[Lynda Posts: 98 Status: Offline Works in progress]

Hi Peeps,

My daughter has said she would like to read stories about magic and quests and adventure  :dragonchase so I've been trying to find early readers or chapter books that would be good. However, she's 6 (almost 7) so a lot of what I see is probably a bit too advanced. I think she needs something that has all the exciting story elements but without too much complexity in the plot. She's a competent reader (and we read together anyway) but a lot of the books she's had from school lately have lost her by being too confusing and not explaining things clearly enough.

Any suggestions?

Lynda

[Artemesia Posts: 4,527 Status: Offline WWW]

Scholastic Branches has a series called Dragon Masters. They are early illustrated chapter books.

[Lynda Posts: 98 Status: Offline Works in progress]

Thanks, Artemesia! We'll take a look. :-)

[Kell Posts: 1,408 Status: Offline On the other hand WWW]

The Mysteries of Droon by Tony Abbott and The Fairy Realm by Joanna Rodda are two second-world fantasy-adventure chapter series.

[Vijaya Posts: 8,613 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

Catwings by Ursula le Guin
Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay
Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

[Marissa Doyle Posts: 3,731 Status: Offline Charles Bewitched: out now! WWW]

An oldie my kids love was the My Father's Dragon trilogy. And there's the Magic Treehouse books.

[Lynda Posts: 98 Status: Offline Works in progress]

Thank you so much for all these brilliant suggestions. It's not a genre I read much when I was younger so I didn't have much to draw on (except Narnia - I used to love that, can't believe I didn't think of it!). We're off to the library this morning so I've now got a list to take with me!

The titles 'Catwings' and 'Magic Pudding' are particularly intriguing... :-)

[coral-jenrette Posts: 10 Status: Offline Passionate about reading and writing]

Not sure if it fits the bill, but Ursula Vernon's Dragonbreath series might be a good option. It's illustrated and involves a dragon and his best friend. They get into fantastical adventures but they also go to school and deal with a bully, etc.

[Vijaya Posts: 8,613 Status: Offline LISTEN. Let all mortal flesh keep silence ... WWW]

Haha! My daughter dressed up as a cat for many years and after reading Catwings, well, she was a cat with wings!

I just read a wonderful review of one of the Madame Pamplemousse series of books on Claudine's blog: http://www.carryusoffbooks.com/blog/the-cafe-of-lost-time  I see only one title at my local library: Madame Pamplemousse and her incredible edibles -- but you can tell it's going to be a fun readaloud!

Vijaya

Vijaya

[HDWestlund Posts: 1,300 Status: Offline writer and bookseller]

The Spiderwick chronicles are also around that reading level.

[Rachel Posts: 232 Status: Offline WWW]

Some really good suggestions already! Here are some others she might like.

Chapter books (all of these are series):
Princess in Black
Kingdom of Wrenly
Rescue Princesses
The Never Girls
Mermaid Tales
Dragon Slayer's Academy
Time Warp Trio
Moongobble and Me
The Magic Shop books
Secret Kingdom
Princess Ponies
Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible

Graphic novels:
Giants Beware
(More of a comic strip format, but very cute): Phoebe and Her Unicorn
Amulet

[Lynda Posts: 98 Status: Offline Works in progress]

Thank you so much for all these suggestions! I've been reading samples of a lot of them and, if nothing else, I've found a TON of books I want to read, never mind my daughter. ;-) Seriously though, I think she would LOVE a lot of these.

I've had my head buried in the picture book world for years because that's what I write and it's what we were reading. Now she's looking for something else, I felt completely at sea. These pointers have helped enormously. I knew this was the place to ask. :-)

Please accept this  as a token of my appreciation.

[Mercedes Ortiz Posts: 175 Status: Offline Abracadabra! WWW]

Wow, those books sound great! I'll check them out too! Thank you all for sharing!