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Children's books

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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:
surreygirl1987 · 15/07/2025 21:17

jesihar · 15/07/2025 20:43

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.

Love this idea - thanks!

OP posts:
Failingatadulting · 15/07/2025 21:19

Toto the ninja cat

InWalksBarberalla · 15/07/2025 23:37

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?

Great suggestion on Jill Tomlinson - the owl who was afraid of the dark was great for my son at the age!

For the library we used to focus on the return trolley when we started (where they put the returned books before they had a chance to put them back on shelves. Much smaller selection of generally popular books!

surreygirl1987 · 16/07/2025 18:25

InWalksBarberalla · 15/07/2025 23:37

Great suggestion on Jill Tomlinson - the owl who was afraid of the dark was great for my son at the age!

For the library we used to focus on the return trolley when we started (where they put the returned books before they had a chance to put them back on shelves. Much smaller selection of generally popular books!

Ooh smart idea!

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Optimustime · 16/07/2025 18:29

I hated those [animal] who wanted to....book collection. So tedious! Almost as bad as rainbow fairies.

EwwSprouts · 17/07/2025 16:03

Cows in action series
Geronimo Stilton series
Paddington chapter books.

Zitouna · 31/07/2025 21:44

If you’re still looking for ideas OP - some of the children’s classics can be challenging to read but safe in subject matter. Stuff like Children of the New Forest, the EE Nesbitt books etc.

but I was specifically going to recommend Swallows and Amazons. There’s 12 of them and they are absolute doorsteps. They are adventures but wholesome ones!

surreygirl1987 · 31/07/2025 21:48

Zitouna · 31/07/2025 21:44

If you’re still looking for ideas OP - some of the children’s classics can be challenging to read but safe in subject matter. Stuff like Children of the New Forest, the EE Nesbitt books etc.

but I was specifically going to recommend Swallows and Amazons. There’s 12 of them and they are absolute doorsteps. They are adventures but wholesome ones!

I had no idea there were 12! Thanks! I'll definitely give them a try with my son. Funnily enough, we've been reading some E Nesbit books recently and loving them!

OP posts:
Gummylump · 31/07/2025 22:25

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

Edited

This is what I was going to recommend. Brilliant books. I was happy to read them too 😝

LavenderBlue19 · 31/07/2025 22:46

Does he like non-fiction? My son's the same age and reading level and he's currently working his way though a huge book about animals - can't check as he's asleep but it's lovely and well illustrated with lots of interesting vocabulary.

I'm about to start reading him The Wind in the Willows at night - I know he wouldn't take his time to read it properly by himself, but I think he'll like it if I'm doing the voices. The gentle, more old-fashioned classics are probably a good place to start at this age.

BunnyRuddington · 03/08/2025 18:53

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)

I tbink they get a bit darker in tge later books avd there is some peril. The fairy that lives in Mr Gum’s garden in very funny though Smile

Froricartanddesign · 09/08/2025 03:27

Try this book https://a.co/d/g162ap5

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