My 7 year old is coming around to reading more independently, and we still love to read together (I hope this is true forever). The books that appeal to her most are non fiction and books with lots of images- making graphic texts perfect for her. We’ve rounded up the books we’ve loved reading most this year.
Urban Legendz by Paul Downs, Nick Bruno, and Michael Yates was recommended to us by a friend (hi, Kate and Leo!), and it was an instant hit. It’s a little intense- after his mom passes, a kid moves to New York with his older brother and dad to live with his grandma. He falls in with a crowd of kids who are noticing some strange occurrences around town. They find that the urban legends of New York, like sewer rats and living gargoyles, have become real. My kid loved how exciting it was- we read it all in one sitting!
The Cece books are a series, Cece Loves Science: Push and Pull is one is a favorite of ours, though my 7 year old can read this one on her own. Cece’s books all feature a girl loves to explore scientific concepts. In this one, she and her friends must use the scientific method to win a contest!
Jared Cullen’s Kodi is about a girl- Katya- who would rather read comic books than brave her peers who make fun of her ears. One day while she is visiting her grandma, she finds herself escaping a rainstorm in a cave, only to find a – gasp- bear is in there! She helps the bear recover from an injury and they become friends. When she must travel back to Seattle, Kodi Bear misses her and sets out to find her. There are more pictures than words, so kids who are excited to read longer books but nervous about lots of words will love this one.
To know me is to probably know of my love of the Imagineers books. We’ve read the picture books, and this October we were thrilled to find Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote ! Sofia’s teacher decides the class should add a pet to their class, so the students campaign for which pet they’d like. Sofia is the Election Commissioner, and she learns all about how to hold a fair election and what to do when, of course, the vote is tied. We love how relatable Sofia’s experience is, and the mix of cool images and text help keep my kid engaged.
Kitty’s mom is a real-life superhero, and Kitty wants to be one day, too. Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue is the first in this series, and we love it. Kitty decides to help out when she hears about someone who needs her help. She must overcome her fears as she learns to trust herself and her superpowers, and she makes several new cat friends along the way.
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