Reading ideas for gifted child

[Rouge]

Let him read what he wants to read, age appropriate material be it fiction or non fiction. My daughter is gifted and the school allocate her special areas of the library from which she can read from. And she's reading at grade 6 level (in grade 2) yet they need to monitor content thoroughly. Something you might want to keep in mind.

Be wary with the premiers challenge my GF had LOTS of issues with it because her daughter is gifted and they won't let her enter in the older section but she will not ready the younger children's books for her age group.

[~Saram~]

Yep it is hard to find stuff that interests them and is appropriate for them but stll extends their reading level. In my experience any reading is good reading so yep if he wants to read picture books, go for it. there are some great picture books for older readers like Mao's last dancer, and books by Gary Crew - check these though as some are a bit dark and scary. Colin Thompson (I think) also does some good picture books for older readers.

Also have a look at the magazine section if he is interested in science (scientrific is a good one) and there are others as well that might pique his interest.

Non- fiction are great for building vocab if you can find topics he is interested in.

To extend his reading ability as well talk to him about the books and read them together out aloud so he builds his comprehension and also verbal reading skill, using tone, pitch and punctuation.

I think it is fabulous that you are involved in his reading!!! Fantastic work

[AnyDream]

TD, enjoy your visit to the library! He will probably keep reading picture books for a while even alongside harder stuff, and it's completely appropriate for him to do so. There are a lot of age-appropriate concepts and information about the way the world works in picture books that is not necessarily spelt out in novels.

Be wary with the premiers challenge my GF had LOTS of issues with it because her daughter is gifted and they won't let her enter in the older section but she will not ready the younger children's books for her age group.

That's totally dumb. In our reading challenge (SA) you're allowed to read up, and if a particular child is reading at a different developmental level (down) they are allowed (with approval from their teacher) to read from lower booklists too. My DD slowed herself down by selecting books above her reading age and I had to redirect her to some easier books just so she'd get the challenge finished on time.

[Rivlas]

My DH used to read encycopedias from a young age, starting from just browsing through the pictures to fully reading them.
You can also get him to write stories including pictures, for his sister and then reading them to her.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

When I was 7 I had the reading age of a 12-year-old. I hated the books the school gave me to read.

I liked Roald Dahl books (still do!) and adored the Mallory Towers series (Enid Blyton). I remember the day after my 7th birthday, Mum had made me see visitors all day on my birthday and I hated that, I got up before everyone else in the house the day after and had finished my new Famous Five book before anyone else woke up!

Books aimed at junior school children - try the age 8-11 section in libraries and bookshops - will be pretty age-appropriate and fun to read. Don't make everything a challenge. My mum never pushed my reading and I had finished The Lord of the Rings by the time I finished primary school. How about some D!ckens?: great use of words, expands vocabulary and GREAT stories which often start off being about children. I first read David Copperfield and Great Expectations age 9 and loved those.

Having said that, if you are going to allow more adult books, always censor them first. No way will my pre-teen children read half of what I did!

[Tinks]

Whatever interests him. My son ins't a fantastic reader but loves non fiction whereas my daughter is a brilliant reader and loves fiction. Paul Jennings is fantastic has he read any of his books? Goosebumps are popular as is Morris Gleitzman. There is also a book called "Naughty stories for good boys and girls' which my kids like.

Has he read The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe series?

[Cricket]

I loved to read as a child and was reading well beyond my age, as is my DD. (She's 5 and taught herself to read about a year ago. She's at about a 9-10 year old level now.)
Be careful not to choose books that deal with concepts or emotional issues that are beyond his capacity. Older childrens' books may do that, and he will have the intellectual ability to perceive the problem, but may not have the emotional maturity to distance himself from it. I find that children who are intelligent beyond their years are also very perceptive and sensitive to conflict or difficulties, and such books may give him more stress than he is able to cope with.

Anyways, here's a few titles that occured to me as I was thinking about it:

- "The Cricket in Times Square"
- books by Marguerite Henry (horse stories, mostly.)
- books by Beverly Cleary
- "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- "Redwall" series by Brian Jacques. (might be a little beyond him yet - my brothers loved this series)
- "Magic Treehouse" series - brother and sister have a magic treehouse that allows them to explore through time and space. Light and interesting reading - lot's of information!
- I'll second what Ryn said about Roald Dahl - great stuff! Loved it as a kid.
- you could try the original Winnie the Pooh stories by A.A. Milne. Don't confuse these with the Disney crap that's so popular for toddlers. The original works are very creative, have great vocabulary, display human nature in a clever and humourous way, and are really very funny. Adults catch more than children do of these, but your son might pick up on it too.
- a good children's encyclopedia/dictionary. (my favourite books as a child!)
- you could try some of the "Dear America" or the "Dear Canada" or the "Royal Diaries" series. They are fictional diaries written by children aged 10-13 or so, set in different time periods and events in history. They might have an Australian series too, I really don't know. These books are written by various authors, and I have yet to find one that I was disappointed in. They are easy to read, and FULL of information about these eras/events. Even if they're not local history, they're still fascinating, I think. Down side is most of them are about girls, but he might not care, and there are some about boys too. (A boy on a 1800's cattle drive in the western US, a boy on a whaling ship in the late 1800's, a young boy slave in the US, etc.)

Broaden his intellect by providing him with interesting books in the areas of science, art, sports, mechanics, etc, etc. But don't make reading a chore - let him read at a wide range of age levels. Don't say "you're too old for that book" if it's one he wants to take home from the library. I'm 28 and I still enjoy reading my kids books sometimes. Reading should develop the mind (I don't believe in allowing my kids to read crap) but it should also be fun!

If I think of any more titles, I'll jot them down for you.