Book recommendations for 7yo, advanced reader??

[mrsbaffled]

My 7.5 yo DS is a voracious reader and his reading age is 11.5. He reads through a decent length book in a few days, and I am running out of ideas of things for him to read. He has recently been reading through the Roman Mysteries, but I am getting a little uncomfy with the subject matter (kissing and girlfriends/boyfriends)....

What sort of books are complicated enough for him, but also not too 'old' in subject matter?

Thanks in advance xx

I've heard many recommendations for The Silver Child series, but haven't yet read it myself.

Narnia?

Hal and Roger Price (Adventures) series?

Emil and the Detectives?

oooh, excellent, thanks.

I haven't heard of any of those (except Narnia, of course) - I knew it was a good idea to post :)

Keep 'em coming :)

DS is also a voracious reader with a reading age of 12+ (he is 8) so we have been there and done that! He loved the Roman Mysteries but other successes have been:

The Percy Jackson stories by Rick Riordan
The Saxby Smart stories - Simon Cheshire
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Obviously all the Harry Potters (about six gazillion times )
Artemis Fowl
Michael Morpurgo - check the content though; some are quite upsetting in their subject matter
The Alex Rider ones.
A series of adventure stories by Bear Grylls - Mission:Survival.
Obviously all the Roald Dahl.

He also loves all the Horrible Histories, etc.

Oh - the Charlie Bone stories by Jenny Nimmo too, and the Muddle Earth books by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.

My daughter started reading Harry Potter at 7 she's now 8 and has read them all. No other books compare, she keeps digging them out and re reading her favourite bits.
I had my reservations as they get a bit dark at the end but she was fine.

She also loves the Mr Gum books although will read one in a couple of evenings.

Second Mr Gum for advanced Yr 2/3 readers. The Lemony Snickett books are popular in our house too. Also Dick King Smith, quite a few of the Michael Morpurgo ones (although I think some have content which is a bit hard for a young child to really appreciate).

Many of the Joan Aiken books are excellent too.

Angie Sage's Septimus Heal series - 6 big fat books so far.

Sisters Grimm series by Micheal Buckley (8 books, 9th due out in May)

Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series

Hi Mrs. Baffled:

This list has some great ideas:

www.kidsreads.com/lists/classic-lists.asp
I'm not sure whether you want intermediate or advanced level reading - but there are some excellent books there. Modern & long-loved classic reads listed.

The Bookfinder on the Booktrust website has selections by genre for ages 9 - 12: www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/children/

The Guardian had some excellent suggestions for reading ages 8 - 11 here: www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/mar/24/childrens.library

Family education recommended reads ages 9 - 10: school.familyeducation.com/reading/fiction/37728.html?detoured=1 and ages 11 - 12: school.familyeducation.com/reading/fiction/37733.html?detoured=1

From a US website - favourite books for 4th graders (AGE 10/11 in US - reading age 9 - 12): www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/showarticle/677

HTH

Ds1(8) has an advanced reading age, and last year he was reading:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Muddle Earth Series
The Edge Chronicles
The Fudge Series (Judy Blume)
Harriet the Spy
Percy Jackson series
Spiderwick Chronicles
Lemmony Snickets series
Bridge to Terribithia
Indian in the Cupboard series
Just William series

Michael Morpurge is a big hit with DS2 (8). Or how about Lemony Snicket or obv Harry Potter, later ones a bit dark tho.

Just William my kids love but I have to read it (and edit as I go) as some of the words are soooo obscure and unfamiliar, as well as the concept of having a maid or wearing garters! Very funny tho.

How does everyone know their children's reading ages??

David Walliams books, by the way...

lionboy series
Rosemary Sutcliffe - eg The Eagle of the Ninth

iamnot school test them every 6 months or so and told us at parents' evening tonight....

Iheartdusty as Eagle of the Ninth a bit 'old' content-wise? I read it as a teen, but can't really remember what happens? I really want to keep him to 'innocent' books.

TBH I think Harry Potter is too dark as yet....

Thanks, all, for the great suggestions - heading to library armed with knowledge xx

iamnt 8 is DS2's actual age, not his reading age! I have no idea what that is tbh.

OP I think first 2 Harry Potter fine for 7yo if he can cope with language, I've read them and found them not dark at all (rather dull but most primary age kids I know don't agree with me there )

Mrsbaffled - how does he react to kissing scenes etc?
I just ask because ds1 was an early reader and at this sort of age he would self-censor, as he just wasn't interested in teenage angsty sort-of stuff, so would stop reading a book/series when it went into that sort of realm.

He hasn't said anything about it - it's me getting uppity about it LOL!

clary God forbid it was his reading age.

My ds year 2, so these books may be too basic although 'chapter books'.
Dinosaur cove by Rex stone [whole series of them].
Spy dog by Andrew Cope [again series of them].

Lots of good suggestions here. If he hasn't read them I'd add the Swallows & Amazons books (very long and there are 12 of them!)

Another old favourite that dd liked at that age was Jennings. Again there are loads of them & you can get them for pennies on Abebooks.

Diana Wynne Jones books are good - esp the Chrestomanci series.

Watching with interest, for what to get ds1(8), next. He liked Captain Underpants, then Diary of Wimpy Kid. Has finished all the Star Wars books.

Ds1 has finished the harry Potter books. I agree with others, I did not think they were too dark.

a big thank you for this thread...dn's birthday next week and now I'm all sorted. Ta lots!

Dd is 8 and we are on the Deathly Hallows, the only bit she skipped was in the Half Blood Prince when the dead body thingies came out of the water....(oh and she just goes "urgh urgh urgh and giggles with the kissy bits)

Definitely not "dark" at all, the rest of it I'd say. In fact, I reckon the first couple might be a bit "babyish" in some ways, especially put against some of the others on these lists.

I might give Chrestomanci a go with her next, but tbh, I thought they were a bit shit.

i think reading age of (whatever) translates as "can decode words to this age level" instead of has every skill associated with reading and understanding the text up to that age.

Both my DS are the same as yours, but like you, I've found that although they can read any text, they actually need ones consistent with their emotional age.
I'd strongly recommend the Diary of a wimpy Kid series and then Percy Jackson.