My nephew is 6 1/2 and reads at a grade 3 level. I would like to get him a book for Christmas, in addition to the Bionicles I know he’ll love.
It would be fun to get him something that’s part of a series, and keep building on that for as long as he’s interested, but it’s certainly not mandatory.
He’s a very serious guy, so I would like to get him something fun and fictional, to take him away from his “troubles” for a bit - I was thinking of maybe a fantasy type story?
Any ideas? Help!!!
Not part of a series, and not fictional, in the commonly understood sense of the word.
Lot’s of fun though.
Fox In Socks, by Dr. Seuss.
Also maybe The Adventures of Captain Underpants, which is fictional, serial, and popular enough that at least some kids must think it’s fun.
Hmm…at that age, I adored the Danny Dunn books. (His being my namesake was only slightly relevant). There are tons of them, and they’re absurd little adventures.
Daniel
I’d recommend something a little more traditional like, The Great Brain http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0803725906/qid=1103320730/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-5293072-4379047?v=glance&s=books&n=507846. Very appropriate for third grade reading level.
Of course, there’s always the ubiquitous Harry Potter that I imagine could be managed by someone at third grade reading level. (My nephew read it younger than that, FWIW.)
I loved these in third grade but they may be a bit dated. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0152052135/qid=1103320983/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/103-5293072-4379047?v=glance&s=books
My 6 1/2 year old son who reads at a 3rd grade level absolutely loves to read the Magic Tree House series of books by Mary Pope Osbourne.
In elementary school, I read Nancy Drew/ The Hardy Boys/ The Bobbsey Twins et al. Also The Boxcar Children. (I’m 19, by the way, so he probably won’t think they’re too old-fashioned for him). Harry Potter books are a good suggestion. If he has a dark sense of humor, he might like A Series of Unfortunate Events. He might be a bit too young for the clever jokes and references but he could appreciate them as stories.
How about the Redwall series, by Brian Jacques? Here’s the official website for the books. 
Another vote for Redwall books. I ate 'em up at that age. Hardy Boys were good too, but they only held my interest for a couple years or so… I continued reading the Redwall series well into highschool.
The **Bunnicula ** series should be something he’ll like. There are six books in the orginal series, and at least three more in the companion series “Tales From the House of Bunnicula”. And if he likes that semi-spookiness, he may like the Ghost Squad books by E.W. Hildick - they’re out of print, but it looks like most of them can be bought used on Amazon. Maybe The Phantom Tollbooth and The Luck of Zap and Zoe by Athena V. Lord. I read the last one at least three times before I realized how Zoe is pronounced 
Oh, and maybe some brave-kid-in-nature books too, I know I loved books like Island **of the Blue Dolphins, Julie of the Wolves, My Side of the Mountain ** and Hatchet at that age; it just seemed soooo cool that these kids survived on their own.
I have to disagree with Redwall, though, I think that’s a little much for someone with a third grade reading level. He’ll probably be read for them in a couple of years, and the Time Quartet by Madeleine L’Engle too.
One bit of advice, though: even if it’s exciting to have a little relative who is miles ahead of their classmates in reading, don’t go overboard. When I was seven my dad thought these books and these would be great for me to read because I was already showing an interest in history and fantasy. When I was 12 I was finally old enough to enjoy the former, and I’ve never liked the latter. I felt bad about not liking the books then because he really wanted me to. 
He might enjoy the **Ramona Quimby ** series by Beverly Cleary.
If he thinks they’re too “girly” he could try her books on **Henry Huggins ** or The Mouse and the Motorcycle.
Bunnicula would be good, too.
Then there’s always Judy Blume’s Freckle Juice, Superfudge and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
Here is a book I forgot to mention, but it’s WONDERFUL. Thrump-O-Moto by James Clavell. The illustrations in that book are so beautiful, and the story is enthralling. (Despite the crappy reveiw, see if you can actually get your hands on the book to peruse it yourself.) Bunnicula, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and the Madeleine L’Engle’s books are good ones too. (Bunnicula still makes me laugh.) You might consider “The Keys to the Kingdom” series by Garth Nix, it’s a pretty good book, and looks like a decent series. I’ve read the first one, it’s not a classic, but a good book. (It looks like it could shape up to be a good series if the author can maintain momentum.)Mister Monday
I’ve not yet read Eragon, but you might take a peek to see if it’s appropriate. This book series might be something lighthearted and appealing, Catwings by Madeleine L’Engle. You might also peek at The Enchanted Forest Chronicles to see if they would do. They are the sort of books that would “grow” with the child, they would find more and more layers in the storys to appreciate as the got older and re-read them.
Earmark Diane Duane’s Young Wizard’s series for later, it’s a good series. The last ones are for “tweens” but the first book or two are good ones, and I’ve seen ten year olds read “So You Want to Be a Wizard?”, probably a precocious child could digest them at a younger age.
I’d suggest Gladstone’s beautiful albums of the classic Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck adventures by Carl Barks, and the new classics of Don Rosa.
My son is in third grade and is reading a series called The Spiderwick Chronicles. They’re by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. I think there’s five books in the series so far.
He also likes the Captain Underpants books.
Not a series, but a childhood favorite I still remember very fondly: Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
For a series – how about Encyclopedia Brown?
I was going to recommend Beverly Cleary, too. My favorites are the Henry Huggins, but my son adored the Mouse on the Motorcycle ones.
Also, I definately recommend the Great Brain books by John D. Fitzgerald, particularly for a bright child – my son loved them from the first read, and re-read them most recently at age 18, just before he left for boot camp.
Some I haven’t seen mentioned yet that your nephew might like are Edward Eager’s books – charming and whimsical books which might spark (at least they did in me) an interest in the works of E. Nesbit.
My son also really liked Elvira Woodruff’s books – especially Too Short for Third Grade and its sequel.
Also, – these are a little more challenging, so would be a good series for him to ‘grow into’ – Lynn Reid Banks Indian in the Cupboard books.
Try The Secrets of Droon series. My 3rd and 4th graders absolutely love them and they’re very appropriate both in terms of reading level and subject matter.
You could try the Lemony Snicket books, although they might be a little bit advanced for him.
I think every kid should read James Herriot. They may be a little advanced for him right now, although there are a couple of collections that are geared toward kids- look at “James Herriot Cat Stories” and “James Herriot Dog Stories”. I have the entire collection in paper and on cassette tape, and I never get tired of them.
This isn’t part of a series, but I highly recommend this neat book for any precocious child:
If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World’s People by David J. Smith and Shelagh Armstrong.
100 people live in the village.
My all-time favorite books to give for that age range are by Jon Scieszka, who writes absurd takeoffs of childrens classic tales. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs (both in collaboration with Lane Smith) are hilarious.
Mr Scieszka has also done a series about the Time Warp Trio, three boys who have adventures all over the world and Time.