Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

Original poster

Good reads for 7 years old (Y3) slow reader

32 replies

Frogusha · 10/10/2019 10:24

DD7 just started reading chapter books in school this year. It takes her about 3 weeks to read Wimpy Kid. We've been reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone for the last few days - it's painfully slow. The sentences are more complex then Wimpy Kid. She'd like to read Harry Potter as everyone else in her class seems to have read it and they play re-enactment on the playground. Should we persevere with Harry Potter (though it's slow) or chose something similar to Wimpy Kid? I find the latter not really age appropriate (as it's about a boy who fancies a girl and my 7 y o can't really relate to it and it's also full of Americanisms - which is fine but breaks the flow with me having to explain the slang). Another book she actually liked a lot was Tom Fletcher's Creakers. We've tried other books by Tom Fletcher but they were not as interesting. Also any tips for slow readers would be greatly appreciated. We've tried reading together, for her to pick up on my speed, reading a paragraph each, and it helped, but she still gets confused and bogged down by long complicated sentences.

OP posts:
DonPablo · 10/10/2019 10:28

I'd build her confidence with even easier books first. So that the thrill and feeling of accomplishment is what she feels when she finishes a book.

The worst witch are good. And there's a couple of old books called I don't want to by bel mooney that are very short, straightforward chapter books. And then build on that. Get her racing through easier books and slowly move onto the harder ones.

Maybe you could listen to her read the easier books and adlfterwards read some HP to her, so she still gets the exposure without the effort. Eventually she'll be reading the later HP on her own.

For me, it's all about the joy of reading at this age. Take the struggle out of it. Smile

ALadyofLetters · 10/10/2019 10:34

Read the HP books to her and get her to read easier books to you. Both my dds loved Pamela Buchart books. They’re very funny and there are plenty of pictures for a chapter book.

BlueChampagne · 10/10/2019 12:44

How about Harry Potter audio books from library?

Sophie and the Shadow Woods
The Owl that was Afraid of the Dark
Claude books are good too

massistar · 10/10/2019 12:46

Tom Gates books are quite similar to the Wimpy Kid ones in terms of style but not quite so Americanised. My DD liked Barry Loser at that age too.

BlueChampagne · 10/10/2019 13:49

Dork Diaries?

RolytheRhino · 10/10/2019 13:52

You can get a box set about different types of fairy- Rainbow Magic, the series is called. Really popular with my Year 3 girls, and, while won't be winning any prizes for quality, it does allow them to increase their speed, stamina and confidence which is really what you're looking for.

Original poster
Frogusha · 10/10/2019 17:01

Thank you all! I'll give DD the list of all suggestions. She's supposed to pick her own chapter book in the classroom, to swap as soon as she finishes + another book weekly from the school library. We don't have time really to read extra outside of what she picks at school - her teacher didn't recommend to have more than 2 books on the go.

DD's problem is that she loves a complex story, but her reading speed and vocabulary really hamper her reading. Her memory isn't the best either - e.g. she reads Aunt Petunia's name hesitantly, I read it again firmly for her to memorise, and then she proceeds to read it hesitantly on every encounter. Yet when we did try Rainbow Magic and Claude stories, she found them quite boring, unlike Fletcher's Creakers.

With Audio books, I find they go to fast - we tried Train your dragon and it was impossible for her to follow the text whilst listening. Or is it OK to just listen, without trying to follow in the book too?

OP posts:
ColdRainAgain · 10/10/2019 17:09

DS reads much simpler books than that to himself.
We read the big chapter books to him - with him reading the first page of each chapter.

So, last year (Y3) reading to himself was magic treehouse, beast quest, dinosaur cove type books.
While we read How to train your dragon to him.
I'd say yes to listening without reading is good for vocab and sentance structure. Not so great for reading unfamiliar words! We have 10 Roald Dahl books on repeat in the car!

Medianoche · 10/10/2019 17:16

The Reeve/McIntyre books are brilliant for that age. My favourite is Pugs of the Frozen North. Also look out for: Rabbit and Bear books; Nothing to See Here Hotel; Ottoline. Don’t rush her on to reading Harry Potter unless she’s desperate to read it herself. If her reading speed is slow, a mix of reading stuff that’ll build her confidence and listening to slightly more complicated, longer plots should really help her.

Medianoche · 10/10/2019 17:22

Just listening to the audio books is fine. It’s about building the ability to follow longer plots and learning a wider vocabulary. If she’s familiar with a new word in context from an audio book, she’s more likely to be able to work out what it is (and how it should sound) when it appears in a written text later on. As long as she’s also spending some time reading something herself that she enjoys, she’ll be improving.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 10/10/2019 18:49

Some recent favourites...
Adventures of Mr Penguin
Hotel Flamingo
Zoe's Rescue Zoo
Animal Magic

BareBelliedSneetch · 10/10/2019 18:51

The Danny Wallace Hamish books are good. My 7 yr old read the lot over the summer.

Wanderingraspberry · 10/10/2019 19:03

My very slow year 4 reader discovered the Shiny Pippin books by Harry Heape last year. They are very funny, she reads a page or two, and I finish the chapter. Lots of fart jokes and language play in them.

BathTangle · 10/10/2019 19:08

We liked the Electrigirl books (Jo Cotterill), the Thirteen storey treehouse series and Pugs of the Frozen North and Cakes in Space (Reeves/McIntyre, as above), particularly because they have cartoons and drawings which gives more hesitant readers a bit more time /a break from just words.

Original poster
Frogusha · 10/10/2019 22:16

Many thanks for all the lovely ideas! Will go and research. Those of you who suggested audio books, when do you listen if not in a car? We don’t normally travel by car, 10 mins one way on a Sat, no point really even starting to listen. Do any children listen on an iPod/ another portable device? Or at home on a speaker? I just don’t know when to find time for it as we barely have time to read together (on school nights), to also add audio books...

OP posts:
Laterthanyouthink · 10/10/2019 22:21

The Flat Stanley series is really good.

LadyFuschia · 10/10/2019 22:24

Also, will she read comics? My two love the Beano and The Phoenix, the latter is good for quite complex words and interesting content rather than just humour & slapstick! DS is 8 and has just moved on to short chapter books. He liked Clarice bean books, loved the Lauren Child version of pippi longstocking (lots of pictures & font changes break up text). Also classics like Milly molly Mandy, my naughty little sister, Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf, faraway tree, secret seven. My ten year old is a voracious reader but only just getting started on Harry Potter...

barfotoliv · 10/10/2019 22:25

Just read to her. Her teacher will be hearing her read often enough at school. At home, just concentrate on the enjoyment of the books. You want to be building a culture of reading for pleasure with her; a love of stories, a love of books. The best way to do that is to read to her often.

RolytheRhino · 10/10/2019 22:30

Just read to her. Her teacher will be hearing her read often enough at school.

Disagree. By all means read to her, but she needs to read as well. A teacher with a class of thirty and a full timetable of lessons is unlikely to be hearing her read more than once a week, which isn't frequently enough to be her only source of reading to an adult.

Climbingwindmill · 10/10/2019 22:35

Mine have CD players for audio books as well as echo dots for audible (we love audiobooks in our house!) quite often they will listen just while getting up and ready in the morning or when doing drawing or something as well as at bedtime.

I do find it makes them a little lazy with ‘actual’ reading but it’s great for accessing more complex stories and vocabulary

BarbarAnna · 10/10/2019 22:39

I am nearly 50. Have been reading since a very young age, have top graded English lit and language A levels and a good English degree. I think Harry Potter books look intimidating (and to be honest not that interesting) so I don’t care that my year 3, very bright daughter isn’t bothered with them.

BarbarAnna · 10/10/2019 22:44

But she is hurtling through the X Storey Treehouse series. Also loved David Williams Worlds Worst Children which in my experience works well for slower readers (my other DD) because of the short story format. Just watch the HP movies and and then she can still get involved in playtime.

MollysMummy2010 · 10/10/2019 23:43

Go to the book people- I would suggest things like dog man - almost like a comic but is a novel size and easy to read. Also captain underpants as similar in that is has a lot of drawings. These books are fun to read for a child. My daughter is now devouring the next to last Harry Potter at 9.

MollysMummy2010 · 10/10/2019 23:48

Also as a pp said the 13 story tree house is excellent

Wanderingraspberry · 11/10/2019 07:13

We bought my daughter a cheap disk man for audio books. We get cds from the library, as lots of the audio books are expensive.