This week Ramona turns ten years old. Tonight I was updating the files I keep on what the girls read to make sure her nine year old list was up to date before starting a new file for her. I was very happy to see how much she read this last year. I've always had issues getting her to voluntarily sit down to read for pleasure. She has always preferred to be read aloud to and if no one is able to do that, she loves audio books.
We have always fed her love of being read aloud to and hoped that eventually we would spark a love of reading on her own in her. Something in the last year has definitely clicked. She is not afraid of any book, of any size. I often need to tell her when to turn her light off at night and she always takes a book voluntarily with her wherever she goes.
Her sister is a big fantasy and dystopian reader. Ramona enjoys a little bit of fantasy, but much prefers stories about girls her age and historical fiction. When she hits upon a series about girls her age that is also historical fiction we have a hard time getting her to put the book down. I will continue to do everything I can to feed her books that she will love and expose her to different genres and authors by reading aloud to her.
I am a firm believer that reading aloud, exposing kids to both good and fun literature and making reading a priority by limiting screen time will make any child an avid reader.
Below is a list of the books she read herself at age 9. Further down is the books we read aloud to her. I love that the the books she has read far outweigh the read alouds. Note: I did not include any non fiction school books she read.
Books read by Ramona age 9:
Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink
Flying High
The Magic Spell
A Special Friend
Stonger than Magic
A Winter Wish by Linda Chapman
Mitch and Amy
Ramona Forever
Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary
A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons
How to Be a Pirate
How to Break a Dragon's Heart
How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse
How to Speak Dragonese
How to Train Your Dragon
How to Ride a Dragon's Storm
How to Twist a Dragon's Tale by Cressida Cowell
Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig by Kate Dicamillo
Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Harriet the Spy
Harriet Spies Again by Louise Fitzhugh
The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool by Margaret Grey
Elisa in the Middle by Johanna Hurwitz
New Dawn on Rocky Ridge
On the Banks of the Bayou
On the Other Side of the Hill
In the Land of the Big Red Apple
Little Farm in the Ozarks
Little House on Rocky Ridge
Bachelor Girl
Little Town in the Ozarks by Roger Lea MacBride
White Fang by Jack London
Anna the Moonbeam Fairy
Ava the Sunset Fairy
Cara the Camp Fairy
Cherry the Cake Fairy
Courtney the Clownfish Fairy
Grace the Glitter Fairy
Honey the Candy Fairy
Jasmine the Present Fairy
Lexi the Firefly Fairy
Melodie the Music Fairy
Morgan the Midnight Fairy
Nia the Night Owl Fairy
Amelia the Seal Fairy
Phoebe the Fashion Fairy
Pia the Penguin Fairy
Polly the Party Fun Fairy
Sabrina the Sweet Dreams Fairy
Whitney the Whale Fairy
Zara the Starlight Fairy by Daisy Meadows
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Howard Pyle
Meet Kirsten
Kirsten Learns a Lesson
Happy Birthday, Kirsten!
Kirsten's Surprise
Meet Josefina
Josefina Learns a Lesson
Happy Birthday, Josefina!
Josefina's Surprise
Josefina Saves the Day
Changes for Josefina by Janet Beeler Shaw
Snowbound Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Shadow Magic
Feline Charms by Kitty Wells
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Clearing in the Woods
Little Town at the Crossroads
On Top of Concord Hill
Little House in Brookfield
Across the Rolling River
Little City by the Lake
A Little House of Their Own by Celia Wilkins
Read-Alouds heard by Ramona age 9:
The Witches
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo
The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster
Slim's Goodbye by John R. Erickson
The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
Blue Willow by Doris Gates
King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
Island of the Aunts
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
The Akhenaten Adventure
The Blue Djinn of Babylon by P.B. Kerr
Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
By Fire, By Moonlight
Night of the Shifter's Moon
The Road to Balinor
The Secrets of the Sceptor
Shadows Over Balinor
Sunchaser's Quest
Search for the Star
Valley of Fear by Mary Stanton
The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
The Christmas Dolls by Carol Beach York
