Recently an old friend sent me a request via text message, asking for book suggestions for her granddaughter who was reading above grade level. This kid is turning seven this summer and has been raiding her 12-year-old brother’s bookshelf. Very impressive, right? Wild how some kids figure out reading and just take off. Absolutely something to celebrate.
But it also is something to handle thoughtfully. She’s going into second grade this fall, and she will sail through her reading assessments, I am sure. I’m thrilled that she’s so excited about books and is undaunted by hundreds of pages of text. However, books written at a higher grade level are often stories written with older children in mind. This seven-year-old is not going to be interested in the complicated social relationships that books for 4th-6th graders often center on. She doesn’t need support navigating her own coming-of-age journey yet. And while there are definitely books that address complicated issues such as civil rights, war, loss, and injustice in age-appropriate ways, there are also plenty that would be too much for someone her age to tackle.
Finding books for a child who “reads up,” comes with its own set of challenges. This road is familiar to me, since I currently have one of these kids at my house, too. We want to keep them engaged, so we don’t want to hand them books that are too simple, but we also want to find stories that will be a good fit for a young child. It means paying close attention to the books you give your kiddo. It also means being ready to realize that you’ve made a mistake when, like in my case, you realize the series your child has been devouring has a book with a sleepover plotline where they tell stories that are just a little too spooky for a six-year-old. Oops. I think those are going to quietly go back to the library while I distract him with more Magic School Bus books.
Fortunately, none of us has to figure this out all alone. Asking teachers and other parents for advice is a great idea, as is explaining your situation to your local librarian and getting a stack of recommendations to take home with you. And don’t forget about the JCLS Discovery service, where you fill out an online form and get a personalized list of book ideas emailed back to you. So convenient!
In the spirit of crowdsourcing recommendations, I asked my library colleagues which books they would recommend for a seven-year-old who wants a challenge, and they helped me put together a very nice list to share with you. These range in reading level and topic but should all be stories that are accessible for early elementary school readers. If your child is not yet ready to read them solo, some of these would make great read-alouds as well.
I ended up texting my friend a version of this list, and she was happy to have some new ideas. I’m excited to hear which books ended up being favorites for her granddaughter. There are few things so satisfying as a book recommendation that really hits the spot.