I'm a second grade teacher in a school district with overall low literacy. My kiddos will come in more like first graders, and many of them don't read and aren't read to at home.
I want to read chapter books aloud to them (I'll be reading picture books, too, at other times of the day). I need ideas that are straightforward, but engaging. For example, I tried "The One and Only Ivan" last year and there was too much inferencing required on the part of the listener. We tried various Magic Treehouse books and they were formulaic and boring.
We read a book called "Jake Drake, Know-It-All" that they liked because it was a pretty straightforward story of a kid trying to win the science fair, but it was interesting to them and a little funny.
I'd love to build them up to something that requires them to really listen and infer, but we'll have to start but just building a love of listening to stories.
I know of the "classics" like Roald Dahl, Beverly Clearly, etc, just wondering if there's something I'm not thinking of.
by DeerInfamous
5 Comments
Pippi Longstocking.
Maybe the Moomin books?
For the most straightforward laughs and engagement you might try the Alkatraz vs The Evil Librarians books. Our kids loved them, but they have a lot going for them as a chapter-per-night read.
It’s consistently funny and it hooks from the first page. It’s basically a satire of the Chosen One or Chosen Family trope. The magic is hilariously implemented. The main character has the ability to break things and no initial ability to control it. Another character has the ability to arrive late. Which sounds dumb but it’s genuinely hilarious. Our kids loved it.
But it also involves some family trauma processing and PG violence, so you might read the first few chapters before you start it.
Is Amelia Bedalia still around?
The Mr Gum series! Perfect for this age. The perfect amount of silly and engaging.
The book with no pictures is also a great book for helping them find the fun in books that don’t have pictures. Its not a chapter book, but just a good transition.
The owl who was afraid of the dark is less silly but always seems to be a hit.
My oldest was obsessed with Beast Quest books around that age too.