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My preteen (nearly 13) daughter struggles to find books to read that are: 1) clean (as in no profanity, sex, etc.), 2) limited vocabulary (her Lexile is 565-ish, Reading Level around early 4th grade), 3) but still interesting for a child of her age.
Does anyone have any suggestions for books that would be interesting to a child who struggles to understand context, historical references, idioms, etc.?
She has liked the American Girl stories in the past, but seems to have outgrown them. She tried the Harry Potter books, but too hard. She just earned a free book from the summer library/reading program called "Harris and Me" by Gary Paulsen, but that was a joke. (I was about to be upset that the 11-yr-old narrator had described having "art photographs" that he kept hidden under his bed, but when I asked her to read that section aloud and explain what it meant, she had no clue. :clap: Of course I didn't care for all of the "Da*n"s and "He*l"s, either, since this is a child who repeats everything she hears and has no sense of social appropriateness.
So any "clean," girl-friendly, easy to comprehend children's book recommendations for my Borderline MR daughter? Thanks so much!
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I had this problem when I had my boys. They were preteens with a 3rd grade reading level. I found some book series that they liked from zondervan publishing-very clean and with some kind of moral lesson to them.
Some girls series that I have gotten for my nieces:
Camp Club Girls by Renae Brumbaugh- written for ages 8-12, very girly, about 6 friends that solve mysteries together. One of them is called Sydney's DC Discovery
Cheryl Crouch writes a series called Chosen Girls. It is about a girl rock band. I don't what the reading level is but my 10 yr old niece reads this series.
I loved Babysitters Club when I was that age! Of course, those were simpler times when 12 yr old girls still played with Barbies and thought boys were "grody"!
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the writer of the Babysitters Club- Ann M Martin has a new series called Main Street (Trigger warning its about 2 girls who, after thier parents die in a car crash *not a part of the book, just back story* go to live with thier grandmother in a small new england town).
I found these books simple, charming and with positive messages.
Has she tried the "Warriors" Series? My 11 yr old cousin was nuts for it, and its all about Cats and thier social stucture..... I havent read it, but she loved it.
Thanks, all, for the great suggestions!
I've heard only of the Babysitters Club books and the Judy Blume ones (I myself read lots of Judy Blume 4th-6th grades or so, but avoided the Babysitters Club books. Too girly for me at the time!) ;)
However, my preteen is a purse-carrying, pink-wearing, girly-girl, so those might be right up her alley!
A cat series (Warriors), huh? I'll have to check that (and the others) out! Thanks again for the suggestions!
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I am not sure what the reading level would be considered but maybe the Magic Tree House series?
I really liked the Trixie Belden series when I was a little younger that your DD. They were re-released a few years ago, but I am not sure how widely available they are. Similiar to Nancy Drew and totally 'clean.' Even a character who was adopted, though I don't remember the details now.
I LOVED the Baby-sitter's Club & Sweet Valley books. I have ADD & a learning disability & while I could read hard words, I understood simple plots better, & I read these types of books well into high school while my classmates were already reading more adult books. I also liked American Girl stories, the newer Nancy Drews written in the 80s, Goosebumps, & the books by Lurlene McDaniel. Another good one I remember that she might like is "The Worst Speller In Junior High." It's about a girl with dyslexia. A lot of the Judy Blume books are good, but I wouldn't call them "clean." A lot of them have foul language & mature subjects, but most teens can probably handle them. The Main Street books sound really good, I've always liked Ann M. Martin & since she's adopted she might like the storyline of the girls going to live with their grandma after their parents get killed.
Here is a list I found, most of the books on the list I loved. The kids in the neighborhood love the Junie B Jones books. I loved The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, it was great reading![url=http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/835.Books_for_eight_year_old_children]Books for eight-year-old children[/url]
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Definitely Junie B. Jones! I work in an elementary school library, and 1st through fifth graders all like Junie.
There is a series of graphic novels called Babymouse by Jennifer Holm that I highly recommend, high interest with a lower reading level, perfect for Jr. High age girls that struggle with reading.
Another graphic novel series that older kids seem to love (I don't get the appeal) is the Bone series, my son reads them straight through.
There is a series about a veterinary clinic called Animal Ark, by Ben Baglio, the books are around a 4th grade reading level -Kittens in the Kitchen, Puppies in the Pantry, etc.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar is silly and written like a bunch of short stories.
Good luck!
More great suggestions! She has read some Nancy Drew, but I noticed that she never finishes a book, even if it's "easy" for her. Maybe it's her attention span.
I think I'll try the short stories idea (a book with several in it so she can read for longer periods).
Thanks again, everyone!:love:
Wanted to add another idea I came across at our local library--downloadable audio books!
We got "Harriet the Spy" and she's enjoying listening to that in the car while following along with the book. I know she's not picking up all of the vocab, but with an actress reading the lines (in character!), she seems to be getting the gist of it.
Plus it's fun for the rest of us to hear, too!