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Can you recite Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown by heart? Are the pages of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. falling apart from the hundreds of times you have read it?

Though sometimes we feel like covering our ears when we have to read that one book one more time, rereading books is actually a very good thing.

Whether we reread a book to a child or an independent reader wants to reread a previously enjoyed story, there are many benefits that can come from the act of rereading.
Repeating, Reviewing, and Remembering
The more we engage with a story, the more we take away from it. That is often why, as adults, we choose to reread those classics we were assigned to read as students in school. We're sure to get more out of the book that second or third time we read it.

Similarly, when kids listen to the same story multiple times, they pick up new information, dive deeper into the meaning of the book, and make connections between themselves and the book - as well as between the book and other books they've heard.
Developing a Thirst for Books
Letting kids pick books they want to be read aloud is important for helping to develop a thirst for books. Book choice is powerful. In fact, according to the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, many of us are letting our kids do just that. The report found that 81 percent of kids ages 3-5 pick their own books for read-aloud time.
Bonding as a Family
Reading any book together can help your family bond. In fact, many of us look forward to those bedtime reading rituals. Chances are you remember a book that your family read aloud numerous times growing up. For me, it was The Sweet Smell of Christmas by Patricia M. Scarry each holiday season. Build traditions by sharing your favorite books over and over. (Check out these ideas for great family read-alouds.)

MORE: Bring Your Family Together With Books
Getting to Know a Friend
The more time we spend with someone, the better we get to know that person. Books are the same way. The more time a child spends rereading a section, a favorite quote, or the entire book, the more connected the child feels to the story. The key here is that your child chooses to reread the words because she wants to engage with the book a second, third, or even tenth time.

One of the reasons that kids (even adults) love to read book series is because they bond with the characters. They want to know what is going to happen next for their book friends. We want to keep reading. How many of The Baby-Sitter's Club books by Ann M. Martin did you read growing up?
Rereading Fills the Gap
Sometimes it can be tough for kids to find books they enjoy. The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report found that 41 percent of kids struggle with finding books they like as they get older. So, rereading past favorites keeps kids reading while they find their next book match.

You can help kids find their next book match with a multitude of book list recommendations on Scholastic Parents.
Building Fluency
Newly independent readers need lots of practice to get past the word by word choppy reading into fluent reading. When a child chooses to read a favorite book over and over again, he is getting lots of practice to build fluency.

So the next time your little one asks to read Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin three times in a row or your independent reader wants to read Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey for the sixth time this month, embrace it and enjoy the reading ride.
To connect with Jodie Rodriguez visit Growing Book by Book.

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6 Benefits of Rereading Books (Over...and Over) for Kids

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Repeat reads of books - whether as read-alouds to little ones or through independent reading - generate big benefits for your child.

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Graphic novels tell intricate and action-packed stories through both words and images - helping kids improve their reading comprehension, visualization, and critical thinking skills along the way. In fact, these engaging books are also known to turn reluctant readers into avid ones! ( Here are three educator-backed reasons kids should read graphic novels.)

Explore more children's books by age and interest, and shop these popular graphic novels now! You can find all books and activities at The Scholastic Store.
Want even more book and reading ideas? Sign up for our Scholastic Parents newsletter.

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Keep the imagination flowing with these graphic novels for kids of all ages!

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Is your independent reader looking for a great hero story? Try these books for ages 8-13.

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Books When Your Child Isn't Ready for Harry Potter

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Books When Your Child Isn't Ready for Harry Potter

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Books to Read When Your Child Isn't Ready for Harry Potter

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Too young for Hogwarts? These read-alones and read-alouds are just the thing for wizards-in-waiting.

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Make every night good with these bedtime favorites, perfect for ages 3-6.

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by: Jill Murphy - (Candlewick, 2014) 96 pages.

The hook: Awkward, accident-prone Mildred Hubble is the worst witch at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, a magical boarding school. Along with the short and chubby Maud and the prankster Enid, Mildred can't help but stumble into disastrous situations. But with the help of a little magic, she always manages to save the day. This gentle and funny series is a great introduction to the world of witchcraft and magic mixing friendship, adventures, and fantasy. It's also a great precursor for young readers who aren't quite ready for the Harry Potter series. Mildred experiences a series of mishaps in witch school that cause her humiliation, a little fear (not too much), and frustration. She's a likable character who has good friends and a couple of enemies, including a sharp-nosed teacher named Miss Hardbroom. Children fall from broomsticks, are turned into animals by the wrong spells, and threatened by a band of misfit witches.

Perfect for: Kids who like fantasy stories.

Find our favorites at your local library: The Worst Witch, The Worst Witch Strikes Again, The Worst Witch to the Rescue.

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Best book series for 2nd graders - ever | GreatSchools

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by: Jill Murphy - (Candlewick, 2014) 96 pages. The hook: Awkward, accident-prone Mildred Hubble is the worst witch at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, a magical boarding school. Along with the short and chubby Maud and the prankster Enid, Mildred can't help but stumble into disastrous situations.

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Clementine

The hook: Clementine, a precocious third grader, is paying attention. Really, she is. It's just that there are so many more interesting things to pay attention to than the teacher, like the janitor embracing the lunch lady. And she's not skipping school because of that haircut disaster, it's because she must have caught arthritis from Mrs. Jacobi. Clementine's mischievous but well-intentioned antics, coupled with the lively pen-and-ink drawings in this seven-book series, will attract early readers ready for chapter books and younger readers looking for a read-aloud treat (especially fans of the Ramona books).

Perfect for: Kids entertained by a little mischief.

Freddy the Detective series

by: Walter R. Brooks - (Alfred A. Knopf, 1932) 282 pages.

The hook: This overlooked classic features Freddy, a poetry-spouting pig, who finds his true calling upon finding copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The language is witty and wise, and the stories of Freddy sleuthing out mysteries (a missing bunny, a dog's stolen dinner) will appeal to a child's sense of justice.

Perfect for: The kid who loves language and solving mysteries.

Guardians of Ga'Hoole series

by: Kathryn Lasky - (Scholastic, 2003) 240 pages.

The hook: This engrossing 16-book fantasy series follows the adventures of a group of courageous owls fighting an evil that threatens their way of life in the forest. The series kicks off with The Capture, which is told from the perspective of a barn owlet named Soren. Stolen from his nest, Soren is taken to St. Aggie's Academy, where young owls are brainwashed and forced into slavery. Inspired by the legends of the great heroes of Ga'Hoole, Soren and his new friend Glyfie hatch a plan to escape. The books have a lot to offer voracious readers: strong messages of friendship, vivid details about owl behavior, and thrilling, suspenseful scenarios.

Want to see the movie? The beautifully animated 2010 film, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, follows the plot of the first three books in the series.

Perfect for: Kids who love the Warriors series by Erin Hunter.

How to Train Your Dragon

by: Cressida Cowell - (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2004) 224 pages.

The hook: This humorous 15-book series follows Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the brainy undersized son of a hulking Viking chief. He describes himself as "not a natural at the Heroism business." Hiccup, along with the other young Vikings, must choose a dragon hatchling to train and learn to become a warrior before being initiated as an adult member of the tribe. Filled with slightly rude humor that will appeal to preadolescents (including character names like "Dogsbreath the Duhbrain" and "Snotface Snotlout,"), and rough - but funny - illustrations, this engaging series is sustained by themes about being an underdog and succeeding in ways outside the norm.

Want to watch the movie? The animated adventures How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) are loosely based on the book series.

Perfect for: Reluctant readers who are tickled by preteen humor.

Judy Moody Was in a Mood

by: Megan McDonald - (Candlewick, 2000) 176 pages.

Yes, Judy is a third-grade girl but she is very much the tomboy and boys love this series as much as girls. The series does a great job of captivating unmotivated readers who are making the transition into chapter books. Children will relate to Judy's constant dilemmas and will laugh their way through the book as Judy comes up with the most intriguing solutions to problems such as having to sit next to a kid who eats paste and a toad that pees on her!

Perfect for: Kids who like realism.

Judy Blume's Fudge

by: Judy Blume - (Dutton, 1972)

The Hook: Judy Bloom's series may depict characters from a generation who have now sprouted gray hairs, but her finely tuned tales about the emotional lives of kids make this series worth introducing to 21 st century readers. Whether it's the trouble with younger siblings or the trials of moving away, Bloom manages to make everyday kid conundrums just as riveting and intense as they are to experience. Growing from age 9 to 12, main character Peter Hatcher (except for the second in the series), offers hilarious insights into life as he suffers the embarrassments of his little brother Fudge and the irritation of his nemesis Sheila, that girl downstairs.

Perfect for: Kids who like to laugh or have annoying people in their lives.

Find our favorites at your local library: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Superfudge, Fudge-a-Mania, Double Fudge.

The Loser List

by: H.N. Kowitt - (Scholastic Paperbacks, 2011) 224 pages.

A Bear Called Paddington

The hook: We first meet this young, marmalade-loving bear when he arrives, alone and friendless, at Paddington Station in London from Lima, Peru. He attracts the attention of the Brown family, who take him home with them. Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their children, Jonathan and Judy, soon discover that bears, while wonderful to have in the family, are prone to all sorts of misadventures. But whether he's overflowing the bathtub or destroying the neighbor's watch in a flubbed magic trick, Paddington always comes out on top, his politeness and sweetness intact. With each chapter standing alone as its own story, this quaintly old-fashioned book (the first in the series) is a good choice for young readers who have made the transition to chapter books and an entertaining read-aloud for younger kids.

Want to see the movie? The 2015 live-action version featuring a computer-animated Paddington has many details from the first book in the series, plus a few plot twists and mild thrills to stretch it to a full-length feature.

Perfect for: Kids with gentle souls

The Spiderwick Chronicles series

The hook: Beginning with The Field Guide, this five-book series follows 9-year-old twins Jared and Simon and their older sister Mallory as they discover a hidden faerie world that is darker and more dangerous than they could have imagined. After moving into their great, great uncle's creepy old mansion, the siblings find a dusty, handwritten book called Field Guide to The Fantastical World Around You in the attic. What follows is a series of thrilling encounters involving a secret library, a riddle-poem, fairies, goblins, and more, all depicted in easy-to-read prose and beautiful illustrations.

Want to see the movie? The 2008 film is loosely based on the entire series.

Perfect for: Budding fantasy fans.

Fall of the Beasts series

by: Eliot Schrefer - (Scholastic, 2015) 192 pages.

The world of Erdas is facing a great evil. Four children must stop it with the help of their spirit animals, legendary beasts who have been reborn to fight the darkness that threatens to take over their world.

Perfect for: New fans of fantasy.

Secret Coders series

There's a mystery at Stately Academy and three friends use their coding skills to puzzle it out. This graphic novel, the first in a series, is an entertaining read and a beginner's guide to programming all in one. The author is the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and a MacArthur Fellow, as well as a high school computer programming teacher.

Perfect for: Graphic novel lovers and aspiring programmers.

Babymouse: Camp Babymouse

by: Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm - (Random House, 2007) 96 pages.

The hook: The sixth installment of the Babymouse series finds our heroine at summer camp. She doesn't like the great outdoors, but that fact shouldn't get in the way of her having fun, right? Babymouse has her usual daydreams of how she'll be the best camper around, but all she finds is trouble. Babymouse's cabin-mates, the Buttercups, soon become frustrated with her shenanigans, as she racks up nothing but demerits for her team. The illustrations are as fun and humorous as ever, in the familiar black, white and pink. Graphic novels are incredibly popular with tweens and teens, so it follows that younger kids want them as well. And those for the very young - especially for young girls - are few and far between, but gaining a foothold. Here is a well-established series that fills that void with a spirited, likable, adventurous character.

Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.

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Best book series for 3rd graders - ever | GreatSchools

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The hook: Clementine, a precocious third grader, is paying attention. Really, she is. It's just that there are so many more interesting things to pay attention to than the teacher, like the janitor embracing the lunch lady. And she's not skipping school because of that haircut disaster, it's because she must have caught arthritis from Mrs.

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Big Nate

by: Lincoln Peirce - (HarperCollins, 2015) 224 pages.

The hook: Big Nate knows he's destined for greatness at his middle school. But this 11-year-old usually just manages to get into trouble, like when he nabs the record for most detentions in a single day. But a little bad luck isn't enough to keep this irrepressible sixth grader down. Based on a comic strip, this eight-book series appeals to kids who like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. While Big Nate takes a milder approach to the same adolescent themes as the Wimpy Kid series, there's still plenty of slapstick antics hilariously captured in comic illustrations to keep potty-humor lovers gleefully entertained.

Perfect for: Fans of comic books and relatable mishaps.

The Books of Elsewhere

by: Jacqueline West, illustrated by: Poly Bernatene - (Puffin Books, 2011) 272 pages.

The hook: When her mathematician parents move 11-year-old Olive to a crumbling mansion on Linden Street, they have no idea what the house has in store for her. With the help of an old pair of glasses, Olive is transported to Elsewhere, the world inside the antique paintings hanging on the walls. But along with talking cats and a new ghost friend, Morten, the house brings the threat of dark magic and evil witches that could put Olive and her family in peril. Wonderfully imaginative, this five-book series has all the elements of your favorite ghost story. But there is some scary stuff here, so sensitive, younger readers may want to start this series with caution.

Perfect for: Kids who love supernatural thrills.

The Borrowers

by: Mary Norton, illustrated by: Beth and Joe Krush - (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1953) 192 pages.

The hook: Young teen Arietty Clock and her parents are tiny people called borrowers. They live under the floorboards in a house inhabited by giant "human beans," surviving by sneaking up into the house for scraps of food and other tiny leavings. When Arietty is spotted by a human boy and the two strike up a forbidden friendship, Arietty's father is horrified. But then the cook starts to notice that food is disappearing, and the Clock family may need the boy's help to escape being discovered. This imaginative tale and its four sequels have sparked a love of fantasy in countless children since it was first published in 1952.

Want to see the movie? Check out the 1998 live-action version starring John Goodman, or the beautifully animated Japanese version, The Secret World of Arietty, released in 2012.

Perfect for: Kids with big imaginations.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

by: Jeff Kinney - (Amulet Books, 2007) 224 pages.

Goosebumps

by: R.L. Stine - (Scholastic, 2005) 144 pages.

Harry Potter series, books 1-3

by: J.K. Rowling - (A.A. Levine Books, 1998)

The hook: In the first three books of this iconic seven-book series, we meet Harry Potter, who discovers that he is a wizard on his 11th birthday. That day, he happily departs his horrible aunt and uncle's house in the London suburbs for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he settles in to boarding school and the world of magic, Harry learns secrets about his past and hints about his future destiny in the company of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, professors of a variety of magical subjects, school ghosts, and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. As Harry ages, the books' themes and language get more complex, making this a great series for kids to grow with. We recommend the first three books (and their corresponding movies) starting in fourth grade - and waiting till sixth grade to tackle books (and movies) four through seven.

Want to see the movie? Check out the first three movies, which, like the books, get progressively scarier and more complex.

Perfect for: Kids who want to believe in magic.

The Hero's Guide series

by: Christopher Healy, illustrated by: Todd Harris - (Walden Pond Press, 2013) 480 pages.

The hook: Don't expect brainless princes or weak-willed princesses - gender and fairy-tale stereotypes are turned on their heads in this silly and satirical take on traditional stories. Princes Frederic, Gustav, Liam, and Duncan (you may know them collectively as "Prince Charming") have banded together to become the real heroes they know they can be as they set off on a series of thrilling adventures. Evil henchman are turned into bacon, princesses turn into freedom fighters, and dragons are always ready to turn a hero into a tasty snack in this adventure trilogy. Some knowledge of classic fairy-tale plots will make for richer reading, but it won't keep young readers from devouring this series, which appeals to adults looking for a read-aloud pick the whole family can enjoy.

Perfect for: Anyone who likes smart characters who rule.

Little House

by: Laura Ingalls Wilder - (Harper & Bros., 1953) 352 pages.

The Moffats

by: Eleanor Estes, illustrated by: Louis Slobodkin - (Harcourt, 2001) 210 pages.

The hook: Growing up with their dressmaker mother, the Moffat kids (Sylvie, Joey, Janey, and Rufus) have no trouble finding adventure in their small Connecticut town. Set during World War I (and mostly written during World War II), this classic series explores what it was like to grow up in a simpler time, albeit one shadowed by war. Kids may find some of the details of this gentle four-book series old-fashioned, but that's also part of its charm. Talk of war rations and scarlet fever will feel novel after reading countless stories about dystopian futures or witchcraft and wizards.

Perfect for: Kids who like old-fashioned stories.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

by: Rick Riordan - (Disney-Hyperion, 2006) 416 pages.

The hook: Percy Jackson thinks his hot temper and dyslexia are just bad luck, but after his math teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him, he learns his quirky characteristics are really a sign of his true identity. A demigod - meaning he's half mortal, half Greek god - Percy must use his newfound heritage to save the world from mythological monsters. Middle readers struggling to connect with Greek myths in class will get a kick out of the modern updates to classic heroes and villains and might just be inspired to learn a little more. Readers who can't get enough should also check out the spin-off series, Heroes of Olympus.

Perfect for: Kids who secretly wish they were superheroes.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

by: Lemony Snicket - (HarperCollins Publishers, 2009) 188 pages.

The hook: No child has ever endured more bad luck than the three Baudelaire waifs. Over the course of the 13-book series, they endure relentless misfortune at the hands of their vile uncle, the malevolent Count Olaf. At times, it makes for almost unbearable reading, but Snicket's tangy sense of humor and masterful command of three-dollar words keep you wanting more. Find A Series of Unfortunate Events at your local library.

Want to see the movie? Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events starring Jim Carrey comprises the first three books in the series.

Perfect for: Older kids who appreciate humor in evil adults, miserable orphans, and extravagant vocabularies.

The Wednesday Tales series

by: Jon Berkeley - (Harper Collins, 2007) 464 pages.

Miles Wednesday is an orphan. Little is a tiny girl with silver hair and wings, held captive by the weirdly wicked Circus Oscuro. Colorful characters with big hearts help Miles and Little escape the circus' clutches and discover the secrets of Miles' lost family.

Perfect for: Kids who love language and appreciate the quirky.

Wings of Fire series

by: Tui T. Sutherland - (Scholastic, 2012) 336 pages.

Five dragonets are raised in a cave to fulfil a prophecy - to end a long and terrible war. So begins this series about a battle between seven dragon tribes. With lots of action (and some gory fighting), this book has lots of characterful details that make the dragons resonate with readers. What will happen when the dragonets resist their destiny?

Perfect for: Kids who wished Erin Hunter's Warriors series had been about dragons.

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Best book series for 4th graders - ever | GreatSchools

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by: Lincoln Peirce - (HarperCollins, 2015) 224 pages. The hook: Big Nate knows he's destined for greatness at his middle school. But this 11-year-old usually just manages to get into trouble, like when he nabs the record for most detentions in a single day.

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Anne of Green Gables

by: L. M. Montgomery - (L.C. Page & Co., 1908) 198 pages.

The hook: Anne Shirley is a spirited 11-year-old orphan who can't believe her luck when she's sent from the orphanage to live with a pair of unmarried siblings on Prince Edward Island. Her hopes for a real home are dashed when her new guardians, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, tell her that the orphanage has made a mistake - they wanted a boy to help them run the family farm. But gregarious, red-haired Anne wins friends on the island, even if her big imagination and unusual upbringing leads her to make mistakes, like wearing wildflowers in her hair to church and adding liniment to a cake instead of vanilla. Kids will connect with this sweetly old-fashioned coming-of-age tale and its numerous sequels.

Want to see the movie? Check out the acclaimed 1985 CBC miniseries, which closely follows the plot of the book.

Perfect for: Kids with big imaginations.

Artemis Fowl

by: Eoin Colfer - (Disney-Hyperion, 2010) 944 pages.

The hook: Artemis Fowl is no regular kid. He happens to be an evil genius - a criminal mastermind with high-tech toys - and all of 12 years old. Delve into the murky underworld of fairies, elves, and other sprites as they battle Artemis in his relentless quest for the fairyfolks' pot of gold.

Perfect for: Kids too jaded to be entertained by old-fashioned fairies and elves.

The City of Ember

by: Jeanne DuPrau - (Random House, 2003)

The hook: For the past 241 years, no resident of the entirely subterranean Ember has seen daylight. Carefully designed to preserve life in the face of impending disaster, the city now feeds a population with dwindling supplies. The original plan had been for residents to return to the Earth's surface, but now no one recalls how to get there. Teens Lina and Doon, newly assigned to the first jobs as messenger and pipe works laborer, embark on a plan to find the way out.

Perfect for: Idealists with a strong sense of what's right, and what could be.

Find our favorites at your local library: The City of Ember, The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, The Diamond of Darkhold.

Cirque Du Freak

by: Darren Shan - (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2002) 266 pages.

The hook: Macabre, funny, and action-packed, this series follows a traveling freak show with wolf-man, snake-boy, Larten Crepsley, and a giant spider.

Perfect for: Kids ages 10 and up drawn to dark, twisted tales filled with eccentric characters.

My Side of the Mountain

by: Jean Craighead George - (E.P. Dutton, 1959) 192 pages.

The hook: Teenager Sam Gribley is tired of living in a cramped apartment in New York City, so he takes off for the Catskills. Sam's level head and wilderness knowledge serve him well in the mountains, and it helps that his parents approve his adventure. As Sam prepares to survive the winter inside a cozy hollow tree, word starts to spread about the wild boy living on his own. The highlight of the book, which includes lots of small vivid details about living off the land, is how Sam bonds with - and trains - a Peregrine falcon named Frightful.

Want to see the movie? Check out the 1969 film, which changes some of the details of the book but stays true to its spirit.

Perfect for: Kids who appreciate nature's quiet beauty and seek alone time.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

by: Trenton Lee Stewart, illustrated by: Carson Ellis & Diana Sudyka - (Little, Brown and Company, 2007)

The hook: Each extraordinary in different ways, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance get recruited to the Benedict Society, a secret group formed to solve a mystery that has global ramifications. Whether they're using one of their gifts (puzzle solving, photographic memory, incredible athleticism, fierce defiance (yes, that comes in handy) or a gift for rhyming), the gang of brave, intelligent kids must infiltrate a mysterious and potentially dangerous organization, seemingly run by kids.

Perfect for: Gifted kids who like to solve mysteries and kids who like stories about friendship.

The Princess Diaries

by: Meg Cabot - (Harper Avon, 2000) 256 pages.

The hook: No one is more surprised than Mia Thermopolis when her father announces that he is the heir to the throne of the tiny European country Genovia. Suddenly, the shy, awkward high school freshman has to worry about princess lessons with her imposing grandmother in addition to passing algebra and catching the eye of a cute senior boy. Tweens who gravitate to light and funny fiction will enjoy following Mia's account of her transformation into a princess in this book and its sequels.

Want to see the movie? Check out the 2001 film and its 2004 sequel starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews.

Perfect for: Kids who dream of suddenly becoming royalty.

The Underland Chronicles

by: Suzanne Collins - (Scholastic, 2003)

The hook: Is your child hungering to read The Hunger Games but you want to delay kid-kill-kid diet just a little longer? Author Suzanne Collins' tale of Gregor's adventures in the Underland will give your child a taste of Collins' engrossing imagination without dropping her into the "Arena." When 11-year-old Gregor jumps in an air duct after his baby sister falls through, the siblings find themselves in an eerie subterranean world of talking bats, rats, and insects - far from the basement of their New York City apartment. Honor, betrayal, and love all battle it out for Gregor's heart as one ordinary boy is called on to do extraordinary things. By book 5, Code of the Claw, Gregor is not ordinary and the survival of the Underland is in his hands. Parents may not "get" this story, but it's like nectar for the grade-schooler's hummingbird mind.

Perfect for kids with a yen for excitement and a growing sense of their own power to change the world.

Wildwood Chronicles

by: Colin Meloy, illustrated by: Carson Ellis - (Balzer + Bray, 2012) 576 pages.

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Best book series for 5th graders - ever | GreatSchools

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by: L. M. Montgomery - (L.C. Page & Co., 1908) 198 pages. The hook: Anne Shirley is a spirited 11-year-old orphan who can't believe her luck when she's sent from the orphanage to live with a pair of unmarried siblings on Prince Edward Island.

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Adding Talking and Thinking to a Book (Courtesy of TCRWP)

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Helping Your Child Get Ready to Read a Book

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Helping Your Child Get Ready to Read a Book

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Help Your Child Get Ready to Read a Book (Courtesy of TCRWP)

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Partner Reading and Talking About Books (Courtesy of TCRWP)

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Supporting Your Child's Literacy Development at Home

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Supporting Your Child's Literacy Development at Home

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Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development at Home

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1. Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day reading aloud. From birth!

2. Read at least three stories a day: it may be the same story three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories before they can begin to learn to read. Or the same story a thousand times!

3. Read aloud with animation. Listen to your own voice and don't be dull, or flat, or boring. Hang loose and be loud, have fun and laugh a lot.

4. Read with joy and enjoyment: real enjoyment for yourself and great joy for the listeners

5. Read the stories that your child loves, over and over, and over again, and always read in the same 'tune' for each book: i.e. with the same intonations and volume and speed, on each page, each time.

6. Let children hear lots of language by talking to them constantly about the pictures, or anything else connected to the book; or sing any old song that you can remember; or say nursery rhymes in a bouncy way; or be noisy together doing clapping games

7. Look for rhyme, rhythm or repetition in books for young children, and make sure the books are really short.

8. Play games with the things that you and the child can see on the page, such as letting kids finish rhymes, and finding the letters that start the child's name and yours, remembering that it's never work, it's always a fabulous game.

9. Never ever teach reading, or get tense around books.

10. Please read aloud every day because you just adore being with your child, not because it's the right thing to do.

Copyright © 2020 Mem Fox. All rights reserved. Website designed by Enee Solutions

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Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day reading aloud. From birth! Read at least three stories a day: it may be the same story three times. Children need to hear a thousand stories before they can begin to learn to read. Or the same story a thousand times!