Books make wonderful gifts. Not only will children learn to use their imagination, but also improve their reading skills. Around age 7 many children start making the move away from picture books to chapter books. Chapter books allow the child to follow a story for a longer period of time. Kids can also gain a feeling of accomplishment by finishing a longer book all by themselves. Additionally, these all make great books that parents and children can enjoy together.
1. Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown, details the life of a boy smashed flat when a bulletin board falls on him in the middle of the night. This might be a crazy story line, but that is exactly why it appeals to kids so much. Stanley realizes that being flat definitely has its advantages, and Stanley maximizes each opportunity to try something new. He slips down a storm drain to retrieve a dropped ring. He mails himself to his friend in California, and he flies himself as a kite.
2. Holes, by Louis Sachar tells the experiences of Stanley Yelants, a boy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or is he in the right place at the right time? A series of events leads to Stanley being sentenced to a camp for delinquent kids, digging holes every day. It starts to become clear that for Stanley, there are much bigger powers at work. Stanley, changes the destiny of the Yelnats family through several absurd, but funny acts. It all comes together in the end. A very satisfying read that would be appropriate for 10 to 12 year olds.
3. The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary is a wonderful children’s book about a mouse, who meets a boy with a toy motorcycle. Ralph, the mouse, wants nothing more than to ride the motorcycle, and gets a chance to do just that. Ralph gets into all kinds of trouble on the motorcycle, but ends up helping the boy Keith when he gets sick. This is a fun book for kids of all ages. My son loved it so much after we read it, he wanted to check the tapes out from the library and he listened to them every night until the tapes were due back at the library.
4. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White tells of Fern and her precious pig, Wilber. Even better, than Fern and Wilber’s relationship is the story of the relationship between Wilber and selfless Charlotte. Each chapter is short, so it’s easy for a child to get through one or two chapters in a sitting. This is a great story of friendship and kindness.
5. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konisburg will speak to any child who’s wanted to run away at one time or another. In this wonderful Newbery Award winning book, Claudia is fed up with her boring life as the oldest, under appreciated daughter in her family and carefully plans to run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One snag in her plan is that she doesn’t have enough money, so she convinces her brother to come along with her because he is a miser and has enough money to get by on for a while…or just long enough to teach her parents a lesson.
6. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien definitely lives up to it’s Newbery honor. It tells the story of Mrs. Frisby, a mouse, and her mouse family. They live in a farmer’s field during the winter, and then when planting season comes, they move farther away for safety. Mrs. Frisby’s husband was recently killed in an accident, so Mrs. Frisby is a single mom with a handful of little mice children. Mrs. Frisby is eventually directed to the rats for help in solving some very difficult problems. What they do next is a fun and interesting adventure that covers themes of friendship, cooperation, and loyalty.
7. Dragon Slayer’s Academy by Kate McMullan will be a sure hit with a 7 or 8 year old boy. Wiglaf is the youngest and most “sensitive” in a large family of many children. His parents are eager find a way to reduce the number of mouths they have to feed and jump at the chance to send him to Dragon Slayer’s Academy. Wiglaf makes friends and becomes a hero in the first of at least 17 books in the series.
8. Captian Underpants by Dave Pilkey is another book that will definitely appeal to boys more than girls. These heavily illustrated chapter books are a great way for kids to advance their reading skills with out feeling like they are giving up pictures altogether. George and Harold are two trouble makers at Jerome Horowitz Elementary School. They are also the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants Comic Books. When the book switches to the Captain Underpants comic, spelling errors abound as the comic book is the creation of George and Harold who care more about making trouble than paying attention in school.
9. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume is the first in a series of Judy Blume books based on Peter, his super cute brother “Fudge”, his baby sister “Tootsie”, and their neighbor Sheila. Popular with kids since the 1970’s, kids will have plenty to laugh about as the follow Peter and his siblings and friends on adventures through New York City, summer camp and a few other outings.
10. Nate the Great by Marjoie Wienman Sharmat and illustrated by Marc Simont will be the perfect beginning chapter book for your little sleuth. Also the first of a series of books featuring Nate, these books have easy vocabulary and plenty of pictures to keep kids interested. Perfect for helping young readers think ahead and look for clues, Nate the Great books are sure to be a favorite with boys or girls.
A book may not be the most exciting gift a child will receive Christmas morning, but books can open a new world to a young reader and after the new-toy excitement has waned and the batteries worn out, a book will be a welcome refuge to a young child.
