Weblog of Wesley Fryer

Not knowing Sarah’s interests here’s a few ideas: Artemis Fowl series, Alex Rider series, Eragorn, 7th Tower Series, The Tale of Despereau (sp?), Becaues of Winn Dixie, A Bridge to Terabithia (sp?), The Westing Game (awesome!), A Wrinkle in Time, Holes, many Judy Blume books……. my wife would have more but is asleep…

Hope this helps.

Sean M.

What are Sarah’s interests and reading level? I have a few thoughts from my experiences as a Mom of two daughters and a fourth grade teacher. I’ll brainstorm and hopefully come up with other ideas when I’m not so tired.

Books by Roald Dahl are great read-alouds. A Roald Dahl favorite was Danny the Champion of the World. The BFG was a favorite of my girls and fourth graders. I agree with others that Judy Blume books are great hits for girls that age as well. Have you heard of Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan? It’s a good one too! I’ll dig deep into my brain and come up with others tomorrow. Good night and good luck!

My daughter loved the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series when she was that age.

I was going to suggest the Indian in the Cupboard series as well.
You could also try Frindle or other books by Andrew Clements (so much fun).
OR….the “Dear America” series.

My 8 year old daughter is in exactly this situation – she has been enjoying Heather Dyer’s books, particularly “The Girl with the Broken Wing”

The Peter Pan series (Peter and the Star Catchers) by Dave Barry (yes, that Dave Barry) and a colleague are perfect read alouds for that age. My boys love the series and there are a few offshoots, too.
Kevin

My son and I love reading the Magic Treehouse series together. Jack and Annie go on many adventures through times to different countries. We get to learn about history and different cultures. They are great books!

I would also support Roald Dahl’s books and the Anne of Green Gables series. I also love Little Women and Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. My family always read books aloud on car trips and we all have vivid memories of Dahl’s The Witches and Stone Fox. Without giving anything away, on a car trip to Colorado we sat in the IHOP parking lot for 30 minutes because none of us wanted to go eat, including Dad, until Mama finished reading the book out loud.

Katherine Patterson’s Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob I Have Loved were also favorites. As a second grade teacher, my mom’s kids always loved to hear Super Fudge by Beverly Clearly (there are some hilarious parts for an animated reader!) and I remember loving There’s A Boy In The Girl’s Bathroom as a read out loud in 5th grade.

I wish I could still talk someone into reading out loud to me each night!

I read “I Was A Rat” by Phillip Pullman (Of the Golden Compass series) to my 3rd grade class, even though it’s above their level a bit. It’s fabulous and entertaining for adults and children.

One challenge with Roald Dahl, Despereaux, Terabithia and many of the classics is that they are commonly read in school. I’d look for something a little less popular. “King Matt the First” by Janusz Korcza is a wild adventure, the story behind the author is interesting as well.

“The Westing Game” is a great recommendation, however keeping all the characters straight was hard for my 5th grader when he read it for a literature study in class. It’s like an introduction to Agatha Christie for kids!

I remember my mom reading the Little House on the Prairie series to me. I especially enjoyed Farmer Boy. Lois Lenski books are really good as wel, especially Strawberry Girl. I love Richard Peck. Actually, I am surprised that no one suggested Wilder or Lenski. Have we forgotten these great classics?

I second/third/fourth (whatever) the Dahl suggestions, and the LM Montgomery, Ingalls Wilder suggestions.

I also enjoyed reading to myself books about Ramona and her family (by Beverly Clearly).

If she likes animals then The Black Stallion by Walter Farley is a nice series to begin.

The Secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The wind in the willows by Kenneth Grahame
What Katy did by Susan Coolidge
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

The silver sword by Ian Serraillier is also good, not sure if it’s age appropriate but I remember our teacher reading it to us when we were about 9-10.

Some of these have had movies made from the book which is a nice thing to segue into after you’ve read the book and provides opportunity for discussion and comparison.

Homer Price and Centerburg Tales
The Judy Moody series (Stink is a spinoff – first book dedicated to moi)
The Hank the Cowdog series
The Borrowers
The Boxcar Children
Mr. Penguin’s Poppers
Half Magic
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
Stuart Little
The Time Warp Trio series

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670062766?ie=UTF8&tag=resourcesforprog&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0670062766
gorgeous new version of Pippi Longstocking illustrated by Lauren Child

http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/mgeary/booktrailers/adolescent.htm

_Paint the Wind_ by Pam Munoz Ryan is one of my recent favorites

“Told in the alternating third-person voices of Maya and Artemisia, Ryan’s tale is a beautiful portrait of a rugged land, within which people and horses sometimes find a bond. Maya, Aunt Vi and secondary characters are well drawn, as is the world of wild horses. Readers will learn much about horses, and even those who know nothing about them will cheer as Maya learns to walk, jog, lope and gallop.” KIRKUS

_Where the Red Fern Grows_ by Wilson Rawls

My all time favorite children’s book . . . emotional and touching, but lots of life lessons. My class is reading it just now.

_The Cay_ by Theodore Taylor – the Caribbean accent is fun and the story is beautiful

Plus, almost all of Kate Dicamillo’s books are great. She is not only a great descriptive writer, but she has fascinating characters. Her description makes visualizing the story very easy. I have read aloud “Because of Winn Dixie” to my students before. I am currently reading “The Tale of Desperaux.” I use many of the accents from the audio book. Great practice for your French (the mice), Italian (the rats), and British accents (Miggery Sow). It is a terrific read aloud story about a mouse, a princess, and some soup. The movie comes out this Christmas.
I also love Hank the Cowdog.

First of all, all parents should read Jim Trelease’s “The Read-Aloud Handbook”, which is much more than just a reading list.

As far as specific books, one of our all-time favorites was Charlotte’s Web, closely followed by Stuart Little. Our boys also really enjoyed the Roald Dahl books, especially Danny the Champion of the World. The Indian in the Cupboard series was also a great hit. Now would be a great time to read A Christmas Carol. No film has really done justice to Dickens’ witty prose.

I believe it’s important to read as many of these fantastic books before your children see the DVDs based on these books. Sometimes, like the Narnia series, you know ahead of time that a film is coming out, so you can set a goal of reading the book before going to the theatre. It’s amazing and rewarding to hear them remark at the end of the film, “Wow, the book was way better than the movie!”