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Book ideas for very able (but easily scared) 6 year old please

37 replies

surreygirl1987 · 14/07/2025 21:36

My 6 year old (just finished Year 1) is a verocious reader. He reads for pleasure constantly. I'm told he's very good at reading for his age. However, he is also autistic and gets very scared and upset very easily, so finding things for him to read that are suitable in content, but the right reading level, is becoming more difficult. He LOVES the 13-Storey Treehouse books and has read them all multiple times - they're the scariest he can cope with (and has got upset about some things in them). He's read all the Faraway Tree book, and is reading Secret Seven at the moment. He liked the Magic Treehouse until the later ones got a bit scary for him. I'm not going near Harry Potter for the time being. He quite liked a football series (Frankie's magic football I think). Any other ideas? Ideally I'd like a series or at least a box set that he can really sink his teeth into. Thanks in advance!

OP posts:
IDontDrinkTea · 14/07/2025 21:37

What about the Dogman series? They’re very popular with that kind of age range

Stillundertheduvet · 14/07/2025 21:37

Not sure about the scariness of the content but maybe try the diamond brothers series by Anthony Horowitz

YYURYYUCICYYUR4ME · 14/07/2025 22:02

Oldie but goldie - try the Mrs Pepperpot series

Greeksummerholiday · 14/07/2025 22:19

The Dragonsitter series
Magic treehouse
Tom Percival’s Little Legends and Dream defenders series
Also the TinTin and Asterix books are very popular here

Forgottenmyphone · 15/07/2025 05:13

Dirty Bertie
My Brother's Famous Bottom

InWalksBarberalla · 15/07/2025 05:21

My son enjoyed the Roddy Doyle 'Rover' books at about that age. Also Isla Fischer's Marge in Charge books. Funny and not scary.

Optimustime · 15/07/2025 05:57

Dick King Smith books are good. Horrid henry?

zaxxon · 15/07/2025 06:59

Andy Stanton's Mr Gum books are funny and not scary that I can recall. Even I laughed at some lines (which certainly didn't happen with the treehouse books)

TheCurious0range · 15/07/2025 07:02

DS is the same age and currently reading the boy who grew dragons series, nothing scary, just a boy who realises a tree in granddad's garden grows dragon fruit that produces tiny actual dragons and his friends looking after them and getting into all kinds of dragon related shenanigans

Eight8eight · 15/07/2025 07:06

Emer Stamp's books are very funny. There are three 'Pests' books and three 'diary of pig' ones.

RedToothBrush · 15/07/2025 07:10

Mr Penguin and Agent Weasel are your friends.

Needlenardlenoo · 15/07/2025 07:12

The "Daisy and the Trouble With..." series might work? There are a couple of Jack Beechwhistle spin offs too (such as Jack Beechwhistle and the Attack of the Giant Slugs).

They're well written and very reassuring.

jesihar · 15/07/2025 07:32

Daisy and the trouble with for sure.

daughter is same age, same reading OP. Loved treehouse.

the daisy ones worked, but she missed the trouble with vampires and did the rest.

she’s still asleep but I will check what else later.

we also joined the library and she has been going weekly and trying a couple then getting into a series that way.

Heyyoupleasekeepgoing · 15/07/2025 08:14

The Rabbit and Bear books are funny - he will find them easy to read but amusing. Likewise bumble and snug. My dd is easily scared and she likes heartwood hotel, sophie mouse etc - may not be his thing.

Heyyoupleasekeepgoing · 15/07/2025 08:15

Second the library suggestion too - start him honing his skill in finding things he wants to read himself.

Purpleisnotmycolour · 15/07/2025 08:18

Dick king smith has written loads, Simon and great grandmother, my naughty little sister, oh Abigail ( can't remember authors of these) basically older ones - wider more challenging vocab but not such 'modern' themes.

Aspanielstolemysanity · 15/07/2025 08:19

It's so tricky isn't it. My son was the same!

Rabbit and Bear

The.Claude books (about a dog who has little adventures)

But I am struggling to think of many!

How about non -fiction? There are lots of non fiction books that wouldn't be scary. My son loved books about space and when I was young I loved reading books about what life was like in different countries around the world.

NoLostCause · 15/07/2025 08:57

My DS is the same age and enjoys the ones you’ve mentioned. Other series that have gone down well are Hotel Flamingo, Dragon Masters, Dinosaur Cove, Bear Grylls Adventures, Mr Penguin and Toto the Ninja Cat.

surreygirl1987 · 15/07/2025 17:38

Thanks so much. I really appreciate the suggestions. Just ordered a couple of sets. Yes, intend to go to the library plenty over the summer and I agree it would be great if he could just find his own books, but he gets really overwhelmed with choice at the moment so relies on me a bit to narrow options down! Hoping that changes as he gets older, but for now I'm doing the book hunting for him.
Thanks again - really really helpful ideas. I've written them all down in a list in my phone 😊

OP posts:
Usernumber12356 · 15/07/2025 17:43

What about the Jill Tomlinson ones about animals- The Penguin Who Wanted To Know or titles along those lines?

Flat Stanley? Or is the idea of getting flattened by your noticeboard too scary?

ThoraHeard · 15/07/2025 17:44

Mr Gum?

Aspanielstolemysanity · 15/07/2025 17:52

Would he like the Diary of a Wimpy kid books ? My son enjoyed these, there isn't really any peril in them

Needlenardlenoo · 15/07/2025 19:05

Come back to say that presumably "verocious" is a typo but what a wonderful coinage - definitely describes me as a child, with books!

jesihar · 15/07/2025 20:43

surreygirl1987 · 15/07/2025 17:38

Thanks so much. I really appreciate the suggestions. Just ordered a couple of sets. Yes, intend to go to the library plenty over the summer and I agree it would be great if he could just find his own books, but he gets really overwhelmed with choice at the moment so relies on me a bit to narrow options down! Hoping that changes as he gets older, but for now I'm doing the book hunting for him.
Thanks again - really really helpful ideas. I've written them all down in a list in my phone 😊

Oh absolutely. The first visit was a disaster. We have now agreed to start at a. Take four books. And go back each week. If one is fabulous, check out author. If it is not her thing, stop after a chapter.

took me ages to get into that mindset, I was inbuilt to finish a book, now I’m all about the love. ❤️

I’ve been joining her on the adult fiction. Been a really fun thing to do.

LittleBoxes · 15/07/2025 21:04

Astrosaurs (Steve Cole). My very similar daughter loved them at that age.