Books for 1st graders

It looks like we have some new favorite books in the house. Last week after the 2nd day of school I took Connor & Maddie to the library to get some more challenging books for them to read. (Part of their homework is to read for 15 minutes every night.) Maddie read 4 stories in one night in under 15 minutes.

We were looking around and I know when I was little I enjoyed the Ramona books. Boy how times have changed! :laughing: Maddie picked out 2 of the Junie B. Jones books and I persuaded her to get Ramona the pest. Connor picked out 2 of the Magic Tree house books (which apparently he had asked for before but just knew the characters were Jack and Annie and I was clueless.)

Tonight Maddie and I were reading one of the Junie B. books and I had to crack up at how it is written. It sounds so much like how 1st graders talk. Connor is loving his book because it has dinosaurs in it. I told them once they were finished we could take them back and check out more.

 

My 1st grader is really into The Magic Treehouse series books right now. She's on # 6. I have to admit, they are really fun books and very suspenseful. Glad you're kiddos found some books that they are enjoying.

 

Dani, my boys love the Weird School books by Dan Gutman. They are very silly and lots of fun!

 

In 1st grade (and now in 2nd), mine loved the Magic Treehouse, Weird School, Captain Underpants, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of the Junie B Jones books. I was an English major, and the incorrect grammar in them drives me crazy! When I used to read them aloud to the boys, I would switch the wording around to be gramatically correct, which I know kind of defeats the purpose of the story, but I didn't want them picking up bad habits.

 

Mine were big on Captain Underpants, too. I still have them, I'll have to see how they go over with the girls.

I am like Amy, though. I can't stand JBJ. I just don't check her books out any more because DD2 has a fantastic ear for language and she will pick up that bad grammar in a heartbeat if that's what she's reading to herself.

Mine read "The Boxcar Children" (the original) over the summer, and I am hoping to interest them in "Charlotte's Web" over fall break.

 

I actually read a few from this series this summer. I read one to my son out loud because he wanted me to read one of my books to him. Now he wants me to read him another one of my books but it's a murder mystery so not for him.

I guess I have to get my girls into some series books. Right now they read the easy readers which are way to easy for them but that's the section the always go to and they like Dr Suess which I hate.

 

I knew that a few of you had reservations about the Junie books, and I can totally understand why. Maddie saw them before I could really direct her towards other books so I let her get 2 of them this time. I may just get her different books at the library when she is done with these. (It's MUCH easier for me to go alone than trying to get the two of them in and out in a short amount of time!)

Thanks for the other suggestions!

 

I'll have to check out the Weird School books. What is Captain Underpants about? Is it potty humor?

Nadia loves the Magic Treehouse books. We got the entire series last Christmas, and she has read them through many, many times. A bit obsessively, really. She also likes the A to Z Mysteries, and the ones that follow it -- Capitol Mysteries, I think? She's also working her way through Boxcar Children and Geronimo Stilton.

Her school's librarian was telling me that there is a younger version of Nancy Drew out called the "Clue Crew" or something like that. It looks really fun for little kids -- not as dated as original Nancy, and yet not teen-angsty as the new Nancy Drew books supposedly are. She hasn't read one yet, though.

I may have to check out a Ramona and see what she thinks. I haven't read Beverly Cleary since I was in the second grade myself!

 

"What is Captain Underpants about? Is it potty humor?"

You betcha! Just what my boys love! They laugh out loud reading those books.

 

I personally like the Junie B Jones stories. Makes it somewhat entertaining for me when my dd wants to read to me. We have also done Katies Kazoo.

My son started with reading the Jack Stalwart Secret Agent series. He read so much his reading improved vastly. He is now at the point where he can read 1 in a night and has read them all. Hardy Boys is where we went next. They have a bunch of updated stories out. There is also a James Bond series where he is a young guy.

 

Check with the classroom teacher(s) for suggestions. Also, do your kids get the Scholastic Book order?

Check out this website ofr suggestions (and other ideas!):
http://www.rif.org/parents/5_8.mspx

 

Big Junie B fan here!!!

I taught 1st grade and this was absolutely one of their favorite characters! I was just sure to pause when she spoke incorrectly and would ask my students how we actually say what she just said. They almost always picked it up before I even paused. I also would pause when a character in the book would be mean to someone and we would talk about that situation. And then of course we would all laugh when something funny happened!

Captain Underpants was another favorite!

I think books like those are especially good for those reluctant readers in 1st grade.