Recommendations for real literature for 3rd grade reading?

[bz]

There's a ton of third grade reading in the bookstores/library but I wanted to introduce some literature to my 3rd grader. My son reads plenty of star wars, captain underpants and harry potter like books but I wanted to give him something more than that. Suggestions? Or urls to websites that have info like this?

thanks!
-bz

[Isagel]

Winnie the Pooh is excellent.
But perhaps he is to old for it?

Since he seems to like fantasy and adventure I would recommend:

The Narnia books by CS Lewis are really good , and beautifully written. If he likes the Harry Potter books he might like them as well. He might be alittle young for them, but check them out for later use.

Anything by Lloyd Alexander - that´s also fantasy like tales.
My favorite is called The cat that said no, and other tales. The two first lifes of Lukas Kasha (if think the book is called that) is a very good book about a lazy young man. As a prank by a magician he is brought to another Kingdom where he becomes the king. There he must find a way to rule and create peace, not easy for somebody who mostly likes to lay down and do nothing...

Astrid Lindgrens books Mio, my mio, and the book The brothers Lionheart where read to me when I was a 3rd grader, and I really liked them. I found them a little bit scary. But not more than Harry Potter or Starwars I guess.

I think Sindhu was making a website about childrens books. She can probably give more advice.

[den]

I read the Narnia books when I was 7 and I still have the original boxed set of them, I adored those books and I have still read them over the years. Sorry can't think of more boy appropriate books, I read a lot of W.O. Mitchell (Who has seen the Wind was a favourite) and other horsey related books.

[crisaor]

How about some Stevenson. Some of his works are perfectly fit for kids (and grown-ups too). Fables and The Bottle Imp are the works that come to my mind right now. Also, may I suggest a children's version of the Odyssey? My 2nd grade teacher read it to us, and all the class (specially me) loved it. Made we want not to miss a single day at school :D

[Admin]

I was going to suggest Narnia too.

[Munro]

I'm not sure if they're well known in the US, but I adored reading Roald Dahl's children's books when I was that age (although I didn't read much til I was about 11). He has a slightly twisted, morbid imagination, fantastic and absorbing at the same time. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and The Witches might capture your child's imagination.

[den]

Roald Dahl has a fantastic imagination.

[Azoic]

I'm in the US and I indeed grew up on Roald Dahl. I recently found out that he did adult oriented works too.
I don't remember the title, but I liked the one about the kid and his dad who owned the mechanics outfit. I think it has the name Danny in the title. Also, the Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is, well, wonderful.
You might want to think about The Hobbit too.

[ThomasMore]

Danny: Champion of the World
is the title you are thinking of... Excellent, anything by dahl comes highly recommended.

It isn't usually considered 'boy' reading, but the 'Little house on the prarie' series by Laura Ingles Wilder does have one title that I particularly enjoyed around that age... Farm Boy (I think) and don't forget The Hardy Boy's series either...

just some random thoughts that popped into my head...

[piquant]

Narnia. There's no question these are the best children's books.

[Stanislaw]

I suggest the Tom Swift sereis. Aswell as the Hardy Boys series. I grew up with them and think they are great.

[CBW]

Okay, so I'm not the only one who would like to introduce literature into a young child's world. And by "literature" I mean books that are not about a farting dog, or psychotic posteriors (which my daughter is reading "The Day my Butt went Psycho"). I have tried introducing other books into her world, but the old school she went to until third grade did not promote reading at all. They had NO reading incentives and in no way shape or form did they encourage the students to do extra reading.
She just started at a new school and this one really encourages extra reading. And encourages reading different categories. They even read novels in class. The Narnia books are some they read in class. She is still not where I would like her to be in her reading levels but she has improved 150% from the year before.
Now that she is starting 5th grade in the fall, she is expected to read even more. So I have made a list of books that she can get "points" for reading. She has to get so many points by July 1st, and by August 1st. She can also earn extra activities (zoo outings, movies, etc..) by reading and earning extra points.

[simon]

If they misbehave read them A Modest Proposal.

[Lolita]

At that age I loved Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton. I'm sure I was the missing 8th member of the Secret Seven!!

How old is a child in 3rd grade in the US? I'm not sure.
Maybe Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials. I'm trying to force the trilogy upon my 9 year old sister but she'd much rather read "Sleepover Club" and "Babysitters Club" *rolls eyes*

[emily655321]

Oooh Roald Dahl!! Danny, the Champion of the World was my favorite book for years and years.

Charlotte's Web is a great one too.

[CBW]

My daughter is 10 and going to the fifth grade so 8 to 9 would be the ages of third graders.

[amuse]

i was just thinking stuart little! also, trumpet of the swan. collections of children's stories. i used to read the magazine "cricket" at that age, also "national geographic world." hans brinker and the silver skates had my vote at that age, too. can't remember any others offhand...let's see, the betsy, tacy, tib books by maud hart lovelace - great for little girls. and little women. (read the other alcott books later.) johnny tremain in the 4th grade. l. frank baum's oz books. love those to this day.
water babies is also excellent. laura ingalls wilder books - little house on the prairie, on the banks of plum creek, etc.
reading other posts: oh yeah! charlie and the chocolate factory and charlie and the great glass elevator. and judy blume's books. ramona the pest and such. encyclopedia brown books also. a little princess[i] - frances hodges burnett or something.
i loved [i]little plum, mama's bank account, carol bird's christmas and the dollhouse capers.
the rush for gold, tituba of salem village and the cherry ames nurse series.
there are many others, but i will edit endlessly if i cite them all as i remember them.
riki tiki tavi by kipling, his just so stories, the raven a christmas carol.
in the fourth grade i read call of the wild, white fang, old yeller, the other side of the mountain, black beauty, a secret garden, david copperfield (ok i skimmed that last one).

[CBW]

I can not base what my child should read by what I was reading at that age. I started reading when I was 3, chapter books by five and was sent to the principal's office at nine for writing a book report on Stephen King's "Pet Semetary".
So I do not know what a kid this age should be reading. The public schools here are absolutely horrid, which is why we took her out of the public school system last year. I did not realize how far behind they are. When she was in third grade I decided to pull her out of public school when I read one of her book reports and she showed me the book that they were required to read and write about and it was a PICTURE BOOK. They had not even started chapter books yet. And they did not grade for handwriting or spelling. At her new school she had been placed in remedial classes to help her catch up with the other kids. What she was learning in third grade at the public school, her new school did in first grade.
Her new school had the class read "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe". When I saw that book on her reading list, I was glad that I switched her over to the private school.
The school even has them continue reading over the summer and gives them days that they can go take tests to earn points for when school starts. They also have one book that is required reading and they are tested on it the first week of school. This summer she is required to read "The Pinballs". I bought it for her when I ordered my last batch of books online. It should be in Tuesday. She can't wait to read it.

[faith]

When I was in 3rd grade (9 years here in Finland) my parents read aloud to me. I wasnt that much into reading. It was a lot of Enid Blyton, and must admit it, The Baby-Sitters Club (my very favorites actually). What I would recomend (also for boys) is the Adwenture-series by Enid Blyton. They are her most exiting books. Me and my lillsister listened to them on casset and got really mad when our cassetplayer broke down!

[classic_reader]

I'm not sure if they're well known in the US, but I adored reading Roald Dahl's children's books when I was that age (although I didn't read much til I was about 11). He has a slightly twisted, morbid imagination, fantastic and absorbing at the same time. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and The Witches might capture your child's imagination.

I completely agree about Roald Dahl. All of my children have loved his books. My 12 yr old son is currently reading "Boy" which is an autobiography of sorts about Roald Dahl's childhood.

The Lemony Snicket series is also very good. I also echo those who have reccommended the Chornicles of Narnia.

Has your son read The Hobbit? :nod: It's a much easier read than Lord of the Rings. You may even consider reading it with him.

The Wayside School series are also very funny--although the reading level may be less than 3rd grade.

And of course there is the children's classic Charlotte's Web.

angela

[byquist]

Roald Dahl's Matilda, then show them the movie!