Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Tagged: beginner chapter books, literature, reading for boys, starter books

This topic has 15 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 3 months ago by greenebalts.

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February 7, 2014 at 12:36 am
Misty
Participant
Hello, my 2nd/3rd grader is ready for some more books but things are not flowing all of a sudden. He learned to read 3 years ago with the 100 Easy Lessons, did great. Then we started on the Seton (just basic starter readers from a catholic publisher) Faith and Freedom readers which he did the 1st, 2nd and just finished the 3rd grader books. He did good, learned new words daily but over all it was a good experience for him.
At this point I have always started my children into literature books. Mr. Poppers Penguins, Charlottes Web, or something like this.
Week one was the longest week of our reading history. We tried Mr. Poppers penguins he was so discouraged and felt so terrible about his reading we stopped and I just rushed to the library and picked up some, dare I say, Step 3 books just to build his reading back up. The best I can say about that was I got one called George the Drummer Boy (about the battle of Lexington/Concord).
So now I am in need of help. Obviously this was to big of a step for him. I could really use some suggestions on what to have him start reading for ‘chapter’ books which is what he wants to start reading aloud to me.
Thoughts, suggestions or comments greatly appreciated. Misty
February 7, 2014 at 1:36 am
Kristen
Participant
Billy and Blaze series comes to mind. My Fathers Dragon. Frog and Toad (might be to easy but I always mix some easy in with harder ones).
February 7, 2014 at 1:43 am
Angelina
Participant
Misty, just to clarify – you’re looking for ideas that he will read aloud to you, right? Not independent reading…?
February 7, 2014 at 2:01 am
RobinP
Participant
Boys love Clyde Robert Bulla. Look for the older editions with larger print rather than the paperback reprints. Sword in the Tree is a special favorite.
Has he read Nate the Great? Twaddly, I know, but they are fun and emerging readers LOVE them in my library. Mysteries are always a hit. Building fluency is hard work sometimes and, as Kristen said, I like to add in some lighthearted reading.
February 7, 2014 at 2:10 am
crazy4boys
Participant
Yes to all of the above. Minstrel in the Tower. Sam the Minute Man. Hill of Fire. Amelia Bedelia. The Robinson Crusoe Reader.
February 7, 2014 at 2:44 am
saramarie5
Participant
CHC’s (chcweb.com) Bigger Stories for Little Folks and Devotional Stories for Little Folks are favorites in our house.
February 7, 2014 at 12:23 pm
pianogirl363
Participant
Hi Misty,
My son is at the same stage. He loves the Clyde Robert Bulla books, too. I agree with Robin that the older editions with lager print are less intimidating. Sword in the Tree and Viking Adventure are his favorites.
A few others:
Step into Reading History books:
Titanic…Lost and Found
Pompeii – Buried Alive!
Tut’s Mummy…Lost and Found!
I-CAN-READ-HISTORY books
Wagon Wheels
Sam the Minuteman
The Drinking Gourd
Burgess Animal Adventures – funny, with short chapters
The Adventures of… Reddy Fox, Jimmy Skunk, Paddy Beaver, etc.
In our home, the most painless way to increase fluency has been to go through the Pathway Readers. The stories always hold my children’s attention (and mine, too!) My son is finishing up the Level 2 book “Busy Times” and has really enjoyed the scrapes that the children get into. 🙂
~Anna
February 7, 2014 at 12:35 pm
Misty
Participant
Angelina – correct outloud. He is not ready to just red indepenent. He still does make some/enough mistakes that he’s not ready to read alone. So yes, he’ll read these to me.
Sara – I read the Dev. for little folks and yes they are good, I even catch my 15 yr old listening and laughing along with us!
THANK YOU so very much everyone! I am checking my shelves as I know I have a good few of the ones mentioned. I guess I just forget about them when they are all mixed in with Little Women and Huck Finn. I knew you would all come through for me.
February 7, 2014 at 12:39 pm
eawerner
Participant
I agree about Pathway Readers increasing fluency. They worked beautifully to get dd from the step readers to chapter books.
February 7, 2014 at 1:26 pm
RobinP
Participant
I don’t know if you have access to them but my own sons as well as boys (and girls) in my library absolutely love several series of graduated readers.
Cowboy Sam
Dan Frontier
Tom Logan
Jim Forest
Each series begins very easy and becomes gradually more difficult. I mention these because they have made generations of boys into confident readers. They can be hard to find, but just in case…
February 7, 2014 at 2:49 pm
HollyS
Participant
DS has read quite a few already mentioned, but here are some I didn’t see already posted:
Tornado
Bears on Hemlock Mountain
Christian Liberty Nature Readers

These are twaddle-ish, but they’ve also read Encyclopedia Brown, Magic Tree House, and Nate the Great.
February 8, 2014 at 1:42 am
Monica
Participant
Fantastic suggestions. Thanks, everyone. I was looking for some book suggestions for my 8YO DS who can’t stand anything nicety-nice. LOL. I was able to go to the library with a great list today!
February 8, 2014 at 4:08 am
cdm2kk
Participant
My son is 7 and I have had him reading the Sonlight second grade readers and he has loved them all and he has been reading them independently. Before that, I had him read to me out loud the Burgess animal stories….
You can find them here…
http://www.mainlesson.com/displayauthor.php?author=burgess
and here for others of Burgess….
http://www.archive.org/stream/taleofjollyrobin00bail#page/n17/mode/2up
http://www.archive.org/stream/taleofsolomonowl00bail#page/n9/mode/2up
http://www.archive.org/stream/taleofreddywoodp00bail#page/18/mode/2up
http://www.readcentral.com/author/Thornton-W-Burgess
https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL19164A/Thornton_W._Burgess
I have him reading from this second grade reader too…
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=TScXAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP1
Here is the 3rd grade reader too:
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=iCYBAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&authuser=0&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP1

My son has enjoyed these and they have helped him improve his reading so much. I accidently gave him a reader that was meant for his sister and he read the chapter to me with no problems and I was shocked later when I realized my error and I looked at the book and found it was listed around 4th grade level…… had no idea he had improved that much since this time last year when he was barely reading 1st grade level readers. I just love love love homeschooling!!
HTH
February 8, 2014 at 3:04 pm
Misty
Participant
WOW thanks for the lists ladies! I found 1/2 these on my shelves , along with other books I forgot I had!
February 8, 2014 at 8:46 pm
greenebalts
Participant
Deanna at Little Schoolhouse in the Suburbs just published an excellent “History Read Alone List” if anyone interested. Anne McGovern, C R Bulla, Dalgliesh, and F N Monjo are just a few authors listed.

Here’s the link to the PDF …. http://littleschoolhouseinthesuburbs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/3GRD-History-read-alone-list.pdf

Here’s the link to the blog post. Scroll about half way down and click on
3GRD History Read Alone List http://littleschoolhouseinthesuburbs.com/2014/02/3grd-out-of-print-substitutions.html/