My daughter will be 6 in December, but is already reading chapter books. She LOVES to read. So my question is do any of you know some good ones that are geared towards the 6-9 girls that are exciting, but not with the kids all acting up in the book. She reads the Junie B Jones, but I cringe sometimes when Junie calls the kids stupid and Avery is reading it outloud. :(
Thanks so much Mommas!
I used to read the Mandie books when I was younger. I can't exactly remember what age range they are for, but they are good.
I also read the Babysitters Club and Little Sister books. They are pretty good about learning from their mistakes.
Beverly Lewis has a kids series out. They are called the Cul-de-Sac Kids or something like that. Ask at your library too. I also agree with the American Girl books. I am reading them to my daughter and she is enjoying them. Good, clean and family oriented. The Boxcar Children is also a good series.
I'm not sure exactly what her reading level is, but some of the "nice" books we have always enjoyed:
anything by Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder, EB White (Charlotte's Web) the American Girl Series, Magic Tree House, The Doll People, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. We also LOVED all the Roald Dahl books but it sounds like you might find those "naughty" lol!
If some of these are too hard for her to read on her own you can still read them to her. I kept reading to my kids up through about the third grade :)
While they aren't Christian, I do find that the American Girl books provide really good role models and nice stories.
I just want to shout out my support for you. I have an extremely difficult time finding books for my seven year old, because...like you...I cringe when I see what these characters behave like. We do not allow the Junie B or any of the modern books like that.
Here are some favorites for us...anything by Beverly Cleary (Ramona, especially), Dinosaur Cove (if your kiddo likes dinosaurs, that is...), and I also second the Cam Jensen suggestion.
One thing I've also find...while my seven year old is an advanced reader, currently reading Harriet the Spy, I have found that a ton of picture books from the library are more challenging because they're meant for an adult to read to a child. Don't forget about the genuine fun of these while she's still young!
She could try the Laura Ingalls Wilder LITTLE HOUSE books, which are such a favorite with me I still read them every year (and appreciate new things in them each time).
The Narnia series is wonderful, whether she reads them herself or whether you read them to her.
She might enjoy the wonderful vintage three-book MY FATHER'S DRAGON series.
If you can find any of the "In Grandma's Attic" books by Arleta Richardson, she might like those.
One of my granddaughters likes the Clementine series by Sarah Pennypacker; check them out for yourself at your library first.
My granddaughters all like Betty McDonald's MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE books, but sometimes, when I read the stories to them aloud, I have to make a do-not-do-this-yourself disclaimer first because the kids in some of the stories do call each other names (usually rather benign names). In a story like "The Ignorance Cure," the name-calling is an integral part of the story and I wanted to explain why it couldn't just be ignored or skipped over. That's another series you'll want to look at yourself first.
The Christian bookstore probably has some. There is a store at Park and Preston in Plano.
You've had some great responses.
I teach a lot and Magic Treehouse series are a lot of fun and adventure. We read these aloud to children as well. I am not sure if they fit the mold you are looking for though.
Best wishes!
Have you tried the Cam Jansen series? They are about a girl who has a photographic memory and solves mysteries. They are very entertaining and geared towards your daughters age group.
I have been impressed with the American Girl Doll books. The characters are good roll models.
I bought the Mandie books (note the spelling) for my niece several years back and she loved them. They are Christian mysteries---the description says ages 8-13. I would read one with her to see if she enjoys it or if it's too complicated to follow. (For that reason I think she's a little young yet for Chronicles of Narnia---they can also be a little scary). My kids didn't read them, but the Natalie (That's Nat) books look cute and are aimed at 6-9 yo. There are also the Animal Ark or Puppy Place books if she likes animals---my daughter was obsessed with dogs and there are lots of those. Search on christianbook.com under books/children/fiction and you'll see lots of choices. My kids were early readers as well so I know your dilemma. It was an even greater challenge in about 3rd grade when they wanted something more challenging and I had to steer them away from "teen" books.
Have you considered The Chronicles of Narnia?
Narnia series
Little Pilgrims Progress
Anne of Green Gables
Check out any of the books by Author Beverly Lewis. She has great "Series" book that would be appropriate. We read these books too out loud but I would skip or substitut other words. Try Beverly Lewis!
