# 154 My Favorite Easy Chapter Books for Your Young Reader

     I just reviewed my purpose for writing this blog.

     Up there at the top of each post is a statement that I plan to offer help to young readers with competent reading skills who hesitate to cross that invisible dividing line separating them from independently enjoying books.

     You may be aware of such a person--one who has stopped there on the edge too long and never learned to fly. 

     Some of them grow up to be adults.  You will recognize them.  They are the people who can read, but don't.

     During the first two or three years of formal  schooling, children are nudged to the edge of that precipice. They are constantly exposed to the excitement of learning to read. 

     They learn to break the magical code of phonics and sight words that form sentences, and they learn to please parents and teachers by performing the act of reading.

     But then sometimes they do not choose to read for their own enjoyment.  Why?

     It may be because reading is still an effort.  It is our job to make sure that they will reap enough reward to make it worthwhile until it becomes easier.

    One thing we can do is to provide them with some really good books, from stores, libraries, or friends! A newer technique is to use one of the electronic readers such as Amazon's Kindle or Barnes and Noble's Nook. Some children love to use these devices.

     (If you are interested, I publish another blog about eBooks for kids at http://www.ebooks4kids.blogspot.com. Just click on the link above.)

     I am also offering you list of some of my own favorite easy chapter books.  Perhaps some of them will become your child's favorites too.

     *Pippi Longstocking (series) by Astrid Lindgren

     *Stone Fox (a powerful book) by John Reynolds   Gardiner

     *The Marvin Redpost Series by Louis Sachar

     *Horrible Harry (series) by Suzy Kline

     *Junie B. Jones (series) by Barbara Park

    *The Magic Treehouse  Series by Mary Pope Osborne

     *Sarah, Plain and Tall and its sequels by Patricia MacLachlan

     *Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective series by Donald J. Sobol

     *Frog and Toad are Friends (very easy) by Arnold Lobel

     *The Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary

    Summer is coming here in the northern hemisphere, and many children will have school vacations.  

     I hope this list will be helpful as you look for  reading material for your young readers in the next few months.  

     Keep them reading, but make sure you add joy to the experience.  Remember, it still requires some effort at this stage.

     But eventually, it will get easier, and they will become readers for a lifetime.