James and the Giant Peach

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl is an action packed classic.  James has to go live with his evil Aunts because a giant Rhinoceros ate his parents.  A man gives James some magic to make him happier, but the magic spills all over the soil near the peach tree causing a huge peach to grow.  James found a hole in the peach and climbed in and found giant bugs and he goes on an adventure with them facing giant cloud men and sharks along the way.

My daughter asked to read the book and after checking out the reading level I told her that it might be a little hard so if she thought it was too hard she should quit reading it.  She was not deterred by the difficulty of the book because she enjoyed the story so much.  She really liked the descriptions throughout the book which made it exciting.  She was so excited as to what was going to happen next that she read this book outside her normal reading time and finished it very quickly.  

Appropriateness:  This is Dahl so there are some things that are a little twisted so if you have an easily disturbed child they might be bothered, most kids won't have any problem (if they can handle spiderman they can handle Dahl)..  This is a fantastic book for advanced readers.  It's full of adventure and fun and age appropriate (content wise) for all elementary aged readers but it is filled with poetry and difficult vocabulary words.  Like other Dahl books the reading levels vary based on which system you use, the grade equivalent is 6.7, lexile 840 (putting it at a fifth grade level) and the guided reading level is Q.  I would recommend this book as a read aloud for second grade and up an as a read to self for kids that read above a fourth grade level.

This book is on the banned book list for a lot of absurd reasons.  You can read a great article here on the book and the controversy.  Most of the books on that list are fantastic, so use the list to get your kid pumped about reading a banned book.

There is a movie version of the book that is great when your child finishes the book that my daughter also enjoyed that we rented from netflix when she finished the book.

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me

The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl is about a window washing company.  The employees of the window washing company are a Giraffe who serves the role of the ladder, a Monkey who washes the windows and a Pelican who is the bucket.

Description from Scholastic:

Roald Dahl uses rich language and fantastic images to tell the tale of a young boy who is able to make his dream of running a candy shop come true. The adventure begins when the little boy teams up with the Giraffe and the Pelican to clean windows at the Ladderless Window Cleaning Company.

This simple plot explodes into an excitingly zany tale that makes readers laugh out loud while conveying a positive message. Dahl expresses this tale by interweaving poetry, charming illustrations and an engaging narrative voice to make this story enticing. Many young readers will recognize that each character serves a special purpose in the story. For example, the Giraffe becomes a main character because of his long neck and ability to reach and clean high windows.

A great read-aloud, this book is also a spectacular model to use with young, developing writers. Among other things, it is a terrific example of what poetry is and how poetry can be used to tell stories. The book closes with the words "No book ever ends when it's full of your friends, the Giraffe and the Pelly and Me." The last line invites young readers to imagine the wonders that lie within all books. This fun, fast-paced story is a fabulous choice, containing many valuable lessons.

My daughter Katelyn read this book.  She thought the idea for the book was original and fun.  She liked each of the characters.  There were some pictures throughout the book to illustrate what the characters were doing.  Katelyn took this book to school with her to read during silent reading and would excitedly come home to tell me what had happened each day.

Appropriateness:  There is a bit of scariness in the book but the scary part resolves very quickly with a happy ending.  The book is short with quite a few pictures but a difficult reading level making this a great read aloud or story for advanced younger readers.  The story is one that would appeal equally to boys and girls.  The lexile is 890 (WOW!!) putting it at a sixth grade reading level.

The Chocolate Touch

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catting follows John a boy who is very greedy.  He see's a coin on the sidewalk (that can only be seen by greedy people) and he used the coin to purchase a box of chocolates.  Inside was only one very small chocolate which made everything he ate turn into chocolate.

Katelyn read this book and she liked it because everything he ate turned into chocolate.  She also liked that he learned that it is bad to be greedy.  She really liked the pictures that were throughout the book.  She thought that the whole idea of the book funny enough that she laughed talking about it.

Appropriateness:  This book does not contain any adult content and is not scary at all.  It would work well as a read aloud for younger students.  The lexile is 770 putting it around a fifth grade level.  It has large print and pictures and is fairly short making it a great read for younger advanced readers.  Most of the characters are boys making this a book that boys will enjoy.

The Wide Awake Princess

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker tells the story of Annie, Sleeping Beauty's sister.  Annie was gifted at birth with magic not having an effect on her.  All Annie's life she's been kept at a distance because she repels magic.  When the castle is put to sleep by her sisters curse she is the only one that can save her family.  Annie travels through several kingdoms with a bodyguard looking for princes to kiss her sister.

This is a delightful book that kids will adore.  Kids will enjoy picking out the pieces of different fairytales that are smashed in together.  There is a bit of a romance but it is simple and not enough to put off young readers.  Annie is a strong and confident girl and the type of princess that Mom's would love their daughters to be.  Liam, Annie's bodyguard is sweet and a great friend. 

Appropriateness:  This is a great fast paced fairytale.  I would place the interest level at 9-12 with it being a fantastic read aloud for younger readers who love fairy tales.  The lexile is 890 putting it around a sixth grade reading level making it a great book for advanced readers.

The Enormous Crocodile

The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl tells the story of a very naughty crocodile.  The crocodile decides that he would like to eat some children and he devises some tricky methods to accomplish this mission.  The story has been illustrated with delightful color pictures which make the book even more entertaining for young readers.

I bought this book along with a big pile of Dahl's books at a clearance sale.  I showed it to my daughter and then put it on the shelf and told her she could read it when she was finished with the book she is currently reading and warned her that it would be difficult but it was short so I thought she'd be able to handle it.  Unknown by me she decided to read this book on her own time and loved it.  She thought the story was very funny and finished it easily in an evening.

Appropriateness:  This is Roald Dahl so parents need to understand that the book is going to be a little scary and does not have a happy ending.  This book is very difficult (but short!) and has some big vocabulary words, making it most appropriate as either a read aloud or for advanced readers.  Scholastic lists the lexile at 410 (third grade) but puts the grade level equivalent as 5.6 which I'm assuming is related to the difficult vocabulary level.

The Dragon Keeper Series

The Dragon Keepers Series by Kate Klimo consists of four books.  Dragon Keepers #1: The Dragon in the Sock Drawer, Dragon Keepers #2: The Dragon in the Driveway , Dragon Keepers #3: The Dragon in the Library and the fourth book Dragon Keepers #4: The Dragon in the Volcano which will be released in late May.  These books follow ten year old cousins Jessie and Daisy who find that that the geode that they picked up while on a hike hatches revealing a talking baby dragon which they name Emmy.  Jessie and Daisy have to take care of Emmy and protect her from the evil St George who uses dragon blood to stay alive.

This series is very well written.  It has beautiful descriptive passages with difficult vocabulary words that are set in a context that young readers can infer their meanings without trouble.  Each chapter begins with a delightful picture to help kids picture the scene.  Emmy is very funny and does things that made my daughter laugh out loud.  The male and female leads make this a book which is equally enjoyable for both boys and girls.

Appropriateness:  I would recommend this book to an elementary school aged audience.  The lexile is 680 putting it at a high third grade level (a step up from the beginning chapter books).  The book has about 150 pages with chapters of varying lengths.  It is a story that very young readers can enjoy making it a great read aloud or book for advanced younger readers.  Older elementary school readers will find it interesting and funny enough to keep them engaged and the story is one that even reluctant readers will enjoy.

Bad Kitty

 Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel tells the story of Bad Kitty getting a bath.  This is a modified graphic novel which has chapters and lots of pictures.  The original Bad Kitty is an alphabet picture book and the author followed that book with several others that are designed for readers that are reading early chapter books. 

I got this book for my daughter when she was a kindergartner (she's an advanced reader). I figured she'd read a chapter at a time and it would take about a week like the other beginning chapter books she was reading.

Well I was wrong.

The day she started the book she came downstairs to tell me that she was finished (without being prompted to read at all). She read four chapters before bed without being asked because she loved the book so much.  That's the sign of a great beginning chapter book.  We've since given Bad Kitty books at birthday parties along with the Bad Kitty Stuffed Animal and it's always a great hit.  The lexile is 650 putting it at a mid third grade level and it works well as a read aloud, advanced younger readers and for upper elementary school readers who want something funny.

Dragonsdale

Dragonsdale by Salamanda Drake follows Cara, a girl who lives on a dragon farm.  Cara's mom died while flying a dragon so Cara's father has forbidden her to ride.  It is a nice combination of a dragon and a horse story.  You can read a longer summary here.

My daughter picked this one up at our local book fair and I wasn't thrilled.  The cover is very pretty and fancy and it was about dragons (the book she was reading at the time was also about dragons) and she thought it looked terrific.  However, this  book is huge (almost three hundred pages and the print is not large) and it was signifigantly more difficult than the usual things she reads.  I reminded her several times that she could quit if she wanted (it took her about a month to finish) and she had several other books she could read instead and she refused each time.  Even though this was a very long book with difficult vocabulary she was so interested in the story that she would not stop reading.  That tells me that this is an excellent book.  


Scholastic states the reading level for this book at 5.6 and a lexile at 900 (compare that with the young adult books I review!).  The book uses difficult vocabulary words but does a fantastic job of putting them in context so that young readers can figure out what they mean and there are pictures to help the reader visualize Cara's fantasy world.  I would recommend this book to upper elementary school students and to young advanced readers.  It would also be an excellent read aloud for younger kids who will enjoy Cara's story.

Zombiekins

Zombiekins by Kevin Bolger follows Stanley who finds a zombie stuffed animal.  When Stanley takes Zombiekins to school and it bites the school bully and a bunch of kindergartners are bitten Stanley and his friends have to figure out how to save the school.

My daughter loved this book so much that she drew pictures of Zombiekins for weeks.  She was excited to tell me what happened next and thought it was hysterical.  The pictures are funny and well drawn and make the book perfect for kids who are reluctant readers or for younger advanced readers. It's much more funny than scary and is great for young readers who want to read "scary" books like their older brothers or sisters.

Zombiekins is written on a middle-fifth grade reading level (but has plenty of pictures to make it accessible).  I sent it to my cousin who hates to read and he was so excited that he jumped up and down.  This is a great book for reluctant readers and for younger advanced readers.  I can't stress how wonderful this book is or how much your kids will love it.

The Percy Jackson Series

The Percy Jackson series is one of the most popular middle grade series on the market right now.  The series is more popular with the boys (while also popular with girls) and I see a copy every day when I substitute in middle school classrooms.  The first novel was recently made into a movie. 

The series follows Percy Jackson, a boy who finds out that his father is one of the Greek Gods his fellow demigod Annabeth and his Satyr friend Grover.  In each book he goes on an adventure and fights various mythological monsters.  Many of the stories mirror the stories in more famous works (such as the Odyssey) that kids will read in school and will spur interest in the original tales and research on the monsters themselves.

This series works as a great read aloud (although you may want to keep google handy so you can show your child pictures of the monsters) and is great for advanced readers.  Unlike the Harry Potter books which become more difficult with each book in the series (often causing younger readers to give up on the series) these books are all at the same reading level.  Scholastic lists the books at a fifth grade reading level.  The books are appropriate as a read aloud for second grade and up.  There is fantasy fighting and monsters.  There is a hint of romance but nothing that would put off a young child. 

Humphrey the Hamster

The Humphrey the Hamster series is one that is loved by both my daughter and my husband.  Humphrey lives in room 26 and he helps out the families that he visits their homes and teaches kindness and friendship.  For example, he unplugs a classmates television so the family can learn to have fun without the television.  Humphrey's experiences make for good discussions of different problems that kids face, how to change these problems and how to help others.

This series works well as a read aloud (perfect in a classroom setting) and would be equally enjoyed by both boys and girls.  The content is not age specific so it would be enjoyed and is appropriate for elementary students of any age.  There are currently six books in the series and they're written on a 3-4th grade reading level.

The Worst Witch

The Worst Witch series is a funny Harry Potter light for the beginning reader.  They tell the tale of Mildred, a student at Miss Cackles Academy for witches faces many blunders in her experiences at school.  She's not a very good witch and her spells often go wrong, but do not worry.  The book has the terrific feel good ending that young readers love.

These books are on a 3/4th grade level (guided reading level P) and they are thin (the first one is 110 pages) so they're a quick read and good for intermediate readers.  There were some UK words that my daughter had trouble with and she reported that it was just a little hard but she says that it was worth it because of the "scary and funny parts."  This book would work well as a read aloud for the younger set and is fantastic for the advanced younger reader as well as readers that are ready for beginning chapter books.  There was a TV series years ago based on the books (which I was able to get at the library) that is a good reward for when your child finishes the book, there was a movie also which is fantastically bad).

While this is a girl book (taking place in a girls school with female teachers) I think the story is funny enough that boys would like it also.