Appropriate books for 7 year old reading at a grade 5-7 level?

[Heavenly]

My 7 year old is reading far above her grade leveland we are currently in talks to have her skip grade 3 and start grade 4 in September. I am trying to find books to show them her ability level but I don't know what it actually appropriate in regards to content. We are pretty conservative in what we let our children watch/read so it's a bit difficult. For example I would not let her read Lord of The Rings, although she would likely be capable of doing so. She can read The Little House series easily but that's only listed as a 4.5 grade level and I would like to show that she can read higher than that. Does anyone know what level the Narnia Chronicles are? Thanks for any help you can give me!

[no5no5]

This might help.

A lot of the classics are in that range. Has she read any Dahl?

[PrincessAnika]

not sure what narnia level is, maybe 7+? since it is allegorical.....growing up i liked the Mandie Books by Lois Gladys Leppard....http://www.mandie.com/mandie.htm - 'mystery' but very conservative and def. age appropriate.

[joensally]

Originally Posted by no5no5

This might help.

A lot of the classics are in that range. Has she read any Dahl?

That's a GREAT tool! I put in a lower grade interest level but a higher grade reading level and it came up with quite a bit.

[Annie Mac]

I second the Roald Dahl recommendation. As a child, I loved Alice in Wonderland (I'm sure I read that one for the first time before age 7)...and actually I still love this book. I got someone different from it at every age. The first Harry Potter book might be simple enough, thematically speaking, to appeal to a 7 year old. My own daughter started these books in grade 4, when they came out, so I'm sure your daughter could handle the reading level. I read the Narnia series when I was 9 or 10 (and I was advanced in reading). Probably they could be read by your 7 year old, but I wonder how enjoyable they would be for her. They have many levels of meaning which may not yet be accessible to her.

Also, it might be helpful to know what your specific objections are to LOTR. As you are considering Narnia, I don't think it's the fantasy aspect. Is it the descriptions of war? Or something else? I read this series to my daughter when she was 10...it was an enjoyable experience for the both of us, but I'm not sure how fun it would be for a young child to read it alone.

And what kind of reader is your daughter? What does she like? I know I, personally, simply loved the language of many books (still do), and so not understanding the greater thematic implications didn't really matter. Does she enjoy non-fiction as well?

[Heavenly]

We won't let our kids read Harry Potter for religious reasons. She really likes historical books, like Little House on The Prairie. She loves zipping through easy books, like the fairy series and Magic Tree House, but she can finish one of those very quickly.

[joensally]

Originally Posted by Heavenly

We won't let our kids read Harry Potter for religious reasons. She really likes historical books, like Little House on The Prairie. She loves zipping through easy books, like the fairy series and Magic Tree House, but she can finish one of those very quickly.

It may be the print size and spacing as her eyes get stronger.

DD whipped through Narnia at 7. Yes, it's layered, but it is so for adults, too, and that's the beauty of the series - it's re-readable.

If she likes historical books, what about the Royal Diaries. Each is told from the perspective of an historical princess, and they're in a gr5-7 range.

http://www.lexile.com/search/filters/results/

http://www.lexile.com/m/uploads/maps/Lexile-Map.pdf

[PrincessAnika]

what about patricia st john books - treasures of the snow, rainbow garden, the secret of pheasant cottage, the tanglewood's secret, three go searching, star of light and where the river begins are the ones we had growing up - she also has some for age 4-7, but these ones are family-geared and higher reading level, yet wonderful story lines and religious content. i particularly like the first 4 of those, but all are good. they are not a series either - so no worries about a particular order. http://www.kingsleypress.com/patricia-st-john.html

[moominmamma]

There's a lot that my 7yo reads that probably wouldn't work based on your family's sensibilities. But perhaps some of the gentler, older fantasy like E. Nesbitt ("Five Children and It," "The Enchanted Castle" eg.) or Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows." My youngest loves loves LOVES! Wind in the Willows. Me too, really. It's so poetic. Reading level is quite high -- 7th grade or beyond, I think.

Miranda

[Zoesmama]

I'm excited to look for some of these at the library on our next trip. DD(6) is loving chapter books. It started with the Junie B Jones books after her teacher read one to her class very early in the school year(she is in 1st). She has read almost all of those and I've got her started on magic tree house and Ramona(my old favs) ones because she finishes the Junie B ones so fast. I haven't timed her but she will sit for a couple hours and read them. I'm trying to think of ways to challenge her at home because she gets very little in school. So these are good ideas especially the lower ones mentioned.

She reads easily at 3rd grade level. I tested her online at 3.8 and that is consistent with the books levels from what she chooses at library. I think she would love the Little House series.

[Zoesmama]

I remember reading Narnia(my personal all time favorite books by the way), The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe part anyhow in 5th grade. I own this collection so I suppose I could have dd try it out. Would be a good one for us to go through together at bedtime. She has seen both movies.

[chrysgee]

My daughter is the same age and grade. Her reading level is also super high. Right now her favorites are:

-The Mysterious Benedict Society
- A Wrinkle in Time, or anything else by L'Engle
- Warroirs Series (I have some issues with these, but another child introduced her to them and she clearly loves them.)
- Poetry for Young People Series

Chrys

[Artichokie]

I second anything from the Wrinkle In Time series. I love L'Engle in general but some of the books have very mature themes so you might prescreen.

Also, what about Harriet the Spy? I was a very advanced reader and I LOVED that book. I just bought it for my 6 yr old advanced reading niece and she is enjoying it, too.

[quaz]

What about The Oz books? There are a number of them.
Why do you need to show her level? Is the school not adequetely determining it?
Tammy

[ChristaN]

It sounds like some of the books that dd#1 liked at 7 won't work for your family for a variety of reasons, but she was recognized as being an advanced reader at that age. Her favorites at that point included:

The old Choose Your Own Adventure books (those are mostly 4th-5th grade level, though, so not too challenging)
Harry Potter
The Chronicals of Narnia
Mandy by Julie Edwards
The Diary of Anne Frank
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (There are a lot of abridged copies of classics out there, so make sure to specify that she is reading the original unabridged versions if she is reading classics like this.)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

However, if you go to them and say, "this is what she is reading," it probably won't hold as much weight as a test that says she is reading at X lexile or something like that. Does the school administer SRI Lexile tests, MAPs tests (which usually give you a lexile range), or another other tests that would show what she is capable of reading?

[itsmyturn]

My DD is 7 she likes the Bella Sara series, they are about horses, a little bit of magic but no more that the fairy series
The book level is around grade 5

She also like the choose your own adventure books, they have a great selection and challenging vocabulary

If you are looking to prove her level, I would suggest you get grade level readers, you can usually find them cheap on ebay.

I would not suggest Narnia or a Winkle in Time for younger children. They have very intense scary scenes which would not go with my sensitive DD.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by ChristaN

However, if you go to them and say, "this is what she is reading," it probably won't hold as much weight as a test that says she is reading at X lexile or something like that. Does the school administer SRI Lexile tests, MAPs tests (which usually give you a lexile range), or another other tests that would show what she is capable of reading?

this. It seems odd that she already goes to the school and you are trying to prove her reading level. They test all the kids on my DDs' school every quarter, and "showing progress" is part of their reading grade.

At what level does the school believe she reads?

Why do you think she reads on a 6th grade level?

Originally Posted by Heavenly

She loves zipping through easy books, like the fairy series and Magic Tree House, but she can finish one of those very quickly.

That's really normal for her current grade level, and her teacher sees that. Because she prefers reading books that are age and grade appropriate, I think it will make it difficult to prove that reading level is a reason for her to be jumped, regardless of how she scores on a test.

The reality is that as long we she enjoys short simple books with little text on each page, she's not really reading at a 6th grade level, even if she can test at 6th grade level for reading a paragraph.

Originally Posted by chrysgee

- Warroirs Series (I have some issues with these, but another child introduced her to them and she clearly loves them.)
- Poetry for Young People Series

If you succeed in bumping her, the books her *peers* are reading are going to change in ways that you most likely won't like.

Bright 4th graders where we live read Warriors, Gregor of the Underworld, Percy Jackson, etc. By 5th grade they are reading things like Twilight.

The content of reading selections chosen by lit teachers will also be emotionally appropriate for older kids. I can't see it being an issue in 4th or 5th grade, but by middle school and certainly in high school. High school classes here read things like Angela's Ashes and The Kite Runner. I'm not in a hurry for any of that, and wouldn't want my child reading them 2 years younger than their peers.

My 6th grade reads on a 12.9 reading level (according to tests given by her school), but she reads age appropriate books by her own choice. It's what feels right to her.

[jillmamma]

What about A Little Princess or The Secret Garden by Frances Hogdson Burnett? Or the Anne of Green Gables books by L. M. Montgomery? Or look through the Newberry Award Winners List and pick some from there (you may want to preview first).

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by quaz

What about The Oz books? There are a number of them.
Why do you need to show her level? Is the school not adequetely determining it?
Tammy

No, they aren't. I had to beg and fight for them to move up her reading level to where she's at now (early chapter books) because they wanted her to work through every level of the early readers. They honestly don't seem to have a clue as to her abilities.

[itsmyturn]

It seems odd that she already goes to the school and you are trying to prove her reading level. They test all the kids on my DDs' school every quarter, and "showing progress" is part of their reading grade.

My district only use FAIR test for reading assesment, 3 times a year. Our FAIR test, ceilings out at the 86th% in some sections! Luckily the PTA at my Magent school funds further assesment tools but, most school don't have the extra tools.

The reality is that as long we she enjoys short simple books with little text on each page, she's not really reading at a 6th grade level, even if she can test at 6th grade level for reading a paragraph.

Ouch!
Maybe so, but a child who has above level reading & comprehension skills should be getting some differentation in the class room. And I aplaud the parents who advocate for it.
Reading level is not just about what books the child can/likes read. More importantly it is about where the child is on vocabulary, spelling, & comprehension.
If a 2nd child reads mostly 4th-6th grade level books than that child has most likely mastered the 2nd grade language arts curriculum and therefore needs some enrichment!