11 Plus Exams Forum

My older boys (a Yr 6 who just passed to the Grammar he wanted, thank goodness) and a Yr 4 who is starting to work on it) have their own reading lists.
However my daughter, age 6 and in Yr 2, really wants a list of her own to go through.
I have searched the internet for recommended lists - the books on the older boys' list are in the main too difficult for her. She is of a somewhat nervous disposition (The Witches by Dahl would be enough to give her nightmares) and reads lots of Daisy Meadow/Fairies books which are beginning to drive me round the bend.
Does anyone have any further ideas/reading suggestions for her age?

does she like animals ? what about Dick King Smith?

My daughter loved Matilda, about a clever girl getting one up on her parents!

I've PM'd you

Have a look at this:

http://www.baldworm.co.uk/reading_Lists/Year2.html

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm still looking around and collecting titles but these were useful, in fact as I was looking up the links I then found these lists from the Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/book ... -Pt-1.html

I'm still trying to list which of Michael Morpurgo's books are suitable for the younger age group (e.g butterfly lion is, but not war horse). If anyone has more Morpurgo ideas for a 6 year old, I'd appreciate them - he has written well over 100 books so its hard to sit and read reviews of all of them!

Um - My 6 year old DD has read Michael Morpurgo's I believe in Unicorns which was lovely and reasonably short. My 9 year old DD thoroughly enjoyed Kaspar, Prince of Cats, which took her a whole hour to read and I think would be well suited to an able 6 year old. I shall be getting mine to read it as soon as she's finished her current book. We're going to try things like the Worst Witch and Gobbelino the Witches Cat, which someone else on this forum suggested and I'm looking forward to reading again!

why not ask at your library??
Looking IN the books helps as the font size, number of illustrations will give you an indication - the Michael Morpurgos are very different according to the age they're meant to appeal to. But you need to be strong for MM! I remember sobbing my way through Butterfly Lion!
Another set of books which you don't see mentioned much but which were my absolute favourite when reading to the boys were the Harry Horse books (not to be confused with Harry Hill's books about a horse). They take the form of letters from a grandfather to his grandson. grandfather is always escaping, with Roo the dog, off on adventures and they are just lovely. Called things like The Last Polar Bears and The Last Gold Diggers. (Sadly, HH himself came to a very sticky end a year or 2 ago. Do not google for details .)

I know what you mean - you can only have so many fairy books! My 7-year old DD, also Y2, currently loves the Worst Witch books by Jill Murphy. They are in that attractively large print which encourages independent reading, but are still quite substantial. Think along the lines of Hogwarts meets Mallory Towers! Not scary at all, unlike some of Roald Dahl's characters. That story used to give my middle daughter nightmares too! We also just recently finished reading Winnie the Pooh with her, which generated some interesting questions...is Owl really that clever if he spells his name WOL, and what actually IS a heffalump? I let DH read the last chapter with her, though, the bit when Christopher Robin finally goes to school...

Thanks for all the tips! I now have quite a long list for her to work through. Would still appreciate more advice on younger Morpurgo's though. Our local libraries are horribly understocked, so we usually reserve books with them, and they're in within a week for collection. Unfortunately this means we need to know the title and author first! Going and sitting in a book shop with a note pad is one option but not a fun one with a baby who bursts into tears if you're not looking at him and a toddler who is desperate for the toilet every time he goes out...
I agree that Morpurgo books are heart breaking and I have shed many a tear over them, but some Dahl books are just disturbing to be honest!
Yes I've remembered Harry Horse, my oldest son read them - but I have googled to see what happened (curiosity killed the cat) and am now traumatised!

I must admit that we get so many reading books from school that we hardly have time for any others.
DS2 (in year 2)has started on the Secret Seven series though, having gone through some Horrid Henrys - yuck

Am I the only one whose y2 child can just about cope with the Mr Men series.