the C and D ones and then ordered the E and F ones when he moved up levels.

[librarychica]

Kids ages: 5,8
What they want to read: 5 year old enjoys Bob books beginning & developing readers, Owly comics (these don’t have worlds), the Biscuit “First reader series” and Duck, Duck, Porcupine

8yo enjoys all graphic novels, especially the Big Nate ones, Phoebe & her Unicorn series, random graphic novels found on Hoopla and the redone Babysitter Club series

What I wish they’d read: I tried to no avail to get 8yo to read Sideway Stories of Wayside School

Compromise books! Cause your mother’s a librarian. I love graphic novels but you need something else too, National Geographic kids chapter books, currently The Whale Who Won Hearts, and short biographies, I am Helen Keller and A Girl Named Misty Copeland, are favorites so far.

[librarychica]

Oh everyone should see if their local library subscribes to Hoopla. You get X number of monthly digital checkouts (my county library has ten) per card. They have audiobooks and ebooks. We have listened to several of the Little House books as a family, the 8yo finds yet more graphic novels there and the 5yo likes to fall asleep to the Frog and Toad are friends books. Unlike Overdrive, Hoopla is easily usable for the older kid without my help.

[k3am]

DD (7) has been reading Babysitter’s Club (a mom pick), Ivy and Bean (a random series gifted to her), and the Whatever After series (hand me down from the neighbor).

[k3am]

librarychica DD’s teacher is obsessed with the Frog and Toad books. She love, love, loved them.

[mae0111]

DD1 loves the Whatever After series, Sisters Grimm, the old Babysitters Club books, Land of Stories. And Harry Potter. So much Harry Potter. Also Ramona series, Clementine series (by the author of the Flat Stanley books)

For DD2 - anything Mo Willems!!

[traveltheworld]

Ohoh we love books.

Favourite comics in our house (all are funny): Bad Guys, Bird and Squirrel, Haggis and Tank
Shorter chapter books (funny): Timmy Failure, Stick Cat, Stick Dog, Chicken Squad, Stink, Shark School, Dave Pigeon
Shorter chapter books (not funny, but adventurous and fun): the Last Firehawk, Dragon Masters, Super Fly, Dinosaur Cove, Zoey and Sassafras
Longer chapter books: the Humphrey series, Battle Bugs, Toys Go Out, Wild Robt
Even longer chapter books: Wings of Fire, Warriors, the Silverwings series

[librarychica]

traveltheworld, we listened to Wild Robot on audiobook during a winter vacation. So good!

[mrsGreeko]

Oh yes! Our library just reopened with curbside pickup like last week and I’ve already been 2x. I’ve also placed like 10 orders with ThriftBooks.com in the past few months and we’ve checked out countless books and audiobooks from hoopla and Libby/overdrive.

Right now my kids are into:

- DS (8.5) was really into Ramona and Henry Huggins, but has now moved on to A-Z mysteries, Calendar mysteries, goosebumps and The Last Kids on Earth. He’s also a big fan of the notebook of doom, binder of doom, bad guys, and Archie vs Predator comic books (probably not super appropriate oh well). Oh and I just bought him a fishing encyclopedia that he’s obsessed with.

- DD2 (11) is into The Wings of Fire series and the Fablehaven series at the moment

- DD1 (almost 14) is reading It by Stephen King. She’s also reading a book about a FBI profiler. She also has The Shining, the Da Vinci code and the Hot Zone waiting for her. She’s not as big of a reader as the other 2 so who knows if she will actually finish any of them?

[mrsGreeko]

I got a bunch of books for myself today at the library too that I’m super excited about:
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Grown-Up’s Guide to Teenage Humans by Josh Shipp
- Wideacre by Philippa Gregory
- Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

I’m so excited to have some good books to read. I was a logging through the Game of Thrones books, but I need a break before I ready any more Of them. They are just tooooo long!

[waverly]

Lots of books are gone at the library (hoarding), so not tons left in the series they like. We pivoted to Notebook of Doom, Wizard of Oz (DS saw the play and movie at school). DD wanted horse books but most were gone except the Black Stallion series.

So many physical books to quarantine that I’m still trying to stick to digital. I’m finding the Libby app easier than the former Overdrive app- same company. Mostly reading adult books on there.

The kids are listening to audiobooks through the Epic app. I think school has the subscription. It’s on their school issued Chromebooks.

I just finished the Last Time I Lied. I’ve been hitting suspense and romance books hard because I need something to keep my interest where good literature doesn’t always keep my interest. I need fast paced.

[traveltheworld]

Jun 15, 2020 21:01:04 GMT -5 librarychica said:

traveltheworld, we listened to Wild Robot on audiobook during a winter vacation. So good!

Have you read the second book - the Wild Robot Escapes? Also really good.

[mae0111]

mrsGreeko - I forgot about Calendar Mysteries and A to Z Mysteries! My kids loved/love them! Also Cam Jansen.

I purchased several books from Bookoutlet.com for Easter. Not a great selection, but very cheap. Just another option if the library isn’t well stocked.

[edwardo123]

My 11 year old is an avid reader. I bought her a subscription to Owl Jr which has gotten her to read books she wouldn’t have picked otherwise. She recently read Ghost Boys, City Spies, Echo Mountain, Quintessence, and Arlo Finch. In between, she rereads the Percy Jackson series, Hunger Games, and my old Nancy Drew books.
My 5 year old likes Pinkalicious, Uni the Unicorn, Pig the Pug, Mother Bruce, Princess in Black, and likes reading Biscuit by herself. I am reading Junie B and Magic Treehouse to her.

[twinmomma]

The girls (rising 3rd graders) are only reading Harry Potter right now. They're completely obsessed. I just got them the Percy Jackson series to read next, figuring it must be similar but I have to read one first to check it out. I've also got the Little House on the Prairie set for them too. Otherwise, they tend to gravitate to books that are much too easy for them because they like the idea of finishing a "whole chapter book" in one sitting. Those include Ivy and Bean, Humphrey, Dog Man, Notebook of Doom, and Dragon Masters. They also like the Bad Kitty books, but I don't really like them.

I'm on the hunt for good books for beau's son to get into. He wasn't an avid reader to begin with and then losing the last half of kindergarten this year put him kind of behind. He LOVES video games and math, hates sitting to actually read a book.

[abs]

DD (rising 4th grader) has been reading like crazy this summer. Never thought it would happen! Her favorites are the old school Babysitter's Club and The Cupcake Diaries. She especially loves The Cupcake Diaries and keeps asking me to read them as well. I read the first one...it was very cute. At this rate I think she will have read all 33 before the end of July.

She also likes Harry Potter a lot but hasn't gotten past book two. It's still a bit scary for her at times.

I'd love for her to read some Judy Blume or Ramona but she isn't interested. I'm just happy she has finally gotten past her I will only read graphic novels phase. Some were great like Smile and GUTS but others not so much.

[mommyatty]

twinmomma, solidarity on the “I can read a whole chapter book before lunch.” I’m so annoyed by that. She’s a great reader, but she’s more goal-oriented instead of reading for fun.

[mellym]

My 8 yo likes Notebook of Doom and the Sideways Stories from the Wayside School

[vasc]

Thanks for posting this thread, I’ve added a lot of titles to DD’s Goodreads account.

My DD, going into 2nd grade, started off the school closure alternating between Cam Jansen mysteries and the My Weird School series (and other spin-offs). I’ve also been doing a lot of read aloud with her, including the Best Christmas Pageant Ever and the two other books in that series (DD LOVED them and laughed the whole time). Right now I’m reading 10 Kids, No Pets to her (by Ann Martin, same author of the BSC) and have Harriet the Spy lined up next.

[phdmomma]

DS (rising 3rd grader) and I are reading Harry Potter together right now (we alternate paragraphs). Solidarity on the wanting to read an easy book in one sitting, also I hate DogMan, with a passion, but DS loves them.

[mae0111]

I forgot about Humphrey! That’s a really cute series about a classroom hamster. DD1 read them between first and second grade, and then her 3rd grade class read it together.

Also, I forgot that DD2’s class was reading Because Of Winn Dixie before everything closed. I just found a copy of it in a big box of books so I think we will start that up again.

[mae0111]

Jun 16, 2020 10:06:31 GMT -5 vasc said:

Thanks for posting this thread, I’ve added a lot of titles to DD’s Goodreads account.

My DD, going into 2nd grade, started off the school closure alternating between Cam Jansen mysteries and the My Weird School series (and other spin-offs). I’ve also been doing a lot of read aloud with her, including the Best Christmas Pageant Ever and the two other books in that series (DD LOVED them and laughed the whole time). Right now I’m reading 10 Kids, No Pets to her (by Ann Martin, same author of the BSC) and have Harriet the Spy lined up next.

If she likes Cam Jansen, she will like A to Z and Calendar Mysteries by Ron Roy. DD2 loves all of those!!

[traveltheworld]

Jun 16, 2020 7:24:40 GMT -5 mommyatty said:

twinmomma , solidarity on the “I can read a whole chapter book before lunch.” I’m so annoyed by that. She’s a great reader, but she’s more goal-oriented instead of reading for fun.

DS made it a goal to read as many books as he is tall during this "school break" - so that has motivated him to just read whatever he wants instead of shorter easier books.  We take a picture every 2 weeks to measure his progress.  The books stack up to his shoulders now (as reference - DS is also short for his age).

[twinmomma]

Jun 16, 2020 10:30:51 GMT -5 traveltheworld said:

Jun 16, 2020 7:24:40 GMT -5 mommyatty said:

twinmomma , solidarity on the “I can read a whole chapter book before lunch.” I’m so annoyed by that. She’s a great reader, but she’s more goal-oriented instead of reading for fun.

DS made it a goal to read as many books as he is tall during this "school break" - so that has motivated him to just read whatever he wants instead of shorter easier books.  We take a picture every 2 weeks to measure his progress.  The books stack up to his shoulders now (as reference - DS is also short for his age).

That's a fun goal! 
I get so annoyed when the girls just keep picking easy readers to plow through. They read in bed every night and once they discovered they could polish off a chapter book in that 45 minute window, they never wanted to stop. 
I'm hopeful that getting sucked into the giant Harry Potter books will motivate them to stick with some tougher, longer choices. My mom keeps telling me "Who cares, they're reading!" But... I'm still annoyed that they take the easy way out. 

[supertrooper1]

DS is going into 2nd grade and is at least level M in Fountas and Pinnell. It's hard to find books for boys at his reading level that aren't too mature.

Fizz (Usborne book) - he read each one in about 30 minutes and liked them so much he re-read them

JoJo Siwa series- he loves her music and can't put them down

Big Fat Zombie Goldfish series - Not his favorite but he will still read them

Hardy Boys - He likes trying to solve the mystery


Don't recommend: Hank Zipzer - I bought this box set at Costco and he never got into them

[186momx]

DD 9 rising 4th grader
Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson its a series and really good for all the girl stuff plus it is a graphic novel but has some pages full of text so it isn't all pictures
Misadvetnures of Max Crumble and Dork Diaries are a couple other graphic novels
She was just gifted the Warriors by Erin Hunter
Everything and anything Harry Potter related. twinmomma, DD can now sit and read the first two books in one sitting...

DD also prefers to not have to stop in the middle of a book so likes shorter chapter books. Her goal during school break was to read everything on her bookshelf and she did it. I also didn't realize how many books we had until they were all over her room in stacks.

We use the Libby app and Overdrive on the PC for ebooks and audiobooks since March and she loves it to the point I think paper books are no longer her thing

[mommyatty]

186momx- during normal times, I travel a ton. I also read really, really fast. So fast that I can go through 2 average length books on a 4 hr flight. So for the sake of room in my bags and my back, I started reading on a Kindle, and now it’s my preferred format. I never believed it would be.

[mustardseed2007]

Jun 16, 2020 6:49:47 GMT -5 twinmomma said:

The girls (rising 3rd graders) are only reading Harry Potter right now. They're completely obsessed. I just got them the Percy Jackson series to read next, figuring it must be similar but I have to read one first to check it out. I've also got the Little House on the Prairie set for them too. Otherwise, they tend to gravitate to books that are much too easy for them because they like the idea of finishing a "whole chapter book" in one sitting. Those include Ivy and Bean, Humphrey, Dog Man, Notebook of Doom, and Dragon Masters. They also like the Bad Kitty books, but I don't really like them.

I'm on the hunt for good books for beau's son to get into. He wasn't an avid reader to begin with and then losing the last half of kindergarten this year put him kind of behind. He LOVES video games and math, hates sitting to actually read a book.

He might need something more action packed than this, but my daughter has loved reading the Piggie and Gerald Biggie and Biggie Biggie books. It's a collection of his Gerald and Piggie books and they're really funny, but the real reason DD likes it is that she likes the appearance of reading a chapter book. 

My son also always liked the early reader books that were about super heroes. We had ones for hulk, ironman, spiderman, all the avengers etc. 

[mrsGreeko]

Jun 16, 2020 6:49:47 GMT -5 twinmomma said:

The girls (rising 3rd graders) are only reading Harry Potter right now. They're completely obsessed. I just got them the Percy Jackson series to read next, figuring it must be similar but I have to read one first to check it out. I've also got the Little House on the Prairie set for them too. Otherwise, they tend to gravitate to books that are much too easy for them because they like the idea of finishing a "whole chapter book" in one sitting. Those include Ivy and Bean, Humphrey, Dog Man, Notebook of Doom, and Dragon Masters. They also like the Bad Kitty books, but I don't really like them.

I'm on the hunt for good books for beau's son to get into. He wasn't an avid reader to begin with and then losing the last half of kindergarten this year put him kind of behind. He LOVES video games and math, hates sitting to actually read a book.

My DS isn’t super keen on sitting and reading books on his own yet. He will listen to me and DH read to him and he is seriously obsessed with audio books. We got him a little MP3 player for Christmas (sandisk go sport) and I download books from the library to it. He has headphones and a little plug in speaker. He will seriously listen to audiobooks for a good 5-6 hours a day. He also loves the podcast Greeking Out by National Geographic. I can’t put that on the MP3 player, but he listens to those episodes over and over and over again. Reading isn’t just actually reading the words on a page. Listening to audio books and being read to and even listening to podcasts are all super valuable also.