Chapter Book for 5 Yr Old Boy

HENRY AND MUDGE - the best series for boys, ever! Funny thing is, the set we have belonged to my daughter first. My MIL gave them to her as a present. What a wonderful gift!

When my kids were in kindergarten and 1st grade, I read them Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, Little House on the Prairie. While it is true that the books could be considered "girl" books, reading them isn't really gender based. My son also like to hear the books read, though he didn't have much choice really. The Magic Treehouse books are great. I also read them Encyclopedia Brown books that I found at the library. A friend reads the 39 Clues books to her son who is now 5 or 6 and he enjoys them-plus she gets a little extra reading time.

I'm a big fan of the Magic Tree House Series. You could read the whole book in one sitting in you choose. Also, they are designed so that it's best to read them in order.

The Baily School Kids (they're silly, but fun)

The Mouse and the Motorcylce (I think it's Beverly Cleary)

We never read Nancy Drew, but there is the boy's version - The Hardy Boys.

What about the illustrated classics
Guilver's Travels
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Black Beauty

There are four stages of development on the jouney to becoming a skilled reader. There are books at any book store that will have levels on them and your son's level is either going to be Level R or Level 1. You need to make sure that your son doesn't get frustrated with Chapter books.
The Level R or 1 books will build on simple words, short vowel sounds, similar sounds, etc... Then, the next level, Level 2, will build on those skills and introduce long vowels, blended consonants, etc...
NOW, with that being said, YOUR reading Chapter books to your son would be a wonderful idea if you aren't already doing that. Some Chapter books are:
Moose Crossing, How Not to Babysit Your Brother, The Karate Class Mystery, Goofball Malone Ace Detective: Follow That Flea, Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize, just to name a few.

My kids liked a series called The Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka. The Narnia Series is good, maybe not for a 5 year old...the series of the boxcar children is a good series. Even though they are older the Beverly Cleary books, Beezus and Ramona, Henry and Risby....all good. My daughter loved the Junie B Jones books. Magic tree house is cute and a quick read, small chapters. Read books you both will enjoy, if it is a book you are familiar with you can elaborate and have great discussions!

My kids like the Magic Treehouse series. Also, my daughter was just telling me about the Black Lagoon series that her teacher has been reading in class (1st grade) and it sounds very adventurous.

I am currently reading Charlotte's Web to my 5 year old daughter, and I wouldn't say it's "girly". It's fun to find a series that kids like and I know that many kids do like the Magic Tree House books, so maybe start with those. Nate the Great is also a fun series for K-1st graders. You can visit the library or book store and check out the early chapter book section to see what might interest him. Happy reading!

The one my daughter just sped through was "Dick and Jane and Vampires" It's adorable. :)

All the suggestions you've gotten are great, but another chapter book series that is great for boys is called Dinosaur Cove. It is about 2 boys who discover Dinosaur World and learn about the dinosaurswho live there. My oldest loves these!

I know you already posted to your what happened post but I just wanted to put another vote in for Henry & Mudge, we love them. We started reading them last year with my 4 year old, he still just listens and looks but I also thought it would be a good way to start the collection as he learns to read.

The "Junie B. Jones" series is wonderful for that age! My son's whole class loved these books. In some books she is in Kindergarten and later progresses to 1st grade. They are appealing to both boys and girls.

I think you do have a great start. However, I saw a lot of suggestions for Junie B. Jones - personally, I can't stand those books. The words she uses and her attitude are not very nice to me. So, I suggest you read one of those yourself first, before you read it outloud to your son. I'm very unclear on why everyone loves those books.

The rest mentioned are all great. I actually found some old Danny Dunn books on Ebay that my son is loving (he's 7).

Good luck!
L.

If it's just a read aloud, I would suggest Hank the Cowdog. Kids love those books, they are pretty funny. Junie B Jones is always good and there is a play this fall you could take him to go see.

If you're reading to him, the Captain Underpants series is great. It doesn't get better than monster toilets and booger creatures from outer space for boys!!! Plus there's some humor in there for you as well.

I would suggest Junie B. Jones or The Scouts. As a 1st grade teacher I find that both boys and girls like these books. Also, you may look into going to your local library and letting your son pick out some more advanced books to read. This will also save you some money.

We're just finishing up Mr. Popper's Penguins. My boys also like the Down Girl and Sit books (they're about two dogs). My five year old also loves Arthur books. There are picture books and a chapter book series and he is just starting to read a couple of chapters in a sitting on his own.

Toad and Frog collection

Definately Junie B. Jones. You will like them as much as he does.

Franny K. Stein series is fun and 'science' oriented.

I see someone already suggested Rex Stone's series, "Dinosaur Cove", but I wanted to second this. I read this series last year to my son when he was in Kinder & he loved them. The chapters are short & there are still some pictures to keep their interest. Also, the "Nate the Great" books are good for boys this age.

The first chapter book I read to/with my son was Treasure Island. He loved it!

When I was 4 or 5, my favorite book was the Wizard of Oz. Obviously such a young child won't get all the themes, but there's a lot of great imagery.

I like the Time Soldier books. I have started reading these with my 4 year old son and he loves them! They are good adventure stories and a nice bridge from picture books to chapter books.

Stuart Little might be good or you could try Beverly Cleary's Henry stories or The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I've seen "big" read aloud versions of some of these in the bargain bin at Borders that would be nice for reading together.

You've had great answers. I love Charlottes Web. It was the first book my son read independently. My son also loved the Magic Treehouse series.One book that hasn't been mentioned is Skinnybones. I actually laughed out loud when I read it! And to me - that's the true secret - read something that you enjoy and also look forward to.

My grandmother taught me that trick. She read adult books to my dad. She said that he liked animals, so as long as there was an animal in it, he would listen - even as a preschooler (like Black Beauty,Rin-Tin-TIn). Also, if it is a subject that your son loves, he will be rapt, whether it be about sports, dinosaurs, etc.

I haven't read through all the responses so I may be repeating, but I would advise you visit his school library for ideas. Your school's librarian is well equipped with knowledge on all the levels of books, what is new and current, and what historically is popular with every age group.

I love the Magic Tree House books! Other books that your little guy might enjoy are Encyclopedia Brown, A-Z Mysteries, Cam Jansen, The Bailey School Kids series, The Black Lagoon books, etc. These are just some of the ones that came to mind immediately. Enjoy!

Junie B. Jones is read in my son's class, so I know it is good for both boys & girls. My son enjoys them. At home, we read Magic Tree House. I read aloud the first 6 books, and he loved them so much that he couldn't wait for our nightly reading, so he picked one up one day and read it by himself and has read several since. So, it's exciting enough to make him want to read. :)