What books should I reccomend to the student I am tutoring?

Does she have any strong interests @KateTheGreat? History, science, American Girls-etc?

Calvin and Hobbes books.

@SpatzieLover She likes anything, really. Right now we’re reading Ella Enchanted together, if that helps.

You might try the Babymouse series of graphic novels. Also, if you are going to read them together, the Little House series is a bunch of great and engaging stories that are very well told.

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The Kipton & Gruff series may be hard to find outside of Amazon but they are worth it. They’ve won awards for strong young adult female leads and writing. They are wonderful Nancy Drew solves murder mysteries on Mars books. I love them and have for basically 20 years. This is my personal preference of all of these.

Also, Ender’s Game, the Tripod trilogy. A Wrinkle In Time are all good – Ender’s Game may be a bit much depending on the child, but really most people I know read it around that age.

Acorna the Unicorn Girl!

I like sci-fi and fantasy okay.

The Dear America series is like American Girls. Babysitter’s Club and Boxcar Children. Maybe Nancy Drew? Hatchet. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The Dark is Rising series. A Wrinkle in Time. A Series of Unfortunate Events. Chronicles of Narnia.

Some of these are a little bit below 5th grade, but probably still good.

Good Choice @KateTheGreat.

We have a family rule: We must read the book before seeing the movie. That actually creates a desire to complete the books we choose.

Recommendations:
*American Girl Mysteries (these don’t have movies)
*American Girl Story Collections (There are movies for Kit, Samantha, Felicity & Molly)
*Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass (lots of movie choices)
*The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
*Nurse Matilda (Nanny McPhee movie)
*Tale of Despereaux
* The “Shoe” Books——Ballet Shoes has a movie (available instantly via Amazon or Netflix)

Movies are a great reward for the accomplishment of sticking with the book. Watching them also encourages compare/contrast which helps build reading comprehension skills.

Any collection of books may compel her to pick up books on her own. If she’s into books like Ela Enchanted, she may like Narnia or Lord of the Rings.

Oh, and MouseGuard (comic book, totally adorable).

I adored Three Lives to Live when I was about that age. It’s kinda hard to explain but it’s a first person story about a girl having a bad time adjusting to her new sister who happens to be an alternate version of her that traveled through time via a laundry chute.

Anne of Green Gables, A Wrinkle in Time, The Castle in the Attic, and maybe The Hobbit.

I really loved Honestly, Katie John, the Laura Ingalls Wilder set, Heidi, Pollyanna, Madeline, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, all sorts of crafting books…

The Judy Bloom books. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing etc. Stop before you get to the one about teenagers. (It’s a bit graphic for younger kids.)

Island of the Blue Dolphins

The Phantom Tollbooth

Our family just finished the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. They were VERY GOOD! The first book is called The Lightening Thief. Also the Fablehaven series is wonderful. I second the Hobbit and Narnia books.

Of course, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games come to mind.

Find out what she likes to see or her favorite place and get a book based on that.

L.M. Montgomery wrote a number of different books. I love them all. She could check out the Emily of New Moon series, Jane of Lantern Hill, Blue Castle, The Story Girl…and of course the Anne of Green Gables series (8 books in all).

I also second the Hunger Games.

The Secret Garden is a wonderful book.

If she likes silly sci fi she should check out Terry Pratchett, especially his book Mort. My kids actually had me stop reading so I could back track and re-read passages so they could laugh and laugh.

A great resource is The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. It is a comprehensive collection of awesome children’s books listed by age. Your local public or university library should have a copy.

The Borrowers is a good read. Have you thought about reading to her? It’s a very positive experience for reader and listener

Read to her while she is also following the written words. (You need 2 books.) Hearing the reader’s inflections helps the reluctant reader get the idea that the words on the page are saying something.