What Are Some Interesting Books For A Boy In The 6th Grade, But On A 9th Grade Reading Level?
Posted on | November 30, 2009 |
My son is in the sixth grade and is on a ninth grade reading level. What books would interest him that wouldn’t be too complex for him. Looking for something that isn’t girly and would keep his interest. He is into books like Harry Potter, The Lord of The Rings, things like that. Any advice on an author or a name of a book, anything would help.
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11 Responses to “What Are Some Interesting Books For A Boy In The 6th Grade, But On A 9th Grade Reading Level?”
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November 30th, 2009 @ 1:19 pm
Gordon Korman is an excellent author of both children’s and young adult books. His writing style is very light, very funny — but he doesn’t talk down to his audience.
Has he read the Artemis Fowl series? Fans of Harry Potter also tend to gravitate to these books.
On Etruscan Time by Tracy Barrett is quite good. This is a combination fantasy/history. A young boy is first disappointed by the prospect of having to go to Italy instead of staying home with his friends all summer, but a series of strange incidences at an archeological site have him digging for answers.
Eleanor Updale’s Montmorency series is entertaining. There are four books so far. This follows the adventures of Montmorency, a petty thief who concocts a plan to use the undergroud sewers of London for bigger heists.
Kit’s Wilderness, by David Almond, is an excellent read. Kip, a 13-year-old boy, and his parents move back to their family home in Stoneygate to stay with their recently-widowed grandfather. Kip finds the small former coal-mining town to be haunted by ghosts of the past. Kip discovers the towns’ history, including the ghosts of the children killed in a coalmine accident, and in the process tries to help John Askew, a talented but troubled older teen.
Louis Sachar’s “Holes” and recent sequel “Small Steps” are fun reads. The first concerns Stanley Yelnats, who seems to live a cursed life after he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a boot camp out in the middle of nowhere. But what seems to be ill luck may prove to be destiny as Stanley makes new friends and slowly uncovers the reason for their daily task: digging holes. This one may be a bit slow for your sixth-grader. The sequel is more mature, and follows the life of one of the other characters, Armpit, post-Camp Green Lake. Armpit is trying to live the straight and narrow, but temptations abound.
Any of Kenneth Oppel’s books (that I’ve read) are excellent. The Silverwing Trilogy is a nice, fanciful read about the adventures of a silverwing bat. Airborn and its sequel Skybreaker are a blast. Airborn has often been called Piraes of the Carribean in the air. In both, Matt Cruse works on a dirigible, the highest class form of transportation in this somewhat alternate universe. He adventures with the independent Kate DeVris.
Soldier’s Heart, by Gary Paulson, is very good, if somewhat chilling, especially if your son likes history. THis is a somewhat fictionalized story based on a true tale of a 15-year-old Civil War soldier. 15-year-old Charley Goddard lied about his age so he could join the First Minnesota Volunteers in 1861, and fought for virtually the entire Civil War. A fictionalized account of a real soldier and real events. Charley enlists so he can see more of the world, and it seems like easy money. But from his first battle, he realizes that there is nothing romantic or exciting about war. I do warn you: This one is pretty gritty.
Paulson is a very well-known preteen/teen author, as is Neil Gaiman. Your son also may like Brian Jacques, who is well-known for his Redwall series.
November 30th, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
Faerie wars by herbie brennan, Iron Tower Trilogy by Dennis L. McKiernan-VERY LIKE LOTR, R.A. Salvatore, Artemis Fowl books.
November 30th, 2009 @ 5:30 pm
Books by David Almond should be a good choice here. Like Skellig, Kit’s Wilderness, Heaven Eyes, etc. These books are not what they seem on the surface and a fantasy reader should be comfortable with them.
For fantasy, try Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series. If he is too “young” then try “The Dark Lord of Derkholm” by Dianna Wynn Jones and the sequel, “Year of the Griffin.”
Another interesting book I read was The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke.
For all round good reading choices, check out the Printz award books and the YALSA choices. Both are for YA/Teen readers and may be of more interest later.
November 30th, 2009 @ 7:34 pm
If he hasn’t read them already, try the Prydain Chronicles (the series starts with “The Book of Three”) by Lloyd Alexander, and The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper.
Both are excellent series, very appealing to boys (and even to girls), and have the same magical appeal of LOTR.
“The Golden Compass” of the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman is often recommended as a children’s book, but it is really more suited to a mature young adult - even most adults would struggle with the heavy metaphysical and religious themes of this superb series. I wouldn’t recommend it for your son until he is in high school and ready to contemplate the meaning of life/death/rebirth.
November 30th, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
I have answered this question so many times, I decided to dedicate a web site to answer this question. Here it is:http://www.life-after-harry-potter.com
Included is a list of only the best sorcery fantasy books, grade reading level, a short review of each book along with a brief summary of adult content. There is also a “Reader’s Choice” list of favorite books, and a list of heroine sorcery fantasy books.
I hope this helps.
Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/
December 1st, 2009 @ 5:22 am
alex rider series by anthony horowitz (they are maybe a little lower than 9 grade but i am in 9 grade and really enjoy them)
books:
stormbreaker
point blank
skeleton key
eagle strike
scorpia
ark angle
(they are about a teen, alex rider, who bacome a spy, recriuted by MI6.)
December 1st, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
The Redwall Series by Brian Jaques
Really Good!!!
December 1st, 2009 @ 12:29 pm
The Alchemist by Michael Scott
Shadow Children by Margeret Peterson Haddix
Edit:
Don’t let him read Dante’s Inferno, as someone recommended below. It’s an extremely old and gruesome book about someone travelling through the circles of hell. It dates back to the Italian Renaisssance (1500’s). My history teacher warned us to be wary if we read it because it’s absolutely nasty. I won’t go near it. I can’t imagine what a sixth grader would think of it. It’s most likely awkward reading too, because it would be a translation and old language. Beware!
I’d stick with the Gary Paulson books that someone recommended. “Hatchet” is a great plane crash story. The boy in the book is 13 so your son would relate. It’s a low reading level, but it’ll keep his interest.
Gordon Korman is great, too, I’ve read that.
There’s also the Halo books (after the video games) and the Star Wars trilogies. I just watched the Star Wars movies (1-6) before HP7 came out and I was very interested because like HP it’s a whole other realm. There’s books for 7-9, which never became movies.
December 1st, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
“Huck & Tom” it takes u back 2 the days n makes u use ur imagination. “The pigman”, it teaches u not 2 play w/ other’s ppl feelings.
December 1st, 2009 @ 11:59 pm
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Guardians of Ga’hoole bu Kathryn Lasky
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
The Edge on the Sword by Rebecca Tingle
The Land Beyond the Gate by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach
The Bridge of Birds
December 2nd, 2009 @ 3:00 am
The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night…fab huge book for imaginary minds!
Dante’s Inferno.
Catcher in the Rye…classic.
Night. by Elie Weisel
The Things they Carried