What to read next: Recommendations for kids by kids

Posted on February 12, 2019 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson

In my years of helping kids find books to read, one thing has remained the same—kids always want to read the same books their friends are reading.

Often, a new title has gained traction. It’s also not uncommon for older series to suddenly come into popularity again, based on word of mouth.

When I am looking at books with kids, I like to ask them for their recommendations. Knowing what is popular goes a long way toward helping kids find their next good read.

For this blog post, I decided to go straight to the readers. In their own words, here are book recommendations for kids by kids. Happy reading!

Fancy Nancy Series, by Jane O’Connor

Recommended by Megan, age 5

“Fancy Nancy is always fancy. Her family is definitely not fancy. So Nancy helps her family learn to be fancy. I like her because I like to be fancy too!”

Blue Hat, Green Hat, by Sandra Boynton

Recommended by Micah, age 5

“This book is funny because a silly turkey always does the wrong thing. And I can read this book all by myself! Blue hat, green hat, yellow hat, OOPS!”

Zoey and Sassafras Series, by Asia Citro

Recommended by Zoe, age 7

“In this series, Zoey finds magical creatures that need help. She does experiments and research to find out how to help the animals. I like the series because it’s really cool to read about magical animals. And also, I like how Zoey does research and writes in her journal. She is really nice and helps the creatures.”

Hilo Series, by Judd Winick

Recommended by Josh, age 8

“There’s this guy named Hilo who belches a lot and is from a different planet. He looks like a regular boy. I like this book because Hilo is really funny. The pictures in the book show really good illustrations. Readers who want to start reading graphic novels would like this book.”

The 39 Clues Series, by a variety of authors

Recommended by Ali, age 9

“The series is about a sister and brother who are on a hunt to find clues around the world. If they succeed they will gain great power. I like the adventure and learning about history and important people and places.”

Amulet Series, by Kazu Kibuishi

Recommended by Grace, age 10

“This is a fantasy series of graphic novels. The main character is Emily who inherits her grandfather’s powerful amulet necklace. The series follows Emily on a journey to magical places in search of answers about the amulet. I like this series because it doesn’t have chapters! You can just keep reading it until you finish. Readers of fantasy (but with actual people in it) would really like this book.”

Fablehaven Series, by Brandon Mull

Recommended by Caleb, age 11

“Fablehaven is about a brother and sister who find out that their grandparents’ home is a preserve for magical creatures. The series is about the adventures they have working together to save the preserve and the world. I like all the fantasy and magical creatures in the book. There is a lot of adventure and excitement and good characters.”

Rachel Edmondson

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