The Massachusetts Book Award list has great chapter books that include Newbery winners with a range of books from 3rd grade through 8th grade.
6th Grade Reader Challenge: 10 Books Like The Hunger Games
My 6th grader is in need of more chapter books, particularly chapter book series in the adventure/fantasy and realistic fiction genres. I’ve picked books for her and I’ll report back on which ones she wants me to buy.
10+ Funny Books for 3rd Grade Boy: Reluctant Reader Challenge
My Mom Friend Julie’s son, a third grader, is a reluctant reader. Though he’s a sporty kid, he doesn’t the usual sporty book fare. He’s loved the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series but he finished the series. It’s my job to find him more books that he will actually read without a fight. Here goes …
18 Books Like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid
I think that when a book series is different and successful such that it creates its own mini genre that this is only a good thing. Just like Harry Potter which broke publishing notions that kids won’t read very, very thick books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid series also got kids wildly excited to read. And though the lead character is a boy, girls were also reading this series in droves. I also think that the graphics helped to legitimize graphic novels from comic book status to it-counts-for-your-reading-log status. In any case, if your child needs more Diary of a Wimpy Kid but has read all the books, here are more options including some that skew younger and older.
Exploring Vietnam: Culture and KidLit
For children’s literature, I picked two books, one picture and one chapter book, that really seem evoke the culture and spirit of Vietnam. Both have a Zen quality to their story: spare, eloquent, and powerful. And both stories recall the terrible war but also the ability of the Vietnamese to transcend and make peace with it.
Top 10: Best Coping with Loss of Pets Books for Kids
It is never easy when a pet dies whether it’s expected or unexpected, particularly for children. My Mom Friend at Yoga asked for book recommendations when her son’s hamster died. She knew this would be hard on her son and my other Mom Friend recommended they read the Rainbow book out loud during the burial in the backyard. Luckily the ground wasn’t frozen over because the weather was still quite cold. The Mom reported back that the burial went well and that reading the book helped make the ceremony special and personal. I think they referred to The Legend of the Rainbow Bridge but there actually two books on the same topic with very similar names.
Top 10: Best Books by My Son in 1st Grade
What is the most surprising is how these books make us both laugh and laugh. They are really funny! Ok, maybe not the Ninjago series … that’s more action/adventure, but Dragonbreath, Alvin Ho, Frankie Pickle and Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever are snuggle up and crack up together.