Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Chapter Book Recommendations for the Reluctant Reader

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I've been reading more chapter books lately in an effort to help my niece discover new books. She enjoys reading picture books but I'm trying to get her to expand her horizons a little bit and get her to read longer books. I've discovered some gems along the way and I thought with summer coming up it would be helpful to parents or guardians who are looking to add to their child's reading list.


Home for Meow

The Home for Meow series by Reese Eschmann is a cute and cuddly series taking place at a family run cat café. The First book in the series is The Purrfect Show

Kira Parker lives above The Purrfect Cup, the cat café that her family owns and runs. Every day is a new adventure with her cat friends! Except lately, The King County Dog Show seems to be the only thing the regulars can talk about!

Kira doesn’t get why everyone is so excited. After all, her cat friends are much smarter and more talented than those dogs. Then Kira has a GREAT IDEA -- she’s going to train the cats, and enter them in the competition. It’s sure to be her best plan yet!




Future Hero

This series is actually a collaborative effort. Remi Black wood consists of Chiemeka Nicely, Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie, and Jasmine Richards. I love that series starts in the UK in a Black British community. And the hero the fantasy world within the story is a Black boy. The first book in the series is Future Hero

Jarell has never quite known where he belongs. He’s ignored at home and teased at school for wanting to draw instead of playing sports with the other boys. The only place he’s ever felt truly at ease is his local barbershop where the owner hangs Jarell’s art up on the walls.

When Jarell discovers a hidden portal in the barbershop, he’s transported to a magical world that’s unlike anything he’s seen before. But it’s not just the powerful gods and dangerous creatures that makes this world different―it’s that everyone believes Jarell is the hero they’ve been waiting for.




Wednesday and Woof

This is a great series for reluctant readers and I liked that it included markers throughout to stop and give them praise for reading a certain wordcount or indicate how many pages are left in the story. Walia aka Wednesday has juvenile arthritis but she doesn't let it stop her from doing what she wants to do even if she has to make sure she doesn't over exert herself. The first book in the series is called Catastrophe

Can Wednesday and her service dog, Woof, sniff out Mrs. Winter’s missing cat before her big trip? This is the first book of a fun full-color early chapter book series about the best detectives in the Midwest!

Detective Tip #1 Try not to jump to conclusions. Wednesday and her service dog, Woof, are the best detectives in the whole world—or at least their neighborhood. But can they find Mrs. Winters’s missing cat before her big trip? Or will the case of the cat-napped kitty be their first unsolved mystery? 




Abby in Orbit

This series follows a young girl named Abby who has recently started living on the International Space Station with her family and is still getting adjusted to her new life. I like how this series includes science but in an approachable way without using too much jargon for young readers. The first book in the series is Blast Off

As Abby gets used to life in space, can she keep the things that are most important to her from drifting away?

It's the first day of third grade, and Abby Baxter is determined not to make any mistakes. It's a little trickier than it was last year, though, because Abby is starting school on the OASIS International Space Station, where her parents are scientists. Abby is so focused on getting used to microgravity, watching her little brother, Nico, and meeting her new classmates that she almost messes up Mami’s big experiment. Can she figure out how to make things right, or is she destined to be sent back to Earth?




Bo at the Buzz

This is a great series for the kids who just started reading on their own. It follows a little boy named Bo whose grandfather owns a barbershop called the Buzz. It's a very good introduction to chapter books with full color illustrations and a short length. There's also not enough books out there for little Black boys to relate to so this is a series they can see themselves in. You can start with Bo and the Basketball Game

Bo wants to be the star of his basketball team. But his friend plays better than him during practice. Follow Bo as he learns about being a team player and having fun playing the sport.

Bo’s life is always buzzing. And not just because he lives upstairs from The Buzz, a barbershop. Young readers will love following Bo’s daily life and adventures in these early chapter books.




Spooky Sleuths

This spooky chapter book series is based on ghost stories from Guyana. The Ghost Tree is the first book in this series. 

Asim's new town is freaking him out! There are weird noises at night, eerie lights, and now an evil tree that is growing way faster than it should. he's sure there's something supernatural going on.
His friend Rokshar believes that everything can be explained by science. But even she's worried when the tree takes control of their teacher! It's starting to look like an evil spirit straight out of Guyanese folklore is to blame. Can Asim and his friends save their teacher--and the town--from the ghost tree?
 



Isla of Adventure

This is a story set on a fictional Caribbean island with a little girl who has the power to talk to animals and explores the island having adventures. The adventures begin in Welcome to the Island.

Welcome to the adventurous island of Sol! For eight-year-old Isla Verde, Sol is the perfect place to live. The sun shines bright, the markets brim with delicious food and music, there are animal friends around every corner, and her best gecko buddy, Fitz, is up for almost every adventure!

Yes, Isla’s best friend is a gecko. In fact, that’s part of her big secret…she can speak to animals—and they speak right back! No one else knows about her special talent, not even Mama, Abuelo, or Abuela! But when new girl Tora moves in next door, Isla starts finding it harder to keep her secret under wraps.




Zara's Rules

A young Muslim girl named Zara is the self proclaimed Queen of the Neighborhood is always looking for ways to maximize fun with friends. The first book in the series is Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun.

Meet Zara Saleem, the queen of the neighborhood.

Zara’s in charge of it all: she organizes the games, picks the teams, and makes sure everyone has a good time…and they always do.

When a new family moves in across the street, suddenly Zara’​s reign is threatened by Naomi, who has big ideas of her own about how the neighborhood kids can have fun. To get everyone to notice her again, Zara decides she’s going to break a Guinness World Record—if her little brother Zayd doesn’t mess things up.

But when she finds herself increasingly alone in her record-breaking quest, Zara starts to wonder if sharing the crown and making a new friend might end up being the best rule of all.


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