Best read-alouds for early elementary, written in the last 20 years?
August 8, 2023 12:38 PM Subscribe
I have an amazing niece entering first grade next year. Do you have suggestions for engaging nighttime chapter book read-alouds that are not ones I, her 40ish childless aunt, would know about, because they were written in the last 20 years?
These do not need to be books that she can read, just something that can be read a chapter or so before bed. Successes so far include old-school favorites like the Diana Wynne Jones Chrestomanci books, Dealing With Dragons, some Beverly Cleary and some less-dark Roald Dahl. What are some more modern ideas?
These do not need to be books that she can read, just something that can be read a chapter or so before bed. Successes so far include old-school favorites like the Diana Wynne Jones Chrestomanci books, Dealing With Dragons, some Beverly Cleary and some less-dark Roald Dahl. What are some more modern ideas?
I think a first grader may still be a bit too young for it, but you can stick it on your list for later. My favorite recent* children's book is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.
*Nearly 14 years old now yikes.
The book is set around an 11 year old girl in 1970s NYC living with her single mom and navigating the racism and income inequality her friends are experiencing. But wait, there's more. There's a central mystery to the story that revolves around (spoiler) time travel.
Every few years I go and pick up a few recent Newberry winners to read, and this one beyond any others blew me away with how very nice and clever it was. I wish I had had it as a child. If it helps, I was a very advanced reader and I think 2nd or 3rd grade would have been the right spot for this one for me.
posted by phunniemee at 1:00 PM on August 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
*Nearly 14 years old now yikes.
The book is set around an 11 year old girl in 1970s NYC living with her single mom and navigating the racism and income inequality her friends are experiencing. But wait, there's more. There's a central mystery to the story that revolves around (spoiler) time travel.
Every few years I go and pick up a few recent Newberry winners to read, and this one beyond any others blew me away with how very nice and clever it was. I wish I had had it as a child. If it helps, I was a very advanced reader and I think 2nd or 3rd grade would have been the right spot for this one for me.
posted by phunniemee at 1:00 PM on August 8, 2023 [3 favorites]
Childless aunts represent! My niece liked the Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald when she was that age.
posted by virago at 1:02 PM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by virago at 1:02 PM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Kate DeCamillo writes really good books, several of which ("Tale of Desperaux" and "The Magician's Elephant") have been made into movies. I would consider them good read-aloud material: https://www.katedicamillo.com
posted by wenestvedt at 1:02 PM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 1:02 PM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh gosh. I have been reading middle grade and YA novels aloud to my daughter every night since she was about that age (after we mostly graduated from picture books) and the field is so, so much better than it was when we were kids. I don't even know where to start. She's entering 4th grade next year, and we have read well more than a hundred books together in the last few years, so I'm sure I'm missing some favorites here.
She prefers series books, generally, so many of these are names of a series rather than a particular books: A Series of Unfortunate Events (she has re-read this whole series on her own at least twice); Mr. Lemoncello's Library; the Mo & Dale mysteries; Pages & Co.; Upside-Down Magic; Judy Moody; Junie B. Jones; Judy Bloom's Fudge series; Holes; Ivy & Bean.
I'm sure there are so many she's enjoyed that I'm forgetting. For just-entering first grade, probably start with something like Ivy & Bean (which reads aloud much better than Judy Moody, imo) or Junie B. Jones (which are extremely crude, but also laugh-out-loud funny, although again, ymmv). I remember Mr. Lemoncello being a little younger, too.
There are "better" books (gag), but these are some of the ones we've read that have been fun to read aloud and really had one-more-chapter appeal.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:11 PM on August 8, 2023 [5 favorites]
She prefers series books, generally, so many of these are names of a series rather than a particular books: A Series of Unfortunate Events (she has re-read this whole series on her own at least twice); Mr. Lemoncello's Library; the Mo & Dale mysteries; Pages & Co.; Upside-Down Magic; Judy Moody; Junie B. Jones; Judy Bloom's Fudge series; Holes; Ivy & Bean.
I'm sure there are so many she's enjoyed that I'm forgetting. For just-entering first grade, probably start with something like Ivy & Bean (which reads aloud much better than Judy Moody, imo) or Junie B. Jones (which are extremely crude, but also laugh-out-loud funny, although again, ymmv). I remember Mr. Lemoncello being a little younger, too.
There are "better" books (gag), but these are some of the ones we've read that have been fun to read aloud and really had one-more-chapter appeal.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:11 PM on August 8, 2023 [5 favorites]
I also thought the Gregor the Overlander series was cute.
posted by phunniemee at 1:30 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 1:30 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
My 3.5 yo has been enjoying some Ivy and Bean books but I think they're more appropriate for first grade.
posted by stray at 1:58 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by stray at 1:58 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
My son is going into first grade and loves having me read the No 1 Car Spotter books to him. He also enjoys the Hilde Cracks the Case series.
posted by Ideal Impulse at 2:11 PM on August 8, 2023
posted by Ideal Impulse at 2:11 PM on August 8, 2023
The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Fun to read out loud as well, because of alliteration and poetic language.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:58 PM on August 8, 2023
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:58 PM on August 8, 2023
Dory Fantasmagory!
posted by CMcG at 3:49 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by CMcG at 3:49 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
I know this is not a chapter book but it's just right for the age group: THAT RABBIT BELONGS TO EMILY BROWN (amazon link) by Cressida Cowell (who also wrote HOW TO TAME YOUR DRAGON and many other books).
Words cannot express how much I have loved this book. It is the only one my kids and I have still kept from that part of their childhood.. they are surly and cynical teenagers now, and yet this book has such a place in their hearts. It's is eminently read-aloud-able and the story is charming.
For actual chapter books, I've really enjoyed reading out loud to that age group:
- THE TWITS by Roald Dahl
- The Harry Potter books, especially book 1 and 2 for that age
- STORYBOOK OF LEGENDS and EVERY AFTER HIGH and honestly *anything* written by Shannon Hale, she is sooooo freaking good! And her books are super progressive about gender roles and LGBTQ+ representation etc.
- Neil Gaiman's CORALINE and OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE, though these are darker and probably should be saved for slightly later years.
While Kate DiCamillo's books were really fun to read out loud, I was very bummed by the regressive gender roles in them.
posted by MiraK at 4:20 PM on August 8, 2023
Words cannot express how much I have loved this book. It is the only one my kids and I have still kept from that part of their childhood.. they are surly and cynical teenagers now, and yet this book has such a place in their hearts. It's is eminently read-aloud-able and the story is charming.
For actual chapter books, I've really enjoyed reading out loud to that age group:
- THE TWITS by Roald Dahl
- The Harry Potter books, especially book 1 and 2 for that age
- STORYBOOK OF LEGENDS and EVERY AFTER HIGH and honestly *anything* written by Shannon Hale, she is sooooo freaking good! And her books are super progressive about gender roles and LGBTQ+ representation etc.
- Neil Gaiman's CORALINE and OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE, though these are darker and probably should be saved for slightly later years.
While Kate DiCamillo's books were really fun to read out loud, I was very bummed by the regressive gender roles in them.
posted by MiraK at 4:20 PM on August 8, 2023
My son will be going in to Grade 1 next year too. Here are some read-alouds/audio books he's enjoyed over the past couple of years.
Wild Robot, Wild Robot Escapes, and (I assume it will be equally good when it comes out next month) Wild Robot Protects.
Toys Go Out, Toys Come Home, Toys Dance Party.
Ollie's Odyssey.
Tale of Desperaux
Winston Delivers Christmas and Winston Comes Home for Christmas (in December, if you celebrate Christmas)
Coyote Tales
Ivy and the Goblins
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:25 PM on August 8, 2023
Wild Robot, Wild Robot Escapes, and (I assume it will be equally good when it comes out next month) Wild Robot Protects.
Toys Go Out, Toys Come Home, Toys Dance Party.
Ollie's Odyssey.
Tale of Desperaux
Winston Delivers Christmas and Winston Comes Home for Christmas (in December, if you celebrate Christmas)
Coyote Tales
Ivy and the Goblins
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:25 PM on August 8, 2023
We do Geronimo Stilton. They can be a hit or miss as far as quality, but there are lots of them so you can always find good ones.
posted by redlines at 4:30 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by redlines at 4:30 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
I want to back up MiraK on the regressive gender roles in Kate DiCamillo, especially the Mercy Watson books, which are just horrible all around. However, when I had basically this conversation with a children's librarian looking for book recommendations and she suggested Tale of Despereaux and I said "Yeah, I don't think I want to read my son rescuing-the-princess-themed books" she said that because of the obvious difference in size between a mouse and human princess, this doesn't really do the theme that way. I wasn't particularly bothered by the gender portrayals in that book, and I'm someone who spent my son's entire pre-able-to-read years re-gendering picture book characters to achieve gender balance and remove icky gender stereotypes.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:30 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:30 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Not to abuse the edit window: I want to say that while I don't recall being bothered by gender portrayals in Tale of Desperaux, if others were, I don't mean to dismiss or downplay that. I meant to suggest that some Kate DiCamillo works are probably worse than others and that I didn't find that one too bad. Obviously that's just my own view of the book and if other people found it problematic, I'm not saying they're wrong, just that I didn't notice it.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:36 PM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:36 PM on August 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Zoey and Sassafras series by Asia Citro.
Cute magical creatures have troubles and a young girl needs to use the scientific method to help them.
posted by Acari at 4:59 PM on August 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
Cute magical creatures have troubles and a young girl needs to use the scientific method to help them.
posted by Acari at 4:59 PM on August 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
I am also the kind of mom who edited read-aloud books on the fly to change the genders of animals in picture books, I swapped Dick and Anne around when I read Famous Five books to my kids, I made Harry Potter really rather gay, etc. And I found DESPEREAUX absolutely unbearable. I don't think the "it's a tiny mouse rescuing a big human princess" excuse holds water, because the mouse is obviously a stand-in for a little boy, imo. It wasn't just the rescuing thing, I found the patriarchy propaganda to be impossible to ignore throughout.
Not that anyone who enjoyed it is a Bad Person TM, I don't mean it that way. It may be that I am extra sensitive.
posted by MiraK at 5:11 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Not that anyone who enjoyed it is a Bad Person TM, I don't mean it that way. It may be that I am extra sensitive.
posted by MiraK at 5:11 PM on August 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'll second Zoey and Sassafras! Also the Pip Bartlett series. Both feature young science-minded girl protagonists navigating fun magical stuff and both manage to teach some real world info while somehow keeping it fairly separate from the magical info!
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:12 PM on August 8, 2023
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:12 PM on August 8, 2023
Two non-supernatural family series that may be a bit older (especially the later ones in the series, which IIRC are sort of intended to be read at about a book a year, a la Harry Potter), but my kids found very engrossing in audiobook form: The Penderwicks and The Vanderbeekers.
posted by staggernation at 5:16 PM on August 8, 2023
posted by staggernation at 5:16 PM on August 8, 2023
If your kid is like mine, and loves a series, the "A to Z Mysteries" series has a ton of books and aren't too taxing.
Same for the Magic Treehouse books.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:28 PM on August 8, 2023
Same for the Magic Treehouse books.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:28 PM on August 8, 2023
We are reading The Rescuers to my 4 yo at the minute and enjoying it. Book the Disney films were based on. Not last few decades but one I’d overlooked.
We also did the Twits a while ago, but word of warning, it was a mistake. He was old enough to find it hilarious, not old enough to understand he shouldn’t repeat the insults to people! 🤦♂️ Otherwise lots of fun.
posted by jonrob at 9:03 AM on August 9, 2023
We also did the Twits a while ago, but word of warning, it was a mistake. He was old enough to find it hilarious, not old enough to understand he shouldn’t repeat the insults to people! 🤦♂️ Otherwise lots of fun.
posted by jonrob at 9:03 AM on August 9, 2023
I read the The Princess in Black books by
Dean Hale and Shannon Hale to my young nephews, and they were greatly enjoyed by both me and them.
posted by pie_seven at 12:24 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Dean Hale and Shannon Hale to my young nephews, and they were greatly enjoyed by both me and them.
posted by pie_seven at 12:24 PM on August 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
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