readers advisory for all discussion

I'm wondering if any of you have some suggestions of books that are on a 6th to 7th grade reading level that are appropriate for a precocious son that is 8 and daughter that is 7. I don't want either of them reading books that are overly sexual, scary, violent, or just simply beyond their maturity. They love to read, and I don't have time to read/screen every book for them (I have my own reading to do!). Thanks!

Tanya--what kinds of books do they enjoy?

It's great that your kids are both such good readers! I hope you can find some perfect books for them here.

Both Paddington Bear and Winnie the Pooh have books that were written for older audiences to read, but appeal to the younger set. A Bear Called Paddington is about 6th grade level and The House at Pooh Corner is about 5th. There are also the classics that parents often read to their kids like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Pollyanna.

The Borrowers books were some of my favorites when I was a kid. I also loved a set of books about a boy who meets up with an alien name Marty from Martinea. The first book in this series was The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree. Probably no longer in stores, but should be available at the library.

For a bit of fantasy with some magic and rather large insects, try James and the Giant Peach.

If the kids don't mind witches, Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a great book. I haven't read it for years, but I don't recall anything that would be objectionable to younger readers.

In fourth grade teachers often read By the Great Horn Spoon! in class since it's a bit above most of the kids' reading level. It's about a boy traveling from Boston to California during the gold rush.

I've heard that The Twenty-One Balloons and How to Train Your Dragon are both wonderful and I have them on my reading list, but haven't gotten to them yet. They would be about the right reading level and I think would appeal to younger kids as well.

It sounds like they could also read A Long Way from Chicago or Anne of Green Gables, but since the kids in these books grow older, I'm not sure if they would hold your kids' interest.

Wendy-
My son liked diary of wimpy kid and captain underpants a couple of years ago (which I don't really like for him, but I let him read them since he liked it so much). He really likes Harry Potter, but I heard the last couple are too mature for a reader his age. He really liked Club Penguin books last year, which I'm also not fond of. He loved Gifted Hands, the Ben Carson story (a non-fiction book that is a wonderful story).

My daughter really loves Erin Hunter Warriors series books, dear Dumb Diary, Judy Moody, Mandy by Julie Andrews (great book!), Encyclopedia Brown, and Emily Winsnap books... she loves Little House on the Prairie books we have read together and the Little Princess... she's a voracious reader.

Thanks for ideas you can offer.

Tanya

Patricia-
Thanks for the ideas, we'll check some of these out from the library. And I love the idea of Anne of Green Gables... especially the earlier books.
Tanya

Hmmm...The Alex Rider series is really good, and the first of it is okay for your son, but the books mature as they go on. There's nothing overly sexual, but there is violence that might be a little to old for him. I don't know, though. There's just one scene in the last book which made me cringe. If you want, you can look into them.

Thanks, I'll take a look!

Hi Tanya,

You might try the following, none of which should have objectionable/mature content:

The Westing Game
The Headless Cupid
The Sign of the Beaver
The Golden Compass (series)
The Secret of Terror Castle (series)
Into the Dream
Girl with the Silver Eyes
Breadcrumbs (out this month)
The Poisoned House
Redwall (series)
The Case of the Baker Street Irregular (series)
Behind the Attic Wall
When You Reach Me
Where the Red Fern Grows
Under the Cat's Eye
The Great Brain (series)

No Flying in the House
Half Magic (series)
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (series)
Betsy-Tacy series--they start out young, but go all the way through to young adult level
The Moffats (series)
Harriet the Spy
The Chocolate Touch
Mary Poppins (series)
The Secret Garden

A few of the Little House spinoff series are pretty good, too, including the ones about her mom Caroline. A couple of titles:

Little House in Brookfield (series)
Mary Ingalls on Her Own

I second the rec for Nimh also. :) And pretty much all Roald Dahl (for children), Beverly Cleary, E.B. White are terrific.

Thanks very much... I also got a helpful hint from our librarian. She said they try to keep material appropriate for younger readers in the children's section of the library. If it's too mature, then it is on the young adult side (for instance the first five Harry Potter books are on the children's side, and six and seven are on the young adult side). I found that to be very helpful. We'll check out some of your suggestions, thanks for taking the time to make this list for me. Tanya

okay as someone who was like that:

The Tripods Trilogy
Search for Senna
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Twenty-One Balloons
Multiple Choice
The Martian Chronicles
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan

Thanks... loving all these suggestions.

The Power of the Rellard
Five Children and It
The Wind in the Willows
The Lives of Christopher Chant
The Secret Country
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
This Time of Darkness
Ronia, the Robber's Daughter
The Book of Three
The Egypt Game
Over Sea, Under Stone

Thanks a million to everyone... these ideas should keep us busy for a while! : )

any feedback?? did the kids like any of these? hate any of these?

I remember my favorites as a kid were The Secret Garden and Little Women. I read
Around the World in Eighty Days a few months ago and loved it. Also, I bought my eight-year-old brother a copy of A Mouse Called Wolf. It's not exactly 7th grade level but he like it a lot.

The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie, both by Kate DiCamillo.