Susie, congrats on making such an effort to turn this young lady into a lifelong reader! Maybe you've already seen it, but there's a booklist on Flashlight Worthy that seems perfect for this girl. It's called "Good Books for Strong Girls in 3rd, 4th or 5th Grade" and can be found at this URL:

http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/Good-Books-for-Girls-3rd-4th-5th-Grade/406

Hope some of those books help!

This may be simple for her but she may also love it. "Love You Forever" by Robert Mensch. The artwork is great fun and the story is sweet, short and i have only met one person who didn't just love it -- young and old alike.

love the suggestions! That list is perfect. :)

My 8 yr old girl likes:

Hannah Montana books

Mary Kate and Ashley mysteries

Junie B Jones books

Diary of a Wimpy kid books

Baby Mouse books

My son is 7 and adores the Magic Treehouse series.. they are fun for parents, too.

You could try AA Milne's poetry in 'When we were very young' or 'Now we are six'. Funny poems for kids and parents to enjoy and she may find it easier to read shorter passages while she develops her attention span!

If she's into fantasy she should definitely try the Disney Fairies and the Rainbow Fairies books, or Emily Windsnap when she gets a little more confident.

Also, if she is worried about making mistakes, point out what she does well as a reader and help her without judgement when she's struggling - it will help give her the confidence she needs to keep doing it!

The 39 Clues series is a lot of fun- tell her it's Amazing Race meets National Treasure. My nine year old is really enjoying them (and so am I :)

Try Rain. It is about a girl who goes to a spy school at birth and is learning to be a spy. It is a coming of age novel. Available on amazon. com and through echelon press.

I don't know if they are still commonly available, but try the books of Steven Cosgrove. The illustrations are gorgeous.

The Unicorn's Secret books by Kathleen Duey are great. Easy reading, yet so well- written that I was reading ahead in them when my daughter was into them. Time Warp Trio and Magic Treehouse are super-popular for that age, as well as the Rainbow Fairy, Weather Fairy, Jewel Fairy, and whatever other fairies there are-- those are all series by the same author. I find them mind-numbingly boring but my daughter loooves them.

Clearly the Redwall series is the only option here.

When I was her age, I fell in love with the The Moffats by Eleanor Estes. There's a whole series about this family.

Also, have you heard about having a child read to a dog in order to practice her reading? Dogs love everything they hear and they're never critical and will never correct her pronunciation, unlike a cat, who will just get up and leave, maybe even call the Kitty Abuse Hotline.