How can I encourage my Year 4 daughter beyond Lottie Brooks?

[Franny1]

Gaaah. Was so SO excited to see my eight year old DD (now in year 4) FINALLY get into reading this summer. She read a Lottie Brooks and having mostly resisted reading independently at home before, she raced through all nine Lotties in weeks. Just loved them!

But now a month later here we are and she just isn’t interested in anything else. Any tips? She’s a very proficient reader and school says she’s very good at it, so I don’t think it’s difficulty. I don’t tell her what to read, we’ve always read a lot to the kids and still do, every night. We go to the library, have lots of books round the house. And I guess some people will say I’m putting her off by obviously wanting her to, but she is actually generally quite bad at doing things that require patience and commitment and she often does need a bit of a shove in the right direction!

I was such a mega bookworm as a kid and am so keen for my children to love books the way I did. My son isn’t quite as obsessive as I was but he does love reading, and books are such a big part of our family life. And I know some people will say who cares, let them be them etc, but actually reading is SO good for kids and adults alike, good for literacy, good for empathy, good for so many things, I don’t think it’s as simple as just leave them be…

I find that we have to literally take away and hide books like that, same with dog man for my son. They're fun but comfortable.

We then say they can go to bed now and read for 30 mins or can just have lights out. They tend to want to read! I also find that reading the first chapter or so to them helps because it gets them into the swing of the book.

At 9 she might like murder most unladylike.

Just let her read them, she's only little and enjoying books is the most important, she's already reading ahead of her age.

They her on Tom Gates, Dork Diaries, diary of a wimpy kid, Jacqueline Wilson etc.

Just get her to the library and let her discover new books.

I ALWAYS say she can stay up late reading if she wants and she never takes me up on it ☹️

My daughter is a few years older than yours and still loves them and will just cycle her way through them on repeat! She has access to piles of books at home, we visit the library regularly and I buy pretty much any book when asked but I'd say 90% of her reading is Lottie! She still laughs her head off though and is counting the days til the new one is delivered so I'm not sure she's going to change any time soon!

You could try Janice Hallet - A boxful of murders. It’s written in diary entries, different kinds of documents, files etc. My lottie brooks obsessed 10 yr old raced through that one.

i do let her read them! I let her read whatever she wants, the point is she’s finished all the Lottie brooks and now doesn’t want to read anymore. Have tried all the ones you mention sadly… really surprised by her not liking Jaqueline Wilson…

Ooh yeah. Might try this

Yes I mean maybe she should just reread them! What else does your DD like?

Ooh also try Cringe Club - similar level to little brooks, there are 3 of them.

My Lottie Brooks lover also loved the Babysitters Club. And Judy Blume. Oh - also Lily Tripp accidentally time traveller which is also diary entries.

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Bigg School series by Lisa Williamson

She's like dork diaries but they aren't my first choice! She loves any diary style really. She thought she didn't like Jacqueline Wilson at first but then realised how different they all are and loves some - the sleepover ones were a big hit. The Loki books were popular for a while. The Sinclair mysteries, the borrowers. She really enjoyed the first Box of Murders one by Janice Haller but hasn't really give the second one a proper go yet

Institute morning reading for 15 mins with a prize for every finished book. Books to be selected from a box of options you provide. No screens permitted if reading not done.

worked on mine.

I have to add a quiz to this otherwise my dc would just lie and say they've read it.

Yeah I am trying tactics to keep my eldest reading and he'd just ask Google the plot or something 🙈🙈 I am currently bribing him with more reading = more screen time to just try and keep him ticking over and hoping he picks up something that grabs him in the meantime

Oh I do a spot check. No access to Google. "On page 51, milly drops something, what was it?" "On page 60 milly realises her friend was murdered. What does she say?"

dles she have any particular interests? If so would she like some non fiction books? My son much prefers non fiction.

Also, have you tried comics? Graphic novels? Trips to the library or book shop? Pop a selection of books in the car so she may pick one up while travelling? Leave books dotted about the house, at the dinner table, may spark her interest?

Sounds very much like my eight year old. Loves Lottie Brooks. I honestly can’t remember what I read at that age but think it was more challenging stuff? So what I do with mine is read her the more challenging stuff and let her read what she wants. We’ve just finished Miss Happiness and Miss Flower (which I loved as a child) and now I’m reading her a book of Japanese children’s folk tales (connected as the first book is about Japan). I might move onto little house on the prairie next.

Scarlett and Ivy was very popular here after Lottie Brooks. It may just be reading some in waves and after reading all the Lottie brooks she needs a little break before coming back to a wave of reading.

Maybe let her enjoy them for now and buy her a nice box set of something else for Christmas.

Also (but you probably do this anyway) read something to her every evening and make sure she often sees you reading for pleasure.

The summer between year 3 and 4 was when my reluctant but competent reader discovered her love of reading too :) (She's now 10 and last year recorded 4 million words read in one year on Accelerated Reader!)

She didn't read Lottie Brooks until a bit later, but loved them too. Her gateway books were the "Daisy and the trouble with..." series by Kes Gray, followed by the "Baby aliens got my teacher" series by Pamela Butchart.

Early on, she also enjoyed:

• "Nina Peanut" series by Sarah Bowie
• a few of the younger Judy Blumes ("Tales of a fourth-grade nothing" and "Otherwise known as Sheila the Great")
• "Sleepovers" series, the "Butterfly Club", "The other Edie Trimmer" and "Project Fairy" by Jacqueline Wilson (she wasn't as much a fan of JW as I was as a child, but she enjoyed these ones)
• "Witch wars" series by Sibéal Pounder
• "Bigg school" series by Lisa Williamson
• "The day the screens went blank" by Danny Wallace

I also second "Lily Tripp - accidental time traveller" as a good diary style book. Also, "This is not the diary of Izzy Dobson" by Abigail Balfe is another.

She's now firmly in the fantasy/magic realm, so if you ever need recommendations there, I have a very very long list 😁

My DS has also just started year 4 and also a reluctant (but not quite as competent) reader. We're still working on him. He's dabbled in various graphic novels, but we still haven't found his sweet spot.