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Books or a 6 year old with reading age of 10

60 replies

NotAnotherChinHair · 23/10/2010 19:48

Hi there. Title says it all really; I'd like to find books for my 6 year old DS who has a reading age of 10. I'd like them to be challenging but age appropriate. Cheers all.

OP posts:
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ExcessAdrenaline · 23/10/2010 19:55

Think you should take your dc to the library and let him choose, focus on enjoying the books - rather than focusing on challenging texts...jeez he's 6 years old and you sound like you need to take a chill pill!

Bink · 23/10/2010 20:18

And on a different note ...

... a good way to go in this situation is retro - as in books published in the 60s/70s and earlier. You'll often find the expectations are higher. Things like Flat Stanley (though that's quite easy), Littlenose, the Just William books, Fattipuffs & Thinnifers, Narnia, Phillipa Pearce. More contemporary - everything by Allan Ahlberg is clever - might seem superficially simple but actually deep.

Have a look in second-hand bookshops or on lists of 'classic' republishers like Jane Nissen.

Poetry is always great for an advanced reader. Michael Rosen first recommendation here.

pointythings · 23/10/2010 21:18

Agree on 'retro' authors - lots of age-appropriate stuff but in more 'challenging' language in terms of vocabulary used etc. I would suggest chasing up Diana Wynne Jones - Chrestomanci series especially, and agree with the Narnia books too.
I also agree that enjoyable 'chillout' books are needsd - suggest he tries the Astrosaurs/Cows In Action series by Steve Cole, Mammoth Academy and the How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell (the latter actually get a lot more substance to them later on)
I know where you're coming from, I have 2 DDs aged 9 and 7 with reading ages off the scale and finding stuff they enjoy that isn't about teenage angst/blood/vampires gets tricky.

loopsngeorge · 23/10/2010 22:59

We found some Flat Stanley books in a charity shop and DS(6) loves them. I'd also second the Michael Rosen suggestion - both poetry and also his books - try "You're thinking about doughnuts"
I've also been raiding my old bookshelves at home for things like Johnny Briggs and My Naughty Little Sister. Anne Fine was suggested on here and we found loads by her in the library. The Killer cat series was a particular hit!

Enjoy - it's so lovely when they can read for their own pleasure and discover stuff you yourself loved as a kid.

pintyblud · 23/10/2010 23:21

Does it make a big difference that his reading age is 10? Wouldn't he still enjoy a lot of the books in the up to age 8 section? Does your son like 'challenging' books? What makes a book challenging for him? Does he like a good story in a specific genre?

MrsDaffodill · 23/10/2010 23:23

Beatrix Potter - text is for children but the language is quite advanced. ' "I am affronted", said Mrs Tabitha Twitchett' , etc.

MrsVincentPrice · 23/10/2010 23:31

I agree that retro is good for this situation, but just watch out a bit for racism/attitudes to people with disabilities etc. DCs are often really suggestible at 6 and quite capable of deciding that all Gypsies are thieves because it said so in a Secret Seven book (E. Nesbit has a classic bit where our middle class heroes decide to overlook their working class friend's shocking ethical shortcomings because she can't be expected to understand that lying is wrong).

pintyblud · 23/10/2010 23:35

I have a theory about retro children's books that I am going to look into one day. My theory is that they have a tendency to be over-descriptive and hence dull.

ExcessAdrenaline · 23/10/2010 23:48

How do you know your ds has a reading age of 10 - does that mean you have a reading test that tests decoding or has your child been given a test which took both comprehension and decoding scores into account?

I think with reading, life experience will result in deeper thinking even in simplier texts - but as you'll have gathered from my first post I'm a firm believer in child lead reading as the best way to progress and parent pushing as the quickest way to regress.

RoadArt · 23/10/2010 23:55

I dont think you should guide your Ds into reading books just for the sake of it. He is 6 and still needs to appreciate books from the point of a view of a 6 year old rather than a 10 year old.

There are thousands of books and a good librarian is the best person to guide you. It doesnt matter that he has an older reading age, a lot of kids do, but there will be times he will still want to read what you consider "baby books".

Your DS will enjoy and choose what he wants, and quite often children rebel against what their parents choose for them so its better that he gets involved himself. If the books appear to be too easy, let him take the lead and not worry about it. He has plenty of time to read books for older kids.

Your DS is young only once, and time will pass by so quickly and you will realise he has missed out on the inbetween books if you push for harder books too soon.

ravenAK · 24/10/2010 00:05

The suggestions above are good - retro is often the way to go.

I agree that you need to beware of outdated attitudes, but older fiction does offer a great range of material which is challenging in terms of vocabulary & length, without the gritty realism/grisly horror themes which a ten year old would enjoy, but which might not be appropriate for a 6 year old.

I'd advocate buying up charity shop paperbacks, stocking a bookcase, & leaving him to get on with it!

I loved 'Watership Down' at this age?

You could also try Classic Comics - graphic novel versions of classic novels as a way in/confidence booster before offering Dickens etc.

Devexity · 24/10/2010 05:35

My very read-y 6 year old DS lives on non-fiction - Horrible Histories/Science/Geography, Eyewitness guides, Dead Famous, The Knowledge etc etc - all of which can be found in abundance at any charity shop if you have the kind of kid who likes to re-read as much as he likes to read.

Agree that older fiction solves many appropriate-theme problems, but it often offers 'neverending descriptive passages about gardens' challenges of its own. My DS will not persist through four paragraphs of garden. We have more joy with linguistically inventive fiction/poetry from any period, a la Dahl, Carroll, Lear, the Mr. Gum series, the Wayside School books etc.

JeffCapes · 24/10/2010 07:03

I could have written the OP for my dd and I think ExcessAdrenaline's post makes me really angry. I have been trying to find books for my dd that will hold my dd's interest but also help expand her vocabulary and maintain her passion for reading.
This isn't because I'm pushy or need to take a 'chill pill' it's because I love reading too and I want to find other fabulous things for her to enjoy as much as I enjoyed books as a child whilst avoiding the inappropriate content of books that are deemed to be for older readers (has anyone else noticed how much grittier children's literature is these days - a good thing when thet are ready for it but can be hazardous for young able readers!)
I hate this nation's attitude that if you want good things for your child you are pushy and need to relax - and FWIW I am a teacher so am more than capable of identifying pushy parents after 10 yrs of dealing with them.
Anne Fine has been recommended to me too, Roald Dahl is fantastic and my Dd loves the How To Train Your Dragon Books and The Famous Five Books.

SofaQueen · 24/10/2010 09:09

I too have a 6 year old with a reading ability of greater than 10 years old (last time I was told, it was over 11 years old back in May, so who knows what it is now). I did not have him tested; his age has always been told to me by his teachers ever since reception because it is a relative outlier, thus noteworthy.

The problem is that although he can read at a level almost double his calendar age, his understanding of the world is very much at a 6-7 year old range. I fully understand JeffCapes desire to challenge yet interest DS1, but also am sympathetic to the child-led view expressed by ExcessAdrenaline.

In practical terms, this does mean that I often reach for "older" children's literature- not Enid Blyton and her ilk because a) I did not grow up reading these books therefore am not familiar with them and 2) they are culturally too remote to grab DS1's attention. The books I pick for him are ones I remember reading and ones my brothers read as 10 year olds (From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Harriet the Spy, the Superfudge series, The Indian in the Cupboard, Roald Dahl, Robert Lewis Stevenson). I also check the lists of Newberry and Caldicott Award winners (many of the books above were previous winners). Michael Morpurgo is also a well loved author of DS1.

However, DS1 is ecstatically happy choosing Dick King Smith (loves animal stories), the Wimpy Kid Series, and the Captain Underpants series. Not exactly challenging or edifying, but he really enjoys them, and frankly, I just care that he associates fun and relaxation with reading, not just "learning something".

onimolap · 24/10/2010 09:23

Try E Nesbit (eg Five Children and It); The Jungle Book; the Just So stories, the Just William series and Biggles.

JeffCapes · 24/10/2010 09:54

YY SofaQueen - I wouldn't stop dd reading stuff she wants to either (she loved the dreadful Rainbow Fairies books and still slips back to 'comfort' reading those on occasion) but as her parent I think (like you obviously do too) that it is my job to provide her with a wide variety of good books to read that she will enjoy and will help widen her vocabulary.
It's not that I disagree with child lead reading - there is no point forcing a child to read a book that doesn't interest them but the OP wasn't saying that, they said they wanted some good, challenging, age appropriate books to give their child something to read. They can chose to read the books that interest them.
I just can't stand the holier than thou, oh aren't I a good parent because I let my child lead the way as opposed to you pushy oppresive parents who choose (heaven forbid!) a range of books for your child (who no doubt is also happily allowed to choose to read a whole load of tosh - see Rainbow Fairies etc) to enjoy.
WOW! I had no idea how much this annoyed me [hgrin]

RoadArt · 24/10/2010 10:23

Why is it whenever you ask a straight forward question on any forum that posters come on and indicate you are a pushy parent.

Parents come on here to ask questions on an open forum because they cant ask other parents at school or their friends, but want advice, help or guidance. This is the only opportunity to be anonymous and ask questions.

I know from my own experience that both my DCs have reading ages many years above their chronological age (as reported by several schools) but this hasnt changed the fact that they will only read what they want to read when they want to read, (which is why I suggested letting them choose their own library books and not be too concerned if the books appear too young). I also rely heavily on the librarian directing their choices rather me me which works much better in our case.

There are lots of children who excel at academic stuff at school but its always hush hush dont tell anyone, but we can brag if they are good at running or football or other sports. But be good at reading, writing, maths and you are made to feel that something is wrong with you for being proud of your kids.

Sorry rant over.

Bink · 24/10/2010 11:25

Continuing blithely on the retro line ... have we mentioned Emil & the Detectives (and its sequels)? Those are nice too.

Tintin & perhaps a bit later Asterix were staples for us at that sort of age - loads of interesting vocabulary if you're interested that way (but you don't need to be), and good range of sparky ideas.

I do wholly agree about being careful about attitudes - Enid Blyton is of course specially tricky here, and then yes if you go back further to Edwardians you get assumptions which I don't like at ALL (eg E Nesbit's children going round the back of Edgeware Road to buy things from an antiquarian with a specifically noted (and yes you are supposed to pick up the inference) "hooked nose")

ExcessAdrenaline · 24/10/2010 11:33

Sorry - I apologise - no idea where I got the notion that some posters exhibited signs of being pushy parents...complete and utter nonsense, obviously. Sorry again. Smile

mrz · 24/10/2010 11:42

About a quarter of the 6 year olds in my class have a reading age (according to the Salford test) of 10.6+ years but I don't consider them to be in anyway exceptional readers I would agree with those who said let him choose books he wants to read for enjoyment rather than thinking he needs to continually "challenged".

bubbles1112 · 24/10/2010 12:00

Crikey...what is an exceptional reader then?

mrz · 24/10/2010 12:17

bubbles1112 OK they can read the sentences in the test - do they understand them? perhaps do they understand the meaning of the individual words they read? perhaps...
Some reading tests such as the Burt test is just a list of words but gives a reading age does it mean the children are good readers or good decoders?

These children will become good readers but are they exceptional? not in my opinion

SofaQueen · 24/10/2010 13:02

mrz, if having a reading age of over 10 years old is normal for a 6 year old, or at least for a large proportion of 6 year olds, why aren't the ages on the tests shifted upwards? Genuine question. I never understood exactly what reading age meant, just was informed that he was reading at a level higher than the most of the rest of the class (1 boy with a higher reading age).

mrz · 24/10/2010 13:09

because if I use another test the same children may have a reading age of 8+ or 12+ they just aren't accurate as they all measure different things word reading/sentence reading /comprehension ...

I'm not saying these 6 year olds are "average" they are good apprentice readers but not G&T or exceptional readers

SofaQueen · 24/10/2010 13:41

I don't think that any parent here was saying that their child was a genius or exceptional, just that their reading ages were a higher level than the books readily avaiable and were looking for suggestions for books which would challenge, be fun, and have appropriate content - at least that was my read of the thread and my experience.