Book recommendations for 3rd-5th grade reading level

[Freya]

My niece's b-day is coming up at the end of this month. She'll be 9. She's in 3rd grade currently but she can and should be encouraged to read at a higher reading level.

The girl loves fantasy things. Does anyone have some book recommendations for her? Any series? I'm open to any suggestions for that age range that a little girl may like.

[Fynn]

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book! I have no idea about those levels, but it's super cute and it has some really cool illustrations!

[Night Fury]

Harry Potter, of course!

[Freya]

Harry potter of course! I worry about the later books being too advanced for her but I plan on introducing them to her. She knows I love it and when she started school temporarily down here in Oklahoma (they're living with my parents while their new home closes in Texas) she expressed her dismay at not finding the books in the library. We had to deflect why they don't have those books here. (It's cause they have held actual protests in this area that Harry Potter promotes Black magic and shouldn't be in schools. Same for various books series) but told her that her aunt Kaycee has all of them and she'll be happy to loan them.


Looking into The Graveyard Book, that may be a bit too much for her, for now. It looks like it starts off kinda scary. This is the jumpiest little girl who cries at a lot of things so I think that may be one for when she's a little older and can handle them better. But I'll keep it in mind for future birthdays!

[Night Fury]

I think I read the first Harry Potter when I was 7 or 8, and if she works her way through the series slowly, I think they'd be fine. I think I was about 11 when I read Order of the Phoenix. That said, I don't think they're all that dark and advanced as the series gets later on - even the dark books have a lot of great happy things

Also that SUCKS that your state tried to ban them from libraries. Dude, America.

[Freya]

Yeah when I was 11, I made my mom stand in line for two hours before the first movie to see it. I learned from a coworker that they actually had protests at the theaters when it came out here. She said she read it to make sure it was okay before letting her son read it and she thought it was okay and didn't understand why people would get mad. She also said she dealt with a lot of flak from others for letting her son read it then. I can't imagine how I would have felt had I been down here waiting in line and a group of angry adults came around screaming and yelling at me and my mom for watching it. People.

I think if we build up and slowly read the HP books, it'll be okay. Maybe buffer in between with another series so she gets to be a better reader before tackling the later books. Merely for reading comprehension. I think combining them with the movie after ward may help too.

[Pike]

The Phantom Tollbooth! Also the Bunnicula books. If you can find it, Sam the Cat: Detective. Those were all my favorites back when I was that age.

[Freya]

Omg bunnicula! I forgot about that book!

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I remember loving the wayside school books as a kid (Sideways Stories from Wayside School and Wayside School is Falling Down. I can't remember if there were others).

They are by Louis Sachar, the guy who wrote Holes. They are a ton of fun!

[Jinx]

The Percy Jackson series! It's fantasy and has Greek mythology and is really funny and cute and clever! Also it has both strong male and female protagonists! And the series starts with the two main characters at the age of 12, but many younger characters, so it's right in her age range.

[Freya]

I remember loving the wayside school books as a kid (Sideways Stories from Wayside School and Wayside School is Falling Down. I can't remember if there were others).

They are by Louis Sachar, the guy who wrote Holes. They are a ton of fun!

The Percy Jackson series! It's fantasy and has Greek mythology and is really funny and cute and clever! Also it has both strong male and female protagonists! And the series starts with the two main characters at the age of 12, but many younger characters, so it's right in her age range.

Those are great suggestions! Thank you! I'll put them on my list as well. Series are great cause she can have multiples and they sell a lot in box sets.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Another point for Percy Jackson is that the Greek mythology is actually really accurate. It's toned down a bit for younger audiences, but it would probably help when Greek mythology stuff like the odyssey becomes more mandatory to learn in high school years.

[Pheesh]

I used to love the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, and a few one off books of his as well. Also, I don't know how well it's aged cause I haven't read it since I was in Primary school, but I used to love the Deltora Quest series as well.

[Freya]

Deltora! I remember that from when I was a kid. That was a fun series too. I remember a lot of my "friends" gave me flak cause it was a"boy" book. Stupid Elementary kids.

[Mirage]

Yeah when I was 11, I made my mom stand in line for two hours before the first movie to see it. I learned from a coworker that they actually had protests at the theaters when it came out here. She said she read it to make sure it was okay before letting her son read it and she thought it was okay and didn't understand why people would get mad. She also said she dealt with a lot of flak from others for letting her son read it then. I can't imagine how I would have felt had I been down here waiting in line and a group of angry adults came around screaming and yelling at me and my mom for watching it. People.

I think if we build up and slowly read the HP books, it'll be okay. Maybe buffer in between with another series so she gets to be a better reader before tackling the later books. Merely for reading comprehension. I think combining them with the movie after ward may help too.

Maybe just gift her the books at the same rate as they were originally published .