Book recommendations for 7 year old boy

amother

Emerald

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 8:24 pm

My son is starting second grade and I'm looking for book recommendations for him. He loves comic books and stuff like that but I'd prefer him to read things that will model good behaviors and have some kind of moral value as well. He is turning 7 but is a good reader, I'd say a year ahead maybe. Thanks!

spring13

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 10:18 pm

Try:

The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
*The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
*Flat Stanley (series) by Jeff Brown
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney
The Imaginary Veterinary series by Suzanne Selfors
*Frank Einstein by Jon Scieszka

*=closer to 2nd grade level

And some advice, from an elementary school librarian: let him read comics and graphic novels. They have literary value, and they'll help maintain his interest in reading and books in general. It's fine to expect him to read "regular" books as well, but don't bother demonizing graphics. There are some with better content than others, try to look around and help direct him towards those. Try Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales or the Graphic History series, the Lunch Lady series, Zita the Spacegirl, Stick Dog.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 10:56 pm

My 7 yo daughter (just entering second grade) just finished The Chocolate Touch and came to me to tell me she felt so bad for John. Now, that's a good book, one that gets the reader to empathize with the protagonist!

My kids also enjoyed The Lemonade War.

I have several Jewish book recommendations if that interests the OP.

We just got this and my kids enjoyed it, and wanted more from the series, but alas it looks like there isn't any more to it... http://amzn.to/1MZ0eQG

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Aug 31 2015, 11:09 pm

And I'm not. Some of those stories can be very traumatizing. I won't buy it for my kids, though I don't stop them from reading them elsewhere.

amother

Linen

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 9:18 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

And I'm not. Some of those stories can be very traumatizing. I won't buy it for my kids, though I don't stop them from reading them elsewhere.

Our school library has them available for all ages, not just middle school and up. But we put on a warning label on the cover for parents, so they'll take a look themselves and discuss with their kids.

Chayalle

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 9:25 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

And I'm not. Some of those stories can be very traumatizing. I won't buy it for my kids, though I don't stop them from reading them elsewhere.

Agree!

amother

Emerald

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 1:28 pm

op here thanks everyone for all the great suggestions! keep them coming please!

(aside: personally I read kids speak as a young girl and the stories were so intense and traumatic I never ever forgot them, they haunt me til this day. maybe im just sensitive, but my son is also. so I guess im looking for reads that are light and can be funny or have cartoons, but be wholesome as well.)

amother

Orange

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 1:50 pm

I might get some rotten apples thrown at me, but...

My 7 year old son loves the captain underpants series... and so do I. I think its an amazingly cathartic read for kids that it SO very understanding of their world. its also funny. I mean, they love bathroom humor, its perfect. I totally get why ppl don't like it, but I think they're great. I think it gives kids room and space to explore the unfair or cruel things that happen in their world and to understand that it happens to others and to learn to laugh at it... I think its so over the top exaggerated so he knows the rudeness is just for a book. It also offers a springboard for explaining how some things we can think but not say... We have had great discussions about captain underpants! Oh, and my son is polite and well behaved!

PinkFridge

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 6:40 pm

amother wrote:

I'm glad we avoided them but I understand where you're coming from. Have you seen Junie B. Jones?

LiLIsraeli

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 8:01 pm

My first-grade son LOVES Junie B. Jones! They are not the best model of good behavior but they are so funny, I enjoy them too. He is also reading the Little House series (although they are very wordy so I read those to him).

Rutabaga

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 10:59 pm

LiLIsraeli wrote:

My 7 year old read a few of the Junie B. Jones books with enjoyment, but then she decided that she didn't like the way Junie talked. So there went that series. (I'm proud of her that she made that judgement for herself, but it's so hard to find enough books for her.)

We're working our way through the following:

Magic Tree House series
Boxcar Children series
A-Z Mystery series
Encyclopedia Brown series
Cam Jansen series
Raold Dahl books

12rivkyk34

Tue, Sep 01 2015, 11:23 pm

Frog & Toad is very appropriate for 2nd graders.
And for sure Cam Jansen & Encyclopedia Brown- real winners in my house!
Nancy Drew has a youth series called Nancy Drew's Clues which my kids love too.
The Menucha Fuchs series are also age appropriate as are the Savta Simcha books which has humor but also Jewish hashkofos. The 'Benzi' books are also on that level and very entertaining.
I agree that some stories in Kids Speak are scary & Junee B Jones doesn't have great behaviors. But my kids do love Junee B Jones...
There's another series with less words called Cork & Fuzz which is more of a reader but my kids enjoyed it a lot too.

PinkFridge

Wed, Sep 02 2015, 8:24 pm

Yeah, I can't say I give my full haskama to Junie B, but probably a cut above Capt. U. And there were a few that I didn't let my kids read and they understood.
But for years, "Run like the wind, Helen" was an occasional buzzword in my family Tongue Out

amother

Emerald

Tue, Sep 15 2015, 8:53 pm

Just want to thank everyone for the great recommendations. I have been going through all the suggestions and getting lots of stuff from the library. Very helpful over yom tov!