Reading for Young Children that are Advanced...books that work and those that don't...

Throughout my years of teaching, I have been presented with the dilemma of a child who read far above his grade level but ran out of reading material.  What good books could he read? He was a first grader reading at a sixth grade level and most books for that age group scared him.  I was given the challenge to find books that would A) hold his attention, B) Give him at least a day's worth of reading (300 pages), and C) that didn't involve too much mystery/death/weapons/scary instances.  What was I to do?  I did lots of research, read lots of books and decided that the best thing to do for all you other parents with this dilemma, was to publish a list here so there would be some resources available for this situation.  I hope to reach all readers and this includes children reading above their age group.  It is my opinion that more books need to be written with this specific situation in mind.  Here is a list I've complied of some of the winners...

1. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
2. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
3. Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith
4.The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
5.Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
6. Encyclopedia Brown books
7. The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
8. Magic School Bus series
9. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
10. Flat Stanley series by Jeff Brown
11. Just as Long as We're Together by Judy Blume
12. Ramona books by Beverly Cleary
13. Knots in my Yo Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid by Jerry Spinelli

I am sure there are many more.  Here is just a sampling of some of the books that have held his attention and given him a chance to advance his vocabulary and learning.  When a longer list is compiled, I will blog it as well :)  As always, Happy Reading!

NAEYC books and reviews

Being in early childhood, it is very important to keep up with current ideas.  NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) is a great resource.  Every month they include a book review on their website.  In lieu of a review from me, I've included a link to their site so you can check out educational and fun books that they recommend.  Enjoy :)

http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201203/Reading%20Chair_v67n2_0312.pdf