What next after Rainbow Fairies?

[dolphindotty]

My seven-year-old has been devouring the Rainbow Fairy books but now she wants to read longer books. She loves reading about magic and likes mermaids, fairies and animals. She's read the Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair books and although she likes listening to the early Harry Potter books, she is a bit put-off by the size. But that's fine by me, after all she can read them in a year or two. I want to find her something that is longer than Rainbow Fairies but that doesn't look too daunting.

Any thoughts would be great. Thanks!

I think you have to choose your Jacqueline Wilson - some of them are completely inappropriate for 7 year olds. Not something to over - I don't think that 7 year olds should read about incest without the parents at least knowing that's what the book's about!

yes seeker I agree re J Wilson. Some very inappropriate for 7yo (and to be fair, not written for them).

Some are OK tho - DD is 8 and has a couple. She's not gone into raptures over them tho.

DD loved the Naughtiest Girl in the School books. We've just read Hetty Feather together and she loved it, but that will be the last JW for a while as I also feel they can be very unsuitable for 7/8 year olds.

She's also just read a book about Brownies which she really enjoyed and dad is reading Kasper, Prince of Cats by Michael Morpurgo with her now.

Oh yes Michael Morpurgo is fab and there are lots abotu animals.

Just check em tho as he is another star who writes for lots of ages. DD enjoyed the Butterfly Lion.

Jacqueline Wilson books always say very clearly on the cover somewhere the age range they are intended for. I don't go for age rating books usually, but in her case I do - she writes about such a wide range of complex issues that you really really need to check.

Another vote for worst witch. Only thing to get my (then) 7 year old off those * fairies.

Famous Five
Secret Seven
The Naughtiest Girl in the School

Worst witch

Holly Webb books are very soppy but my DD loves them.

Some of the shorter roald dahl books

the darcy bussell books are fairly harmless

dd (6) has read about 70 rainbow fairies and she is still NOT fed up with them. Have just ordered some more from the library. I am amazed though she remembers which one she has read by just looking at the title.
She also likes Horrid Henry, Roald Dahl, magic kitten (whole series I think). Also somehting "short stories for 7 y olds", fairy tales

Another vote for:

Worst witch

Naughtiest Girl in the School

Also aren't there a similar lot of books to the rainbow fairies, but about mermaids? Seem to remember experiencing the desire to chew my own leg off having one of those read to me a year or two back.

Anything by Astrid Lindgen that's not Pippi.. particularly Ronja the Robbers Daughter and Brothers Lion Heart - both quite magical

And by todays standards her books about ordinary kids, Lotta, Emil, the Noisy village children, are probably all quite exotic too - and refreshingly normal and un-pink!

Nothing against Pippi Longstocking by the way, but I just think most of her other books are far better

I agree with you that Pippi is not Lindgren's best book, but personally I would leave Ronja and the Brothers Lionheart for a slightly older age.

What age range are Cathy Cassidy books for my mum has bought dd a box of them for her birthday, she is going to be 9

Jill Tomlinson, 'The Cat Who Wanted to Go Home' 'The Owl Who WAs Afraid of the Dark' etc. DD (6) really enjoys these stories and I much prefer them to the predictable Rainbow Magic ones.

My dd (6) went onto the St Clare's/ Malory Towers books and loves them. Tried the Secret Seven but she didn't really like it. She loved Pippi Longstocking, and we'll probably read Ballet Shoes soon too

Another vote here for Linda Chapman!
Stardust & Sky Horses both extend into the world of magic with gemstones & hagstones which they get hooked on & clutter the house , but on the upside DD now knows everything about all types of stones from granite to diamonds!
The other books of hers that I & DD think are Genie Us & Genie & the Phoenix. There is actually a lot of general mystical knowledge in there which even I enjoyed reading!
Ooh, another vote for Clarice Bean too! And the Merlin books if she enjoys the tv series.

All that people have said above, but two other series' that I'd recommend are the Daisy and the trouble with series by Kes Gray, and also the Anna Hibiscus books by Atinuke. I'd say that both are at a similar reading level, or only slightly more advanced than Rainbow Fairies, but of course more varied in plot, and both have plenty of illustrations.

rainbow fairies? sweet jesus.

Girly ones :Malory Towers
Darcey Bussell ballet series
Princess Mirror-Belle series
Boys & girls: Mr Gumm books
Jeremy Strong

I still think it's a great shame they've never done the 7 Deadly Sins Rainbow Fairies.

can you imagine what you'd get if you googled that?

I always felt there should be Delinquent Fairies (Angie the Asbo Fairy, Holly the Hooligan Fairy, etc.)

they already do

my dd likes this series

I thought we should make up some mumsnet fairies, Ursula the Unreasonable Fairy, Belinda the Bumsex fairy...