Books for 6 year old girl with high reading age.

[Galena]

DD started reading at 2. By the time she went to school she was reading fluently, but had little stamina for longer books - no problem with that, she was 4!

She has developed well, and by the age of 6 enjoys a range of books - Dahl, Dinosaur Cove, Dinoball series, some of the David Walliams books, Secret Seven, etc. However, I struggle to find books now that she wants to read and that have 'suitable' themes in them.

She is quite a young six year old in maturity/streetwise-ness. Would happily watch CBeebies and Peppa Pig and doesn't like princessy things or films. I don't like Diary of a Wimpy Kid for her yet - I feel it's got subjects in it I'm not totally happy with her experiencing just yet. So I'm struggling to find things she can read without themes which are unsuitable.

She loved 'Little Animal Ark' books, so she's brought a couple of Animal Ark books home from school and hated them. I've just discovered Fizzlebert Stump so is reading them, but what else?!

I do take her to the library and she chooses books from there, but we're even running out of ideas there, too.

Good call. Also Professor Branestawm.

Ooh yes.

Also The Family from One End Street.

The Narnia books? (prob been mentioned already).

Malory towers and St Clares - my DD LOVED them at the same age. I'm assuming she has done Worst Witch, but if not you could start with them.

How about the Zoo story collection by Adam Frost. My 7yr old loved them. Not sure how they compare to the Animal Ark stories.

I second St Clare's and Malory Towers, also the wishing chair books, the faraway tree books, the famous five. Enid Blyton also did lots of compilations of short stories suitable for young children.

Iggy & Me series by Jenny Valentine.

Spy Dog and Spy Pup series by Andrew Cope.

Cows In Action and Astrosaurs series by Steve Cole.

There is "adventure" on the Cope and Cole books - not sure if that would be too scary for her!

Humphrey the Hamster books by Betty Birney.

Mr Gum books.

For able readers, I always suggest Arthur Ransome - “Swallows and Amazons” being the first of a dozen or so books. The stories are quite exciting, with a good sense of 'place' and history; and you could learn to sail from them, too!

I particularly recommend “Coot Club”; set on the Norfolk Broads, it can be read in conjunction with the Ordnance Survey 2-1/2inch map of the Broads, as every place mentioned in the book is real, and even today, is there on the map.

“Watership Down” is another book set in a ‘real’ location, that can be easily found on maps, and on dedicated web sites. The housing development that destroys the rabbits’ original home, exists today on the outskirts of Newbury, Berkshire.

My old school friend writes books for Children, animal ones and a good series about a pirate family, Lucy Courtenay

Posting to read later for ideas!

Have you seen the batteries dogs/cats series for kids. They're short so can be read quickly but still at a 6 year old level content wise.

Mine wants to read Jaquelin Wilson which definitely has themes I don't like. We've read the treehouse series, again short enough to keep interest but interesting stories.

Just because they can read long books with teen themes doesn't mean they should!

Mine went back to rainbow fairies after a year not reading them as she found some with some names she liked. Shes also bringing non fiction books home from the library.

Yes yes to Malory towers here ! She already wants a pony...

Watership Down might be a bit advanced for a six year old. DD read it aged 9 and was pretty challenged by it, although her reading is generally excellent (she has read and enjoyed some easier Dickens and Shakespeare in the original language with no problem).

Winnie the Pooh?

Have a look at Wordsworth Children's Classics £1.99 on Amazon.

Pollyanna, What Katy Did, The Secret Garden, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Anne of Green Gables, The Enchanted Castle and more ...

If type face too small/off putting try reading it to her for a bit first. 'You read page 1+2 and I'll finish the chapter, helped get mine deep enough into the story to want to carry on alone.

The peril/challenge balance is a tricky one to strike!

Fudge is an excellent call by someone up thread, my 6+8 yr olds laughed out loud at those. Other Judy Blumes a bit teenage in theme though.

I read Watership Down around 7, so I suspect it might depend on the kid (and how willing they are to skim bits they don't know maybe?). I do remember learning "PEEEEEES ORF!" from it

I definitely wasn't reading as early as OP's daughter - it didn't "click" for me until 6, I just moved on pretty quickly to books without pictures when it finally did.

Thinking about more modern ones (I went and had a look at dd1's bookcase) she loved the Mr Gum series, Lemony Snicket, How to Train Your Dragon, Percy Jackson. The merit of these is that she finds them good enough to re-read, which is brilliant as in the holidays she gets through more than a book a day and I can't always get to the library often enough to keep up with her.

Thanks all (sorry to disappear a bit, MN slowed down to a snail's pace yesterday.

There are some great suggestions here, thank you. Have ordered Arabel and Mortimer for her so will see how that goes.

DD1 was brave (!)and in year 1 read Famous Five, Harry potter (all the ones there were which was about to number 5) and then moved on to the Roman Mysteries, then Alex Rider, but I think she was a bit older for those. Those are probably all a bit scary!

Dd2 is easily scared and her choice in year 1 were: Little House, One End Street, When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit (sounds scary, but really isn't) a load of animal ark type ones, Wish For a Pony/Dolphin Summer/a few others by Monica Edwards, but not the scary ones, Arthur Ransome (found Missie Lee a bit scary) Gwendoline Courtney, Chalet School.

What I did with dd2 was if there was a book I thought she'd enjoy, but she thought would be too scary, I'd say to her I'd read one chapter to her and she could think about it. Generally I'd be on about page 2 before she wrested it off me and read the rest straight away.

I must admit Harry Potter is along with jaqueline wilson in terms of things I'm encouraging her to wait until later for!

Wishing Chair and Faraway Tree go down quite well and also the Judy Blume 'Fudge' books the first is Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing I think. Has she read My Naughty Little Sister?

The ordinary princess by MM Kaye is a lovely classic. The princess is not at all princessy...

Needless to say, just to prove me wrong, she is currently a quarter of the way through Magyk by Angie Sage and loving it!

I asked the same question a few months ago. If you search you should be able to find it. At the time my DD was having real trouble with the threat levels in books. There were some helpful suggestions.

For your DD I'd second the suggestion of Swallows and Amazons.

I'd also suggest poetry as a good source. My DD (now 7 and in Y2) loves The Night Mail for example. Please Mrs Butler is also a favourite.

For us the easiest route was non fiction. We tried several topics but the one that really caught her interest was the universe and space travel. So we now have a large selection of books on the topic (yay for Usborne and DK).

Thanks mrsmortis We have enough non-fiction books about dinosaurs to sink a battleship! Was looking for fiction as she likes stories. Will look at Swallows and amazons.

I have a scaredy cat good reading 6 yr old girl too and an older DD and I am really quite careful about what they read.

I would recommend (and some have already been mentioned) Wombles, The original Paddington chapter books, not the film version, Dick King Smith (Lollipop series, Sophie series, other random animal ones), The Dotty Dalmation, The Poodle Problem, Zoe's Rescue Zoo, Rescue Princesses, Spell Sisters (set in King Arthur's time I think), Mulberry the pony books, My Super Sister, Magic Molly, My Naughty Little Puppy, Maisie Hitchins, Obviously Magic Faraway Tree etc, Naughtiest Girl in the School, Charlotte's Web, Lulu and the Dog in the Park series (or something like that), Magic Kitten/Puppy/Bunny etc, Olga da Polga.

hope that helps a bit.