# 5th Grade-level books for sensitive Kindergartner? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043 "2013-06-03T15:46:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/61 "2013-06-04T17:56:57Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > None of them are in the fantasy genre though. Maybe the Narnia series? Oh yes, because the Aslan sacrifice scene won’t be totally life-shatteringly traumatic for a sensitive kindergartner. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/62 "2013-06-04T18:17:25Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Oh yes, because the Aslan sacrifice scene won’t be totally life-shatteringly traumatic for a sensitive kindergartner. I saw “It” when I was 5 so what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/63 "2013-06-04T20:34:37Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > When I was in 1st grade I was in a detention room for something or other with a bunch of other kids, and no adult supervision. One kid kept turning the light off and I got mad and stabbed him in the stomach with the tip of a sharpened pencil. Was this in Reno? Did you do it just to watch him die? ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/64 "2013-06-04T21:24:03Z")
My nine-year old was in a similar boat at that age. It is still hard to find age-appropriate reading material for him. Right now he mostly just keeps re-reading Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. But I digress… Here are a few off the top of my head. Some of these are not 5th-grade reading material, but he enjoyed them when he was in preschool - 1st grade: Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne. The reading level gets progressively harder as the series progresses. anything by Dick King-Smith, such as Babe and Harry’s Mad. Mostly animal stories. Bad Kitty chapter books (not picture books) by Nick Bruel. So funny! The Chronicles of Narnia He loved the Rainbow Fairies series, although IMHO the writing is terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/65 "2013-06-04T21:38:26Z")
Missed the edit window, but on second thought Chronicles of Narnia would probably be too violent. My son is also fairly sensitive though, and he did okay with them. There is nothing scary or violent about any of the other books I listed. ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/66 "2013-06-05T00:01:52Z")
I could have written the OP myself, including the aversion to conflict (ny daughter is genuinely distressed by naughtiness). We’re in the UK, so there may be some different stuff for you to try, if you can get hold of it. I’m certainly going to take some of the US suggestions you’ve had. We’ve had success with Winnie the Pooh, also the Flat Stanley books, which have a story but little conflict. She also likes Michael Bond’s stories, but oddly not Paddington Bear. The Rainbow fairy books are safe, but I agree with whoever said that the writing is poor. Darcy Bussell has also written a set of wish fulfilling stories based on the traditional ballets, I think. They’re better than the fairies. A bit. The biggest hit, though, has been pigging Enid Blyton, specifically the Secret Seven. She loves them, absolutely laps them up. I think they’re awful, cliched, borderline racist (although the modern editions have been cleaned up a little), sexist nonsense. She, on the other hand, did the thing I suspect most kids do the first time they encounter Blyton: formed her own secret society and invited all her friends. She’s got a handful of newer stuff she seems to be enjoying, but she’s sleeping on them all at the moment, so I’ll post titles later! One thing, although you didn’t ask this… We’ve found we can gently push her tolerance with the choice of books we read to/with her, in addition to her independent reading. So, we could read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with her and she was fine. We’ve just done Harry Potter 1 and she loved it, rereading her favourite chapters once we’d covered them. Not sure how far we’ll get through the series, but we’ll do the next couple. She has tried to hide her head under the covers in a couple of occasions, but we’ve gently pushed her a bit and she’s doing well. I don’t know how you feel about your daughter’s emotional reactions, but with ours we’d like to help her see that there’s often a happy ending after the conflict, and that a but of dramatic tension can be a good thing, so we’re trying gradually to extend her range a little bit. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/67 "2013-06-05T00:28:09Z")
[The Cricket in Times Square.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cricket_in_Times_Square) It is an adorable story and I highly recommend it, even if it is something that you read to her before bed instead of her reading it for herself. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/68 "2013-06-05T01:20:00Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > [The Cricket in Times Square.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cricket_in_Times_Square) It is an adorable story and I highly recommend it, even if it is something that you read to her before bed instead of her reading it for herself. Oh **yeah**!! In fact, pretty much all the children’s books by [George Selden](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Selden_(author)), including a couple of sequels to the _Cricket_ book, and _ **I just googled George Selden for that link and found out that there are actually MORE Chester/Harry/Tucker sequels THAT I NEVER EVEN KNEW ABOUT AS A CHILD AND I MUST GO FIND THEM AND READ THEM RIGHT NOW!!!** _ Screamed the 49-year-old college professor. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/69 "2013-06-05T18:30:42Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I haven’t read these so I don’t know if they’re any good or not (nor am I sure what age they’re aimed at), but what about the “American Girl” series? They have different young girl protagonists set in all sorts of different time periods. If you go with these, though, just be sure to keep her away from the huge merchandising machine (dolls, furniture, clothes, etc.–and all expensive!) that goes with the books. I thought of those myself, but I wasn’t sure. I know the ones I remember reading when my sister got them all had conflict in them as the initial setup. They are dealing with real history after all. Sure, the conflict is minor, at a nine-year-old level, but I’m not sure it would fit a six year old. I mean, I remember Addy most, and they discuss some harsh slavery punishments in the first (aka “Meet”) book. ---
**Author:** ![kbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbear)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/70 "2013-06-05T18:53:47Z")
Does she like history? The Roman Mystery Series by Caroline Lawrence was a big hit with one of my daughters. also the “My Story” series which places young girls at certain points in history…a lot is war related but a lot is just place in time such as the Victorian Age or the Roman Age. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/71 "2013-06-06T01:40:24Z")
Daniel Pinkwater – The Snarkout Boys books: _The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death_ _The Snarkout Boys and the Baconsburg Horror_ ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/72 "2013-06-06T13:31:40Z")
Has she read “The Doughnuts” by Robert McCloskey? (It’s from the book Homer Price, but is often anthologized.) Also: _Blue Willow_ by Doris Gates (Yes, it’s about migrant workers during the Depression, but it’s pretty mild, nobody’s starving or abused.) _Born to Trot_ and _White Stallion of Lipizza_, both by Marguerite Henry _A Filly for Joan_ by C.W. Anderson And _Mini Mysteries: 20 Tricky Tales to Untangle_ by Rick Walton. American Girl publishes it, but it’s contemporary and not violent or upsetting, and sort of like Encyclopedia Brown. Don’t confuse this paperback filled with short stories with the historical mysteries about the American Girl characters, which are complete hardback novels in a smaller size. Also, you could try books of “trickster tales”, which have a smaller animal outwitting a larger one to escape. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/73 "2013-06-06T15:11:45Z")
Born to Trot is a weird one, what with the main characters unnamed illness that requires him to live away from his family in a convalescent home. (My horse message board debated it, and concluded he had tuberculosis) That said, There’s nothing inappropriate in content, and little kids don’t think about those details. Marguerite Henry in general, my childhood favorite was King of the Wind. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/74 "2013-06-06T15:20:50Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Has she read “The Doughnuts” by Robert McCloskey? (It’s from the book Homer Price, but is often anthologized.) I had to Google that one to be sure it was the same thing, but I remember reading it. I think I also saw a film version of that story at a kid’s birthday party. And I read a couple of the books about [Henry Reed](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Reed_%28fictional_character%29). As I remember, he lived overseas because his father was in the Foreign Service, so he was sent to the US to stay with an uncle for summer vacations. He made friends with a girl who lived nearby and the books described their adventures. One year they organized a circus on the farm. Another year he and the girl traveled by auto across the US with her parents. And I also read the books about [Danny Dunn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn). Basically, I think there is a lot less peril in these older children’s books. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/75 "2013-06-06T15:59:50Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Born to Trot is a weird one, what with the main characters unnamed illness that requires him to live away from his family in a convalescent home. (My horse message board debated it, and concluded he had tuberculosis) That said, There’s nothing inappropriate in content, and little kids don’t think about those details. Marguerite Henry in general, my childhood favorite was King of the Wind. Yeah, but King of the Wind is probably too harsh yet for this child based on the discussions above. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/76 "2013-06-06T16:52:47Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Has she read “The Doughnuts” by Robert McCloskey? (It’s from the book Homer Price, but is often anthologized.) I really enjoyed the Homer Price stories too when I was around 6-7. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/77 "2013-06-06T18:06:48Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Born to Trot is a weird one, what with the main characters unnamed illness that requires him to live away from his family in a convalescent home. (My horse message board debated it, and concluded he had tuberculosis) That said, There’s nothing inappropriate in content, and little kids don’t think about those details. Marguerite Henry in general, my childhood favorite was King of the Wind. I couldn’t find a cite for this, but I have a book by Marguerite Henry called _Dear Readers and Riders_ (published in 1969), in which she answers questions about her books. One letter asked why Gibson White was hospitalized. According to Henry, Gibson really wanted to be a jockey but was too tall and heavy. He developed anorexia and made himself seriously ill through not eating and excessive exercising. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/78 "2013-06-06T18:25:02Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > \*\* . . . or, _The Semi-Annual ‘Books for Celtling’ Thread._\*\* > > I’m having trouble finding books which are both challenging for my child and emotionally appropriate. She is a 6-year-old who reads on the 5th-grade level. She is also a fairly sensitive child, and not ready for books where pets die, or anyone is in serious danger. She also really dislikes books where there is a lot of interpersonal conflict. (Still won’t read “Green Eggs and Ham” because “They are just fighting the whole time!”). > > So, anyone who has been through a similar age-\>ability gap, or who has an older child with a similarly senstive nature: Suggestions for books/series she might like? > > Other misc. info: > > Loves animals and Princesses > Really enjoyed the “How to Tame Your Dragon” series. > Couldn’t bear to begin on Lemony Snicket. It was right out after only a few pages. > She still really likes pictures > Short stories are especially nice, although chapter books are OK. > > Thank you for any ideas you can share! what about the Mary Poppins books, Winnie the pooh(the real book, not the baby books), I liked the Just so stories but they might be a little graphic, Heidi… I think if you look at some of the older stories a lot of them were gentler in nature. I didn’t start to read until I was 6 but by the time I was in 5th grade I was reading on High school level and quickly progressed to college level. I still have my winnie the pook/House at Pooh corners and Heidi, and a book of Poetry I got when I was not much older. I checked the Mary Poppins books out of the Library. Another series I really liked was (I think) All of a kind family, about 6 sisters growing up in a Jewish family. I also read every Childlife biography about a girl. I will try to think of some more that I liked, I read a Lemony snickett book as an adult and hated it. blech! ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/79 "2013-06-06T18:33:07Z")
I also liked the Borrowers books ---
**Author:** ![Tara57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Tara57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tara57)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043/80 "2013-06-06T18:54:50Z")
I would also like to recommend : Raggedy Ann, by Johnny Gruelle books by Lois Lenski, particularly Strawberry Girl and her other regional books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5th-grade-level-books-for-sensitive-kindergartner/660043.md?page=5)