Chapter Books Series for Young Readers

Contemporary Series for Young Readers.

With so many series out there, it can often prove difficult for children to find just the right one. Nobody knows the frustration of finishing a wonderful series like me, especially when you realize that you want a new series along the same lines, so for this blog entry I will try to suggest some series for each category (fantasy, younger readers, classics etc…) For the purpose of this blog, this will probably take several entries, since there are so many series out there for so many different interests!

Early Readers Chapter Books

For those not familiar with the chapter books, these are simply books for children going into grades 1-3, they offer new vocabulary words, and help readers become comfortable with concepts like plot and continuing stories.

Magic Tree House:  This series has over 50 books in it, not to mention fact trackers and puzzle and game books. I like this series because you do not necessarily have to read them in order, although it does help if you want to keep track of what your young reader has already read. Parents should be warned that as the name suggests, there is a magical tree house that is their means of transportation, so if you are not comfortable with your children reading books with magic in them, it would probably be best to skip this series.

This series can be best split into three categories, early chapter books, each of which takes Jack and Annie on an adventure to a specific time and place in history, where they must complete a mission and find something or someone significant. The next set is called the Merlin missions, these are the next level up and offer young readers more advanced story line, a little more plot, and a higher level vocabulary. Fact trackers are books which are more non-fiction than fiction. This set help the young reader to learn about the specific time and place talked about in each story, I like to suggest these for young readers who make have very little interest in non-fiction, since it sometimes help to have a favorite character added to the mix. So if for example your young reader has just read the magic tree house book about the Knights, there is a fact tracker dealing with medieval history, with a child appropriate introduction to facts like who wore what, building design, and food.

Disney Fairy Series: This series has only a few books in it, but it was one of the better written chapter books out there, so if parents or guardians out there are doing most of the reading, this will not be as tough to get through as the Candy Fairies or Captain Underpants, both series I find strongly lacking in both plot and appropriate context for children. This series is a good one for girls because if they like fairy stories, this is an excellent way to sneak in an extra lesson in with the story. Each book deals with a specific fairy and a problem they face, with the ending always being about taking responsibility for your actions.

Ivy and Bean: This is a series about two little girls and the adventures they go on. Another series that is probably more appropriate for girls than boys, but unlike the above two series, has not magic at all. There are ten books in the series at this point, and it does make sense to read them in order, however, it is not absolutely necessary since there are no drastic changes between books.

Nate the Great: This is a series better suited towards boys, but both boys and girls can read them if the parent approves. This is an introduction to mystery for young readers, each story finding Nate given a mystery to solve and clues to follow. I found this to be a nice introduction to the mystery genre, not too scary or confusing, and an excellent series if you find your young reader wanting something a little more challenging than My Weird School or Flat Stanly.

There are certainly more series out there, however, this are the few that most libraries and bookstores are going to have in stock at the moment, I found these series to be the most manageable for both parents and young readers, in addition to being series with limited problem areas, like children rebelling against authority or using made up words that case nothing but confusion for young readers. I hope you find something new and exciting for your young readers this week!