Are you looking for more books for your child to keep them occupied this school holiday? Well, we’ve got just the thing for you!
Reading is one of the best ways to improve your child’s language fluency, while also increasing their general knowledge. It can help them increase their range of vocabulary and heighten their reading comprehension skills, especially if the reading material is pitched at the right level.
However, it may be a challenge to search for appropriate books for your child’s age and reading level. Furthermore, you’ll want to make sure the books are child-friendly, with themes and stories suitable for children.
So, here are some of our recommendations of popular and great books for your primary school child.
1. Land of the Stories series (Chris Colfer)
An incredibly popular series of books by American author Chris Colfer, the fantasy-adventure stories weaves together classic fairytales that most children will already be familiar with. Each book follows the journey of the protagonist twins as they enter the worlds in story books and find themselves solving mysteries, discovering new realms, and learning more about what it means to be family.
Suitable for: Kids with a lot of imagination who love fantasy and fairytales!
You may also like: How to Train Your Dragon series (Cressida Cowell) – Lovers of fantasy and adventure will enjoy the epic story of Hiccup set in a land where dragons exist.
2. Henry Huggins (Beverly Cleary)
Avid readers should be no stranger to Beverly Cleary, but if this is the first time you are hearing about her, you’ll be in for a treat! Henry Huggins is the first book in a series that finds the titular character, Henry, developing a friendship with the mischievous puppy, Ribsy, but later finds himself at risk of being separated from his pet. Like most of the author’s books, the story centres around an ordinary child protagonist, their day-to-day adventures and challenges, all written with generous amounts of wit and humour.
Suitable for: Those who prefer a slice-of-life genre in the form of a light and humourous read.
You may also like: Ramona Quimby – a spin-off series by the same author based on one of the supporting characters in the Henry Huggins series
3. Anne Frank’s Story (Carol Ann Lee)
Based on true events, this biography narrates the life story of Ann Frank in an easy-to-read style for young readers. Through six succinct chapters, readers will discover more about Ann as she grew up in Frankfurt and Amsterdam, followed by her years in hiding and experience in the concentration camps. Making the difficult topic of the Holocaust accessible to children as young as primary school, this is a poignant read that parents may find helpful for children to broaden their worldview and learn about history.
Suitable for: Kids who are ready to dive into deeper, real-world topics like war, racial discrimination, and genocide.
You may also like: Journey to Jo’burg (Beverley Naidoo) – another book with a historical perspective, this one narrates the time of Apartheid in South Africa.
4. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)
Chilling yet delightful may sound like an unlikely pairing of words to describe a book, but that’s what Neil Gaiman has proven himself to excel at. This horror-fantasy book tells the story of an orphan boy who grows up in a graveyard, brought up by the ghosts who reside there. Real danger lies in the world of the living, and Bod has to find a way around the challenges that lie ahead of him. The interesting premise is sure to tickle the minds of fantasy lovers, especially those with a fascination with the supernatural.
Suitable for: Fantasy lovers who aren’t easily spooked by the ‘monster under the bed’.
You may also like: Coraline – an equally creepy story written by Neil Gaiman.
5. A to Z Mysteries (Ron Roy)
Mystery buffs, look up! The A to Z Mysteries series is a charming set of stories with alliterating titles such as ‘The Absent Author’ and ‘The Bald Bandit’. A trio of friends set out on adventures to solve mysteries, putting on their detective caps to do good. For books in the mystery genre, this series manages to be engaging without relying on violence or scary elements, while being wholesome in its message. Young readers will find it exciting to rack their brains with the protagonists to piece together the puzzles before the resolution is revealed in the book.
Suitable for: Reader who love puzzles and suspense will be spoilt by these series of 26 books!
You may also like: The Magic Treehouse (Mary Pope Osborne) – Another series with a similar concept of a bumbling group of kids on their adventures to solve mysteries.
Other good reads for this age range
If you’re still looking for more, here are more books you may want to check out (listed in no particular order):
- Judy Moody the series (Megan McDonald)
- The Geronimo Stilton series (Elisabetta Dami)
- The Little Prince (Antoine De Saint-Exupery)
- The Thief Lord (Cornelia Funke)
- Skellig (David Almond)
- Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
- The Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling)
- The Perfect Hamburger (Alexander McCall Smith)
- A Letter To Mrs. Roosevelt (CoCo De Young)
- Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
- James And The Giant Peach (Roald Dahl)
- Matilda (Roald Dahl)
- The Improbable Cat (Allan Ahlberg)
- Groosham Grange (Anthony Horowitz)
- A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)
- Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer)
- Pippi Longstocking (Astrid Lindgren)
- Fortunately, the Milk (Neil Gaiman)
- The World According to Humphrey series (Betty Birney)
Conclusion
There’s really plenty of books out there for children of any age to get into. We’ve tried to feature a variety of genres to suit children of different tastes – but it’s also a good idea to try them all to vary the types of books your child is reading!
To discover even more reading options, regular visits to the library is always a good idea. These books also make great gifts for any children around the primary 2 to 4 age!
Is your child a reluctant reader, or aren’t improving in their English despite reading regularly? When it comes to English in school, it requires a little more than being a good reader – they also need the exam skills! Join us for Primary School English Tuition to get personal guidance and targeted practice for your child, and help them further excel in English!