I have a new budding reader in the house, yay! My son just turned 7 and is starting to read longer books like beginner chapter books. My oldest is a girl so we have tons of books that she loved; find a full list of them on my blog post HERE! Now that his reading is taking off, I needed to find a bunch of books that he would love too. I’m still always on the hunt, but here is a great list of some of his favorites so far and other beginning reader chapter books. Many of these are great for both boys and girls!
*I personally love to be able to look inside a book to get a feel of the difficulty level and see if I think it would overwhelm him or not, so I have included a peek at the inside of as many as I could, so you can get a good idea for your child’s level.
A fun trick I learned in determining if the book is best for your child is to have them open it to ANY page and read 2 sentences. If they struggle within those sentences, you might need something easier, or if they fly through it, you might want something a little more challenging. I like to get a mix of books that I know are easy for him and some at his reading level. The easy one’s help build their confidence and the books at their level, or above, give them just enough of a challenge to work on.
My son usually has 2 books going at a time; one easier book he reads on his own at bedtime or during quiet time, and one book at his reading level that he reads to me sometime during the day. I have recently had my children start reading to me while I make dinner or fold laundry and it has become a really special time, while also getting things done.
Click the title of each book if you wish to read a synopsis of what it’s about or read reviews. Most of these books have multiple titles in their series, so be sure to check them all out if they fall in love with one!
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2. Frog & Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
3. Little Bear by Elsa Minarik
4. Charlie & Mouse Lost and Found by Laurel Snyder
- Charlie & Mouse Collection
5. Extraordinary Warren Saves the Day by Sarah Dillard
6. Sydney & Taylor Take a Flying Leap by Jacqueline Davies
8. Henry Heckelbeck and the Race Car Derby by Wanda Coven
10. Cornbread & Poppy at the Carnival by Matthew Cordell
11. Wallace and Grace Take the Case by Heather Alexander
12. Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
13. Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant
14. Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat by Cynthia Rylant
15. Henry and Mudge and the Careful Cousin by Cynthia Rylant
16. Super Turbo Saves the Day! by Lee Kirby
17. Pedro: Pedro’s First Goal by Fran Maushkin
18. Magic Tree House Books by Mary Pope Osborne
19. The Imagination Station Adventures by Marianne Hering
20. The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls Series by M. J. Thomas
For the next step up after these books, try:
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo (& others)
The Secret Explorers Series by SJ King
Christian Liberty Nature Readers Book K by Florence M. Linstrom
There are so many great books out there! I hope you’re able to find some great books for your kids. If you know of any other great book series, please mention them in the comments below!
Happy Reading!
– Lindsay
Thank you for the recommendations!
Thank you! This list is incredible.