Novel Ideas

Zilla is 8 years old 

Mega is 5 years old

⭐️　At what age is a child ready to listen to a chapter book?
⭐️　At what age can a child read a chapter book?
⭐️　What are some good chapter books to start with?
⭐️　How can I feed the reading habit without breaking the bank?

Reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do. It is not only good bonding time but also great for a child's development. Thankfully there are many excellent books to help make reading fun!

On this blog some of our favorite books can be found under the labels Books and Great Books (how imaginative, right?). There are Japanese/English Bilingual Books listed as well.

With this post I'm going to start a new section with suggestions for chapter books. Making the first foray into reading chapter books can be a bit daunting but it doesn't have to be. There is no best time or way to introduce them but here are some general ideas.

⭐️　At what age is a child ready to listen to a chapter book?
Anytime is ok. However, I've found the kids to develop more interest in following a long story line from around 3/4 years old.
We took the dive into reading a chapter to two at bedtime each day when Zilla was 5 yrs old and Mega was 2. At first Mega fell asleep most nights before the chapter was over but in time she began to stay awake and ask questions which showed she was trying to follow the story.

⭐️　At what age can a child read a chapter book?
This will depend greatly on the child's reading ability and interest level. There are many great first chapter books series. Some are books written specifically for beginning readers, others are simplified versions of classic novels. Finding a theme / topic that the child is interested in is key.

⭐️　What are some good chapter books to start with?
Mega and Zilla are currently hooked on the Boxcar Children. We just finished book 13 Snowbound Mystery. In between each Boxcar Children book we read a different book so we are able to keep enjoying a variety of books while also following some of our favorite characters as they solve various mysteries.
Other books we're read recently are the Little House on the Praire series, Charlotte's Web, and Swiss Family Robinson. Do you see a movie/book theme going on here? We enjoy watching the movie after reading the book. Comparing the book and movie makes for some interesting discussions!
 On our shelf of books waiting to be read we have Snow Treasure, Island of the Blue Dolphins, My Side of the Mountain and Chronicles of Narnia.

⭐️　How can I feed the reading habit without breaking the bank?
It can get expensive quickly if your child gets hooked on reading.  Here are a few affordable options to explore!
 - Local library & Inter-Library Loan - While our local libraries don't have books in English we can get some through the inter library loan system. You never know what books your library may have access to is you don't ask!
 - E-books (iBooks has a Boxcar Children Box set of 1-12 at a great price!) have saved us a lot on both purchasing price and shelf space! Many of the older classics have versions that can be downloaded & read for free.
 - Book swaps - Whether in person or online swapping books is a great way to share the joy of reading! Check out  Bookmooch.com
 - Amazon and other online shops often offer books at reasonable prices. Since we don7t have English books in local stores Amazon has become a vary valuable resource!

Need some more book suggestions? Check out these lists.
50 Books Before 12 
Newbery Medal
Wilder Medal (for Authors/Illustrators)

Tell us you favorite chapter books in the comments below!