Hello! I could use some input on books to buy for my son. He is 6 years old but he’s reading very well (probably at 3rd or 4th grade level). The issue is that he’s ready for books outside of his age range from a literacy level, but he’s not ready for the heavier themes that accompany those books. He really enjoyed the Dragon Masters and Magic Treehouse series. He also really enjoys books like Guinness Book of World Records and Encyclopedia Britannica for Kids, but I’m hoping to try and get him interested in more “story” books, with plots and characters if that makes sense. Let me know what you think – I appreciate any help!
by Lopsided_Crow_9297
17 Comments
The Shelterlings by Sarah Beth Durst
Akimbo and the Lions by Alexander McCall Smith.
The Great Brain books by John Fitzgerald.
Patricia C Wrede, the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. If the books are too advanced for your child now, maybe save them for later, but they are wonderful books.
The End of the Beginning by Avi was one that I liked at that age that might fit the bill, along with Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. Andrew Clement’s work as a whole might also be good to look through.
Some other ones to check out are The Neverending Story and the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series. They’re all about the spookiness level of the Magic Treehouse, so might need checking before passing them off to him. Happy reading!
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis (starting with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe)
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull was a great book series from when I was a kid. I think the characters are seven and nine in the first book. The kids go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and they learn that Grandma and Grandpa are secretly caretakers for a magical creature preserve.
Totally age appropriate, and I loved it back then
Kiki’s Delivery Service
peter pan
alice in wonderland and through the looking glass
the wizard of oz books
animal ark books- about a little girl whos parents are veterinarians and with her best friend she rescues many many animals, the us and uk books have a different author, the books are a-z books so c is for cat, and similar.
The Little Britches by Ralph Moody. This is an awesome book for a smart 6 y/o. It’s autobiographical about a boy and his adventures on a ranch. First one is Farther and I were Ranchers
Kingdom of Wrenly
The phantom tollbooth by Norton juster. My absolute favorite book as an advanced child reader.
The Menagerie by Tui T Sutherland. It’s a trilogy. It’s easy reading, but it’s so good that my teen and I still reread it.
A lonely kid finds a secret zoo of magical creatures. Low stakes suspense where a magical creature appears to have been eaten by a dragon and the zoo might get shut down. Happy ending. Lots of different family compositions, and there are black, white, asian, and latino kids. It models cooperation, standing up for what you believe in, and hard work (but it sneaks that in among the unicorns and Phoenix so your kid doesn’t notice). No real violence (a dragon talks about eating sheep, baby griffons scratch when they get excited).
Pratchett! He wrote things for the littles too.
[The Bromeliad Trilogy](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/24b45b65-6a4a-4f9f-966b-cfe3755d94c4) about gnomes who live in a department store.
[The Carpet People](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carpet_People) about people living in the carpet
[Dragons at Crumbling Castle](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d7b9a4cb-e7f6-4b3d-bb12-45fff8ea58c3), short stories and illustrations
That should set him on his Pratchett journey just fine 🙂
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Lioness series by Tamora Pierce is a pretty fun set of books. It’s not too serious, and is a great adventure for kids
Any Avi book, or the Redwall series. The Mouse and the Motorcycle series. Plus Phantom Tollbooth!
Fablehaven, though that might be a little advanced, and Upside-Down Magic