Book Lists for Advanced 4th grade reader -- newer books?

[Ziggy]

Off-topic but it's really depressing that between the ages of 4 and 8 or so I've probably read more books than during the rest of my life. :/

[barbk]

Off-topic but it's really depressing that between the ages of 4 and 8 or so I've probably read more books than during the rest of my life. :/

Awww, Ziggy. May I recommend "Snow Treasure" to get you back on course?

[PDilemma]

Off-topic but it's really depressing that between the ages of 4 and 8 or so I've probably read more books than during the rest of my life. :/

Those books were much shorter, so it was easier to read more!

[Spinner]

I'm reading Marianne Malone's The Sixty-Eight Rooms right now, perfect for this age group. Quite the charming story! The next in the series, Stealing Magic, comes out in January.

[reckless]

Lacey, the Great Brain series that some of us mentioned is all about boys. I wouldn't ordinarily suggest those for a second grader, but if he's that gifted, he just might be able to tackle them. Also the Bruno & Boots series by Gordon Korman. I checked Amazon and it seems they're out of print, but used copies are available.

I read the Great Brain books around second grade and loved them. Another series I loved at that time was the Black Stallion books.

For the fourth grader, I definitely second the Lloyd Alexander Chronicles of Prydain and, if she has not read them, the Narnia books. (The Christian mythology will go over her head, but she will still enjoy the books.) I've also heard good things about the Redwall series.

The Westing Game and other books by the same author also are great for that age group.

If the girl likes fantasy, see if you can find The Wizard Children of Finn. It's a retelling of the Finn Mac Cool legend, involving two very spoiled modern children who go back in time, It's only available used on Amazon, but is a fantastic fantasy book. I also like that Fiona, one of the two modern children, is a good female heroine.

I think she may be okay with some of the Judy Blume books that are geared toward younger readers -- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and the other Fudge Books and Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself are less mature. Has she read the Beverly Cleary books -- the Ramona, Beezus, Ribsy books? Some of the Paula Danziger books might seem more mature, because they are about teens, but would probably be fine for her -- The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and Pistachio Prescription.

This might be pushing it for a fourth grader, but that's when I read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time. There was a chapter from the book in the text my school was using for my advanced reading group. It was the chapter where Atticus shoots the rabid dog, which to this day I wonder why anyone thought that was a good thing for 8-9 year-olds to read. But I then went home, read the entire book, and loved it.

[sleepypanda]

The one I've been on the hunt for was about a girl who gets a job in a fish cannery and falls for the owner's son. Can't remember the title of course, or the author, and searches usually turn up a lot of Steinbeck and nothing else

Marg Nelson's A Girl Called Chris?

[Ziggy]

Those books were much shorter, so it was easier to read more!

Grimms' "Fairy Tales" and "The Chronicles of Narnia", to give two examples, were both huge tomes.

[dramagrrl]

The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart is well-written, contains some advanced vocabulary, and would be absolutely appropriate for a nine-year-old.

[LilJen]

Definitely anything by EL Konigsburg, the Narnia series, the Finn Family Moomintroll books, Beverly Cleary. Loved all of these as a kid. And reread them all at different ages.

As for stuff that is actually new/contemporary: I have a 10-year-old who's a very advanced reader and adores fantasy and anything with dragons. Devoured the Peter and the Starcatchers seriest. Also totally digs all the How to Train Your Dragon series (Cressida Cowell) and E. D. Baker's the Frog Princess series (or is it the Dragon Princess series?). Cornelia Funke is also good--Dragon Rider and then there's the Inkheart Trilogy. Everything Kate DiCamillo writes is great.

[BrokenAnkle]

Wow, great suggestions!

Other possibilities of more recent books an authors that are popular at my library:
Andrew Clements and Sharon Creech for contemporary fiction
Gail Carson Levine and Michael Buckley for fairy tale inspired novels

For mysteries - The Red Blazer Girls by Michael Beil and the Sammy Keyes mysteries by Wendelen Van Draanan, also The 39 Clues, a series by a number of different authors.

A good, complex fantasy series is the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage - the 1st book is called Magyk. Also, I don't think anyone mentioned the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan - they are very popular and really good too!

[Jenny]

Marg Nelson's A Girl Called Chris?

Oh, my, god, that's it!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Is there anything FSU can't do??

[Spinner]

Is there anything FSU can't do??

Agree on COP vs. 6.0?

[gkelly]

if she has not read them, the Narnia books. (The Christian mythology will go over her head, but she will still enjoy the books.)

Hey, I got the basics of the Christian mythology when I read them in 2nd grade, and I wasn't even Christian.

[Badams]

How about the Warriors series by Erin Hunter? These are about four clans of feral cats.

My daughter LOVES these books! She started them last year, she is 9 and In 4th grade now and she still asks for them when she finds one she doesn't have. She's constantly reading and Is a very strong reader as well.

ETA: I'm sure I'm just repeating already known information, but you can buy cheap books from half.com. an entire series of Warrior books is less than $20, for example.

[reckless]

Hey, I got the basics of the Christian mythology when I read them in 2nd grade, and I wasn't even Christian.

Perhaps. Actually, the obvious Aslan = Jesus (in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and God (The Magician's Nephew) was not lost on me when I read them at about the same age. But I never thought, while reading, that Edmund eating Turkish Delight was the equivalent of Adam eating the apple. I'll also admit that I did not get the references to Plato in The Last Battle until I reread the books as a teen.

[Garden Kitty]

These aren't modern books by any stretch, but "Behind the Attic Wall" by Sylvia Cassedy is a wonderful book for any age.

And the original Mary Poppins books by PL Travers are wonderful and have a much more serious edge to them than the Disney movie. Definitely worth reading at least one of those.

[Ziggy]

Perhaps. Actually, the obvious Aslan = Jesus (in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and God (The Magician's Nephew) was not lost on me when I read them at about the same age. But I never thought, while reading, that Edmund eating Turkish Delight was the equivalent of Adam eating the apple. I'll also admit that I did not get the references to Plato in The Last Battle until I reread the books as a teen.

I WAS BEING BRAINWASHED BY CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT!

(What's even worse, I enjoyed it at the time )

[emason]

I used to love the Half Magic series by Edward Eager. Children discover magic coins that grant wishes; well, actually, the coins are only half magic so the wishes go unpredictably awry.

[Lanie]

Is she into historical fiction? That's always been my big draw. I loved the Royal Diaries and Dear America series when I was younger. I admit I still re-read them. Catherine, Called Birdy is also a great book and re-reading it as an adult, oh boy, some dirty stuff in there! But not bad. More humorous.

[Wyliefan]

I WAS BEING BRAINWASHED BY CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT!

(What's even worse, I enjoyed it at the time )

Yes, very enjoyable, wasn't it?