A Few Suggestions for Your Next Family Read Aloud
I am a speech-language pathologist specializing in literacy and host a book club for reluctant readers, and these are a few of my favorites for getting your older kids excited for read aloud times. Reading aloud, even and especially to older kids offers exposure to rich, descriptive language, accurate grammar, and helps bring the joy back into reading at the same time. It supports a child in developing language, literacy and writing skills, all while taking the pressure off of them. These books are typically recommended for children around ages 8-14, but please use your own judgement on which books would be the best for your family.
The Bark of the Bog Owl by Jonathan Rogers
This is the first book in the Wilderking Trilogy and is a fictional story inspired by the early life of King David from the Bible! Follow along with young Aidan as he travels around the kingdom and maybe gets a little more than he originally bargained for when he first longed for adventure. This is fun to read and the audiobook is great too!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
If you haven’t read this series yet, consider this your invitation to finally pick it up! She is a masterful storyteller, and it is a joy to be immersed in the world she creates.
On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
I read the first book in the series to screen it for this book list, and then I couldn’t put it down. I have read all 4 now and still highly recommend them. Andrew Peterson does some fantastic world building and really gets you hooked and rooting for the main characters. I would highly recommend it to kids and parents alike, both the audiobook or grab the books and read them aloud together. You’ll follow along with 3 siblings on all sorts of adventures and challenges. I won’t say more because I don’t want to give anything away. They made a TV series out of these books as well!
Redwall Book One: The Wall
There are a lot of books in this series, this is just the first! You’ll follow along with the peaceful mice of Redwall Abbey as they encounter new challenges and fight to save their forest and friends. The audiobook for this is great. I found it through my local library, and it is a full production with different voice actors! Worth the read.
The Magician’s Nephew (and The Chronicles of Narnia) by C.S. Lewis
Chronologically speaking, this is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, and contains the creation story of the world of Narnia. He wrote this one later, but you can read it first or read them in the order he wrote them, whichever you prefer. This book, even just by itself, is a great read. C.S. Lewis is an artful storyteller and I can’t recommend his books enough.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
This is another one where I read the first book to see if this would be a good addition to this list, and I loved it so much that I ended up reading the whole series! This is also a favorite book amongst clients and friends with kids around the ages of 8-10. Trenton Lee Stewart is a fantastic writer, and these books are the perfect balance of puzzle and adventure.
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