My oldest niece is about to turn 7. She is starting to read chapter books. I'm trying to figure out what to give her for her birthday and holidays. It was easier when I could give her picture books; I can flip through one of those in 2 minutes in the bookstore and decide whether I like it or not. Chapter books take a few hours, so I have to do some preparation.
I'll certainly give her some of the books that I enjoyed at that age:
Beverly Cleary
Wayside School
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Chronicles of Narnia
Calvin and Hobbes
Bunnicula
I don't want to exclusively give her books from the 20th century. I've been trying to find some good books from recent years, but I've been underwhelmed.
Books that I am buying for her:
Yasmin by Saadia Faruqi: I read the first book. It's good. I'm buying it for my niece.
Zoey and Sassafras by Asia Citro: I read the first two. They're kind of good. I don't have any complaints. I just didn't love them. I'm still giving my niece the first one.
Star Friends by Linda Chapman: I read the first book, and thought it was kind of good. I'm buying it for my niece.
Books that felt too boring or forgettable:
Piper Green by Ellen Potter: I read the first two. I found them very forgettable. I didn't find anything objectionable, but I don't understand the appeal. If you tell me that your child loves these books, I will gladly give them another chance.
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon: I read the first one. It was all over the place. It didn't feel as sincere as something like Calvin and Hobbes. I understand the appeal of reading about a child with an active imagination, but I didn't care for this.
Sophie Mouse by Poppy Green: I read the first one. I understand that Sophie is supposed to start out flawed and then grow. I didn't like that she doesn't even talk to the snake until her parents tell her that they used to be friends with a snake. I'm probably nitpicking, but the message of inclusion felt somewhat lacking. My niece likes this series, so I'll give it another chance.
Hilo by Judd Winick: I loved Pedro and Me, so I was excited to read this, but I found it boring.
Cleopatra in Space by Mike Maihack: I read the first book. I don't remember what the conflict was or who the villains were. Cleopatra just gets sent forward in time and is the best at everything.
Zita The Spacegirl by Ben Hatke: Like Cleopatra, I don't remember what the conflict is. I just remember a bland story about Zita beng great at everything.
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate: This started out fine, but the ending felt contrived and rushed.
Dragon Masters by Tracey West: I read the first one. It felt rushed but promising. If the series goes somewhere good and develops the characters, I would be happy to keep reading it. If it's just the same formula repeated in every book, then I have no interest in it.
Real Pigeons by Andrew McDonald: I read the first book. I did not like any of the characters or the plot.
The Last Firehawk by Katrina Charman: I read the first book, and I hated it. Contrary to how I come across in this post, I'm really not somebody who goes around whining that kids books are too contrived, but this is painfully contrived. Nothing has any motivation. The two main characters get randomly selected to go on a mission with a GPS guiding them to a series of collectables. It feels like poorly written video game fan fiction.
Books that are a little too mature or advanced for a seven-year-old
Heartwood Hotel by Kallie George: I read the first book. It was reasonably good. I would maybe buy this for a ten-year-old. It's a little too scary for a seven-year-old.
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate: this was great but very sad. I don't know at what age a child should be reading about a family facing the possibility of homelessness, but it's probably something that should be introduced by parents or teachers rather than an uncle.
Fairyland by Catherynne Valente: I started reading the first book. The first page was filled with words that a seven-year-old wouldn't know. I'll read this in the future and make a decision then.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell: I read both of these books, and I liked them a lot. I don't think that a seven-year-old is old enough for them, but I will definitely buy them for her in a few years.
What other books should I check out?
by il_biciclista
12 Comments
Redwall by Brian Jacques. Mice and other small forest creatures have adventures
I remember loving Junie b. Jones at that age.
What about books by Kate DiCamillo? Mercy Watson, Flora and Ulysses.
Princess in Black by Shannon Hale.
Zoey and Sassafras by Asia Citro.
The Secret Garden/A Little Princess by Frances Hogdson Burnett.
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Wonder by RJ Palacio (might be a little advanced by my 7 year old nephew loved it).
I recommend Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and The Secret Seven series, both of which are about a group of friends solving mysteries. Fun and engaging
FWIW, my son loved Dragon Masters and The Last Firehawk. Your niece is approaching these books with the brain of a 7 year old, not an adult, so I’m not sure why they need to feel exciting to you (who I assume has already encountered lots of tropes, varied storytelling, etc). Kids at that age are just learning what compelling stories feel like for them. If you only gift her books that you find interesting, she might miss out on some things that spark imagination or a love for reading in her. And I say this as a former English Lit major who suffered through all kinds of silly books with my kid, who is a voracious and varied reader at 13.
The wild robot by Peter brown, escape from Mr lemoncellos library by Christ grabenstein, Matilda by roald Dahl, mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo,princess in black by Shannon and dean hale,Geronimo Stilton, the sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley, fablehaven by Brandon mull,how to train your dragon by Cressida cowell, dragon slayer’s academy by Kate mcmullan, lunch lady chronicles and the time warp trio by Jon scieszka
At 7, I loved the Fudge books by Judy Blume and everything Beverly Cleary wrote. The Black Stallion and Black Beauty books were a staple, and I read anything by Roald Dahl. Pretty sure I read James and the Giant Peach about 20 times by the time I was 10.
Consider “Hamster princess, Harriet the invincible” by Ursula Vernon
If you like it, there’s a whole series.
I hope this doesn’t come off as rude, but I think you’re putting too much stock in your personal opinions of the books. I’m a teacher and the Zita and Dragon Masters series are popular among my students. The most important thing is that the books capture HER interest and help her develop a love of reading.
Amber brown, Mallory series, Mackenzie blue, a little princess, luv ya bunches
My number one suggestion is to call up your local library and ask to talk to a children’s librarian! They will have a lot of great ideas for you. Some books I’ve read aloud to kids that I really like:
The Wild Robot
Anything by Kate DiCamillo (Tales from Deckawoo Drive is a great starting place)
Ways to Make Sunshine (a really lovely realistic fiction series)
Jasmine Toguchi (a little formulaic but really enjoyable for kids, fun to read)
I love how much you care about your seven year old nieces reading! I agree that a lot of children’s books can fall really flat.
The Fly Man series (?), given at a 7yo’s birthday party we were unable to avoid yesterday.