Looking for new books to read... (appropriate, children, natural, college)
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We have read quite a bit by Andrew Clements (No Talking, Frindle, Trouble Maker, Report Card, and the entire Jake Drake series). Judy Blume is read to death (Freckle Juice and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing are his favorites).
When your son grows a bit older, buy him Blume's book "Then again, maybe I won't". One of my favorites from Blume, it talks about the struggles that teenage boys go through as they go through puberty and grow up (such as friends shoplifting, who eventually is arrested) and provides a very real look at growing up in suburban NYC.
(On a side note, Blume is an acclaimed children and young adult author who is highly against censorship.)
When they get in a rut like that try reading to him each night from a book that he wouldn't normally go for. A chapter or two each time from some of the classic kids' books might pique his interest in other types of literature apart from the standard Diary of a Wimpy Kid-type reading. Little House on the Prairie, Railway Children, Old Yeller, Misty of Chincoteague, Amos Fortune Free Man and the like.
Being read to is an age-old pleasure and I know my grandchildren are especially intrigued when their dad does the reading.
Have you tried turning him loose at the library to find something he might like? My kids love to explore the library and find something new. They've even inspired me to do the same thing - reach onto a shelf and grab a book I might normally overlook to see if I like it.
Sometimes the "random book" is a hit, and we want to read more of those kinds...and sometimes it is a miss and we don't finish it.
I'd also encourage nonfiction - it's not something a lot of kids would normally read for fun on their own, but mine have been surprised how much they like it.
Have you tried turning him loose at the library to find something he might like? My kids love to explore the library and find something new. They've even inspired me to do the same thing - reach onto a shelf and grab a book I might normally overlook to see if I like it.
Sometimes the "random book" is a hit, and we want to read more of those kinds...and sometimes it is a miss and we don't finish it.
I'd also encourage nonfiction - it's not something a lot of kids would normally read for fun on their own, but mine have been surprised how much they like it.
For fiction - how about The Hardy Boys series?
We have been going to the library weekly since he was a baby. He likes the library and often trolls different sections depending on his mood. He is in a rut where everything is a shrug. I like to pick a variety of topics based on seasons, activities, or just for fun. He loves poems by Langston Hughes, Shakespeare plays, plays, operas, and more.
I am looking for some recommendations from other parents on what to read next. My son reads in school and I read to him at home but he is stuck in a rut. He's in 4th grade, reads on a 6th grade level but insists on only reading 3rd grade books. For example in the last 3 days we read Zeek Meeks, Notebook of Doom, Guinea Dog, The School Mouse, and all the Bad Kitty books. I have tried to get him into other books but he never lasts through the book.
He likes humor most of all. Animal books comes in 2nd I think. He loves superhero movies, Star Wars, Lego, and Pokemon. I have tried many different books and we used to read a wider variety of books but now he is just so resistant to reading anything on his level.
What are 9-11 year olds reading now?
Kids that age used to love Silo (the book about the dog, I'm not sure I spelled correctly) and Narnia, if they could read them. Also Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Holes, Goosebumps. Maybe he just needs to find the right book to keep his attention.
Some good picture books he might like are The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; the Magic School Bus series, which goes from picture books to chapter books.
Does your school have a scholastic book fair? I always find the best books there (our library is kind of sad).
Try Donald Sobol's "Encyclopedia Brown" series - each book contains a separate mystery in each (easy) chapter. Readers can try to figure out solutions from contextual clues, matching wits with boy detective Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown, or can turn to the back of the book to see how Encyclopedia did it.
Has he read Robert McCloskey's "Homer Price" and its equally funny sequel, "Centerburg Tales"? Hilarious small-town adventures.
Beverly Cleary's "Henry Huggins" series is older, but is still great reading for kids this age.
And - get to know your local children's librarian, and ask for suggestions. Your library should have booklists as well as books about good books - "The Read-Aloud Handbook", by Jim Trelease, is also older, but excellent and works well for locating good books for independent reading as well.
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He's 9, why not let him talk to the librarian and pick books for himself? I suspect you're not telling us the whole story here.
