Thomas Edison - Good Easy Readers and Chapter Books

Thomas Edison - A Review of 3 Good Biographies

My Dave (8) just finished a report on Thomas Edison and I thought I'd take advantage of this opportunity to do my own report on the books we used.

I selected three books at the library for his resources and I'm pretty happy with them. They cover the great man's life at different reading levels and at varying depths.

The Books we used are:

1. Thomas Edison (Lola Schaefer, AR 2.0)
2. A Picture Book of Thomas Alva Edison (David Adler, AR 4.3)
3. Thomas Edison : the wizard inventor (Haydn Middleton, AR 4.8)

I'll talk about them in more detail now.

This is the book we began with. I like using these little biographies from "Pebble Books"/Capstone as a starting place because they cover their people with the bare minimum of verbiage and give children a great overview, without overwhelming them with too much detail.

Though only touching on major events, Ms. Schaefer does take the time to try to make Edison kid-friendly. She explains, for example, that Thomas was a curious child, and that he went to work young, selling newspapers and food on trains when he was only 12. To compliment this narrative there are pictures of Edison and his childhood home.

In format, Schaefer's book is like the others in the series. There is always a photo or drawing on the left hand page, text on the right, with a timeline stretching across the bottoms of all pages. Forgive me for the picture (below) being sideways, but it seemed the best approach to show you the layout.




THE SKINNY:::
We read this book first and last. First to provide a broad foundation; last to help Dave to organize his thoughts for his paper.

As you see from the picture (above), the text is large and sparse and kid-friendly.

Contents
Young Thomas
Inventions
Wizard of Menlo Park

Words to Know
Read More
Internet Sites
Index/Word List


Thomas Edison

• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: Capstone Press
  
• ISBN-10: 0736894144
• amazon
  

Technical Stuff

Word Count: 196

Reading Level: 2.0

Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.0 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 61709

The next book on our list was A Picture Book of Thomas Alva Edison by David Adler. This book has quite a bit more text than Schaefer's, and it uses colorful artwork in place of photos.

One of the things I like about it is how Adler made sure to include incidents that children could relate to. He describes, for example, how young Thomas received a whipping in the town square when he burnt down his father's barn. And how he squashed some eggs when he tried to hatch them himself. Good boy-stuff, I can tell you. This was David's favorite fact.

THE SKINNY:::
More detailed account of Edison's life. This book has smaller print and more text. Okay read-aloud.

This book doesn't have a time-line like the first book, but it does have an Important Dates page at the end which serves the same purpose.

A Picture Book of Thomas Alva Edison

• Paperback: 30 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House
• ISBN-10: 0823414140
• amazon
  

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 1,370
Reading Level: 4.3
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.3 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 29431
Lexile: AD700L

Haydn Middleton's Edison is the most detailed of the three books we used. Whereas David Adler's book gives a sketchy (though sufficient) account of events in Edison's life, Middleton fills in more details.

For example, in describing how young Edison saved a boy's life in a train yard, Mr. Middleton explains that the boy was the station-master's son. This clarified for us how it was that the boy's grateful father was able to grant Thomas' wish to learn Morse Code and to use a telegraph.

Haydn's details also include more information about Edison's personal affairs. Though younger children will most likely miss the nuances that show that Edison was a workaholic, they will no doubt grasp why he fell in love with his second wife. [Not only was she was lovely and smart, she also knew Morse code, which was a real feature at that point because Edison had become so deaf that this was the principal manner in which they communicated.]

THE SKINNY:::
Out of the three books we read, Haydn Middleton's Thomas Edison provides the most mature perspective on the great inventor. Good read-aloud.

While still very positive, this Oxford publication does not entirely gloss over the negative aspects of Edison's life -- like his being a workaholic.

Thomas Edison: the Wizard Inventor

• Reading Level: 4.8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISBN-10: 0195214013
• amazon
  

Technical Stuff
other than reading level, none available


OTHER RESOURCES:

This article by Caryna St. John reminded me how to explain to an 8 year-old how to organize a paper: "How to write an A+ essay in twenty minutes"


OTHER IDEAS:

One interesting project you might try is a time-line which places Edison's life in the context of national events. This is particularly interesting because he lived a long life and was witness to incredible changes.

When Edison was born, for example, there were still slaves in the United States. And since he lived to see the beginning of the Great Depression, he got to see not only electric lights put into millions of homes, but also the coming of age of the automobile and planes. Juxtaposing his life against these inventions as well as WWI and other events really assists children in understanding this amazing time period in world history.

Pam
Somewhere in the X-burbs

Coretta Scott King Book Awards - Good Books for Kids

The American Library Association says of the Coretta Scott King book awards:

Designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. Further, the Award encourages the artistic expression of the black experience via literature and the graphic arts in biographical, social, and historical treatments by African American authors and illustrators.

And here are the Winners...

2011 Winning Author


One Crazy Summer
by Rita Williams-Garcia

Other Awards and Mentions:
**starred review** Horn Book
**starred review** Booklist
**starred review** School Library Journal
**National Book Ward Finalist**

Description: Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past.

When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education.

Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.

• Reading level: Elementary/Middle-Grade
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Amistad (January 26, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0060760885
• Look Inside
• amazon
  

2011 Author Honors


Lockdown
by Walter Dean Myers

Other Awards and Mentions:
**starred review** Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Description: When I first got to Progress, it freaked me out to be locked in a room and unable to get out. But after a while, when you got to thinking about it, you knew nobody could get in, either.

It seems as if the only progress that's going on at Progress juvenile facility is moving from juvy jail to real jail. Reese wants out early, but is he supposed to just sit back and let his friend Toon get jumped? Then Reese gets a second chance when he's picked for the work program at a senior citizens' home. He doesn't mean to keep messing up, but it's not so easy, at Progress or in life. One of the residents, Mr. Hooft, gives him a particularly hard time. If he can convince Mr. Hooft that he's a decent person, not a criminal, maybe he'll be able to convince himself.

Acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers offers an honest story about finding a way to make it without getting lost in the shuffle.

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Amistad
• ISBN-10: 0061214825
• Look Inside
• amazon

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 45,613
Reading Level: 4.7
Interest Level: Young Adult/some Middle-Graders
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.7 / points: 7.0 / quiz: 135792




Ninth Ward
by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Description: In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them.

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• ISBN-10: 0316043079
• amazon
  

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 32,545
Reading Level: 3.3
Reading level: Tweens/Middle-Grade
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 3.3 / points: 4.0 / quiz: 139032





Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
Written by G. Neri
Illustrated by Randy DuBurke

Other Awards and Mentions:
**starred review** Kirkus
**starred review** Booklist
**starred review** Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Description: A graphic novel based on the true story of Robert "Yummy" Sandifer, an eleven-year old African American gang member from Chicago who shot a young girl and was then shot by his own gang members.

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (July 30, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 1584302674
• Look Inside
• amazon
  

2011 Illustrator Winner


Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
Illustrated by Bryan Collier,
Written by Laban Carrick Hill

Description: Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 7, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 031610731X
• amazon
  

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 1,736
Reading Level: 6.0
Reading level: Elementary
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 6.0 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 139661 /



2011 Illustrator Honoree


Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix
Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
Written by Gary Golio

Other Awards and Mentions:
**starred review** Kirkus
**starred review** School Library Journal

Description: Jimi Hendrix was many things: a superstar, a rebel, a hero, an innovator. But first, he was a boy named Jimmy who loved to draw and paint and listen to records. A boy who played air guitar with a broomstick and longed for a real guitar of his own. A boy who asked himself a question: Could someone paint pictures with sound?

This a story of a talented child who learns to see, hear, and interpret the world around him in his own unique way. It is also a story of a determined kid with a vision, who worked hard to become a devoted and masterful artist. Jimi Hendrix--a groundbreaking performer whose music shook the very foundations of rock 'n' roll.

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (October 4, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0618852794
• Look Inside
• amazon

Technical Stuff
Word Count: 1,740
Reading Level: 5.6
Reading level: Elementary/Middle-Grade
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.6 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 140255 /

Shakespeare's Hamlet for Kids by Brendan P. Kelso

I have long been a proponent of 'The Classics' for kids. Not that we haven't read all about The Pigeon, and Thomas & Percy, and Knufflebunny; but there's room too, I think, for Odysseus and the Greek gods, the Little House on the Prairie, and the poetry of Sandburg and Frost, amongst others.

Shakespeare was on my list too, but after re-reading the Richard plays, I realized that they would be a bit much for my two children, even though they are now 8 and 10. But not willing entirely to give up, I girded myself for battle with the internet and I started on a search for kid-friendly 'takes' on the bard's tales, which is how I discovered Mr. Kelso's "Hamlet".

Mr. Kelso writes that his entire purpose is to instill "the love of acting and Shakespeare into kids", and from my home experience I think his strategy works. He essentially sums up what Shakespeare says and puts those thoughts into terms that kids can understand. (Go see the sample at amazon.com to see for yourself.)

And the nice bit is that he includes quotes from the original, highlighting the words that appear in the 'adult' version of Hamlet. So that if your children are paying attention they will actually note the lines that we Americans are most familiar with. Lines like: "something is rotten in the state of Denmark", and "neither a borrower and lender be."


Now, for how the book is organized. The interesting thing about Brendan's Hamlet for Kids is that the book actually contains 3 versions of the play. All of the versions take about 10-15 minutes to read, but the number of speaking parts varies according to how many people you wish to have involved. It could be a reader of one, or a cast of nearly 2 dozen.

But let me give you an example of how this works.

Here are the characters with dialog in the first version of Hamlet for Kids:

Hamlet
Claudius
Gertrude
Polonius
Ophelia
Laertes
Ghost

**My daughter Laura and I read this version first and only had a little side-spliting confusion reading all the parts ourselves.


The Second version has all of the above characters plus:

Rosencrantz
Guildenstern
Horatio
--an unnamed actor
Osric
Forinbras
a Sailor

The final version adds Marcellus, Bernardo and the Grave Diggers, as well as a few other minor characters.


Having these different 'stagings' allows the adult(s) and child(ren) to pick the best version for them. Older children might prefer to read a longer version, younger children the shorter. Or vice-versa.

In any case, I'm excited by this series because it allows me to introduce Shakespeare to my children much earlier than I had thought possible. It allows us to discuss the plays on their level, and it introduces them to the Bard's best known lines so that when we hear them in other places, they will be reminded of where they come from.

THE SKINNY:::
Love this book. My daughter and I read it aloud together -- each taking parts -- and now we're in the process of re-reading it (acting it out?) with her little brother.

I really like that the grisly parts -- not to mention the 'adult' elements -- have been toned down and even made humorous, making Hamlet Totally Kid appropriate.

I also like that there are three different stagings of "Hamlet". By which I mean that there is a version that features just the 'basic characters', and then two others where the dialog is made more complicated, and where more characters are included. This allows you to adapt the reading to your child's age level. Or conversely, if you are a teacher or adult in charge of a large group of children, to include up to 20 of them in a production/reading.


Shakespeare's Hamlet for Kids:
3 Short Melodramatic Plays for 3 Group Sizes

• Paperback: 62 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (September 20, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 1453641548
• Look Inside
  
• amazon
  

OTHER Shakespeare for Kids books:

Julius Caeser for Kids | our review
Macbeth for Kids

See our Listmania list of Brendan's other books at Amazon

Books Boys Love -- Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton

IF you are looking for a kid-friendly picture book to share with your boy(s), then do consider Shark vs. Train. It's a book that is loaded with 'kid humor' both in the text and in the artwork.
The story begins with two boys rushing for a toy box. One chooses a shark toy, and one a train. The question then becomes ¿Quien es mos macho?

The answer, of course, depends on what the shark and train are doing, and what environment they are in. Shark does much better, for example, when hot-air balloons are involved (heavy train plummets towards the earth). But Train beats him when it comes to roasting marshmallows.

THE SKINNY:::
Shark vs. Train is a kid-friendly read that boys in particular will like. I tested it on the neighborhood kids and my own son, and all the boys read it through twice before running off to play outside.

Shark vs. Train ought to appeal to a wide age range-- 3 thru 8 years of age.

Girls will like it too! I'm just emphasizing the boy-fun here because there seem to be so many more picture books out there that are targeted towards girls than boys.

On top of it's Fun Component, I think the book teaches children about the notion of environment and relative effectiveness. Essentially that what might work in one circumstance, might not work in another environment.

Pam
Somewhere in the X-burbs



Shark vs. Train

• Accelerated Reading level: generic 2
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (April 1, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0316007625
• amazon

Other books on sharks:

also: SHARKS!!! THE Easiest Easy Readers (a list of books)

The Enchanted Flounder by Susan Meredith

The author of this work, Susan Meredith, has taken a number of the old tales told by The Brothers Grimm and "cleaned" them up just a bit; adding a few new twists here and there, and overall making them a bit less grim than the originals.

Now before we go further let me perfectly clear. I was raised on these fairytales; the original ones. I had them read to me many times before I was able to read myself. It must also be noted that I am a dyed in the wool traditionalist when it comes to the subject of folk and fairytales. I look with a rather jaundice eye on any work that tinkers with the originals; if indeed the originals can even be identified. I must admit that I began this work, and the other works by this author, with some trepidations...hey, I admit that I was quite prepared not to like them!

Well, I was wrong.

I do remember this particular story quite well, along with all the others, and I must confess to you that many of the old stories told by The Brothers Grimm absolutely terrified me as a child and haunted my dreams for years afterward. Now this did not do me any particular harm, as far as I can tell, and depending upon who you talk to, but trauma it was at the time.

This tale, entitled `The Enchanted Flounder' is the old tale of `The Fisherman and his Wife,' retold in a kinder and gentler mode. It was also just quirky enough to draw quite a few smiles form me as I read it. I can tell you that the original moral of the tale; a story of greed, love, non-love, and such, has not been in the least bit compromised in this new version. No, if anything I feel that the children of today will be able to identify with it even more than the old telling.

The story is simple. A fisherman catches a small white flounder who is actually an enchanted princess who can grant wishes. The fisherman is quite happy with his life and releases the fish without asking the flounder to grant him anything. He returns home and tells his wife. Wrong move! The wife is a rather superficial thing; a greedy woman and is obviously more in love with "things" than she is with the young fisherman. She insists that he return and start making wishes...over and over again!

No spoilers here, but I will tell you that all works out quite well in the end, even is a sort of weird way for the greedy wife. Lessons here are taught and it will not take your child very long to catch their meaning. The author is a very skillful writer.

Possibly new words to the young reader's vocabulary are added here and there in the story. These words are in bold letters and the author has included a delightful glossary in the back of the book explaining the meaning of these words.

THE SKINNY:::
All in all this is a delightful tale; a very old tale which has been enhanced to make it very child friendly. The author has also been blessed with a good sense of humor (Lucky for the adult reader), which makes the book a joy to read to the little ones.

The art work is simple but extremely bold and colorful...it is ideal for this sort of story and each illustration goes perfectly with the text.

Bottom line is that if this book can sway and change the mind of a crabby old traditionalist like myself, then anyone with a more open mind will be completely delighted with this work.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks


The Enchanted Flounder: A new kinder, gentler telling of a fairy tale classic

• Accelerated Reading level:none available
  
• Paperback: 26 pages
• Publisher: Rocking Chair Publications, Inc. (October 5, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0984286667
• Look Inside available
  
• amazon
  

Other Newer Kinder Retellings by Susan Meredith:

Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen, Elsie Primavera, Illus.

Dragons, dragon lore, dragon stories and dragon pictures are certainly at the top of their popularity with the younger set these days. (Actually, I am as old as dirt, and I rather like them myself.) You really cannot have too many dragon books around at this time and I must say that "Raising Dragons" by Jerdine Nolen and illustrated by Elise Primavera should certainly be on your dragon book shelf.

This is a unique look at dragons and is one of the nicest and most mellow reads on the subject I have come across.

A small African-American girl lives with her family on a farm somewhere in the South. These are hard working practical people and quite good at their farming, but our little , a curious little thing, finds this strange rock-like thing and against her practical fathers warnings, starts to care for it. Of course it is a dragon egg and soon our little girl finds herself in possession of a dragon. Her family, a very practical lot, rather frown on such frivolous things as non-working dragons and are at first, not overly enthusiastic.

What to do? What can you do with a dragon? Well, you can train it. And that is just what the little child does. She actually trains her flying, fire-breathing and large critter to be quite helpful.

Her father finds that the dragon is performing many of his chores around the farm from plowing to planting and harvesting and mom finds the dragon quite useful too. She goes so far as to fix he dragon his favorite meals; ell potpies, frog-leg pudding and fish-and-insect pudding.

Well, the dragon becomes quite famous in the area and due to far too many visitors it is decided to take him to an enchanted magical island where dragons live.

No spoilers here, but when the little girl returns from her trip to the dragon's home she brings back....

The author has used an easy Southern Country accent to tell the story which simply flows and fits the mood perfectly. When you read this to children, the reading is greatly enhanced if you have a natural southern accent or country drawl. I do, so this work fit me perfectly. The illustrator has used very bold colors that attract the eye. Both author and illustrator are extremely skilled in their craft and their work fits perfectly.

Dragon lovers both young and old will love this one.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Raising Dragons

by Jerdine Nolen

Reading Information:

Publisher: Harcourt

Copyright: c1998, 2002

Illustrator: Primavera, Elise,

Pages: 1 v. (unpaged)

Available: Available

ISBN: 0-15-216536-3

ISBN 13: 978-0-15-216536-9

Dewey: E

LCCN: 95043307

Dimensions: 28 cm.

Language: english

Word Count: 1,632
Paperback: 40 pages

Accelerated Reading Level: 4.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 25876

• Publisher: Sandpiper
• ISBN-10: 0152165363
• Amazon

Just One Bite by Lola Schaefer, Geoff Waring, Illus.

A Bear.
a Komodo dragon.
an Octopus
a Parrot
a Sperm Whale
a Butterfly
a Rabbit
a Frog
an Elephant
a Worm

It's not just a question of what they eat, but how much!

Curious kids are going to like this one. Just One Bite opens up the world of animals one mouth at a time. With minimal text and bright, colorful artwork they are going to be able see exactly how a giraffe eats, and what. My own personal favorite was the worm. I was surprised at how much they could eat at one time. Who knew?

THE SKINNY:::

Just One Bite is an interesting early-science book that introduces children to the habits and habitats of 11 animals. The animals range from a tiny worm to a giant whale with creatures that inhabit land, sea and air.

I really like the information provided, and the fact that the book is very large and colorful and could easily be used with more than one child.

I could also see homeschoolers and teachers using it as the basis of a science unit where you could expand upon the notion of habitat and food chain.

Our one complaint came from my 8-year old son who wanted more 'exact' artwork, and who had a little trouble interpreting the pictures.

Everyone loved the pages that folded out so that the artwork sprawled over 4 pages!

Just One Bite

• Accelerated Reading level : Generic 2
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 1, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0811864731
• 

THE TECHNICAL BITS:::

Reading Level: generic 2

Interest Level: 4-8

Appellations:
*Starred* review from Kirkus

Related reviews:
Life-Size Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures

Spooky Picture Books for Kids chosen by Shan

Every child has their own level of spooky and scary they can handle, so I’ve tried to pick a range of books here for the Halloween and October season.

3 Flavors of Scary:
Very Mild
Slightly Spookier
Spookier Still!

**all ratings from GoodReads


Very Mild:

Go Away Big Green Monster!
By Ed Emberly

4.18 avg rating — 7,415 ratings

A masterful book for toddlers and pre-k kids that allows them to construct, then deconstruct a monster’s face. They get to be in control and assert they’re not afraid!

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams—For the very young, this is a nice repetitive text as the woman encounters various items of clothing along the road that follow her. Never becomes too scary because, well, this little old lady is not afraid of anything. Has a cute ending too. Ages 3-6.

Lexile: AD550L

in Spanish!
Fuera de aqui, horrible monstruo verde!

Leonardo the Terrible Monster
by Mo Willems

**Starred Review** SchoolLibraryJournal
4.24 avg rating — 5,966 ratings

What happens when a monster just can’t scare anyone? This adorable little tale of what it takes to be a monster—and what it takes to be a friend, isn’t likely to scare anyone, but it’s worth a few chuckles. Ages 3-8.

Reading Information:
Word Count: 263
Page Count: 48
Accelerated Reader: 2.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 88782
Lexile: AD670L

Boogie Knights
by Lisa Wheeler
pictures by Mark Siegel

**Starred Review** Kirkus
**Starred Review** SchoolLibraryJournal
**Starred Review** ALA BookList

3.74 avg rating — 155 ratings

The knights of the castle are awoken by the sounds of the madcap monster ball going on in the castle. At first a bit alarmed, they finally join in the fun. Ages 3-8.

Lexile: AD440L

The Squeaky Door
by Margaret Read MacDonald

3.93 avg rating — 188 ratings

Not so much spooky as hilarious as a squeaking door scares a little boy and the grandmother keeps trying to remedy the situation with more and more sleeping companions (a cat, dog, pig, etc.). Worth a read and great for those who really don’t like books with monsters or other spooky stuff.

Word Count: 862
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 1.7 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 105562
Lexile: AD250L

A Dark, Dark Tale
by Ruth Brown

3.83 avg rating — 180 ratings

You’ve probably heard a version or two of this tale before. It gets repetitive and is best read allowed in a slightly eerie voice. The dark, dark, wood leads to a dark, dark, house . . . and so forth. Everyone waits for the surprise at the end, which in Ruth Brown’s tale is very tame and adorable. Ages 3-6.

Lexile: 400L

Cinderella Skeleton
by Robert San Souci

**Starred Review** Kirkus
3.93 avg rating — 624 ratings

A rhyming version of the Cinderella story, but with skeletons! Not really all that spooky, but I thought it deserved a mention here. Ages 5-8.

Word Count: 1,139
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 5.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 51023
Lexile: NP

There’s a Nightmare in My Closet
by Mercer Mayer

4.20 avg rating — 7,913 ratings

A young boy decides to confront the monster in his closet. Adorably illustrated and told in classic Mercer Mayer style! Ages 3-6.

Word Count: 153
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 2.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 5545
Lexile: AD670L


Slightly Spookier

The Teeny-Tiny Woman
by Paul Galdone

3.84 avg rating — 182 ratings

Another story that’s got plenty of retellings out there. A teeny-tiny woman finds a teeny-tiny bone and winds up with more than a teeny-tiny haunting for her trouble. The last line is a great one for some chuckles. Ages 6-8.

Lexile: NC880L


The Funny Little Woman
retold by Arlene Mosel
Blair Lent (Illustrator)

**1973 Caldecott Winner**
3.92 avg rating — 1,268 ratings

The folk tale of a woman who chases her dumpling that falls into a crack in the floor and winds up facing a family of Oni demons. Now she must escape the Oni and return home! Ages 6-9yrs.

Word Count: 845
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 3.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 7568
Lexile: 570L

The King of the Cats
by Paul Galdone

4.10 avg rating — 21 ratings

An old irish tale that Galdone retells here of a gravedigger who has a chilling encounter with cats. Spooky and atmospheric without every being truly frightening, it’s a great one for reading aloud and storytelling on a dark evening. Ages 6-12 yrs.

A Big, Spooky House
by Donna Washington

4.25 avg rating — 20 ratings

An old ghost story revisited where progressively larger and larger cats ask the visitor to the house “are you gonna be here when John gets here?” This great retelling leaves the ending a bit open, so your readers can decide who “John” is. Deliciously spooky. Ages 8-12.

  The Dancing Skeleton
by Cynthia C. DeFelice
illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker

3.83 avg rating — 24 ratings

An ornery man who dies refuses to stay in his coffin when a fiddler comes to pay respects to his widow. A fun and creepy tale to tell aloud. 6-12.

Word Count: 837
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reader: 3.2 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 110866


Spookier Still!

Fergus and the Night Demon
--an Irish ghost story 
AND HERE
by Jim Murphy
illustrated by John Manders—

3.83 avg rating — 35 ratings

Fergus, the laziest boy in town encounters a demon one night who declares his time has come. But our clever lad figures a way out of certain doom—and learns his lesson! Ages 8-12.

Word Count: 1,460
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 110644

The Tailypo
by Joanna and Paul Galdone

 4.19 avg rating — 150 ratings

A bit scarier than King of the Cats! In this story a man cuts off the tail of a strange beast and eats it for dinner, only to have the beast come back, looking for it’s tail! Nicely Chilling. Ages 8-12.

Word Count: 922
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 3.5 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 6500
Lexile: AD880L

Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep
by Jack Prelutsky

4.21 avg rating — 102 ratings

Master children’s poet Jack Prelutsky penned this creepy poetry collection back at the beginning of his career—and also pennedThe Headless Horseman Rides Tonight. These poems are ghastly, grim and gross—delightful fare for the Halloween season! Ages 8-12

Lexile: NP
Reading Counts!: 6.3 / points:2.0

The Ghost of Sifty-Sifty Sam
by Angela Shelf Medearis
illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers

4.17 avg rating — 29 ratings

A cook desperate for the money reward offered takes up the challenge to stay at a haunted house overnight. Sifty-Sifty Sam comes calling and our hero finds a way to satisfy a hungry ghost. Ages 8-12.

Word Count: 1156
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading level: 4.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 18676

The Spider and the Fly
based on the poem
AND HERE
by Mary Howitt
illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi

4.19 avg rating — 4,711 ratings

You might be familiar with this creepy poem, but DiTerlizzi’s illustrations are brilliant in helping convey the mood and providing for an eerie counterpart. Fun to read with older kids! Ages 9-12.

Word Count: 692
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading level: 4.8 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 64285
Lexile: NP


See also,
More Spooky Books for Middle-Schoolers




compiled by Shan
updated by Pam - October 2013