# Looking for suggestions for 2nd grader - girl



## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

I'm looking for book suggestions for my 7 year old. She's in 2nd grade and is outgrowing Magic Tree House and Junie B Jones. She still reads those, but I'm looking for something that is sort of in between that and things like Lightning Thief, which is too long to keep her attention. She has already read all the Ivy & Bean series. She is almost done with Candy Wars.

HELP!

She has acquired my old K2 and is now making me buy books on kindle only, so yeah... She REALLY likes to read.


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2010)

That's great that she likes to read so much, Candy!

My suggestions are A Series of Unfortunate Events, which is available on Kindle. The other one I know she would like is the Wimpy Kid series, but I think that's in print only. I'm not sure. Good luck feeding her hunger for books!

--Jason


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Jason - Yeah, Wimpy Kid is print only. I grabbed a Nancy Drew and Kids of Polk Street School series book from suggestions I got from Facebook.

I have a bunch of the Series of Unfortunate Events, but I think the might be too dark for her... My 10 year old is getting into them though.


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

What about the Babysitters Club? I have no idea if they are available for Kindle.

The Magic Rainbow Series (a ton of fairy books) is also a great series that is around that age group.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I'd recommend: Anastasia Krupnik (there are a few others, but only one other available on the kindle right now) and the Ramona series (there are a ton of these available on Kindle.


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Thanks everyone... I grabbed about 8 books overall for her, hopefully something will snag her interest but last her more than a day. LOL.


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## ReeseReed (Dec 5, 2009)

I teach second grade, so I'll just tell you what's in my classroom chapter book library and see if you get any ideas from that.  MTH and JBJ you've already mentioned, but here are some of the others. (I have no idea which of these are available on kindle, sorry!)
Beverly Cleary (Ramona, Mouse and the Motorcycle, Ellen Tibbets, etc..)
Horrible Harry series
Cam Jansen series
Captain Underpants
Flat Stanley (only have 2 of these, I'm not sure how many there are)
Most of the rest are below 2nd grade level, so I'm not sure they'd be of any interest to you.  I also have several of the classics...Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte's Web...  My mind is blanking out now, but I'd be glad to go through them and list others.  Oh, just had a synapse, I guess...The American Girls series.  Always really popular with my girls.  If you want more suggestions, just PM me and I'll look through and make you a list next week.


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Thanks, Reece... I have some of those and others I just added to the list. I think we're set for now... I'm sure I'll need more eventually, but that should get her over the hump, like I said, she's at that weird stage... at least she likes to read!


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## ReeseReed (Dec 5, 2009)

CandyTX said:


> Thanks, Reece... I have some of those and others I just added to the list. I think we're set for now... I'm sure I'll need more eventually, but that should get her over the hump, like I said, she's at that weird stage... at least she likes to read!


That's great! My oldest ds didn't really gain an interest until this year (4th grade). And still he's not as interested as I'd like him to be. I try not to push though (although it's SO hard!).

PM me anytime you need more ideas, I'm glad to help.


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

I'm very lucky. Both of my kids like to read. We don't even turn the TV or anything on during the week, reading kind of is the entertainment, I suppose. I'm glad they are both into it. My son was a little harder, but really, they've both always been pretty good readers.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

The original Nancy Drew series? That's what got me hooked on reading. Also, Reese mentioned _Charlotte's Web_ and I would further that suggestion to anything by E.B. White, such as _The Trumpet of the Swan _ and _Stuart Little_. The Borrowers series by Mary Norton--great, great books that I loved when I was that age. Laura Ingalls Wilder's _The Little House in the Big Woods_, _Little House on the Prairie_, etc, I read that series to tatters as well. I think one thing all of these books have in common are a significant amount of text with great illustrations--I loved illustrations in picture books, and it made the transition to long books easier when there were gorgeous illustrations. Don't know how well illustrations come through on the Kindle, though.

Oh, and _Mary Poppins_--there are four books in that series, and I always enjoyed that each chapter was like a short story. And Roald Dahl . . . sorry, I'll stop now. I could go on and on. It sounds like you already have plenty of suggestions 

Anyway good luck--it's great to hear about kids who enjoy reading so much!


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Candy, these are not available for the Kindle, but don't let that prevent you from sharing these wonderful stories with your daughter.... Enyd Blyton books.  I have been reading the Mallory Towers series with my daughter, she LOVES them.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The Pushcart War

The Twenty One Balloons

anything by Beverly Cleary

(at least those are all things I enjoyed around mid-elementary school, though The Twenty One Balloons might be a bit too much of a guy thing for her)

Twenty One Balloons is on Kindle, here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Twenty-One-Balloons-PMC-ebook/dp/B001ROAKEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1289123376&sr=1-1


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

Amber Brown is another fun series.


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

I'd definitely recommend the Nancy Drew books 

Also Beverly Cleary's books. I LOVED those growing up. This one is on Kindle:



And here's the author's page - I'm seeing 27 books on Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Beverly-Cleary/e/B000AQ44W4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> The Pushcart War
> 
> *The Twenty One Balloons
> 
> ...


Am I you? I read these multiple times as a kid, and I re-read the Balloons just a couple years ago!

I don't get how new Beverly Cleary books are coming out though. That kid on the cover looks more like Justin Bieber than Henry Huggins.


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

Is there a new Beverly Cleary book?  I'm 37 and I read Mitch and Amy in the second grade, so it's definitely not new.  Which books are you talking about?


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

Arkali said:


> Is there a new Beverly Cleary book? I'm 37 and I read Mitch and Amy in the second grade, so it's definitely not new. Which books are you talking about?


Maybe I should have said newER. I sought out every Beverly Cleary book there was when I was a kid but I never saw "Mitch and Amy" (pictured a few posts up).


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## Anne Victory (Jul 29, 2010)

daveconifer said:


> Maybe I should have said newER. I sought out every Beverly Cleary book there was when I was a kid but I never saw "Mitch and Amy" (pictured a few posts up).


Ah! Interesting, though - I just looked on Amazon and it appears that it was published in 1967. Man, I feel old...


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

purplepen79 said:


> The original Nancy Drew series? That's what got me hooked on reading. Also, Reese mentioned _Charlotte's Web_ and I would further that suggestion to anything by E.B. White, such as _The Trumpet of the Swan _ and _Stuart Little_. The Borrowers series by Mary Norton--great, great books that I loved when I was that age. Laura Ingalls Wilder's _The Little House in the Big Woods_, _Little House on the Prairie_, etc, I read that series to tatters as well. I think one thing all of these books have in common are a significant amount of text with great illustrations--I loved illustrations in picture books, and it made the transition to long books easier when there were gorgeous illustrations. Don't know how well illustrations come through on the Kindle, though.
> 
> Oh, and _Mary Poppins_--there are four books in that series, and I always enjoyed that each chapter was like a short story. * And Roald Dahl . . . *sorry, I'll stop now. I could go on and on. It sounds like you already have plenty of suggestions
> 
> Anyway good luck--it's great to hear about kids who enjoy reading so much!


It sucks that Roald Dahl books aren't available in the U.S. Kindle store. They are available on the U.K site. The BFG is one of my favorites.


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## Carolyn A (Jul 25, 2010)

An oldie but a goodie, The Witch Family by Eleanor Estes. The main character is seven.

Carolyn


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> It sucks that Roald Dahl books aren't available in the U.S. Kindle store. They are available on the U.K site. The BFG is one of my favorites.


That stinks they're not available on Kindle here. I still have my old paperbacks from when I was a kid--my fave is _James & the Giant Peach _ though I loved _The Witches _ as well. If you've never read his short stories for adults, I highly recommend those as well.


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## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

Crossroad just put out a Kindle edition of The Cat-Napping Caper by Darby Patterson that might be right for that age. School-age sleuths investigate the disappearance of kittens in their neighborhood.


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## Basilius (Feb 20, 2010)

I suggested this to Candy on Twitter, but for others following along, the _How to Train Your Dragon_ series is one to look at as well. It is, sadly, not available on Kindle. (And, I think for many of the same reasons the _Wimpy Kid_ books aren't either: presentation is a big part of the stories.)


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## Guest (Nov 10, 2010)

I read lots of Beverly Cleary when I was young too. I have no idea why or how I did. Someone must have given them to me.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

How about the Bunnicula books by James Howe? My oldest loved those when she was six. They are very clever and funny and play with horror tropes in a safe way.

Or, as long as she reads them herself and you can avoid them completely, what about the American Girl books? My younger daughter loves them.

Others that have been big around here:

Roald Dahl
Susan Cooper
Lloyd Alexander
Cornelia Funke
J.K. Rowling (obviously)
Rick Riordan
Terry Pratchett (the Tiffany Aching books in particular)
Stephen and Lucy Hawking (George's Secret Key to the Universe and George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt


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## cargalmn (Sep 29, 2010)

I have 2 series suggestions, but admittedly they're not available for the Kindle (go click a few "put this on Kindle" links" and maybe we can change that!).

I adored the Trixie Belden series growing up - in fact, I think I still have the first 28 books from when I was younger!  Trixie & her crew are sort of pre-Nancy Drew detectives (pre in age, I don't know which series came first - prob Nancy Drew).  I think Trixie was 12 or 13??

I'd also recommend the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace.  It takes place here in MN and it's just pure girls having "adventures" and being girls.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

Ooh, what about the All of a Kind Family books? Those are simply wonderful.


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## GWillow (Nov 12, 2010)

Any of Lloyd Alexander's wonderful YA books, especially The Chronicles of Prydain, which I LOVED when I was 8-10 years old and still remember fondly today. They're completely kid-friendly but the vocab level might be just a tad high for 2nd grade...though if she's an advanced reader, it's probably fine. 

There are also Diana Wynne Jones' books, which might today be classified as "steampunk" without the punk part. They're great neo-Victorian YA fantasy novels, the first of which, Howl's Moving Castle, was made into a magical animated film a few years ago.


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## Learnmegood (Jun 20, 2009)

KMA beat me to the punch!  I was going to suggest Bunnicula -- and even when I was in school, there was a sequel called The Celery Stalks at Midnight, or something like that.  There may even be other sequels by now.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

Learnmegood said:


> KMA beat me to the punch! I was going to suggest Bunnicula -- and even when I was in school, there was a sequel called The Celery Stalks at Midnight, or something like that. There may even be other sequels by now.


There are a bunch of sequels now (in addition to Bunnicula and The Celery Stalks at Midnight: Howliday Inn, Nighty Nightmare, Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow, and more that my kid could remember were she awake.

I will also totally shout out for Diana Wynne Jones. Howl's Moving Castle is a great place to start. And, one can never mention the Prydain books enough.


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## CandyTX (Apr 13, 2009)

Wow, you guys are full of.... good ideas  I'm totally bookmarking this thread for the next time she comes up whining that she's out of reading material. Between her and the 10 year old, I'm going to need a 2nd mortgage to keep them in books.


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