By the time your child is about five or six, he may well have sufficient concentration to enjoy stories broken up into chapters, where it is necessary to remember what went before, and to wait for next day before the continuation of the story. But continue reading shorter books, and picture books too if he still enjoys them. Whether or not he is reading independently, he will probably still like cuddling up for a story at bedtime, and indeed any time when he is feeling tired or over-stressed. Some children are not ready for longer books of this sort until they are nearer 8 or 9 - don't worry about it if this is the case! Each child develops at his own pace. Reading should be enjoyable and relaxing, so never try to pressurise your child to read, or listen to, a story which does not interest him. See also fiction age 3-7 and fiction age 7-11 - there is necessarily an overlap because each child is so different in interests and listening ability. For ongong reviews that may be of interest to this age group, The Bookbag has reviews of books for sharing, and for confident readers.
A few of the books our children enjoyed from around this age are:
Enid Blyton - Famous Five, Five Find-outers etc
Two lengthy series of books about children who tackle crime and solve mysteries. Enid Blyton has been in and out of popularity with educationalists due - among other things - to her supposed racist tendencies, and the limited vocabulary in some of her books. There has been a revival of her books recently as parents, teachers and librarians have realised that with all her faults of style, she wrote books which children enjoy reading. In the UK it seems that most adults who are avid readers grew up on Enid Blyton! Once you start reading these to your children, they may well decide to find others and read them to themselves.
Lewis Carroll - Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass
Classic books about a girl who falls asleep and has amazing dreams about animals and game pieces coming to life. They are full of clever spoofs on poems and verses which small children had to learn by heart a century ago; however these can be enjoyed without knowing the original.
Roald Dahl - James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda etc
Most of Dahl’s books have been made into movies; he writes in a querky and unusual style, but with fast-moving plots and lots of excitement. You may find his attitude to adults in the stories a bit negative, but they are generally caricatures and not meant to be taken seriously. Some of his books will probably be considered classics in years to come.
Dick King Smith - Sheep Pig, Martin's Mice, other animal stories
Although the Sophie books are my personal favourites (see previous section), Dick King-Smith is probably best known for his animal books written for slightly older children. The Sheep Pig, the story of a pig who wanted to be a sheepdog, was made into the movie ‘Babe’. He has written many books of similar nature, dealing with animals who have something unusual about them. In Martin’s Mice, the farm cat Martin doesn’t like to chase mice but wants to keep them as pets. These books are excellent for reading aloud as they are so full of subtle humour, but after the first few our children wanted to read every one in the library and couldn’t wait for them to take several days at bedtime!
CS Lewis - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the rest of the Narnia series
A wonderful series of fantasy books about the magical land of Narnia, and the few children who manage to get there. Christian allegories are abundant in these books, but they can be enjoyed at any level.
Malcolm Saville - Susan and Bill books
Another prolific author whose books seem to have been somewhat ignored in recent years. Malcolm Saville writes adventure stories with interesting dialogue and good plots, following the adventures of different families of children. These are realistic books without any hint of fantasy, about likeable children thrown into unexpected adventures.
