Book recs?
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Anonymous
DP to add, many Diary of a Wimpy Kid books have a lexile around 1000 so actually higher than some of those books listed above that are not read until Highschool. It doesn't seem a useful metric for picking books to read. |
Anonymous
It's not. Neither is really any leveling for reading. Look at the concepts in the book, plus how "dense" the writing is (poetry = very dense, poetic prose = dense, good kid's literature = somewhat dense so adults can still learn from it, bad kid's lit = not at all dense) |
Anonymous
If you’re no longer particularly concerned about reading level, here are some books I recommend for a third grader. There are a few picture books that are included, but present more challenging text than your average picture book, as well as a few chapter books that are aimed at a lower reading level, but are nonetheless enjoyable. Pippi Longstocking series The Phantom Tollbooth E. D. Baker Kate Klise Gail Carson Levine’s Princess Tales series Secrets of Droon series Bunnicula Wayside School series by Louis Sachar Holes by Louis Sachar Danny Dunn series Roald Dahl Misty of Chincoteague Beverly Cleary The Secret Garden The Little Princess The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle All-of-a-Kind Family Frindle How to Eat Fried Worms McBroom series by Sid Fleischman Flat Stanley Fudge series (I think there’s a Santa spoiler) Ben and Me American Girl books Nancy Drew series Boxcar Children series Liza, Bill, & Jed mystery series Third-Grade Detectives series by George E. Stanley (more for the secret codes in each book than the stories) Encyclopedia Brown series Einstein Anderson series Choose Your Own Adventure series Folktales from children’s nonfiction section A children’s encyclopedia (single-volume), atlas, almanac, etc. Sisters Grimm series (may be too intense/scary - one of my DDs loved these, the other DD didn’t want anything to do with them) The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau (picture book) Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (picture book) The Magic School Bus series (picture book Where the Sidewalk Ends (quirky poetry) As before, I highly recommend Just-So Stories to read aloud together. Here are some I’d generally recommend for older kids. While I’m sure your daughter is capable of reading them, I think she might enjoy them more when she’s a little older, but each kid is an individual and I don’t know your daughter’s preferences. Some involve the deaths of main characters (which I don’t remember happening in the books I recommended above, but there could be some I just don’t remember). A Wrinkle in Time Tuck Everlasting From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler The Westing Game Hidden Talents by David Lubar Narnia series (starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Island of the Blue Dolphins Fairest by Gail Carson Levine Little Women series by Louisa May Alcott Ally Carter Trixie Belden series The Three Investigators series The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper (intense/scary) Green Knowe series (intense/scary) |
Anonymous
Is this implying that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is not very good reading material? I ask because DC has talked about wanting to read these. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Lexile content is also based on vocabulary and complexity of sentences. While higher lexile content can be an attribute of classic literature (which is great when age appropriate), it can also be indicative of badly written material. Sometimes a skilled writer can communicate concepts best using simpler vocabulary and sentence structure. That's also why some speeches have stood the test of time.
That said, I'm all for kids reading books that draw them in and engage them (subject to parental approval). That's how children develop a lifelong love of reading. |
Anonymous
| Try some of the Dear America books. |