I am having a really hard time selecting books for next school year. I chose to post on the homeschooling board because I know there are many Christian parents here and also more people post. I used to teach a fifth grade reading group for kids in 5-12 grade, leaning towards the older end of that spectrum. Next year, I am getting a whole new group of kids. They are in 7-12th grade, reading at the low third grade level.  I work at a Christian school for kids with special needs.

It seems like all the high low books have really inappropriate content. I am lookign for some chapter books that aren't too babyish, don't have anything inappropriate (some of the kids are REALLY sheltered), but still would keep the interest of these kids.  They love animal books and I think they would love the Magic Tree House but I think it looks too babyish to be acceptable.

You might want to check out the reading lists from www.sonlight.com , www.winterpromise.com, and www.amblesideonline.org .  I don't think you'll find too many objectionable books, and they will probably be higher interest. 

Thanks! The books on those three websites looked great and I even wrote a few titles down on a wish list for my other classes, but the reading titles are just too high.

Look into the Geronimo Stilton books.  Even I like to read them.  There are about 40 of them to date.  Also, the boys might like the Time Warp Trio series.

What about the Great Illustrated Classics?  They are abridged to be about the level you're looking for.  It'd be a great way to introduce the kids to the classics.

Oh, and The 39 Clues series is great.  There are 9 to date, with one more coming at the end of August.  They weave literature with  history, art, science, etc.

Thanks! I checked into all of these and I am going up to the library with a list of these books to find out even more!

Check out the Max Elliot

Anderson books. He is Christian. They are about 4th grade reading level but with lots of white space on the page good for kids with eye tracking problems. They are mystery adventures mild Christian content and nothing objectionable. Sadly due to the content and that they are not published by a giant publisher you have to buy them, they are not usually in public libraries.

You might want to focus on reading nonfiction not fiction. You have a big challenge looking for books for that age but such a low reading level plus innocent content and with Christian values. It is a hard bill to fill.

Try the Dear America series (girls) and the My America series (boys) about world history and US history. They are grade 4 level.

Good luck with the quest and I hope their reading levels improve too!