Tag: Series

Franki’s Weekly Text Set: New Series for Transitional and Middle Grade Readers

Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram. 

Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!

There is nothing like the day when a new book is released that is part of your favorite series. When I was in elementary school it was the Betsy books. Series books are so important for so many readers. And, being in-the-know about a new book by a favorite author or one that features a favorite character is such fun. This week, we’ll take a look at series books that are newish–series that have a few books at most–series that have us already looking forward to the next book. These books are perfect for transitional and middle grade readers.

If you have not read Stuntboy: In the Meantime by Jason Reynolds and Raul the Third, you must read it asap! This is a great new book in a hopefully long series. This is going to be perfect for our Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain. Underpants readers to expand a bit in their reading. This book has everything-great story, incredible illustrations, real issues to discuss, strong characters and humor. There is so much to this book and series–I am excited for our middle grade readers!

These three new series (Sona Sharma, JoJo Makoons, and Definitely Dominguita) feature strong girls who bring fun and humor to their stories. I love each of these characters. I also love that the books are all heavily illustrated and are perfect for transitional readers in grades 2-3 especially. I often find it hard, as an adult to fall in love with books for this age but I fell in love with the writing and with these 3 characters. Although perfect for grades 2-3, they are really great stories for all ages. Sona Sharma and JoJo Makoons have 2nd books coming soon and Definitely Dominguita has 3-4 titles available now.

I loved the Ryan Hart series from the start and was so happy to see Renée Watson writing for a younger audience! Ryan Hart is a great character and these books are perfect for 3-5th graders. This series will have wide appeal. I think there are 2 out in the series (Ways to Make Sunshine and Ways to Grow Love) with another coming soon!

Dragons in a Bag is another series I’ve loved from the start. Fantasy is not an easy genre when it comes to transitional series books but this one is perfect. I love the length of these books as well as the characters and the stories. It is a perfect series for readers ready to start some more sophisticated books and who love fantasy. It is brilliantly done for this age. I think there are 3 available now with hopefully lots more to come!

Skunk and Badger and J.D. the Kid Barber are two series full of humor. For our readers who love humor, these are great picks. The humor is different in each but perfect for the age. (I am always amazed at authors who get humor for this age so right!) Just like a few of the others I’ve mentioned, even though they are written for transitional readers, older readers will also enjoy these. I love the characters in both of these series. The J.D. series has 3 books available now and Skunk and Badger has 2.

This week’s books were linked at Bookelicious. If you don’t know Bookelicious, check it out today. It is an online independent children’s bookstore with an incredible selection of children’s books and many supports for young readers. Lots of great free events for teachers coming up that you can check out and register here. 

Follow @TextSets on Instagram for daily books/weekly text sets!

Franki’s Weekly Text Set–Nonfiction Picture Book Series for Elementary Readers

Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram.

Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!

Many of us can remember favorite series books from childhood–those books we read nonstop, those books that were so important on our journeys to becoming lifelong readers. We know how important series books are for young readers and that is true for both fiction and nonfiction. I remember when I read my first Scientists in the Field series as a teacher. I loved it so much that I read others that were not even on topics I thought I was interested in. During the last several years, having baskets of nonfiction series books was important for classroom library set up.

If we want our students to choose to read nonfiction, we have to invite them in in a variety of ways. Series books invited children into nonfiction reading by giving them a collection that could expand the topics they read and support them as readers as they knew what to expect from the next book in the series. They build different skills as different series require different skills as readers. Nonfiction series books are a great invitation for readers to read more nonfiction, to expand topics they love, to get to know nonfiction authors and to build strategies as nonfiction readers. This week’s text set will highlight some series books I’ve found to be popular with elementary readers in grades K-5. These books are perfect for all ages as there are several entry points depending on the reader.

Suzi Eszterhas is one of my favorite nonfiction authors. She is a wildlife photographer so the photos in every one of her books are incredible and they engage readers immediately. This series–Eye on the Wild–focuses on the first year in a baby animal’s life. Suzi Eszterhas has other books and series (Wildlife Rescue)–all about animals– so this series is a great way to introduce this incredible author.

Two other authors who have several nonfiction series books for young readers are Melissa Stewart and Kate Messner. A Place for Birds and Over and Under are two series that have so much interesting content. I love these because understanding of the bigger science concepts build across the series. So the more children read in the series, the better they understand the bigger, complex concepts of our environment.

The Truth About series is a fun series with lots of entry points. There is a lot of content packed into a fun format and readers enjoy the humor throughout. We are lucky to have so many great series books about animals as so many children are interested in animals. Reading across a series or finding a variety of books about a single animals support young readers and there are plenty of options for laddering their reading (Thanks Dr. Teri Lesesne for teaching us about Reading Ladders!).

The If Animals Disappeared Series is a powerful one in helping children (and adults) understand the interconnectedness of our world. These books are packed with information and also make for great read alouds. The author makes a very complex issue accessible for our youngest children.

Jess Keating is definitely an author that knows how to engage young readers. Her photos, her sense of humor and her expert knowledge of the topics she writes about make every one of her books a must-read. Jess Keating has two nonfiction series books that engage readers of all ages. Big as a Giant Snail and Set Your Alarm, Sloth! are both new this fall so celebrating these book birthdays would be a great way to introduce the series.

This week’s books were linked at Bookelicious and/or  Cover to Cover Children’s Bookstore. If you are looking for a fabulous local children’s bookstore to support, Cover to Cover is an amazing one. We are lucky to have them in Central Ohio! If you don’t have an independent children’s bookstore in your town, check out Bookelicious. They are an online independent bookstore for children with an incredible curated collection. (Warning: You will want to create a bookmoji while you are there. This will be the highlight of your weekend I’m sure! Below is one of mine:-)