First chapter books for 6 year old - preferably fantasy/magic

[Allegrogirl]

My DD1 still loves her picture books which is fine but I'd like to get her into chapter books as her reading is really starting to improve now.

She's got one of those Rainbow Fairies books but it's pretty dull. Is she too young for Harry Potter do you think? Any other magical story recommendations for this age group? They would be read to her at first but hopefully encourage her to pick them up herself when she's able.

Enid Blyton! the Magic Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair trilogies.

Rainbow Fairies are awful, but they're very good at building reading confidence. DS1 developed a Beast Quest (similarly formulaic) obsession when he started on chapter books and it really helped to bridge between being able to read longer books, and actually wanting to read longer books.

For fantasy books to read to her - how about Roald Dahl or Spiderwick Chronicles?

Oliver moon series? Both my dc liked them age 5 and they're early reader ish, they are like Harry Potter lite....
Sally Gardner princess stories

To read to her
Gobbolino the witch's cat and other Ursula Moray Williams
Diana Wynne Jones magic stories
The little white horse

DD has really enjoyed the Darcey Bussell ballet books. She liked the Enid Blyton but some of the language is a bit old fashioned and needed constant explaining which got a little wearing.

My 6 year old loves Beast Quest. Easy to read magic / fantasy type stories. While DS loves harry potter and is a confident reader I think it would go on for too long. Beast Quest is about 10 chapters and you can either read them a couple each night or DS can manage one himself before getting tired.

DS really enjoyed the first Dinosaur Cove book. I quite did too! It's about two boys who find a magic cave and go back in time to have (very tame) adventures with dinosaurs. Nice, short chapters and only about 7 chapters in the book so it can be read in a week, which helps to sustain interest.

TheDuck you read BQ to your DC? That's beyond the call of duty, surely? Once they can read themselves, I only read books to them that I enjoy too!

Enid blyton books are so boring. Try roald Dahl, the worst witch, there are some animal books that are connected to batersea dogs home, dd enjoyed those. A really lovely book that dd has read loads is a necklace of raindrops, it is short stories with lovely illustrations

Definitely the Worst Witch books by Jill Murphy. My ds loved them when he was that age. A bit easier than Harry Potter and some say where JK Rowling got her inspiration!

Beast quest.
Ninja first mission ( and the sequel , death touch) .
worst witch.
Mr Majica

I've bought 5yo DS the Oliver Moon books for Christmas, the BookPeople had the set of 12 for £10. Not sure what they're like yet but they have great reviews on amazon

Magic Molly by Holly Webb
Magic Faraway Tree/Enchanted Wood/Wishing Chair
Gobbolino
Worst Witch

she might also like the Laura's Star early reader ones (erm Secret Pony, New Teacher, Sleepover and Best Friends Forever I think they are called - they are 64 pages each I think)

My daughter likes Rainbow Fairies but she would read say one of those, then a Magic Molly, then a picture story book, then something else, then another Rainbow Fairy one.

other early reader type ones which have been popular in our house are The Lighthouse Keeper (now also available as early reader type chapter books), Animals in School by Julia Donaldson, The Kitten with No Name by Vivian French, The Witches Dog - Frank Rodgers, Usborne Young Reading books, The Troublesome Tooth Fairy, Dogbird, Dog on a Broomstick, Snowdog and Happy Mouseday.

I would probably suggest starting with the early reader type ones which are generally about 64 pages long and still have colour pictures in a lot of them. Long enough that they feel more like a chapter book and chapter book sized but with only 4ish chapters so not too daunting. Then Magic Molly ones are 80odd pages so extend a bit further and then you get ones in the 90pages, 120 pages and then up to over 200 pages. My daughter would panic at the thought of some of the much longer ones.

I have just ordered her a set of Jill Tomlinson books (Owl who was afraid of the dark, The Cat who wanted to go home etc) which seem to be 96ish pages each so about right for her. She is in Yr1.

Bunchy - Joyce Lankester Brisley (little girl makes things that come alive etc.)
Green Smoke - Rosemary Manning (little girl and dragon)
The Little Girl and the Tiny Doll
The Little Bookroom - Eleanor Farjeon (to read aloud - fairytale-type short stories)
The Fairy Doll and Other Tales from the Doll's House - Rumer Godden
The Night Fairy - Laura Amy Schlitz
Half Magic (and others) - Edward Eager

Some great recommendations there, thanks! Lots of votes for gobblino and the worst witch. Might get those for the stocking.