This blog post offers my suggestions to teachers or parents with a child whose reading capability and thirst for books is often a little out of line with the subject matter of books aimed at their age group. The children to whom I am referring are aged between five and eight and are competent, independent readers. While these children really want to lose themselves in a meaty, wordy text, they do not want to run into content above their maturity level.
The books I recommend below are engaging fictional texts with interesting, well-rounded characters and sophisticated, sometimes humorous vocabulary and phrases. The stories avoid scary or violent scenes or tales of romance found in books for older children. Common to them all is an innocence found in books for younger readers, coupled with a sense of wonder. A lot of comfort comes from familiarity, which is why the list contains so many series. I also put the Roald Dahl books in a separate list because every book of his is a gem but these particular ones really match the criteria mentioned above.
Novels
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh - Robert C. O'Brien
The Firework Maker's Daughter - Phillip Pullman
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Grace Lin
Varjak Paw - S.F. Said
The Story of the Amulet - E.Nesbit
Mr Popper's Penguins - Richard and Florence Atwater
My Father's Dragon - Ruth Styles Gannett
The Indian in the Cupboard - Lynn Reid Banks
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Trumpet of the Swan - E.B. White
Series
The Wombles - Elizabeth Beresford
The Moomins - Tove Jansson
George's Secret Key to the Universe - Stephen and Lucy Hawking
Mrs Pepperpot - Alf Proysen
Teddy Robinson - Joan G. Robinson
Winnie the Witch - Valerie Thomas
The Children of Green Knowe - Lucy M. Boston
The Jasmine Green Series - Helen Peters
Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon
Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
James and the Giant Peach
Danny the Champion of the World
The BFG
As a parent, one of the strongest values I feel I have imbibed in my child is a love of reading. I have been fortunate enough to be able to provide him with a large number and variety of books at home and I've also had access to amazing libraries in the schools I've worked within. Playing a central role in my child's reading journey and observing as his tastes develop has been incredibly fascinating and a deep learning experience for myself. While my son spends hours reading by himself, our shared reading time is equally precious.
Something I came across in an article about reading acquisition a few years ago was that children can often be reluctant to read independently because they are apprehensive of the text's content and sometimes fearful of what is coming next. This really resonated with me and I have always been happy to read along with my son when it was felt necessary, often taking it in turns to read. Many times, once I have read a new book, he then knows how events turned out and can read with a sense of comfort and security.
Book characters and their exploits make their way into our daily conversation and I sincerely hope that our shared reading will continue long into his childhood and beyond. I also hope that this list gives parents and teachers some ideas of book titles to recommend for their confident, independent young readers.
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