chapter book read alouds my kids are loving: part 1

these are some of my 7 and 4 year olds favorites

I have been reading chapter books aloud to my kids since Brayden was three. There's so much that I love about chapter books. I love the conversations we have, the anticipation of picking up our book again to see what happens next, and the connection building that reading aloud to my children brings. If you haven't read The Read Aloud Family, you should add it to your book list! It highlights all the benefits of reading aloud to your children and how to make read alouds part of your family culture whether your children are babies or teenagers.

I especially love reading chapter books from a series, because if we fall in love with a book, my kids can't get enough of it! I’ll often catch them deep in play in the make believe world from the book, and usually they’re begging me to join. We have so many beloved series that I’ve broken up our favorites into a couple parts. Below you'll find part one of our favorite chapter book read alouds that I currently read to my four and seven year old.

magic treehouse

The Magic Treehouse series is such a classic and so beloved in our house. We own nearly the whole collection of books, and we have listened to the audio books of the series (read by the author!) so many times I could probably recite them. LOL This series follows Jack and his little sister Annie as they travel through time in a magic treehouse from the time of dinosaurs to the Amazon rainforest to Ancient Rome. There's over 30 books in the series (with more still being released), plus a second series for slightly older, more advanced readers called Merlin's Missions. So if your kids love this series as much as mine do, you'll be set for a long time!

the princess in black

The Princess in Black series is a perfect beginner chapter book series. They're quick reads and feature color pictures on every page, making it more suitable for younger readers and listeners. This series follows prim and perfect Princess Magnolia who is secretly the Princess in Black, a superhero who fights monsters from Monster Land that threaten to eat the goats in her kingdom.

dragon masters

This series may be one of our all time favorites - second only to The Magic Treehouse. We devoured all 28 books in this series (with 2 more being released this year!) only breaking to read other read aloud books in between a couple of times because we just loved them that much. This series follows 8-year-old Drake who is chosen by the mystical dragon stone to be a dragon master. He and his friends, along with their dragons, work together to fight evil wizards, protect their kingdom, and help other dragon masters. These books are action-packed adventures that even I enjoy reading!

wayside school

This silly three book collection was so much fun to read. Brayden’s teacher was reading the first book aloud to their class, and he was so excited to find out that I also had these books at home (I originally had them in my classroom library when I was a teacher). Wayside School is about a school that was built sideways (30 stories tall instead of 30 classrooms on one story) and each chapter tells the story of students from the class on the 30th story. My kids shared many laughs as we read through this series.

the boxcar children

This classic series follows four orphaned children who make a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar. They work together to create their home and take care of one another. The subsequent books in this series follow the children on their adventures and the mysteries they stumble upon. Although the book is originally from the 1920s (and revised in 1942), I found that it was still highly relevant and I didn’t have to explain anything “old-timey” that my kiddos might not understand. We’ve read the first two books in the series so far and they love them. I think they really connect with the independence of the children and how they’re able to take care of themselves. The kids love to pretend they are the Boxcar Children when we play outside.

hardy boys: the secret files

This Hardy Boys series is a modern take on the classic series from the 1920s. The stories follow brothers Frank and Joe Hardy as they solve mysteries around their town of Bayport such as a mysterious treasure map and stolen money at an arcade. My seven-year-old boy especially loves this series as the boys are similar in age to him. My kids love trying to guess and solve the mysteries as we read them.

And there you have it! These are just a few of our favorites and I’m already compiling books for part two! Have you read any of these series with your kids? Which are you adding to your library holds?