Buying Books for Elementary School-Aged Children

Series

Try finding a popular series for the child to get into. Here are some of the current popular ones to try out.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

by Jeff Kinney
Suggested audience: early to mid grade school

A new series released in 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid chronicles the school life of a sixth-grade boy, from the perspective of his diary entries. The story includes illustrations and a wonderful first-person narrative.

Junie B. Jones

by Barbara Park
Suggested audience: early elementary school

This series centers around the adventures of a six-year-old girl.

Judy Moody

by Megan McDonald
Suggested audience: early to mid grade school

A third-grade girl is the focus of these fun, funny tales.

Magic Tree House

by Mary Pope Osborne
Suggested audience: early grade school

A girl and a boy undertake magical adventures which occur throughout history and around the world. The books employ historical situations to educate children while they read.

Victorian Classics

Though often magnificent works, many children’s books from the Victorian era fall by the wayside. Some of these are still worth the read, and can easily capture a child’s imagination.

The Princess and the Goblin

by George MacDonald
Suggested audience: grade school

Magic, monsters and poor little boys who help save the day. Despite some of the Victorian-influenced social norms enforced within the tale, the heroine is an eight-year-old princess with whom little girls can easily identify.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll
Suggested audience: late elementary/early middle school

Created just for a family with little girls, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a fantastic romp through the realms of imagination and childhood understanding. It’s sometimes strange, sometimes silly and most of all a captivating read.

Pick-a-Book Guidelines

Age Group vs. Individual Comprehension

Being able to understand a book is more than just knowing the words. Yet, you don’t want to pick a book that is too easy for a child on a basic readability level either. Look at what other books they are reading, and pick something at a similar, or slightly harder difficulty level (they’ll grow into it).

Audience Intent

There has been some interesting scholarly debate in recent years about the difference between books written with children in mind (like Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland) and books written for adults that have become children’s books (such as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter". In my opinion, books written with children in mind tend to be more popular with youngsters, though generally less deep or culturally informative. My general opinion is that getting kids to read is more important than governing what they’re reading. Think about why you’re getting the book, is it to entertain or to educate?

Best of the Last Hundred Years

I grew up with some of these, hopefully they stick around in the popular mind for decades to come.

How I Became a Pirate

by Melinda Long and David Shannon
Suggested audience: late preschool to early grade school

Found this book one day in the bookstore and oh my god. It is the most fantastically illustrated, funny, child-friendly book involving pirates I’ve ever seen. A must have for any aspiring pirate.

Spiderwick Chronicles

by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Suggested audience: early to mid grade school

A five-book series, the Spiderwick Chronicles follows the adventures of three siblings. As the name implies, the stories are filled with magical items and creatures.

Chronicles of Narnia

by C.S. Lewis
Suggested audience: mid grade school

A book before it became a movie (which I refuse to watch on principle), “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” is a wonderful fantasy novel for both boys and girls. There has been a lot of modern criticism about Christian overtones, but children won’t pick up on that. And seriously, the stories told are just superb.

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeline L’Engle
Suggested audience: late elementary/early middle school

A 20th century classic, A Wrinkle in Time explores the bonds of family in a universe filled with both beauty and terror.

Find Books

If you’re still wondering what to get, try visiting some independent bookstores with a healthy selection of kid’s books. Why? You can ask questions. Employees at many of these stores tend to be passionate about books and reading, as opposed to simply holding down a job for the income. Sadly, the Great Horned Owl, a dedicated children’s bookstore I used to work at, closed its doors a few years ago. Here are some alternate places to head.