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Join in for children's book recommendations.

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Join in for children's book recommendations.

Children's books

Book suggestions for dyslexic daughter

38 replies

0131trojan1 · 11/05/2011 22:02

Can anyone suggest any books for my daughter who's been diagnosed as dyslexic? She's 11, but reading age I think about 8?

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startail · 22/07/2011 00:31

Can I second the audio book comment. DD1 had the library's HP CDs several times. This meant she could discuss the books with her friends even though she found the later ones very hard going.

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0131trojan1 · 05/07/2011 20:14

I think you're right Rosie Red. I'm also guilty of moaning about shops not stocking what I'm looking for, but sometimes this is based on one visit to that shop ages ago. I should really give them another chance, AND ask for exactly what I need. Must admit, madamehooch, you have given me a completely new opinion of W shops,, didn't realise you did all the reader group and other things you mentioned- I genuinely thought that was just the smaller private shops.

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madamehooch · 02/07/2011 10:53

It certainly does RosieRed. Whilst it would be brilliant to be able to stock everything, space just simply allow us to do it, so we have to primarily concentrate on what we know the kids want to read, 'perennial sellers' and new books. However, we are very lucky in that we have the freedom to order in 'recommends' so I usually order those books which I consider to be brilliant (such as The Story of Matthew Buzzington) but which may be overlooked. Trouble is, they fly off the shelves quicker than they come in!

Can't please everyone, however. On a daily basis, we get customers who, if they can't find what they want, take great delight in announcing that they will go home and order it off Amazon!

Still, there are certain things you can't get off the internet. I can see its attraction if you know exactly the book you want but nothing beats a good browse in a bookshop. It's my guilty pleasure every time we visit somewhere new!

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RosieRed · 01/07/2011 14:39

I go to the 'W' a lot - it's not like there are that many other options for a lot of us except maybe the one starting with 'A'... My town doesn't have an independent bookshop although it used to (went bust a while back). I think the thing for people like us - I mean people who have a specific 'need' or children with a specific 'need' - is we really need to make sure we ask for the things we want in shops like Waterstones and then buy it. Sometimes I know I'm guilty of moaning that people don't have something and then realising that they'll only carry it if I go in and spend money on it. Does that make any sense?

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madamehooch · 01/07/2011 07:04

It helps being a bit of a book anorak!

Most of my colleagues are 'experts' in different areas of bookselling. We aren't afraid to refer customers to those of us with the knowledge and we find that the customers would rather speak to someone who can advise them fully.

Obviously, each branch differs but ours does an awful lot of work outside the shop - we work in schools, run reading groups, set up author events, support reading projects. It's not just independents who can have a place in the community!

I'm really pleased about your daughter trojan and glad that I was able to help.

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0131trojan1 · 30/06/2011 21:15

wow, madamehooch. Must say you sound so much more knowledgable than the W staff I've spoken to ( that was a compliment, by the way!!)

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madamehooch · 29/06/2011 17:45

0131trojan1 - so glad your daughter liked it. Yes, we have got his new book. And 'my' shop is, in fact, one of those with a W outside .....

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0131trojan1 · 29/06/2011 17:43

madame hooch - you are so right! After your recommendation, I got Matthew Buzzington in Waterstones
( though had to ask for it, as couldn't spot it)
Where is your shop, as I would love to visit it? And have you got Andy Stanton's new one, from Barrington Stoke, Sterling and the Canary? Because it is even better ( according to daughter!) than Matthew B.

PS Daughter now has her yellow Canary tote bag which she takes her swimming stuff to school in! ( freebie from Barrington S website)

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Kez100 · 22/06/2011 11:32

My son is severely dyslexic. We also find audio helps him read books of his age (and beyond). We subscribed him to listening books, a charity who help children and adults who cannot read conventionally. They are amazing.

He also loved Percy Jackson free on audio through school bookweek. We have bought the rest on audio and he is now on a second series!

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RosieRed · 21/06/2011 15:45

I have been following Andy Stanton's Twitter now I know he is the Mr Gum author (apologies if that's a bit stalkerish; it's very interesting and also very funny) and he has a thing about the free bag with the book thing: twitter.com/#!/AndyStantonTM

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0131trojan1 · 16/06/2011 17:59

Sterling & the Canary book arrived yesterday ( just published, hence the delay) Daughter loving it, AND got email to say she'll get a free canary tote bag, too.
PS She looks a bit like Lizzie, the girl in the book, too........................

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madamehooch · 05/06/2011 19:35

I hear what you're saying meditrina - just wanted to point out that there are well-written books available for children unable to access what is currently popular with their peers. You never know - they may even start their own craze - a good case in point is the wonderful 'Story of Matthew Buzzington'. I bought this for a child who could not cope with 'Mr Gum'; they loved it so much, they lent it to their friends. It was eventually read by the class teacher who read it to her year 5's. We have had this book on display in our shop for weeks with no reference to it being written for dyslexic or reluctant readers. It sells as soon as it gets put out and is now one of the books used in our inschool reading groups.

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meditrina · 05/06/2011 14:35

madamehooch: I know, I have a dyslexic son. My suggestion was intended as an addition, not a replacement.

Sometimes, when "everyone" is reading [insert name of whichever book/series is latest craze] it's nice to have a way to access it. I've also seen it work well with girl (a bit younger than OP's) who was desperate to read the Daisy Meadows Fairy books at the same time as her peers.

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madamehooch · 05/06/2011 14:13

meditrina - the good thing about Barrington Stoke is that they are written by popular authors and that they are well-written, exciting stories which can be enjoyed by all readers - dyslexic or otherwise. You can still be 'with the group' reading these books and my personal view is that they should be shelved with the authors' other books and not in their own 'special' section. Audio books are good though because they allow a child to enjoy a story without the pressure of trying to decipher the words which then can lead to them wanting to read the book themselves.

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meditrina · 05/06/2011 12:21

You might like to get the audio books of the things her friends are reading. She can listen to it whilst following the text on the page. It'll keep her with the group IYSWIM, which will be good for confidence, and will help her to enjoy literature.

I've done this with dyslexic DS2, who found Percy Jackson via a tape of The Lightning Thief and who then went on to read (no tape) all the others. I can't begin to tell you how happy that made me.

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madamehooch · 05/06/2011 12:16

So pleased for you and your daughter trojan. Can't believe how many schools come into the shop and have never heard of Barrington Stoke!

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0131trojan1 · 05/06/2011 09:28

Back on Barringon Stoke website and ordered Sterling & the Canary - by Andy ( Mr Gum !!) Stanton.
Daughter- so excited, can't wait!!
Is this the same child who was SO grumpy about reading anything at all, just a month ago??????????????

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0131trojan1 · 01/06/2011 22:19

my daughter's not really into historical stuff at the moment, but looking a the website, Barrington Stoke seem to do books about WW2 and suffragettes and subjects like that- is that the kind of thing you mean?
Do you know what her reading age is?

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maggsybear · 29/05/2011 12:21

Thank you for all the tips, does anyone know of any historical books that would be suitable for an 11 year old girl - she loves listening to What Katy Did etc.

Many thanks
Mags x

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madamehooch · 26/05/2011 20:32

Really pleased that the school are going to invest in these books. The Sterling and the Canary one is pretty new. I think there is a catalogue available (I know bookshops can get one anyway). I'm sure if you ring them up and ask for their up to date catalogue they'll send you one.

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0131trojan1 · 26/05/2011 19:39

Great news- took the parent leaflet I got from Barrington Stoke website into daughters school, and they already have a few in the library, but are going to go through the chart ( I think this is what Barrington do instead of a catalogue?) and choose about 50 new ones!!! Don't know who's more pleased- daughter or me!! The brilliant thing is that they look like' normal' books- so the other kids don't realise that she's dyslexic.
RosieRed- off to check out Sterling and CAnary book- is it on the website? Can't remember seeing it before?

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RosieRed · 24/05/2011 21:25

Sorry if I was confusing 0131trojan1 - I get a bit carried away about design. Have you seen the MR Gum books by the Stanton guy Madame Hooch mentioned? They are beautiful. I'm going to order the Matthew Buzzington one and the Sterling and the Canary one he's done for Barrington Stoke for DD and DSs. Missed the bloomin sale though, didn't I?!
I am going to look up the Diana Wynne Jones books LRDTheFeministDragon, thanks for the tip. I said on another thread how great I thought it was that DWJ had written a book for Barrington Stoke so maybe she actually had a bigger interest in dyslexia than I thought.

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0131trojan1 · 24/05/2011 18:03

SO MUCH information!!!! JUst had a quick look at Dancing KItes website. Don't really see how they can have books for dyslexic kids aged 4???? How can you know at that age? Showed the covers on the website to daughter who was IMMEDIATELY put off- a) by the 'Step 1' bit on the cover, and b) by the cuddly animals! Plus, they seem to be wordsearches and things like that. I cannot believe how much she loves the Barrington books- they are just the right length, and she is SO chuffed when she finishes the last page!!
Don't quite understand the font stuff, RosieRed, but these just seem to work for her.
Sorry, girlscout, but I think Rainbow Warriors at 320 pages (!!!) would not be what she needs right now. Maybe once she's worked her way through the entire Barrington range..................................................
Thanks anyway.

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diglotbooks · 24/05/2011 16:56

Take a look at www.dancingkites.co.uk/ their books have been developed specifically for dyslexic children.

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RosieRed · 24/05/2011 13:18

I followed that link a bit excitedly but the books don't really look like something you'd buy in a shop. Also my eldest has been a Barrington Stoke consultant (where kids get to read the book before it gets published and tell them about any bits they find hard) and he actually had a lot of trouble with the original but then not with the final book once they had edited it. This lot say they don't edit plus I know from other books and school that none of my kids find arial a good font plus they say that they still justify text to the right even though the BDA says not to. I'm not sure - it looks to me like a bit of a rip off of the easy bits of Barrington Stoke to copy.