Rainbow fairies (Daisy Meadows)

[milliec]

Message withdrawn

[UnquietDad]

Depends on reading age.
My DD was reading them at 5 but then her reading age was ahead.

They are pretty dull and repetitive for an 8-year-old who loves reading. What kind of other stuff does the 8yo read?

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

They're awful. I got one because people on here were talking about how bad they were and it was worse than my wildest dreams.
There are lots of really cool books for that age group - how about, eg, the new edition of Pippi Longstocking with illustrations by Lauren Child?

[Enid]

my 8 year old dd hates them

[UnquietDad]

Go for Clarice Bean
or
Roman Mysteries or
Demon Headmaster or...
Hundreds of choices really!!

The DM books (aka "those sodding fairies" in our house) are really formulaic and unchallenging. They're written by unerpaid hacks under the generic DM pseudonym too - sorry to anyone who thought she was real!!

[moonmother]

My dd (7) quite likes them,but her favourite book above any others is The Worst Witch.Shes an avid book reader but reads this over and over again as she loves it so much,and I've started picking up the others in the series towards her Xmas Pressies.

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

It's not just that they're formulaic - they're also BORING. Formulaic shouldn't have mattered as I only read the one, but it was just dull. There's so much humour around in children's writing atm - Clarice Bean is a good example.

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

Worst Witch is hilarious!

[UnquietDad]

Yes, Worst Witch is good.

I love Clarice Bean; she is such a quirky, funny and anarchic figure.

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

There is so much good observation in Clarice Bean, and a sort of overarching humanity in the writing - sounds pompous but you know what I mean!

[UnquietDad]

But I so wish the "Ruby Redfort" books-within-the books were real too.

DD loves those bits as I do them in a John Barrowman voice.

[IdreamofClooney]

Worst witch books are fab. I so wanted to be Mildred Hubble when I was that age.

I am a bit out of touch with age ranges and reading as DS is only two but I loved reading as a child and loved:

101 dalmations
stig of the dump
the secret garden
Astrid Lingred (sp) books - Karlson on the Roof, The Bullarby Children (sp), Marnie

I think around the right age.

If you go to a big bookshop the staff will be able to advise and will be able to suggest new books you may not have come accross

[UnquietDad]

Interesting piece of trivia: Clarice Bean is called "Ana Tarambana" in Spanish.

[DiscoFever]

dick king smith is brilliant for this age range.

[bogmyrtle]

Unquietada, will you come and read to me in a John Barrowman voice please?

[bogmyrtle]

[LIZS]

dd is 6 and into them so I'd say too young for an average 8 year old

[Bundle]

we've just got the pippi longstocking illust. by lauren child, it's lovely

[bogmyrtle]

I don't like Jacqueline Wilson.
Dd loves Charlotte's Web, Dick King Smith (especially the Sophie ones), The Little House on the Prairie, The Borrowers and a series called Nelly the Monster Sitter by Kes Gray.

[RosaLuxembourg]

My DD2 is 7 and has grown out of the Rainbow Fairy books. At the moment she likes Gwyneth Rees books which are also about fairies and mermaids and a couple of series by Linda Chapman, one about unicorns and one about fairies (again).
I wouldn't opt for those though - I would go for something a bit morre interesting. DD2 likes Lucy Willow by Sally Gardner, Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, Pippi Longstocking - and I have got her the Emily Windsnap books for Christmas which look great and are on offer at Red House at the moment - there are some really good offers on there right now.
Or buy her a book token, my DDs love the opportunity to go and choose their own books.

[RosaLuxembourg]

Moonmother - we went to hear Jill Murphy talk at the Hay festival and she showed us some proofs of her new Worst Witchbook which must be coming out really soon. She was SO lovely and gave a really interesting talk about how she got started and showed the children some little pop up books she had made as a child.

[milliec]

Message withdrawn

[MamaGotaDyson]

My DD is 8 and I have bought her, in the last few months:-

The Worst Witch (3 books IIRC)
Stig of the Dump
Ballet Shoes
Pollyanna
Tarka the Otter
The Secret Garden

I intend to get her some Clarice Bean, she had one from the library and really enjoyed it

[cruisemum1]

dunno if these have been suggested as not read all posts but
Judy Moody books are good and
Pippi Longstocking
Dick King Smith is great
tbh there are so many great book sets aimed at thsi age group you should have no prob if you know wht the little girl is into.