Gifted Reader Books and resources? - Page 2

[MJB]

My gifted 1st grader and typically developing 3rd grader both read at about a 6th grade level. Right now they are enjoying the Narnia series and the Gregor the Overlander series. My older son also likes the author Garth Nix, but I'm not sure what grade level they're at. My 1st grader plans to read The Golden Compass when he finishes Narnia and my older son wants to read the Hunger Games (he was going to check the school library today for it). There are tons of great books at this level! 

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by MJB 

My older son also likes the author Garth Nix, but I'm not sure what grade level they're at. My 1st grader plans to read The Golden Compass when he finishes Narnia and my older son wants to read the Hunger Games

One of my kids loved Garth Nix but I really couldn't stand the Keys to the Kingdom books. I'd put them at a 4th or 5th grade reading level. I haven't yet read Sabriel and the Old Kingdom books, which I understand are better, so I'll reserve judgment on them.

Your first grader is going to read the Golden Compass ... wow, that's a big jump up from Narnia! I hope he comes back to it when he's older, because although the decoding level and superficial mechanics of the plot aren't any more challenging than say the Harry Potter series, I find Pullman's series astronomically more abstract and complex from a philosophical standpoint. I think they're truly "young adult" literature in that they're best suited for gifted teens or young adults who are interested in questions of physics, theology, philosophy and epistemology.

My 8yo dd read the Hunger Games books last winter and I frantically read them in tandem so that I could talk to her about what she was reading, worrying all the while about the very violent and disturbing nature of the subject matter. It turns out she was fine. But if you haven't read them yourself you might want to preview them. 

Miranda

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by moominmamma 

One of my kids loved Garth Nix but I really couldn't stand the Keys to the Kingdom books. I'd put them at a 4th or 5th grade reading level. I haven't yet read Sabriel and the Old Kingdom books, which I understand are better, so I'll reserve judgment on them.

Your first grader is going to read the Golden Compass ... wow, that's a big jump up from Narnia! I hope he comes back to it when he's older, because although the decoding level and superficial mechanics of the plot aren't any more challenging than say the Harry Potter series, I find Pullman's series astronomically more abstract and complex from a philosophical standpoint. I think they're truly "young adult" literature in that they're best suited for gifted teens or young adults who are interested in questions of physics, theology, philosophy and epistemology.

My 8yo dd read the Hunger Games books last winter and I frantically read them in tandem so that I could talk to her about what she was reading, worrying all the while about the very violent and disturbing nature of the subject matter. It turns out she was fine. But if you haven't read them yourself you might want to preview them. 

Miranda

I agree with all of the above. 

I didn't really like the Keys to the Kingdom either, however my kids enjoyed it, as did their friends. I didn't read the last few books in the series - I think I finished Thursday. I stuck with it because I thoroughly enjoyed Sabriel and its sequels in the Abhorsen trilogy. I think that Sabriel is targeted at a slightly older audience - teens rather than tweens - but I don't recall any specific problematic stuff in it, aside from the fact that the fantasy plot involves a young girl who discovers that she is a Necromancer who can enter the world of the dead. I don't think it would be a problem for a kid who enjoyed Harry Potter, but a more sensitive 8 y.o. might be troubled. 

It would be interesting to read The Golden Compass on the heels of the Narnia Chronicles and compare them. I'd expect someone older would get more out of such an exercise, unless perhaps the child recognized the Christian allegory aspect of the Narnia books. They are two excellent adventure series but there are deeper levels to both of them. 

[MJB]

Oh, my 5 yr. old will definitely need to reread both Narnia and His Dark Materials at a later date. I'm curious to see what he gets out of The Golden Compass-- I think there's plenty to entertain a 5 yr. old. I read them as a teenager and loved them. 

I have read the Hunger Games and am wavering on whether or not to let my 8 yr. old read them. He'll be 9 in January and I know they have them in the 4th grade classrooms. He's not at all sensitive to things in books/movies and never has been. 

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by MJB 

I read them as a teenager and loved them. 

OMG I'm old! I bought them when the PB boxed set first came out and my dd read them alongside me. I was almost 40 at the time, I think!

Miranda

[Geofizz]

Your location is C'bus? Go to the youth section in the main library in UA and explain what you want. Spell out the age, interests and reading level. We've had especially good luck with the them there, especially the weekend staff. You should be able to get a UA card pretty easily as a county resident. They know a lot of out of level readers there.

[Attached2Elijah]

UA is about 45 minutes away from us... not convenient at all, unfortunately. I actually grew up in Hilliard and I miss their library. They used to be great with this stuff. Columbus library is pretty good too but I just never know what to LOOK for, which is why I asked this question. They're helpful but it's so big that I like to go in armed with my own list and we don't get there as often as I would like as the closest branch is about 25 minutes away.

[Geofizz]

Yikes, that reminds me to be thankful to be able to walk to two libraries. . We go 2-3 times a week at times! We're planning to be there when it opens today to catch our favorite librarian.

[beanma]

My kids like the Garth Nix books. We've listened as audio books. He has a new series out now -- "The Troubletwisters" which is slightly easier than "The Keys to the Kingdom". 

Other books my kids have liked are:

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley (has a strong boy character in addition to the sisters)

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (perfect for 8 yr old boys)

Pure Dead Magic series by Debi Gliori (hilarious and magical)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (there are more related books, too)

Roald Dahl books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG, etc

The City of Ember by Jean DuPrau (it's the first in a series, but I thought the others weren't as strong)

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The Name of This Book is Secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch  

hth

[yvonnemommy]

Originally Posted by Attached2Elijah 

I'm sorry if this has been covered. I don't really visit this section too often but as my son gets older, I am having trouble finding books that are appropriate for him. He is 8 years old and in the 2nd grade. The school tested him (I'm not sure of the method used) but he was found to be currently reading at a 6th-7th grade reading level. The library at their school does not offer books this high, unfortunately as the grade level only goes up to 3rd grade. (They switch to "intermediate" at 4th grade which is an entirely different school) So it is up to us to find him books that are appropriate but still challenge him. He has read all of the Harry Potter books as well as the Percy Jackson books. I am at a loss at finding other appropriate books. He still has the mind and maturity of an 8 year old boy (well, maybe slightly higher maturity but not much) so we want to find books that aren't about subjects only pre-teens and teenagers would be interested in. He is REALLY into Greek Mythology (though I think ANY mythology would hold his interest) and Science.
Any great books you recommend or a place where I could search for appropriate books? TIA!

Wow! Your child is so smart at reading. My DD has been doing extra online reading on beestar after school. I like the simple presentation: text has nice simple fonts, the pictures and graphs are to the point not distracting and stories are interesting. The reading pros are from 1st grade to 8th grade. Have a try~

Lisa