This weeks question deals with finding some Great Books for a 4th Grade girl.
Question:
I have a friend with a daughter who has read through all the Judy Blume Fudge books and is looking for more to read. She’s in 4th grade, but a fairly high level reader. She’d like something realistic, contemporary and fun, preferably a number of titles by an author to read through.
Answer:
Good news! There’s plenty of great authors this reader can sink her teeth into that will probably fit the bill. Most of them have numerous books out on the shelves, so she’ll have a lot of options. Here are my quick suggestions on authors for you:
Andrew Clements(Frindle, No Talking, etc) Clements has a great range of humorous "real life" stories out that appeal to kids and to teachers. I always get request for these books and a reader of the Blume stuff may find these to fit the bill.
Paula Danziger
(PS Longer Letter Later, Can you Sue your Parents for Malpractice?, etc.) Some of her titles might skew a little older, and she's got the Amber Brown series which is more 3rd grade reading, but your reader will probably find some of her work just right.
Ann M. Martin
(Main Street Series, A Dog's Life, Babysitter's Club, etc) Martin is a hit with nearly all her work, it's friendly, accessible and even when slightly fantastic, like her Doll People series, it's still very well recieved by her regular audience. Martin's Babysitter's Club is being reprinted at long last, though her longer novels will probably be more on par with your reader's abilities.
Kate Klise
(Far From Normal, Regarding the Trees) Kate's got a quirky style of writing as evidenced by her intermediate level books, Katie Kazoo. Some of her longer works may easily fit the bill for real life stories threaded with humor.
E. L. Konigsburg
(From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler, A View From Saturday, etc.) That first title is a classic that many have heard of, but she has a whole range of stories about quirky characters in an unusual small town setting. She doesn't fit the bill for everyone, and her stories tend toward less humor more interpersonal and issue driven stuff. Still, she’s a hit for teachers and the first title at least is a classic.
Grace Lin
(The Year of the Rat, The Year of the Dog, etc)--some great "real life" stories about an Asian American girl dealing with her life, laughter and friendships during the Chinese year of the same title. Popular and accessible for 4th and 5th grade readers.
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
(Boys vs. Girls series, Alice series, etc) Naylor has a great range of books, including two very popular series mentioned here. The Alice series starts young, but moves up in age, so the later books may be on a YA level and not as appropriate for younger readers. She tends to create humorous and believable characters and situations to follow that appeal to a large number of readers.
Hope this helps! And do write us with your questions.
