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Match Book

Books to Give Your Precocious Readers

Credit...Joon Mo Kang

Dear Match Book,

I have a 7-year-old son who reads at a middle-school level. I am confident that he read more than 50 books this summer; we were making twice-weekly trips to the library to keep him sated. He has read nearly every series book out there for children in kindergarten through third or fourth grade. Our problem is finding books that are just right for his ability, yet avoid romance, bad language or rude behavior disguised as being cool.

I have discouraged him from picking up Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books for these reasons. He devoured Lincoln Peirce’s “Big Nate” books before I realized they were likely a bit mature for him. His interests tend toward fantasy and comedy. I try not to police his personal reading and make sure he gets the good stuff during our bedtime read-aloud sessions.

His three favorite series are: “The 13-Story Treehouse,” by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton; “The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy,” by William Boniface, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin; and “The Genius Files,” by Dan Gutman. He also loves Judd Winick’s graphic novels starring Hilo, and the “Mighty Jack” adventure tales by Ben Hatke. Illustrated and straight prose suggestions are both welcome.

LESLEY BARK
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y.

Dear Lesley,

Sustaining a fast reader can feel like volunteering at a marathon refueling station, handing off books instead of water as your fleet page turner slows, briefly, at your pit stop.

It is wise to anticipate what your son might need next on his literary course, but don’t hesitate to also suggest different routes: Slip in some female protagonists, surprise him with ancient mythological adventures, slow him down without holding him back.

Stay the Course

When your son wants to stick to his customary path, hand him the world-building thrills of Kazu Kibuishi’s “Amulet” series, the three “Nameless City” books by Faith Erin Hicks (the latest was published in September) and, since he liked “Mighty Jack,” follow that up with the sillier charms of Hatke’s “Zita the Spacegirl.”

Next, turn to two other graphic novels that will satisfy your son’s quest for adventure, but in slightly new ways. Molly Knox Ostertag’s illustrated fantasy “The Witch Boy” challenges stereotypes. And the escapades of Alexander and Cleopatra Dodge, the twin heroes of the two “Four Points” historical graphic novels, “Compass South” and “Knife’s Edge,” written by Hope Larson and illustrated by Rebecca Mock, have all the charms of an old-fashioned yarn.

As a comics enthusiast, your son might appreciate the work of writers who play with the form. The 3,856 potential story lines in Jason Shiga’s “Meanwhile,” a choose-your-own-adventure tale, may inspire your son to challenge your library’s renewals policy. So too will Frank Viva’s “Sea Change.” Viva’s middle-grade debut has a warmly familiar premise — a boy’s expectations of a dreadful summer away from home are swept away by new experiences and friendships — and a singular structure. There are typographical innovations galore, including some lovely shape poems.

Unexpected supernatural joys bloom during a summer holiday in Philippa Pearce’s classic “Tom’s Midnight Garden.” The French artist Edith’s new graphic adaptation of the 1958 English novel, translated by Liz Cross and Helen Johnson, captures the shadows and the dappled light — which readers of the original could only imagine in their minds’ eyes — with uncanny precision.

An Earful

Do you ever listen to books together? There are fantastic audio versions of a raft of chapter books at your son’s reading level, mixing wisdom and innocence in equal measure: “The Wild Robot” and its sequel, “The Wild Robot Escapes,” both by Peter Brown and read by Kate Atwater and Kathleen McInerney, respectively; “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon,” by Grace Lin, narrated by Janet Song; “Endling #1: The Last,” the first book in Katherine Applegate’s new fantasy series, read by Lisa Flanagan; and Norton Juster’s “The Phantom Tollbooth,” deliciously performed by David Hyde Pierce. Even if you pause the recording to discuss Juster’s puns, listening at the 1.5x rate will satisfy your son’s need for speed.

Origin Stories

Finally, one (or three) for the road: I think your son will love Rick Riordan’s books, but hold off for a year before plunging into the Percy Jackson books with him. In the intervening months introduce him to the myths Riordan draws from: “D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths,” by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire, and Yvan Pommaux’s mythology comics, translated by Richard Kutner — “Orpheus in the Underworld” and “Theseus and the Minotaur” are great places to start.

Yours truly,
Match Book

Do you need book recommendations? Write to matchbook@nytimes.com.

Check out Match Book’s earlier recommendations here.

Nicole Lamy is a writer and book critic, and the former books editor of The Boston Globe. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleALamy.

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A version of this article appears in print on  , Page 8 of the Sunday Book Review. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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