After being a teacher for 15 years, one of my very favourite places is returning to the schools and spending time in the classroom. I have been fortunate to be able to substitute teach at schools in the area, most recently at Wynyard Elementary. I did an informal poll with the students, age 9-10 and asked what books they would most like to receive this Christmas. Here are their answers:
Dogman series
The Babysitters Club series
Wings of Fire Graphic Novel Series
Big Nate
Nate the Great
I Survived…Graphic Novels
Brave Beyond Measure
And Then it Happened Series
Countdown to Danger
Diary of a Pug
Kids Almanac
Scaredy Squirrel Series
I expected many of the books on this list, based on what I have seen my littles reading the last couple of years. Books like Dogman and The Babysitter’s Club were obvious choices for this list. Stretching as far back to my own childhood when my cousin, sister, and I created our own Babysitter’s Cub at Fishing Lake, books can have real staying power. It is awesome to see a new generation of littles reading the same books, maybe in new formats, that I enjoyed earlier in life.
While I knew some of the books, there are some new ones to me. And Then it Happened is perfect for your young readers who are looking for comedy…and a little bit of trouble. I am told that at one point the characters shoot eggs at a cop car…nothing that we would condone, but hilarious for readers.
Now, the Countdown to Danger series takes me back. Let’s all close our eyes are remember reading our generations’ choose your own adventure books. I can remember spending hours with the same book as I worked through every option there was for my main character. Anyone else?
Diary of a Pug is a chapter book series for early readers. Following the adventures of a Pug named Bug, these books are written in diary style format and partner full-colour artwork with humour and charm, plus the adorableness of a human’s best friend.
We all know I love books, and talking books with littles fills me with so much joy. With one question, I got so many suggestions for great reads for littles ages 7-10. We might think we know best what kids want to read, but the best way to find out, is to ask! And once we ask, if we listen and put those books in front of our littles, we are one giant step towards creating young people who love reading. And what more could we ask for? Inspiring kids to love reading sounds like a job well done!