The Best Read Aloud Books for All AgesÂ
I can’t believe I haven’t written a post about the best read aloud books until now! Reading a book together as a family or a classroom is one of my favorite things! I have some of the best memories curling up next to my mom as she read me, my brother and sister a chapter book. Now that I am the mom, I love reading chapter books with my kids. We get invested in a family and a story and they will often ask me to read one more chapter. And in our screen obsessed world that is a big deal! And one more thing…I intentionally have only included read aloud series! We love when we can listen to multiple stories about the same characters! Â
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When to Read Aloud
We all live busy lives now, but adding a read aloud doesn’t really have to add to the to do list in your house. I have found for my kids that the best times to read aloud are often when they are already doing something quiet. So here are what has worked for us, but I just encourage you to experiment and see what works.Â
1. During a meal – When I did in home daycare, I would read a simple chapter book while everyone was eating lunch! They had something to keep them occupied and it kept any potential fighting at bay. We have also done this during summer break. You could even just play an audio book of one of the chapter books on this list!Â
2. Before bed- This is kind of the traditional time to read to your child. The good part of this option is it is something your kids will definitely do every day. The part that is sometimes harder for our family is being consistent when we have late nights (especially in the summer!)
3. Afternoon downtime- We always seem to have a downtime in the afternoon. Probably from so many years of a little one napping during this time. This summer will be the first time we won’t have anyone napping in the afternoon. I am thinking about letting them color, create or build while I read a chapter each afternoon. One of the things I like about this options is it keeps screen time more limited, but still gives their brains and bodies a little time to relax.Â
Favorite Books for Younger Readers
 The first set of books I am sharing is intended for your younger readers. I am thinking preschool to elementary school. If you have a spread in ages in your family like we do, don’t be afraid to still take from this list. My older kids will often laugh just as much at the humor as their younger siblings. In fact, we started reading one of the series on this list just recently and my older kids loved how they could see a lot of their little brother in the toddler character in the book!
Magic Treehouse Series
These are well loved books by early elementary readers. For many kids this is the first chapter book series they can independently read. It has adventure and history and is equally loved by both girls and boys. And there are SO MANY books in the series now! They would be a great series to start as a read aloud and then let your young reader keep reading the series independently!
Fudge Series
This is the series we have most recently been reading at our house! I love it because it really does entertain my 12 year old all the way down to my 3 year old. This series is about a boy and his toddler brother, affectionately nicknamed Fudge. I think we love it so much because we can relate to the crazy antics of the toddler. We could often imagine our own toddler doing the very same thing! These have kept us laughing together and I hope we can finish the series this summer!
According to Humphrey
My family was first introduced to this book series when our school read one of them as a whole school activity. Each family was given a free book and encouraged to read a chapter each night together and then students could earn prizes for answering questions about the chapter the next day. This book is about a class pet who is a hamster named Humphrey. You get to see his unique perspective on the classroom and the students and teachers in it. They are heart warming and entertaining!
The Boxcar Children
The Boxcar Children series has been around for a long time, but it is still winning young readers over! This series has over 160 books in it now, and it follows are family of four orphaned siblings. These siblings make their home in an abandoned boxcar which creates the name for the series. The vocabulary and action are great for keeping young children engaged as you read aloud!
Upside Down Magic
The first book in this series has been made into a Disney Channel movie so if it sounds familiar that may be why. These books are a fantasy series that follow a girl who wants to follow in her family’s footsteps and attend a prestigious magic program. The only problem is her magic never seems to come out right. Read through the silly misfortunes of her magic gone wrong as well as watch her develop grit and courage as she tries to find her place in the magic community.Â
Whatever After
I will admit that these books may lean a bit more towards the females in your life, but they are so much fun, I had to put them on the list! This series follows a young girl and her brother who explore a different well known fairy tale story in each book. But these fairy tales may not go exactly as you remember them! Definitely a hit for any princess or fairy tale lovers!
Lemonade War
I have to be honest, that we haven’t actually read all six books in this series, but they are on our someday list! I have read the first two books in the series and they are great, especially for siblings! The book follows an older brother and his younger sister. The sister is very gifted academically and advances grade levels so that she is now in the same grade as her brother. It shows an honest, but still appropriate, view of sibling conflict and competition. This is a favorite among elementary kids everywhere!
Never Girls
We have another fantasy series with the Never Girls. These books have you reading the tales of a group of girls who accidently find a secret portal to Neverworld. They transport to this new world and have adventures with Tinkerbell and her friends and then return home to find no time has passed at all! These probably lean a little more in favor of the girls in your house, but the are entertaining enough for the boys to hang with them too! Â
I Survived
This is the next series I want to read after we finish Fudge this summer! I love that these books are accessible for young children, but also give them the opportunity to get great background knowledge on real life events like the sinking of the titanic, Hurricane Katrina, the Chicago Fire and more! Go in any 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade classroom and you have a pretty good chance of seeing one of these books! Â
Fart Quest
Yes there is a series of books called Fart Quest. The author of this series, Aaron Reynolds, came to our elementary school and was really inspiring to listen to. He wrote the popular Creepy Carrots picture book series, but more recently started writing chapter books. If you have a more reluctant reader of the male variety, this may be the series that opens their eyes to the fun that books can hold. The author has so much humor in this book that your child is sure to pay attention just so they don’t miss any potty jokes! Â
Favorite Books for Older Readers
 The next set of books is intended for older readers. The vocabulary is harder and often have more description. My personal recommendation would be to use these as read aloud options for upper elementary and older. Remember read aloud books can often be at a reading level that may not be appropriate for independent reading, but can be an opportunity to jump into more challenging texts together.
Wizard of Oz
Did you know the Wizard of Oz was a whole series of books? I have found memories of my mom reading me these books as a child. My personal favorite was Ozma of Oz. The stories follow our Oz friends on several adventures. Different stories feature different characters, but the magic of Oz is always front and center. Â
Chronicles of Narnia
These are a classic everyone should read. We began reading these a few years ago. My daughters loved them, but my boys were not quite old enough to be able to digest the story and vocabulary. So we are taking a break, but we will return to them! The stories of four siblings who find themselves in the magical world of Narnia have captured readers for decades. So many good lessons on faith, courage and integrity throughout these pages. Â
Little House on the Prarie
We have read this entire series with our kids. Our girls still refer to them as the Mary and Laura books. There is a lot of description in these books, which is why I have included them in the books for older readers, but there is also so much to learn about life on the prarie. From churning butter, to Pa building their house, from an orange in their Christmas stocking to surviving a harsh winter. There are many highs and lows to follow on this families journey west. Â
The Mysterious Benedict Society
My oldest LOVED these books about a group of four exceptional kids who are recruited to help stop a mysterious terrible event. These children are all either orphans or unwanted by their parents, but they ban together to form their own sort of dysfunctional family. Journey with them as they use their superior gifts and talents to solve various challenges and defeat evil. Â
Harry Potter
If you have been living under a rock and haven’t heard of Harry Potter, let me fill you in. He is a wizard who along with his friends attend Hogwarts school of wizardry. Throughout the seven book series Harry is in conflict with the evil Lord Voldermot who wants to overthrow the governing body and become immortal. I don’t know if I have ever had a student read these books and not like them, so they are definitely worth some read aloud status!  Â
Anne of Green Gables
I personally love Anne of Green Gables! The movies were what I would watch when I had to stay home sick from school. Anne is a fish out of water with her new guardian Marilla, but you can’t help but love her expansive vocabulary and big heart. These books go from Anne being an orphan and coming to live with Marilla and her brother Matthew through her adult life and love. I have not read these to my own girls yet, but I think we may be close!
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Once again we have a family of orphans! Why so many sad orphan stories!! Anyway, these orphans are put under the care of evil Count Olaf. He is a distant relative whose only concern is getting the sizeable wealth that comes with the orphaned children. The books follow the bright children as they try to escape their fate of living with the evil Count Olaf.
Hunger Games
These are some of the best books I have read in recent years. The Hunger Games follows a poor girl who ends up having to participate in a kill or be killed game of hide and seek The only way for the game to end is for only one person to be left. These books are suspenseful and very well written.
The Penderwicks
We started these books last summer and I loved them! They are about a family of four girls and the conflict and adventures they encounter in each season. I love the well developed quirks about each girl and there is enough suspense and action to keep the kids interested.
What would you add to this list? I am always looking for more books to add to my read aloud list! Let me know what read aloud series you can’t live without!
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