Simple chapter books for 6 and 7 year olds

[Kitsandkids]

My 2 boys are 6 and 7 and I am trying to move them on a bit in their comprehension and enjoyment of books. Until the summer holidays I always read picture books at bedtime, but once the oldest went into the juniors I kind of insisted we move onto me reading chapter books to them.

I don't want anything too complicated for them. I know some children can handle Harry Potter at 4, but my 2 just wouldn't understand a story like that. My 7 year old is on the special needs register at school and is emotionally quite young for his age. My 6 year old isn't on the register but isn't particularly high achieving (on Level 5 Oxford Reading Tree books) and still seems very 'little' for a Year 2 child.

So far we have read Paddington, The Worst Witch, The Enchanted Wood and a couple of books of short stories. What other recommendations do people have? I keep seeing books and thinking, oh yes that will be great for when they're about 9, but I'm not sure what to read to them now. I don't want Horrid Henry as the youngest used to have some behaviour problems, which now seem much better, and I don't want him getting any ideas!! He got given a Captain Underpants book for his birthday and I thought it was a load of dross!

I think a relative is buying them some Roald Dahl books for Christmas but I would love some other suggestions too. Many thanks.

Dirty Bertie? Similar to horrid Henry but Bertie is a nicer and funnier character who is not as naughty as HH.
My older 3, (4, 6, 9) all like them.
Secret 7?

Dinosaur Cove series.

My boys liked Flat Stanley. Also Astrid Lindgren books were well liked and I enjoyed reading them!

Flat Stanley hasn't gone down well with my 6 year old!
He absolutely loved dear hound by Jill Murphy

Oh and the Rascal series by Chris Cooper. Brilliant.

dd2's just started Clever Polly and The Stupid Wolf, which is simple and fun

the How to Train Your Dragon books are good as well - would be independent reading for an older age group, but I think would work well for younger DC if read to them.

Magic far away tree. Mr Gum.

All my girls have liked the Iggy and Me books - kind of an updated My Naughty Little Sister style. My six year old loves them.

My 5 year old is loving the Beast Quest series. There are about 100 so if the first 6 go well you're sorted! Adventure books with magic, magical creatures, a leading boy and girl character and the same tried and tested formula of danger, friendship and against the odds bravery.

I read them to him at the moment but they are short chapters and he can read a lot of the words himself.

Olga da Polga & Dick King Smith popular here.

Definitely Roald Dahl, also Dick King Smith books are great. My DDs love My Naughty Little Sister...maybe the Just William books would be a boy's equivalent?

Any Dick King-Smith books are good, mainly animal stories.

I wouldn't worry too much about moving on from picture books though - many of them are great!

Mr Majeika?
The Owl who was afraid of the dark?

Sophie and the Shadow Woods
Don't cook Cinderella

Mrs Pepperpot is good for this age.

Definitely the shorter Roald Dahl books - The Twits, Enormous Crocodile, Fantastic Mr Fox; Winnie the Witch, The Magic Treehouse, Beast Quest (although beware buying too many - my ds1 loved them for about 6 months then realised the stories are all pretty much the same and went off them really quickly.)

My nearly 7 year is particularly loving Roald Dahl at the moment. He loves the twits! Very easy to read, sort chapters ( literally 2 pages!) make it easy when they ask for just one more!!

He also has enjoyed dinosaur cove and a couple of the spy pups range

Thanks for all of the ideas, I shall definitely look into them all.

Lurking

Pugs of the Frozen North has plenty of illustrations, so will work beautifully for both.

The Puppy Academy series by Gill Lewis, is fast paced, light hearted & fun. With the added benefit they'll soon be able to read them to themselves too.

Take a look at Alex T Smith's Claude series, (great illustrations too), and then of course there is Fortunately, the Milk ... soon to be made in to a film!

Oh yes to Mr Gum, Claude and Magic Faraway Tree! Also Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks which DS loved, even though I tend to find the language in older ones can be harder to access. How do you feel about Famous Five? They do seem to love them and I personally think they see it as 'olden days' ie not as it is today.

My 7 and 10 year old absolutely loved a new book, Crumble's Adventures. It's about two little dogs that have great adventures, sometimes a tiny bit scary but always a happy ending. The boys really identified with it, and the 7 year old has read it twice. It's quite Blytonesque, charming outdoor good times and gorgeous illustrations. Do try it, author is Mike Beale, I got it from Amazon.

We just read Mango and Bambang (which I won on mn) and is 4 short stories and funny. My 5 year old DD also enjoys Roald Dahl the shorter ones as mentioned above and some of the Micheal Morpugo stories are lovely. She likes a collection of shorter stories and loved the Butterfly Lion (a boy is the main character with another good female character too).

My 6 year old likes reading Ivy and Bean to herself, but I've also been reading books by Dahl and dick king-smith. I also recommend charlotte's web and maybe the Indian in the Cupboard or a Cricket in Times Square. (USA favourites)

We're currently reading Mango and Bambang too, and it is very good. Even DS1 who is far too grown up to be read to has stopped to listen.
Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman is fantastic, with great illustrations by Chris Riddell. And Chris Riddell's Ottoline series.
Also Roald Dahl - especially BFG. David Walliams and Mr Gum also v good. They might not get all the jokes, but DS2 likes them anyway.
And actually, there are lots of great, more grown up picture books - the Emily Brown series by Cressida Cowell, Johnny Duddle's pirate books, Anthony Browne's books about My Family (eg Zoo). Picture books can still have great stories!

Seconding the Beast Quest books - mine devoured them at that age. They aren't War and Peace, but they get them reading.

Also loved How To Train Your Dragon series, maybe reading with at that age, and reading by themselves in a short while.