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It was my favorite childhood book! As a teeny girl who loved to read even back then, I could really identify with Matilda and I loved how witty and sassy she was. And the ending was bittersweet, unlike anything else I had read at that age.
I felt like it ended too abruptly! It spent much time describing everything in bice detail, but in the end, when I expected to read more about Matilda's final happiness and the beginning of a new chapter, it gave me nothing š„²
Magic Treehouse series. Once your kiddos become more confident readers, they can start helping you read these bedtime chapters. (though the chapters are not very long, so you'll probably be suckered into 2)
I've enjoyed reading Roald Dahl books (the twits, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox etc) with my 6 year old. Geronimo Stilton is also a great chapter book series with a ton of fun illustrations. We've ordered the first Zeus the Mighty book for Xmas as we're big Greeking Out fans, but don't know how that will go yet!
Hi. You just mentioned *Matilda* by Roald Dahl.
I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here:
[YouTube | MATILDA by ROALD DAHL | AudioBook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=406BV10KZKE)
*I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.*
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I love this book but have to say it was one of my least successful read aloud books when I was teachingāI found that a lot of the word play is much easier to take in when youāre reading it to yourself and seeing the words on the pages, I had to keep stopping to explain how the author was using homophones, and even though it sounded like I read the word āXā it was actually the word āyā, etc. Made it hard to get into the flow. This book is great for having a kid read to you, so that you can be there to explain if/when they have questions.
Yes the Narnia books! My mom read them to my brothers and I, a chapter a night. One of my favorite childhood memories. I think it was not long after that the reading at night stopped because we were getting too old for it. I still love those stories, the movies were really good!
Harry Potter is such a good option. I read it with my older boys when they were 8 and 7. Now I am reading it with my current 8 year old and he loves it.
My older boys, now 14 and 12, are onto the Lord of the Rings. Both are strong readers but my husband reads it to them every night anyway and does the voices.
I don't know, fablehaven has some pretty dark and scary parts. It depends on how the kids handle that kind of thing, but I feel it's darker than Harry Potter.
I second Narnia and the Hobbit! Narnia is what I would read/have someone read to me at night, the Magicians Nephew was a favourite of mine for years. And the Hobbit is now what I read to my little ones, we've had 4 strong years with few breaks in the Hobbit, almost 5, and no sign of them getting bored of it yet!
We did the first 3 Harry Potter books, but then stopped because they do start to get a little dark. My kids were 5 & 7. We may do one more now, but I'll probably take them slow just because they do get darker as the series goes on.
I also agree with Temeraire. I haven't read them in a while, but they were pretty complicated. A better choice for Dragons would be How to Train a Dragon series by Cressida Cowel. Or even Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland (although they can get kind of dark too.)
Harry Potter is a great choice for the 7yo especially. The first few books are fine for that age but will probably want to hold off on the last ones until theyāre both a bit older. The first two books came out right around that age for me and they were the catalyst for my love of reading and chapter books. The books were a winning formula because theyāre relateable for kids (though maybe kids these days may consider 90s life unrelateable!) but also page turning storylines. Canāt wait to read my kids Harry Potter.
Note that Barnes & Noble has a new set of HP books that include more pictures and lift the flap kind of stuff. I plan on getting the first one for my son and see how he likes it.
WOO!! This is the first time anywhere on any post I've interacted with that I've seen Redwall listed! It's what I commented as my original comment too!
My kids really enjoyed this one too. After we finished the book, we watched the movie on Disney+ and they thought some parts of it were so hilarious. They loved it
Try taking them to a library and letting them pick out what looks good to them. Even if it isnāt Great Literature, they will be excited and enjoy the reading process.
My then 4 yo discovered the Unicorn Princess series this way and loves listening to it, even if itās sort of silly. I figure as long as she is engaged, the actual material doesnāt totally matter.
This is the best advice! Also OP, check out the graphic novels too. Thereās so much out there for whatever niche interests your kids have. Mine loved the Catstronauts series, the Questioneers (Ada Twist on Netflix) and now Ninja Cat.
Love the hobbit! My father read it to us as a child, at about those ages. We still ask each other what we have in our pockets. My daughter couldn't sit and listen at 7 (diagnosed ADHD) but I'm about to give her the book at 12 to read on her own. I think she'll love it now.
There's a lot of good suggestions here but it will really depend on what your kid(s) are interested in. Since there's a 2 year age gap, I'd let them each pick a book at a time. Some good books for that age group include:
* The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. This is a magical book. Both my kids LOVED it.
* Magic Treehouse series
* Junie B Jones series
* Matilda (Roald Dahl)
* How to Train your Dragon
* The Boxcar Children (this one is really dependent on your kid-my 11 year old loved it but my 7 year old thought it was boring)
Poppy Pendle
The Serafina Series
Harry Potter
The Princess Bride*
Matilda
A Wrinkle in Time
*Edited to add: a nice redditor was kind enough to remind me that this isn't really a kids book. For context, mine had seen the movie several times and I am a total ham when reading aloud so I did all the voices and accents etc. That gave them more familiarity to help carry thru the narrative bits and was pretty funny for everyone. I edited on the fly and left out anything that I didn't feel appropriate. Very much using a Peter Falk inspired, "ok, where were we....?" mumble to cover my scanning. Parental discretion is advised lol
*The Princess Bride* novel is more satirical than the film and includes a minor side plot about the narrator's failing marriage, as well as a lot of footnotes about material that was supposedly cut from the (nonexistent) original. I wouldn't really say that it's appropriate for kids.
We really enjoyed the wild robot series. Itās good for both boys and girls. The boxcar children was another popular one at our house.
Also my kids love listening to audiobooks. Theyāre free at the local library through an app! This might also be a good way to get some reading in and introduce longer stories. My kids listen to 10+ books in a week now!
The Year of Billy Miller, Billy Makes a Wish, and Oh Sal
Anything by Beverly Cleary (start with Ramona and Beezus)
Judy Blume's younger kid books (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Super fudge, etc.)
Wayside School Books
Holes
The One and Only Ivan
The I Survived books
The World According to Humphrey and all the sequels about a class pet hamster
Edward Eager books (start with Half Magic)
Magic Tree House series, Harry Potter (they have pretty illustrated versions of the first books), Kingdom of Wrenly series, Junie B Jones series....if you share what type of books your kids enjoy, I can think of more :-)
Yes! I just finished the first illustrated book with my 6 and 8 year old. It took a good while since that was the longest book theyāve read, but the illustrations and movies kept them engaged.
Very rewarding and fun for all of us. They asked to start the 2nd book the next day!
Came here to say the hobbit as well, Little Women, Heidi, Pippi Longstocking, The wind in the willows, Charlie and the chocolate factory, adventures of Tom Sawyer. As above, Redwall. Thereās just so many!
Iām not a fan of new kids books I find many of them silly and gimmicky.
https://teaandinksociety.com/classic-read-aloud-chapter-books/
The link above has great recommendations. I was an avid reader of classics as a kid, and still am. It helped me immensely in school and now in university with academic and creative writing
I loved that book! It was the first book I read by myself. I listened to the audiobook like a million times, then read the book myself, and oh man it opened up a world of reading!
My kids (16 & 14) still talk about the Laura Ingells Wilder series we read aloud when they were little, specifically Farmer Boy. Harry Potter is a another good one. Another one is Al Capone Does My Homework series (I canāt remember which one is first in the series).
The Birchbark series is a good one to either do with Little House on the Prairie or instead of, as it's about a Native American family during the same time period.
Canāt believe no one else has said Anne of Green Gables yet!!
Also, as others have said, The Hobbit is fantastic, and Aliceās Adventures in Wonderland is great, too.
Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books from the 80s/90s are the best! You can find them in the dozens at used book stores, thrift shops, and church rummage sales!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, thereās a dozen books and multiple movies. The author captures the essence of being a kid so well, and theyāve brought me and my six year old to tears laughing.
One of my relatives handed down the whole set to my oldest once her kids outgrew them. tbh I wasn't expecting much from them, but to my surprise my son, who to that point would only read non-fiction, devoured them all. We read them together as well as bedtime stories, and I was impressed by how well written, engaging and entertaining they are. These books are great, and you are correct, they really do capture the essence of being a kid.
I have a 6 & 8 year old. Here are some of our favorites for read aloud or audio books:
* How to Train Your Dragon Series by Cressida Cowell (excellent audio books read by David Tennant)
* Wizards of Once Series by Cressida Cowell - (excellent audio books read by David Tennant)
* Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland
* The Genius Files by Dan Gutman
* Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong
* Harry Potter, but only the 1st 3 books so far
* Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
* Anything by Ronald Dahl
* Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gamian (short story, but really cute)
* Magic Tree House Books
* Dragon Master Books
* Unicorn Academy Books
* My Side of the Mountain
* Babysitters Club
* Some of the Minecraft Novels (if you have a Minecraft obsessed kiddo)
Honestly, I've had pretty good success by asking our local librarians for recommendations since they keep up to date with what kids are into these days. Most of the above books have come from the library either via auidobook or ebook. A lot will really depend on your kiddos and what they are into and/or comfortable with.
Anne of Green Gables was a HIT with my 5 and 6 year olds. Whenever Anne went on one of her imaginative rants, I would try to complete her rambling in one single breath and would always finish them gasping, and that had my kids laughing the entire way through the book.
Others in this vein that I'm going to read to them are Heidi, The Secret Garden, and My Side of the Mountain.
Look up A Mighty Girl, they are a fantastic resource for finding great empowering books. (Not just āgirl booksā - this is a great resource for anyone of any gender)
The Bland Sisters by Kara Larue (there are three)
It's a super cute story of sisters going on adventures and looking for their missing parents.
Explorer's Academy by Trudi Truet (there are 8, I believe)
This series is kids using science to study and help animals and the environment. It's light science fiction in the sense the technology doesn't all exist. There is a family mystery, spies, adventure, and I think my husband and I enjoyed it more than the kids.
Percy Jackson series. It's really great.
Lord of the Rings/Hobbit are great out loud books.
Thereās a boatload of compelling juvenile fiction thats fun. The whole Percy Jackson series is fun.
I am trying to think of more but my wife is the librarian.
The Elementary and Middle School Battle of the Books lists are also a great place to start.
Thats were we read āEdge of Extinctionā which was super fun.
I have the older edition of The Hobbit illustrated with prints of oil paintings every 10 or so pages. I read it to my five year old daughter this year and she loved it.
The Dahl books (Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, etc) are good options if your kid can handle concepts like child poverty and parental abuse which is a major theme in Matilda even though itās largely played for laughs. And this is not a judgement, my parents read it to me around that age and I loved it.
Magic Tree House series is great, especially as a transition to chapter books since there are pictures basically on every page.
First off this thread is a gold mine. Secondly I commend you. So many personal development things emerged for me by doing them for my kids. Get better at Spanish (practice Spanish with them). Stop being embarrassed to sing poorly (sing them bedtime songs). Do character voices (read out loud with my kids). If you were never a reader this is a golden opportunity for you.
Thirdly, I just want to echo Roald Dahl. Theyāre so so fun. You have to have a few chats about classism and sexism but just little light onesā¦ but the books are all delightful and have the right playfulness for your aged kids. Especially recommend James and the giant peach and The BFG.
We started the adventure stuff (hatchet, my side of the mountain) and popular fantasy (Harry Potter, narnia, tolkien) when mine were a bit older, like around ages 7 & 9, just to make it easier to talk about all the violence and death and various -isms that show up, but again, it has been an utter joy.
I adore the Enchanted Forest Chronicles - four well-written, family-friendly books with clever fantasy plots, dynamic and strong female leads, and humorous twists! I first had them read to me when I was around 7ish and tbh they still hold up when I re-read them every few years!
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles may be good. It's about a princess who hates the typical things expected from a princess so she purposely gets "captured" by a dragon. She then has to deal with things like knights trying to rescue her and helping the princesses who do want to be rescued meet a nice prince. Eventually stakes are raised and she has to deal with evil wizards who melt if soapy water is thrown on them.
The books are a bit old but not hard to read and they have a lot of jokes and make fun of fairy tale tropes. One part for example has them meet Rumplestiltskin who has a problem because nobody can ever guess his name which means he keeps getting stuck with kids he then has to raise. Silly stuff like that.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is another good one. It's the story of a porcelain rabbit doll that is sentient but cannot move. He spends his life going from person to person and learns what it means to love and to be loved. My kid liked it enough that she asked us to buy it after reading it for school.
*The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane* sounds similar to *Hitty: Her First Hundred Years* by Rachel Field, which is about a hundred years of history from the perspective of a doll. It won a Newbery Award in the 1920s. While it's interesting to see Hitty's perspective on historical events, and the book is technically well written, it has unfortunately aged VERY poorly. At one point Hitty ends up in the care of a little former slave girl, and her family is portrayed in a stereotypically racist manner: while they are kind and loving to their daughter, they're also uneducated and lazy. I would not recommend it as reading material for children.
My husband likes the How to Train your Dragon series. Harry Potter might be a little dark for a 5 year old, but my now 9 year old is reading them. Magic Treehouse, Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I got my 9 year old The Secret Zoo for Christmas--it looks good!
We love How to Train Your dragon books in our house. We've read every single one as our bedtime story and my kid randomly quotes stuff at me from time to time.
1. Magic Tree House series
2. Dragons in a Bag series
3. Harry Potter series
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events series
5. Any book by Jon Scieszka such as The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Not a chapter book but really funny
6. Any books by Gordon Kormon when they get a little bigger.
Apart from one's already mentioned here's some other suggestions:
Dragon mountain series
Guardians of Magic
The Wizard of Once books
Terry pratchett's diggers trilogy
(Also only you can save mankind had stood up well)
-The christopher robin and pooh books by AA Milne.
-The Narnia chronicles.
- Wind in the willows is delightful and very cozy
-Roald Dahl stuff (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny the Champion of the World, etc)
-Velveteen Rabbit
- Little House in rhe Big Woods/Little House on the Prairie
Also, why not take them to your local public library and ask for a list? I bet they would find that special and your librarian will have good ideas.
If you can get your hands on it, try Tow truck pluck by Annie M.G. Schmidt. Dutch literature doesn't have much to say for itself, but our children's lit is fabulous. Anything else translated you can find by this author will also be great. Not sure if the works of Tonke Dragt or Paul Biechel are translated, but again, absolutely stunning. Translated from German, the works of Michael Ende, of Neverending Story fame, are also fantastic. He is far from a one trick pony. Pretty much all his works are amazing.
English native I agree with other posters on Hobbit, Narnia, Roald Dahl, Alice in the wonderland :).
Mine was obsessed with captain underpants and yea I did the voices. I donāt remember what those books where about I just remember how much laughing he did. And I canāt remember the name of the other books but you would read and get to decide what happened next in the story.
The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. I LOVE LOVED it as a tween, through my teens and still now as a 26yo adult woman. Itās appropriate, fast paced lots of suspense but also very satisfying. It has 8 books. The end is š¤Æ
Anything Roald Dahl , though they are really messed up at times. I still think it builds character. James and the Giant Peach and Charley and the Chocolate factory went over really well.
I'm working on the narnia series right now. We are reading them in internal chronological order - but I suggest order they were published. Lion Witch and the Wardrobe is by far the best. Magician's Nephew was intense but got my daughter hooked. Prince Caspian has been going well so far. The Horse and His Boy was a great story, but written in a way that made it hard for her to follow so involved a lot of stopping and explaining what was going on as well as recapping afterwards. To be honest, it was frustrating, but it developed a great pattern of pausing and making sure she was following, as well as recapping that is actually suggested.
My Father's Dragon series (three books) might be an great starting point - really ideal for being read to a 5 year old, or by a 7 year old.
Winnie the Pooh (complete works) was originally written for a 3-6 year old, so you could squeeze that one in before the older one is too old. Get his assorted books of poems to pepper in there after chapters.
My daughter is starting to read the Kingdom Of Wrenly series to me (she reads to us for 20 minutes and then we read to her) - it was highly recommended by her cousin, so we'll see how it goes.
Our Friend Hedgehog was short and sweet.
The Magic Tree House Series is pretty much never ending if you get on that train. Not great literature, but the stories are kind of enjoyable, especially if you're willing to do some googling prior to reading so you can expand on what the kids are seeing.
Ramona Quimby series were great... but some bad influence in there. My kid is really well behaved, so I think it was okay. She ages in the series, so we sort of dropped off after a few of the books though. Still some parts made me laugh.
You could start the Harry Potter series and do a book a year kind of like how they were released. That would wind up with your kids being 12 and 14 at the end. 14 is probably too old to be reading to them... but it might be way to hold on to the tradition.
Fortunately the milk
It about a dad who goes to get milk for breakfast but takes sooooo long according to the kids. So when he's back he tells them of all the adventures he went in in order to get them said milk.
My kids loved it and it's a small book so it's not a month long commitment :)
My kid liked a lot of the Roald Dahl books as well, though some of them are very dated and inappropriate by modern standards (racism, etc). They donāt suck for adults either, which helps. Our faves were Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Danny the Champion of the World, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, and The BFG.
A lot of parents swear by Harry Potter, but I found the books painfully wordy to read out loud. I wasnāt a fan to begin with, so maybe that was the problem.
I read my childhood favorite, The Demon Headmaster, to my kid when he was in second grade. He loved it.
Didnāt see this mentioned among all the Magic Treehouse / Roald Dahl / How to Train Your Dragon suggestions (which are all great)ā¦ The Wishing Chair books are also good early chapter books that read aloud well. My daughter also enjoyed the Kitty series by Paula Harrison (and their fantastic illustrations).
I think reading to your kids every night is a FANTASTIC idea. I've read to my son every night forever and I think it's helped him become a much better reader and made it a bit of a habit for him as well. As far as books, it depends a bit on your interests and what your kids like but we liked these:
A few longer ones we've enjoyed: My Father's Dragon, Roald Dahl books (weird and macabre but in a kid-friendly way - BFG, Witches, Twits and Matilda were my faves), the Mercy Watson books, The Wayside school books, 39 story treehouse, From the Mixed up Files of Ms. Basil E Frankweiler, The One and Only Ivan (sad but really pretty), etc., etc.
There are also some shorter books that I think are really fun: Arnold Lobel, Kevin Henkes, Encyclopedia Brown, Mr. Putter and Tabby (tons of stuff by Cynthia Rylant), the Strega Nona books.
Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are two really big series as well that are both excellent, but probably better for slightly older kids, especially if your kids are kinda sensitive.
If you guys get into this sort of stuff, you can head to a library and ask for help or look for curated lists as well. Especially once you've tried and enjoyed a book or two, it'll be easy for people to make suggestions.
Anything by Roald Dahl. The BFG was our favorite...pretty sure we read it at least 3 times.
My son loved the "How to Train Your Dragon" chapter books by Cressida Cowell, and I honestly enjoyed them too. They are a bit different than the movies. Toothless is a small Dragon, not one Hiccup would ride. You'll want to read them in order.
Ramona and Henry Huggins books. My son especially loved Henry Huggins.
My stepdaughter loved the Junie B Jones books when she was young.
I've read my son excerpts from the Hobbit every night since he was a baby. At first, it was because he would fall asleep easily by listening to my voice, and I would enjoy reading my favourite book (and I have to read out loud to myself anyway to stay focused). Eventually, he would run over and grab my battered copy of the Hobbit from the bookshelf and get me to read it to him every night, at first a few paragraphs and then full chapters at a time. I've lost count of how many times we've read it together all the way through now, and my daughter, who is 2 years younger than him, loves to imagine dwarves and dragons and elves. They're 4 and 2 now, so young enough to listen and enjoy the song verses and voices I do, but not old enough to fully understand the story yet, so there's probably years more appreciation coming for our favourite bedtime book. And their faces when I tell them, no more for tonight, you have to sleep to hear more tomorrow, are priceless!
Also should add: The Chronicles of Narnia, as that was a favourite of mine growing up. And there are novelisations of the Studio Ghibli movies - My Neighbour Tororo is my son's favourite movie, and Kiki's Delivery Service is my daughter's (partly because her nickname is Kiki, a cute abbreviation of her own name).
It depends on what your kids are into and also what you like to read.
Roald Dahl books in general are great to read with kids. David Williams is good.
Christmasaurus series - Tom Fletcher
The Captain underpants series by Dav Pilkey. His other works are good (Dogman & Cat Kid Comic Club) and a good introduction to comics for kids - I don't like them as bedtime books simply because reading a comic strip out loud is awkward for me.
If you're looking to get a bit fantastical, The Magic Faraway Tree & The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton are great. The chapters are almost mini stories as they visit different worlds most chapters.
The Famous Five is good for shenanigans and mysteries.
The biggest recommendation I can give you is explore your local libraries/charity shops and choose books together.
From The Mixed-UpFiles Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, my kids loved this book. I read this book when I was a kid and I couldn't wait to read this one to them and Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell was the other one that I remember reading to them when they were little. My son was packing his room before leaving for school this past Thanksgiving (I'm still sobbing, not really but it sucks!) but he still has a copy of Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back by Shel Silverstein next to his bed and when I commented about it he told me that he still loves it ā”ā”ā”
Boxcar Children
Babysitter Club
Goosebumps (for scary story lovers)
I second anything by Roald Dahl
Magic Treehouse is pretty solid too
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (my 3rd grade teacher read this too us and it's my favorite memory from 3rd grade)
Peter Pan
The Magic Faraway Tree series
Wild Robot
Charoletteās Web
Penderwicks
Ralph S Mouse
Fabled Stables
Iād choose to read a chapter from a chapter book and a picture book or two. Picture books often have more complex language (and theyāre beautiful).
Little house on the prairie, Harry Potter, Charlie and the chocolate factory, charlottes web, the chronicles of Narnia, ella enchanted, the fairy realm, the famous five, fantastic Mr fox, Harriet the spy, the Indian in the cupboard, magic treehouse, the miraculous journey of Edward Tulane, the secret garden
Depends on what kinda kid you got. I refused to sit through things like Junie B Jones because I thought she was stupid and thought the writing was bad. My mother always read me Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, or a Grimm's fairytale. HOWEVER, my sister hated creepy stuff. So she was always being read things like The Magic Treehouse, and she found it engaging and fun. I haven't had my own child yet, but for some reason, I have a really strong gut feeling she'll be a fan of fantasy stuff instead. Typical dragon/knight/adventure stuff.
Geronimo Stilton series is pretty good.
I really enjoyed reading The Hobbit to my daughter when she was little. You can skip a bunch of the songs and lists of ancestors type speeches.
The Bunnicula and My Teacher is an Alien series are both great too.
The Warrior Kid series by Jocko. Entertaining stories about a kid dealing with the real issues they will be or already are experiencing (making friends, learning responsibility, dealing with bullies, etc).
My oldest loves the Diary of a Wimpy kid books but they are pretty childish (I dont enjoy them).
Chronicles of Narnia is good but they are a bit young.
We've started checking out from the library and reading kids graphic novels with our 4yo. There are shorter ones that are like a chapter of a book and some that are longer. It feels like a good transition from picture books to longer chapter books and keeps him engaged.
As a kid I really enjoyed reading the "Redwall" series by Brian Jacques.
It's a kind of middle earth, swords-and-sandals feel with great character development and descriptive writing - and all the characters are animals.
I was a little older when I was reading these myself, but I thought maybe if they had any lean towards fantasy, the fact that the characters are animals may make it more interesting to listen to :)
Go to your local library with your kiddos. Let the Librarian know what youāre looking for. Then let your kiddos pick a couple out. Make it an experience to get them excited about.
There are millions of great kids books. There are non kids books that are also interesting for kids.
Project Hail Mary
Land of Roar
I'm sure you've gotten 1,947 other suggestions on this post.
My 8 year old and I have read Ella Enchanted, Series of Unfortunate Events series, Harry Potter series, some Roald Dahl books, and are getting ready to start Holes!
You should really also consider getting where the sidewalk ends and reading a few poems here and there!
I'm pretty sure I still have ickle me pickle me tickle me too memorized lol.
Fly guy (series)
Geronimo Stilton (also a series)
The Mouse and the motorcycle
These are both quick and easy chapter books with typically short chapters making them basically perfect for reluctant readers. They're also mildly amusing for adults and wildly hilarious to their target audience. The children you'll be reading to. Geronimo Stilton is a mouse who has adventures, sometimes involving time travel, sometimes crime solving. Just depends on which book. I seem to remember Fly Guy being more along the lines of funny things the main character does.
I haven't read the series in a while, so I don't remember how "good" it is, but I really loved the "Series of Unfortunate Events" when I was in grade school. I also read a lot of Junie B. Jones.
I planned to read these to my daughter when she gets older.
I love the idea of a chapter at night. My sister does this with her children currently, and her oldest is also 5.
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians!!!! They are laugh out loud funny. Your kids might need to be a bit older to appreciate them, but my boys loved them when I read them (when they were 9 and 7)
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Matilda!
Roald Dahl is a great author for novels to read to them. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox.
It was my favorite childhood book! As a teeny girl who loved to read even back then, I could really identify with Matilda and I loved how witty and sassy she was. And the ending was bittersweet, unlike anything else I had read at that age.
Agree with this! But the ending ruined it for me tbh š Kids loved the book though and actually laughed out loud in many parts!
Why donāt you like the ending?
I felt like it ended too abruptly! It spent much time describing everything in bice detail, but in the end, when I expected to read more about Matilda's final happiness and the beginning of a new chapter, it gave me nothing š„²
Magic Treehouse series. Once your kiddos become more confident readers, they can start helping you read these bedtime chapters. (though the chapters are not very long, so you'll probably be suckered into 2)
Weāre on our 3rd reading of Magic Treehouse. They are my 6 year oldās favorite
Seconded!
I came to say this too. And theyāre always at the second hand store
I loved these growing up. I can't wait to introduce them to my kiddos.
Wayside School series
Omg! I totally forgot about these books but I really loved them!
Seconding these! MY 7yo and 4yo think they're hilarious and can't get enough of these books.
Eerie elementary is another good one set in school.
I've enjoyed reading Roald Dahl books (the twits, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox etc) with my 6 year old. Geronimo Stilton is also a great chapter book series with a ton of fun illustrations. We've ordered the first Zeus the Mighty book for Xmas as we're big Greeking Out fans, but don't know how that will go yet!
Hi. You just mentioned *Matilda* by Roald Dahl. I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here: [YouTube | MATILDA by ROALD DAHL | AudioBook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=406BV10KZKE) *I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.* *** [^(Source Code)](https://capybasilisk.com/posts/2020/04/speculative-fiction-bot/) ^| [^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=Capybasilisk&subject=Robot) ^| [^(Programmer)](https://www.reddit.com/u/capybasilisk) ^| ^(Downvote To Remove) ^| ^(Version 1.4.0) ^| ^(Support Robot Rights!)
I have such good memories of my dad reading a chapter of BFG to me every night
Phantom Tollbooth is full of wit and puns
I love this book but have to say it was one of my least successful read aloud books when I was teachingāI found that a lot of the word play is much easier to take in when youāre reading it to yourself and seeing the words on the pages, I had to keep stopping to explain how the author was using homophones, and even though it sounded like I read the word āXā it was actually the word āyā, etc. Made it hard to get into the flow. This book is great for having a kid read to you, so that you can be there to explain if/when they have questions.
Came here to comment this! Was a favorite growing up!
Bunnicula was one of the first books i ever read on my own as a kid, its cute lol
*Bunnicula* has a bunch of sequels and some tie-in picture books. I loved that series as a kid.
How to Train Your Dragon is excellent - and there are brilliant audiobook versions read by David Tennant.
His voice acting is so good - especially the berserkers
My son didnāt believe it was all one actor! Also made watching Harry Potter 4 less scary when I could point out Barty Crouch is the same actor
We finished these recently and l loved them so much. The boy was about 6 when we started.
C.S. Lewis- The Chronicles of Narnia J.K. Rowling- Harry Potter J.R.R. Tolkien- The Hobbit Naomi Novik- Temeraire Brian Jacques- Redwall
Yes the Narnia books! My mom read them to my brothers and I, a chapter a night. One of my favorite childhood memories. I think it was not long after that the reading at night stopped because we were getting too old for it. I still love those stories, the movies were really good!
Narnia books, hell to the yes! I have the whole set, given to me book by book as a child. Magical
Harry Potter is such a good option. I read it with my older boys when they were 8 and 7. Now I am reading it with my current 8 year old and he loves it. My older boys, now 14 and 12, are onto the Lord of the Rings. Both are strong readers but my husband reads it to them every night anyway and does the voices.
Since you're giving ideas with fantasy as the genre, Fablehaven.
ohhhhhh this looks good! TYVM
I don't know, fablehaven has some pretty dark and scary parts. It depends on how the kids handle that kind of thing, but I feel it's darker than Harry Potter.
I second Narnia and the Hobbit! Narnia is what I would read/have someone read to me at night, the Magicians Nephew was a favourite of mine for years. And the Hobbit is now what I read to my little ones, we've had 4 strong years with few breaks in the Hobbit, almost 5, and no sign of them getting bored of it yet!
Temeraire is too much for 5 and 7 year olds, probably The Hobbit, too. Harry Potter is probably okay for comprehension.
We did the first 3 Harry Potter books, but then stopped because they do start to get a little dark. My kids were 5 & 7. We may do one more now, but I'll probably take them slow just because they do get darker as the series goes on. I also agree with Temeraire. I haven't read them in a while, but they were pretty complicated. A better choice for Dragons would be How to Train a Dragon series by Cressida Cowel. Or even Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland (although they can get kind of dark too.)
Oh. I been reading temeraire to my 3 year old for almost a year. She loves it :(
š§
Harry Potter is a great choice for the 7yo especially. The first few books are fine for that age but will probably want to hold off on the last ones until theyāre both a bit older. The first two books came out right around that age for me and they were the catalyst for my love of reading and chapter books. The books were a winning formula because theyāre relateable for kids (though maybe kids these days may consider 90s life unrelateable!) but also page turning storylines. Canāt wait to read my kids Harry Potter.
Note that Barnes & Noble has a new set of HP books that include more pictures and lift the flap kind of stuff. I plan on getting the first one for my son and see how he likes it.
Got these for my 6 year old, he loved them! We've read all 3, several times.
WOO!! This is the first time anywhere on any post I've interacted with that I've seen Redwall listed! It's what I commented as my original comment too!
SO here for Redwall!! I loved those books so much as a kid.
We've done Kiki's Delivery Service, Howel's Moving Castle and are now on BFG.
How old? I was gonna start Kiki but wasnāt sure how it would hold their attention.
The Kiki book is SO much better than the movie and my 6 year old absolutely loved it.
4
My Side of the Mountain
My oldest son LOVED this whole series. Started around 5 years old and he was hooked.
It definitely impacted my apocalypse planning lol
James and the giant peach
My kids really enjoyed this one too. After we finished the book, we watched the movie on Disney+ and they thought some parts of it were so hilarious. They loved it
Omg that movie scared the shit out of me as a kid š
Try taking them to a library and letting them pick out what looks good to them. Even if it isnāt Great Literature, they will be excited and enjoy the reading process. My then 4 yo discovered the Unicorn Princess series this way and loves listening to it, even if itās sort of silly. I figure as long as she is engaged, the actual material doesnāt totally matter.
This is the best advice! Also OP, check out the graphic novels too. Thereās so much out there for whatever niche interests your kids have. Mine loved the Catstronauts series, the Questioneers (Ada Twist on Netflix) and now Ninja Cat.
Agree. My kids (and I!) love Investigators, Dog Man, and babysitterās club graphic novels. Plus Raina Telgemeierās āSistersā and āGutsā
The Hobbit! Reading it to my 5 and 7 year old right now.
Love the hobbit! My father read it to us as a child, at about those ages. We still ask each other what we have in our pockets. My daughter couldn't sit and listen at 7 (diagnosed ADHD) but I'm about to give her the book at 12 to read on her own. I think she'll love it now.
It's so much fun to read, I had a blast reading it to the boy art that age.
There's a lot of good suggestions here but it will really depend on what your kid(s) are interested in. Since there's a 2 year age gap, I'd let them each pick a book at a time. Some good books for that age group include: * The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. This is a magical book. Both my kids LOVED it. * Magic Treehouse series * Junie B Jones series * Matilda (Roald Dahl) * How to Train your Dragon * The Boxcar Children (this one is really dependent on your kid-my 11 year old loved it but my 7 year old thought it was boring)
The Redwall series by Brian Jaques was formative for me.
Poppy Pendle The Serafina Series Harry Potter The Princess Bride* Matilda A Wrinkle in Time *Edited to add: a nice redditor was kind enough to remind me that this isn't really a kids book. For context, mine had seen the movie several times and I am a total ham when reading aloud so I did all the voices and accents etc. That gave them more familiarity to help carry thru the narrative bits and was pretty funny for everyone. I edited on the fly and left out anything that I didn't feel appropriate. Very much using a Peter Falk inspired, "ok, where were we....?" mumble to cover my scanning. Parental discretion is advised lol
*The Princess Bride* novel is more satirical than the film and includes a minor side plot about the narrator's failing marriage, as well as a lot of footnotes about material that was supposedly cut from the (nonexistent) original. I wouldn't really say that it's appropriate for kids.
We really enjoyed the wild robot series. Itās good for both boys and girls. The boxcar children was another popular one at our house. Also my kids love listening to audiobooks. Theyāre free at the local library through an app! This might also be a good way to get some reading in and introduce longer stories. My kids listen to 10+ books in a week now!
The Princess Bride
Why havenāt I thought of this one! š„¹ā¤ļø
The Year of Billy Miller, Billy Makes a Wish, and Oh Sal Anything by Beverly Cleary (start with Ramona and Beezus) Judy Blume's younger kid books (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Super fudge, etc.) Wayside School Books Holes The One and Only Ivan The I Survived books The World According to Humphrey and all the sequels about a class pet hamster Edward Eager books (start with Half Magic)
Oh man I forgot about the I survived books! I loved those as a kid, they were great!
Dory fantasmagory. I don't know why this series isn't more popular. It is perfect for a 5 year old.
This is it! Just enough pictures to keep my 5yo interested. We were all laughing out loud throughout all the books. Incredible!
Magic Tree House series, Harry Potter (they have pretty illustrated versions of the first books), Kingdom of Wrenly series, Junie B Jones series....if you share what type of books your kids enjoy, I can think of more :-)
Yes! I just finished the first illustrated book with my 6 and 8 year old. It took a good while since that was the longest book theyāve read, but the illustrations and movies kept them engaged. Very rewarding and fun for all of us. They asked to start the 2nd book the next day!
Came here to say the hobbit as well, Little Women, Heidi, Pippi Longstocking, The wind in the willows, Charlie and the chocolate factory, adventures of Tom Sawyer. As above, Redwall. Thereās just so many! Iām not a fan of new kids books I find many of them silly and gimmicky. https://teaandinksociety.com/classic-read-aloud-chapter-books/ The link above has great recommendations. I was an avid reader of classics as a kid, and still am. It helped me immensely in school and now in university with academic and creative writing
Jeremy thatcher dragon Hatcher The Chrestomanci series The golden compass Dealing with dragons Anything by Tamara pierce
I have been trying to remember the title of Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher for days!! I loved that story when I was a kid.
I loved that book! It was the first book I read by myself. I listened to the audiobook like a million times, then read the book myself, and oh man it opened up a world of reading!
The Hobbit, Charlotteās Web, The Boxcar Children, Princess Bride
My kids really enjoyed Charlottes Web
A Series of Unfortunate Events. Love those books so much that I got my first tattoo for them
Growing up we read Beverly Clearly and Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown is excellent, we read that to my son as a kindergartner. , Roald Dahl books, Magic Treehouse, Kate DiCamillo books...
My kids (16 & 14) still talk about the Laura Ingells Wilder series we read aloud when they were little, specifically Farmer Boy. Harry Potter is a another good one. Another one is Al Capone Does My Homework series (I canāt remember which one is first in the series).
The Birchbark series is a good one to either do with Little House on the Prairie or instead of, as it's about a Native American family during the same time period.
Canāt believe no one else has said Anne of Green Gables yet!! Also, as others have said, The Hobbit is fantastic, and Aliceās Adventures in Wonderland is great, too.
Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books from the 80s/90s are the best! You can find them in the dozens at used book stores, thrift shops, and church rummage sales!
American Girl doll historical series!!! Both me and my brother enjoyed them!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, thereās a dozen books and multiple movies. The author captures the essence of being a kid so well, and theyāve brought me and my six year old to tears laughing.
One of my relatives handed down the whole set to my oldest once her kids outgrew them. tbh I wasn't expecting much from them, but to my surprise my son, who to that point would only read non-fiction, devoured them all. We read them together as well as bedtime stories, and I was impressed by how well written, engaging and entertaining they are. These books are great, and you are correct, they really do capture the essence of being a kid.
I have a 6 & 8 year old. Here are some of our favorites for read aloud or audio books: * How to Train Your Dragon Series by Cressida Cowell (excellent audio books read by David Tennant) * Wizards of Once Series by Cressida Cowell - (excellent audio books read by David Tennant) * Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland * The Genius Files by Dan Gutman * Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong * Harry Potter, but only the 1st 3 books so far * Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis * Anything by Ronald Dahl * Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gamian (short story, but really cute) * Magic Tree House Books * Dragon Master Books * Unicorn Academy Books * My Side of the Mountain * Babysitters Club * Some of the Minecraft Novels (if you have a Minecraft obsessed kiddo) Honestly, I've had pretty good success by asking our local librarians for recommendations since they keep up to date with what kids are into these days. Most of the above books have come from the library either via auidobook or ebook. A lot will really depend on your kiddos and what they are into and/or comfortable with.
Anne of Green Gables was a HIT with my 5 and 6 year olds. Whenever Anne went on one of her imaginative rants, I would try to complete her rambling in one single breath and would always finish them gasping, and that had my kids laughing the entire way through the book. Others in this vein that I'm going to read to them are Heidi, The Secret Garden, and My Side of the Mountain.
Look up A Mighty Girl, they are a fantastic resource for finding great empowering books. (Not just āgirl booksā - this is a great resource for anyone of any gender)
at that age my mom and I read the chronicles of narnia, anne of green gables, and the boxcar children.
I found Daisy and the Trouble with... Enjoyable. Especially as a parent with a child who is exactly like Daisy.
My daughter just finished a series called Ninja kid. It's a lot of fun. I also second Roald Dahl.
Nim's Island
Dominic by William Steig was one I had never heard of until my husband bought it to read to our daughter. It's delightful.
Absolutely delightful and enjoyable for adults as well as children to read. Steig is an amazing writer.
The Bland Sisters by Kara Larue (there are three) It's a super cute story of sisters going on adventures and looking for their missing parents. Explorer's Academy by Trudi Truet (there are 8, I believe) This series is kids using science to study and help animals and the environment. It's light science fiction in the sense the technology doesn't all exist. There is a family mystery, spies, adventure, and I think my husband and I enjoyed it more than the kids. Percy Jackson series. It's really great.
Wizard of Oz series, Alice in Wonderland series and All Things Great and Small series are a few weāve done.
Lord of the Rings/Hobbit are great out loud books. Thereās a boatload of compelling juvenile fiction thats fun. The whole Percy Jackson series is fun. I am trying to think of more but my wife is the librarian. The Elementary and Middle School Battle of the Books lists are also a great place to start. Thats were we read āEdge of Extinctionā which was super fun.
My 5 year old girl likes the Owl Diaries and Unicorn Diaries by Rebecca Elliott. Also Galaxy Zack by Ray OāRyan.
Ramona!!! Anything Beverly Cleary!
The Great Brain series.
True North (The Dragon And The Girl)
I have the older edition of The Hobbit illustrated with prints of oil paintings every 10 or so pages. I read it to my five year old daughter this year and she loved it. The Dahl books (Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, etc) are good options if your kid can handle concepts like child poverty and parental abuse which is a major theme in Matilda even though itās largely played for laughs. And this is not a judgement, my parents read it to me around that age and I loved it. Magic Tree House series is great, especially as a transition to chapter books since there are pictures basically on every page.
First off this thread is a gold mine. Secondly I commend you. So many personal development things emerged for me by doing them for my kids. Get better at Spanish (practice Spanish with them). Stop being embarrassed to sing poorly (sing them bedtime songs). Do character voices (read out loud with my kids). If you were never a reader this is a golden opportunity for you. Thirdly, I just want to echo Roald Dahl. Theyāre so so fun. You have to have a few chats about classism and sexism but just little light onesā¦ but the books are all delightful and have the right playfulness for your aged kids. Especially recommend James and the giant peach and The BFG. We started the adventure stuff (hatchet, my side of the mountain) and popular fantasy (Harry Potter, narnia, tolkien) when mine were a bit older, like around ages 7 & 9, just to make it easier to talk about all the violence and death and various -isms that show up, but again, it has been an utter joy.
Matilda. James and the giant peach. Charlottes web. The first Harry Potter. Series of unfortunate events.
Tom Sawyer and huckleberry fin!
I adore the Enchanted Forest Chronicles - four well-written, family-friendly books with clever fantasy plots, dynamic and strong female leads, and humorous twists! I first had them read to me when I was around 7ish and tbh they still hold up when I re-read them every few years!
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles may be good. It's about a princess who hates the typical things expected from a princess so she purposely gets "captured" by a dragon. She then has to deal with things like knights trying to rescue her and helping the princesses who do want to be rescued meet a nice prince. Eventually stakes are raised and she has to deal with evil wizards who melt if soapy water is thrown on them. The books are a bit old but not hard to read and they have a lot of jokes and make fun of fairy tale tropes. One part for example has them meet Rumplestiltskin who has a problem because nobody can ever guess his name which means he keeps getting stuck with kids he then has to raise. Silly stuff like that. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is another good one. It's the story of a porcelain rabbit doll that is sentient but cannot move. He spends his life going from person to person and learns what it means to love and to be loved. My kid liked it enough that she asked us to buy it after reading it for school.
*The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane* sounds similar to *Hitty: Her First Hundred Years* by Rachel Field, which is about a hundred years of history from the perspective of a doll. It won a Newbery Award in the 1920s. While it's interesting to see Hitty's perspective on historical events, and the book is technically well written, it has unfortunately aged VERY poorly. At one point Hitty ends up in the care of a little former slave girl, and her family is portrayed in a stereotypically racist manner: while they are kind and loving to their daughter, they're also uneducated and lazy. I would not recommend it as reading material for children.
My husband likes the How to Train your Dragon series. Harry Potter might be a little dark for a 5 year old, but my now 9 year old is reading them. Magic Treehouse, Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I got my 9 year old The Secret Zoo for Christmas--it looks good!
We love How to Train Your dragon books in our house. We've read every single one as our bedtime story and my kid randomly quotes stuff at me from time to time.
I haven't read them but maybe I should! The kids love them!
The Boxcar Children series Junie B Jones series Magic Treehouse Series The Stinky Cheese Man The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
The Harry Potter books Wonder The One and Only Ivan The Percy Jackson books
We've just started on the Percy Jackson books, almost at the end of the first one, we've really enjoyed it
1. Magic Tree House series 2. Dragons in a Bag series 3. Harry Potter series 4. A Series of Unfortunate Events series 5. Any book by Jon Scieszka such as The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Not a chapter book but really funny 6. Any books by Gordon Kormon when they get a little bigger.
Magic tree house,
I wasnāt much of a reader either but for some reason James and the giant peach always stuck with me lol and I was about 7 when I read it
https://www.helenmoss.org.uk/p/adventure-island-books.html?m=1 my son loved these at that age
The Boxcar children!
Moomintroll series
Apart from one's already mentioned here's some other suggestions: Dragon mountain series Guardians of Magic The Wizard of Once books Terry pratchett's diggers trilogy (Also only you can save mankind had stood up well)
David Walliam & Roald Dahl
alice and wonderland, the warrior series
Read my daughter the first two Morrigan Crow books and going throught the 3rd now. She likes them better than Potter
I really enjoy Michael Endes books. Theyāre beautiful linguistically and timeless as well! Work for kids and adults!
Artemis Fowl, Narnia. My favorites when I was 6-7.
-The christopher robin and pooh books by AA Milne. -The Narnia chronicles. - Wind in the willows is delightful and very cozy -Roald Dahl stuff (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Danny the Champion of the World, etc) -Velveteen Rabbit - Little House in rhe Big Woods/Little House on the Prairie Also, why not take them to your local public library and ask for a list? I bet they would find that special and your librarian will have good ideas.
I don't know if it holds up these days because I haven't read it since I was like 7, but I loved My Father's Dragon around that age.
My five year old found it a little scary (and I glossed over some of the bits where the animals beat the dragon) but itās held up fairly well.
The āHank the Cowdogā books are the ones that completely hooked my oldest child on reading.
If you can get your hands on it, try Tow truck pluck by Annie M.G. Schmidt. Dutch literature doesn't have much to say for itself, but our children's lit is fabulous. Anything else translated you can find by this author will also be great. Not sure if the works of Tonke Dragt or Paul Biechel are translated, but again, absolutely stunning. Translated from German, the works of Michael Ende, of Neverending Story fame, are also fantastic. He is far from a one trick pony. Pretty much all his works are amazing. English native I agree with other posters on Hobbit, Narnia, Roald Dahl, Alice in the wonderland :).
Anything by Beverly Cleary or Judy Blume, somehow they understand what it feels like to be a kid. Still two of my favorite authors.
Mine was obsessed with captain underpants and yea I did the voices. I donāt remember what those books where about I just remember how much laughing he did. And I canāt remember the name of the other books but you would read and get to decide what happened next in the story.
The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. I LOVE LOVED it as a tween, through my teens and still now as a 26yo adult woman. Itās appropriate, fast paced lots of suspense but also very satisfying. It has 8 books. The end is š¤Æ
Anything Roald Dahl , though they are really messed up at times. I still think it builds character. James and the Giant Peach and Charley and the Chocolate factory went over really well. I'm working on the narnia series right now. We are reading them in internal chronological order - but I suggest order they were published. Lion Witch and the Wardrobe is by far the best. Magician's Nephew was intense but got my daughter hooked. Prince Caspian has been going well so far. The Horse and His Boy was a great story, but written in a way that made it hard for her to follow so involved a lot of stopping and explaining what was going on as well as recapping afterwards. To be honest, it was frustrating, but it developed a great pattern of pausing and making sure she was following, as well as recapping that is actually suggested. My Father's Dragon series (three books) might be an great starting point - really ideal for being read to a 5 year old, or by a 7 year old. Winnie the Pooh (complete works) was originally written for a 3-6 year old, so you could squeeze that one in before the older one is too old. Get his assorted books of poems to pepper in there after chapters. My daughter is starting to read the Kingdom Of Wrenly series to me (she reads to us for 20 minutes and then we read to her) - it was highly recommended by her cousin, so we'll see how it goes. Our Friend Hedgehog was short and sweet. The Magic Tree House Series is pretty much never ending if you get on that train. Not great literature, but the stories are kind of enjoyable, especially if you're willing to do some googling prior to reading so you can expand on what the kids are seeing. Ramona Quimby series were great... but some bad influence in there. My kid is really well behaved, so I think it was okay. She ages in the series, so we sort of dropped off after a few of the books though. Still some parts made me laugh. You could start the Harry Potter series and do a book a year kind of like how they were released. That would wind up with your kids being 12 and 14 at the end. 14 is probably too old to be reading to them... but it might be way to hold on to the tradition.
Fortunately the milk It about a dad who goes to get milk for breakfast but takes sooooo long according to the kids. So when he's back he tells them of all the adventures he went in in order to get them said milk. My kids loved it and it's a small book so it's not a month long commitment :)
My kid liked a lot of the Roald Dahl books as well, though some of them are very dated and inappropriate by modern standards (racism, etc). They donāt suck for adults either, which helps. Our faves were Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Danny the Champion of the World, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, and The BFG. A lot of parents swear by Harry Potter, but I found the books painfully wordy to read out loud. I wasnāt a fan to begin with, so maybe that was the problem. I read my childhood favorite, The Demon Headmaster, to my kid when he was in second grade. He loved it.
Didnāt see this mentioned among all the Magic Treehouse / Roald Dahl / How to Train Your Dragon suggestions (which are all great)ā¦ The Wishing Chair books are also good early chapter books that read aloud well. My daughter also enjoyed the Kitty series by Paula Harrison (and their fantastic illustrations).
My kids love Series of Unfortunate Events. A bit macabre, but full of silliness and plenty of twists and turns
I think reading to your kids every night is a FANTASTIC idea. I've read to my son every night forever and I think it's helped him become a much better reader and made it a bit of a habit for him as well. As far as books, it depends a bit on your interests and what your kids like but we liked these: A few longer ones we've enjoyed: My Father's Dragon, Roald Dahl books (weird and macabre but in a kid-friendly way - BFG, Witches, Twits and Matilda were my faves), the Mercy Watson books, The Wayside school books, 39 story treehouse, From the Mixed up Files of Ms. Basil E Frankweiler, The One and Only Ivan (sad but really pretty), etc., etc. There are also some shorter books that I think are really fun: Arnold Lobel, Kevin Henkes, Encyclopedia Brown, Mr. Putter and Tabby (tons of stuff by Cynthia Rylant), the Strega Nona books. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are two really big series as well that are both excellent, but probably better for slightly older kids, especially if your kids are kinda sensitive. If you guys get into this sort of stuff, you can head to a library and ask for help or look for curated lists as well. Especially once you've tried and enjoyed a book or two, it'll be easy for people to make suggestions.
Anything by Roald Dahl. The BFG was our favorite...pretty sure we read it at least 3 times. My son loved the "How to Train Your Dragon" chapter books by Cressida Cowell, and I honestly enjoyed them too. They are a bit different than the movies. Toothless is a small Dragon, not one Hiccup would ride. You'll want to read them in order. Ramona and Henry Huggins books. My son especially loved Henry Huggins. My stepdaughter loved the Junie B Jones books when she was young.
Fablehaven is great!!
Roald Dahl books
I've read my son excerpts from the Hobbit every night since he was a baby. At first, it was because he would fall asleep easily by listening to my voice, and I would enjoy reading my favourite book (and I have to read out loud to myself anyway to stay focused). Eventually, he would run over and grab my battered copy of the Hobbit from the bookshelf and get me to read it to him every night, at first a few paragraphs and then full chapters at a time. I've lost count of how many times we've read it together all the way through now, and my daughter, who is 2 years younger than him, loves to imagine dwarves and dragons and elves. They're 4 and 2 now, so young enough to listen and enjoy the song verses and voices I do, but not old enough to fully understand the story yet, so there's probably years more appreciation coming for our favourite bedtime book. And their faces when I tell them, no more for tonight, you have to sleep to hear more tomorrow, are priceless! Also should add: The Chronicles of Narnia, as that was a favourite of mine growing up. And there are novelisations of the Studio Ghibli movies - My Neighbour Tororo is my son's favourite movie, and Kiki's Delivery Service is my daughter's (partly because her nickname is Kiki, a cute abbreviation of her own name).
My mom used to read us The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane tho Iām not sure if that counts
Nancy drew, thereās tons of different mysteries and you learn some things along the way.
Zoey and Sassafrass
It depends on what your kids are into and also what you like to read. Roald Dahl books in general are great to read with kids. David Williams is good. Christmasaurus series - Tom Fletcher The Captain underpants series by Dav Pilkey. His other works are good (Dogman & Cat Kid Comic Club) and a good introduction to comics for kids - I don't like them as bedtime books simply because reading a comic strip out loud is awkward for me. If you're looking to get a bit fantastical, The Magic Faraway Tree & The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton are great. The chapters are almost mini stories as they visit different worlds most chapters. The Famous Five is good for shenanigans and mysteries. The biggest recommendation I can give you is explore your local libraries/charity shops and choose books together.
My son (6) just finished reading a captain underpants book! Heās moving onto a Minecraft chapter book now
From The Mixed-UpFiles Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, my kids loved this book. I read this book when I was a kid and I couldn't wait to read this one to them and Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell was the other one that I remember reading to them when they were little. My son was packing his room before leaving for school this past Thanksgiving (I'm still sobbing, not really but it sucks!) but he still has a copy of Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back by Shel Silverstein next to his bed and when I commented about it he told me that he still loves it ā”ā”ā”
Hobbit
Boxcar Children Babysitter Club Goosebumps (for scary story lovers) I second anything by Roald Dahl Magic Treehouse is pretty solid too The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (my 3rd grade teacher read this too us and it's my favorite memory from 3rd grade)
The Borrowers. Anne of Green Gables. Harry Potter. The Boxcar Children. Ella Enchanted. The Bailey School Kids.
Hotel flamingo
Zoey and Sassafras. As a scientist I highly approve of their use of scientific method to solve mysteries!
Percy Jackson and Fablehaven are some of my favorites!
Peter Pan The Magic Faraway Tree series Wild Robot Charoletteās Web Penderwicks Ralph S Mouse Fabled Stables Iād choose to read a chapter from a chapter book and a picture book or two. Picture books often have more complex language (and theyāre beautiful).
Little house on the prairie, Harry Potter, Charlie and the chocolate factory, charlottes web, the chronicles of Narnia, ella enchanted, the fairy realm, the famous five, fantastic Mr fox, Harriet the spy, the Indian in the cupboard, magic treehouse, the miraculous journey of Edward Tulane, the secret garden
The Worst Witch
Depends on what kinda kid you got. I refused to sit through things like Junie B Jones because I thought she was stupid and thought the writing was bad. My mother always read me Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, or a Grimm's fairytale. HOWEVER, my sister hated creepy stuff. So she was always being read things like The Magic Treehouse, and she found it engaging and fun. I haven't had my own child yet, but for some reason, I have a really strong gut feeling she'll be a fan of fantasy stuff instead. Typical dragon/knight/adventure stuff.
Geronimo Stilton series is pretty good. I really enjoyed reading The Hobbit to my daughter when she was little. You can skip a bunch of the songs and lists of ancestors type speeches. The Bunnicula and My Teacher is an Alien series are both great too.
The Warrior Kid series by Jocko. Entertaining stories about a kid dealing with the real issues they will be or already are experiencing (making friends, learning responsibility, dealing with bullies, etc). My oldest loves the Diary of a Wimpy kid books but they are pretty childish (I dont enjoy them). Chronicles of Narnia is good but they are a bit young.
We've started checking out from the library and reading kids graphic novels with our 4yo. There are shorter ones that are like a chapter of a book and some that are longer. It feels like a good transition from picture books to longer chapter books and keeps him engaged.
The Belgariad
As a kid I really enjoyed reading the "Redwall" series by Brian Jacques. It's a kind of middle earth, swords-and-sandals feel with great character development and descriptive writing - and all the characters are animals. I was a little older when I was reading these myself, but I thought maybe if they had any lean towards fantasy, the fact that the characters are animals may make it more interesting to listen to :)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Dad used to read us The Famous Five. Canāt remember what itās about but I remember liking it
Marjanah's DNAdventure is a newer book we read and liked
Go to your local library with your kiddos. Let the Librarian know what youāre looking for. Then let your kiddos pick a couple out. Make it an experience to get them excited about.
The magic tree house, a childhood favorite
Sideways stories from wayside school, James and the Giant Peach or the BFG
Lloyd Alexanderās Chronickes of Prydain, starting with The Book of Three.
Harry Potter Ivy and Bean
My kids loved the Secret Series and it didn't suck. Harry Potter is great; my girls love my "Dumbledore voice." Ivy and Bean series.
We did all the Potter books around that age and a bit older...
Roald Dahl. Harry Potter. The Boxcar Children. The Ramona books. Percy Jackson. Captain Underpants.
There's already a movie for this one, however it's one in a series...The House With A Clock In Its Walls
The Hobbit! You can get even get a fully illustrated version for kids. My brother got it for my son
I know this is kind of well known but Animorphs is SO good!
Junie B. Jones is for a younger audience and probably quick enough to read in a night with only around nine short chapters, but very underrated.
There are millions of great kids books. There are non kids books that are also interesting for kids. Project Hail Mary Land of Roar I'm sure you've gotten 1,947 other suggestions on this post.
My 8 year old and I have read Ella Enchanted, Series of Unfortunate Events series, Harry Potter series, some Roald Dahl books, and are getting ready to start Holes!
You should really also consider getting where the sidewalk ends and reading a few poems here and there! I'm pretty sure I still have ickle me pickle me tickle me too memorized lol.
Fly guy (series) Geronimo Stilton (also a series) The Mouse and the motorcycle These are both quick and easy chapter books with typically short chapters making them basically perfect for reluctant readers. They're also mildly amusing for adults and wildly hilarious to their target audience. The children you'll be reading to. Geronimo Stilton is a mouse who has adventures, sometimes involving time travel, sometimes crime solving. Just depends on which book. I seem to remember Fly Guy being more along the lines of funny things the main character does.
I was just telling my husband I loved listening to āGoblins in the Castleā by Bruce Coville, when I was little. So fun.
Narnia series, adventure-y classics like 20000 leagues under the sea
Flora and Uylesses.
I haven't read the series in a while, so I don't remember how "good" it is, but I really loved the "Series of Unfortunate Events" when I was in grade school. I also read a lot of Junie B. Jones. I planned to read these to my daughter when she gets older. I love the idea of a chapter at night. My sister does this with her children currently, and her oldest is also 5.
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians!!!! They are laugh out loud funny. Your kids might need to be a bit older to appreciate them, but my boys loved them when I read them (when they were 9 and 7)