Hi!

My daughter loves to read, like her mamma, and I need some suggestions on books to keep her going. She is a HUGE dog lover, so any dog books, fiction or non, she loves. We are doing the Animal Ark series already, but I was looking for something a little more challenging. She was the top of her school in AR points but other kids are reading things like Harry Potter & Twilight and passing her by (she's too young in my book and not interested anyway).

I would like to find something with a little more substance, something to stretch her reading skills, but it has to be a subject she wants to read about or she won't even try. For instance, she is not interested in fairies, princesses, boy/girl drama. Mainly dogs. She does love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Right now she is reading & loving "Love That Dog."
She is more advanced than most in her school when it comes to reading comprehension so I need challenging :) Any recommendations?

Some of my daughters' favorites are: The "Sisters In Time" series, The "Mandie" series, The "Grandma's Attice" series, Animal Stores series by J. Oke, and The old "Nancy Drew" series.

Hi Amy,

This author has several books about a dog and they are at a more challenging level. I saw there are some in the system I you'd want to try one.

Big Red
Author: Jim Kjelgaard

The Increditble Journey (not sure of author)

Some of Beverly Cleary's books involve a dog named Ribsy.  I loved these books as a kid and still enjoy reading them with my kids.

I'll check those out - thank you!

"Wanted: Mud Blossom" by Betsy Byars. I read this one out loud to the kids and I could barely breathe, I was laughing so hard.

"Star in the Storm" and "Thunder from the Sea" by Joan Hiatt Harlow. Dramatic historical fiction that my dog loving girl read over and over, then I read them out loud to the kids as well.

Yes, I didn't drop my kids into books they were too young for, even when their school mates or friends were all talking about it. It can be hard to steer by your own star when so many are flashing their high beams at you.

This is our favorite animal author. He has children's versions also.

Others. The Black stallion series, and Misty of Chincoteague(sp?) series.

Call of the Wild is a classic, Journey of Natty Gan.

I would like to second the recommendation for books by Kjelgaard. They are wonderful!!

Incredible Journey was written by Sheila Burnford.

Lassie Come Home is one of the best dog books that I've ever read.

Albert Payson Terhune wrote many dog stories.

Other famous dog stories that come to mind are:

Old Yeller, and it's sequel Savage Sam by Fred Gibson

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan  Rawlins