The Best Geeky Chapter Books for Kids

The adults who spend their time discussing the pros and cons of hobbits vs. elves and the ones who ponder if they’d succeed better as a part of House Lannister or House Martell are the ones who likely started their lives gobbling up some geeky chapter books. The more dragons, magic and time travel, the better.

Luckily, the market is ripe with such chapter books for the next generation. This list will help you continue to promote all things magical, adventurous, scientific and historical once your kids have blown through the most obvious choices, like Harry Potter.

Crystal, a member of the Offspring Facebook Group, says she loves these chapter books for early readers and pre-readers because of how well they balance artwork and story. In fact, she said, Spider-Man’s Sand Trap was the first chapter book her three-year-old sat through.

Crystal also touts the art and story balance of these tales of a prim, proper princess who also happens to dress in all black when she sneaks out of the palace in titles like The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare and The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle.

Group member Jackie’s kids especially love graphic novels like Science Comics, with topics ranging from the digestive system or crows to skyscrapers or rocks and minerals. The website promotes the books’ beautiful illustrations and wide age appeal, “whether you’re a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a 30-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes.”

When Redditor u/Phinnegan asked for book recommendations for their 10-year-old son who was looking to follow up Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia, u/princessminx24 shared a variety of suggestions. Among those suggestions: the His Dark Materials trilogy, which follows heroine Lyra Belacqua. In this world, our souls are animals who travel with us, and Lyra must go on a mission north to find her kidnapped best friend.

Another u/Princessminx24 suggestion was Pratchett’s children’s books, which feature talking rats, tiny people who live in a carpet, and witches. These stories would transition well to the author’s “Discworld” series for teens and older readers.

This recommendation comes from Lifehacker’s parenting editor, Meghan Walbert, whose son recently discovered the animated series on Netflix and told her, “These are based off a book series. I need to read these books.”

The series, which is billed as Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets “The Walking Dead,” follows a teenager and his friends as they find themselves fighting to survive in the aftermath of the Monster Apocalypse.

That’s the opening description of the first book in The Guardian Herd series, which Walbert also recommends in honor of her niece, who was so obsessed with the story that she read them over and over until her copies fell apart and had to be replaced.

Offspring group member Clovis calls her kids “history buffs,” and her list of favorite chapter series reflects that:

“I look for books with vivid language that bring historical moments into perspective,” Clovis says. “This has been especially great for getting a non-famous, non-rich, non-important person’s view of history. History feels closer to reality than pure sci-fi but exotic enough to feel like you’re entering a new world. And of course, they dig the adventure and the sense of urgency the characters experience.”

Joshua, also from the Facebook group, highlights a number of fantasy, adventure and fairy tale books that his eight-year-old enjoys:

Source: Lifehacker.com

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Hobbit • Elf • Dragon • Magic (paranormal) • Time travel • Harry Potter • The Offspring • Facebook • Spider-Man • Chapter book • Digestion • Natural science • Reddit • Book • Harry Potter • The Chronicles of Narnia • His Dark Materials • Trilogy • Hero • Lyra Belacqua • Children's literature • Witchcraft • Author • Discworld • Lifehacker • Parenting • Animated series • Netflix • Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film) • The Walking Dead (TV series) • Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction • The Guardian • Clovis I • History • Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) • Clovis I • Human • History • History • Reality • Science fiction • New World • Facebook • Fantasy • Fairy tale •