"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." - Saint Augustine
My DD is participating it two reading programs this summer (and, really, why are they only in the summer? Is there some rule that kids can't read when they're in school? But I digress...), the Summer of Unfortunate Events through Barnes & Noble and the one our local library offers.
She reads like crazy anyway: when she wakes up, when she eats, when we're in the car, when I'm too busy to play, when she goes to bed.... but now, because she has blanks to fill in with books she's read, she's bananas about it. She's probably reading 5-6 hours a day.
She's beginning to have the same problem as I have -- running out of books to read. She has inherited the "speed reading" gene that I got from my mom. Reading a book a day, even when I'm busy, is not atypical. For me, it's just a matter of going to a different library or finding highly recommeded books to buy (and, folks, feel free to recommend some more!). My problem with finding reading material for her is the difference between her age and maturity level and the level at which she reads.
She's seven y.o. and reads at a fifth to sixth grade reading level. She has the heart and brain of a kindergartener, but is flying through chapter books. I have her reading the Redwall series right now, and thank heaven the books are long and the series is big. Still, she'll be finished with that in a few weeks. She's also read the Magic Treehouse series, Pony Pals series, Animal Ark series, Bobbsy Twins, Boxcar Kids, the Prydain Chronicles, Narnia and many more.
So, any of you out there have suggestions for reading material for her? I read The Hobbit in fourth grade, so I have that online for her. I have pulled out the Wrinkle in Time series, and have that in the queue as well.
See... I'm working at creating a reader for all you writers out there. In ten years or so, she'll be ready for your stuff. So, could you help me out now?
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6 comments:
Has she read the books by Edward Eager? Those are fun. And I just finished reading a fun YA book she might like (it says age 12 and up on the cover flap). It's I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter. It's about an exclusive girls' boarding school that's actually a school for spies. :) Some of Diana Wynne Jones's books are really good. She's VERY prolific, but some are a lot better than others, IMO. Diane Duane is good, too.
Your daughter sounds a lot like me when I was her age. :) I was mad my first day of first grade (back in the Dark Ages when you didn't learn to read until you went to school *g*) because they didn't teach me to read. *g*
Has she tried the Secrets of Droon series? I'm not 100% sure how good it is. Andrew tried one and wasn't overwhelmed, but we have the opposite problem with him than you do. He liked the Magic Tree House series.
Would she read "boy" books like the Marvin Redpost series by Louis Sachar? Andrew also likes Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's boys-girls "battle" books (I think the first one is The Boys Start the War). They might be a touch old for her now, but keep them in mind for later.
We just got back from the library and Andrew has a mix of fiction and nonfiction. His topic du jour is tornados and storm chasers.
Thanks for the suggestions! Tori, the Ally Carter book is way too advanced, but I plan on reading it. It sounds great!
Charity, I'll look into the Droon series -- to be honest, I've never heard of it. She doesn't care about boy or girl as long as it's good... so I can look into the others as well. I appreciate it. She finished TWO books yesterday! Yikes!
I've created a monster.
Oh!!! I just remembered a new series I discovered last time I was at the library. the CHARLIE BONE series by Jenny Nimmo. They're sort of like Harry Potter only less dark. I plan to grab the rest of them next time I'm at the library. (I got the first two this time around.)
Another thought: has she read the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace? I loved those (of course, I grew up in Maud's hometown).
They cover Betsy's life from five until her wedding, and since they all take place at the turn of the century and were written for girls, they're all very sweet. I know I read the high school ones very early on.
She sounds like a teacher's dream!!
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