Stories Sure to Intrigue More Advanced Readers
- What: Best chapter books
- When: Seven to twelve years
- Why: Classic tales, longer chapters, more complex plots
- Where: Amazon
If your child wants more complex stories with longer chapters and minimal illustrations, the following series can quench their thirst for literary adventures. You’ll find both classic tales and newer additions. With a variety of titles to choose from, you can find something to suit almost any kid’s taste.
Boxcar Children: All three of my kids loved listening to these stories written by Gertrude Chandler Warner when we read them out loud. The antics of the four orphaned children -Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny – entertained them enough that we went well beyond our original four book set. We checked out countless volumes from the library to keep up with the foursome as they repurpose an abandoned boxcar as a new home for themselves and solve mysteries both far and near.
Fairy Ponies: Holly, the main character, discovers a whole new world that awaits when she visits her aunt. She meets the fairy ponies, and goes on many adventures solving problems in the mystical fairy pony world. We gave my daughter one of these books by Zanna Davidson and ended up buying the rest. The combination of ponies and fairies proved irresistible to anyone who loves horses, magic, or any combination of the two.
Little House on the Prairie: We read through this entire series of nine books by Laura Ingalls Wilder twice because my kids became so enamored with these stories. Despite the fact that the books take place more than a century ago, my kids loved hearing about the simple yet honest lives of Laura and her family and their frontier lifestyle.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The seven books by C. S. Lewis feature kids transported to a magical place together. In the most popular tome, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, four siblings join forces with a powerful magical lion to defeat the evil White Witch. My two oldest kids loved all these books, and always begged for more of the tales of good versus evil in this fantasy world. We’ve also read through The Chronicles of Narnia at least twice.
Roald Dahl: Unlike most of the chapter books listed here, Roald Dahl has plenty of books with very few sequels. Despite that fact, I still include them on this list because of the joy he brings my children with his many tales. You can read his books, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to The BFG in any order. But beware that your kids will always want more.
Harry Potter: No list of chapter books would be complete without the newest addition of orphan Harry Potter. This famous wizard in training goes to magic school to learn the ways of his parents and many more wizards and witches before him. There he becomes pitted against one of the strongest evil magical beings, who then stalks him throughout the seven book collection. This series should definitely be read in order.
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