Hi,朋友們,最近還好嗎?
這期是我們選書指南的最後一期!
維拉今天與大家聊聊英文中高章節書的選擇~
前幾期我們討論了關於0至9歲階段孩子英文讀物的選擇。在學前階段,家長應注重親子共讀,選擇帶有各種「小機關」的英文繪本,一來是為了吸引孩子閱讀,二來能促進孩子的精細運動發展。在內容上,幼兒階段的英文繪本的故事性較弱,以插圖呈現為主,且均為短句子,畫風和文字或溫馨暖人,或調皮可愛。
待孩子步入學齡階段,家長們會發現,適讀的繪本句子變長變多,內容的故事性增強,孩子不再只接觸一些朗朗上口押韻的短句子。小學低年級的孩子開始從親子閱讀向自主閱讀過渡,虛構類故事的閱讀能幫助他們了解人物、背景、情節等故事要素,運用例如如預測、總結等閱讀策略進行文本理解,為未來閱讀章節書打下基礎。同時,一些簡單的非虛構類繪本也應納入選擇,自然、動物等是大多數孩子喜歡的主題,適當地加入這類非虛構繪本閱讀,有助於孩子積累學科詞彙,拓寬視野,探索興趣。
孩子進入小學中高年級和初中,他們感興趣的話題就更多元了,以虛構類英文讀物為例,偵探、校園成長、冒險、奇幻這類主題的兒童作品都是孩子們的最愛。在國外兒童文學作者和出版商眼裡,並沒有我們國內流行的「中高章節書」的概念,只有Early chapter books,即初章書,然後依次是Chapter books,Middle-grade fiction ,Young adult fiction。劃分它們的標準就是適讀年齡段,而不是基於文本閱讀理解的難度。我們來給它做個銜接,這樣就一目了然了(見下表,僅供參考)。接下來的介紹主要圍繞初中章節和中高章節兩個過渡階段適讀的書目展開。
初中章節書閱讀 過渡階段
這個階段的入門書我比較推薦Geronimo Stilton。主要有三點原因,一是全彩圖,文字排版很有創意,讓故事更活了。二是歷險故事搞笑的同時還有些驚險刺激,符合孩子口味,同時裡面還包含不少人文地理知識;三是句子較短,有大量的描述性詞彙,對於一直堅持原版閱讀的孩子來說,難度其實不大同時,對開始嘗試自己寫英文小故事的孩子來說會有所啟發。
藍思值:410L-810L
Geronimo Stilton有7個系列,每個系列都是10本,共70冊。前兩個系列比較適合做初轉中章節閱讀的過渡,後面的難度依次遞增。這裡只列出1-10冊:
Lost Treasure of the Emerald
The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid
Cat and Mouse in a Haunted House
I'm Too Fond of My Fur
Four Mice Deep in the Jungle
Paws Off, Cheddarface!
Red Pizzas for a Blue Count
Attack of the Bandit Cats
A Fabumouse Vacation for Geronimo
All Because of a Cup of Coffee
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
對於從初章書向中高章書過渡的小學生來說,漫畫小說(graphic novels)也是一個選擇,有助於提高孩子閱讀自信。我選了兩套,供家長們參考。一個是比較簡單的Big Nate,另一個是語言相當於中高章難度的Captain Underpants Series。
Big Nate collection(搗蛋王大內特)
藍思值:300L-380L
3冊/套的包含:
Big Nate In a Class by Himself
Big Nate Strikes Again
Big Nate on a Roll
8冊/套的包含:(國內不同書商配的套裝有所不同,我選的這幾本比較容易買到)
Big Nate In a Class by Himself
Big Nate Strikes Again
Big Nate on a Roll
Big Nate Goes for Broke
Big Nate Flips Out
Big Nate Blasts Off
Big Nate Lives it Up
Big Nate In the Zone
註:祖國版大多是黑白版本的,一般是成套出售, 像10、12冊一套的,都是包括了活動書,如果不想要活動書的話,可以買3冊或8冊一套的,蠻厚一本,孩子休息放鬆時隨手翻翻,也夠看一段時間了。
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
Captain Underpants Series(內褲超人)
藍思值:640L-890L
12冊/套
The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets
Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space
Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants
Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Women
Captain Underpants and Big Bad Battle of The Bionic Booger Boy Part1
Captain Underpants and Big Bad Battle of The Bionic Booger Boy Part 2
Captain Underpants and The Preposterous Plight of The Purple Potty People
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers
Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers
Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
熟悉Magic Tree House(神奇樹屋)的都知道它是初章節書入門的經典,但它的第二季也就是Magic Tree House- Merlin Missions(神奇樹屋-梅林的任務)屬於典型的中章節書。雖然插圖很少,但語言難度比上面的《內褲超人》要簡單,也可以做中章節閱讀的入門書。
Magic Tree House- Merlin Missions(梅林的任務)
藍思值:460L-590L
25冊/套
Christmas in Camelot
Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve
Summer of the Sea Serpent
Winter of the Ice Wizard
Carnival at Candlelight
Season of the Sandstorm
Night of the New Magicians
Blizzard of the Blue Moon
Dragon of the Red Dawn
Monday with a Mad Genius
Dark Day in the Deep Sea
Eve of the Emperor Penguin
Moonlight on the Magic Flute
A Good Night for Ghosts
Leprechaun in Late Winter
A Ghost Tale for Christmas
A Crazy Day with Cobras
Dogs in the Dead of Night
Abe Lincoln at Last
A Perfect Time for Pandas
Stallion by Starlight
Hurry Up, Houdini!
High Time for Heroes
Soccer on Sunday
Shadow of the Shark
內頁
(圖片來源於Magic Tree House官網)
中高章節書閱讀 過渡階段
適合這個階段的選擇非常多,有驚險刺激的冒險題材,也有神奇抓人的奇幻主題,也不缺溫情勵志的經典文學作品。下面的介紹我會按照難度遞增順序做大致排列,具體選擇還要看孩子的興趣哦。
The Boxcar Children(棚車少年)
Publisher:Albert Whitman & Co
藍思值:430L-830L
這個火爆了半個多世紀的經典兒童文學應該不需要我多說,家長們基本都聽過,探險勵志的故事教孩子學會善良,鼓勵他們勇敢堅韌。我比較推薦孩子們看Mysteries系列,一共有157冊,這裡只列了前12冊:
The Boxcar Children
Surprise Island
The Yellow House Mystery
Mystery Ranch
Mike's Mystery
Blue Bay Mystery
The Woodshed Mystery
The Lighthouse Mystery
Mountain Top Mystery
Schoolhouse Mystery
Caboose Mystery
Houseboat Mystery
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
類似主題的還有The Storey Treehouse,這個「畫風」明顯就歡快得多,各種奇思妙想,天馬行空,雖然語言難度不低,但插圖文字比例基本是1:1,孩子比較容易進入「狀態」。
The Storey Treehouse(小屁孩樹屋歷險記)
藍思值:560L-770L
8冊/套
The 13-Storey Treehouse
The 26-Storey Treehouse
The 39-Storey Treehouse
The 65-Storey Treehouse
The 52-Storey Treehouse
The 78-Storey Treehouse
The 91-Storey Treehouse
The 104-Storey Treehouse
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
Rainbow Magic是小女生比較喜歡的類型。它有30個系列,200多本。我在網上找了一下,目前國內貌似只有前三個系列(黃、藍、紅盒),每個系列有7本,共21本。
藍思值:620L-660L(series1)
610L-730L(series2)
650L-760L(series3)
Series1包含:
Ruby the Red Fairy
Amber the Orange Fairy
Saffron the Yellow Fairy
Fern the Green Fairy
Sky the Blue Fairy
Izzy the Indigo Fairy
Heather the Violet Fairy
Series2包含:
Hayley the Rain Fair
Storm the Lightning Fairy
Evie the Mist Fairy
Goldie the Sunshine Fairy
Pearl the Cloud Fairy
Abigail the Breeze Fairy
Crystal the Snow Fairy
Series3包含:
Cherry the Cake Fairy
Melodie the Music Fairy
Grace the Glitter Fairy
Honey the Sweet Fairy
Polly the Party Fun Fairy
Phoebe the Fashion Fairy
Jasmine the Present Fairy
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
下面推薦的這套偵探推理類小說可是吸引了不少小男生,帶著39條線索「週遊世界」,喜歡探險類作品的男孩女孩都可以嘗試讀讀。維拉發現雖然書中的長句子比較多,但詞彙難度並不算大。
藍思值:550L-730L
11冊/套
The Maze of Bones
One False Note
The Sword Thief
Beyond the Grave
The Black Circle
In Too Deep
The Viper’s Nest
The Emperor's Code
Storm Warning
Into the Gauntlet
Vespers Rising
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
Percy Jackson據說是繼哈利波特後最具影響力的奇幻小說,作者將古希臘神話與21世紀現代青少年的社會生活巧妙融合。如果喜歡這類主題,進階到哈利波特系列前可以選擇Percy Jackson哦。
藍思值:590L-680L
5冊/套
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian
Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse
Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
Choose Your Own Adventure是一個系列遊戲書(gamebook)。以「你」(第二人稱視角)為主角,在每一個章節最後會有幾個選擇,讀者要自己選擇選擇故事的發展方向。根據讀者的選擇,情節會以不同形式開展,並導致許多不同的結局。(資料來源:wikipedia)
Choose Your Own Adventure(驚險岔路口)
藍思值:630L-760L
6冊/套
The Abominable Snowman
Journey Under the Sea
Space and Beyond
The Lost Jewels of Nabooti
Mystery of the Maya
House of Danger
下面介紹的這套是美國經典的校園主題的青少年讀物,洛杉磯時報曾評價說:本書充分地理解與表達出孩子的不安,男孩們對於書中描繪的種種情節相信更能感同身受。書中情節各種「不按常理出牌」,是叛逆期的孩子菜?
Publisher:Random House UK
藍思值:520L-820L
10冊/套
The Worst Years of My Life
Get Me Out of Here!
My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar
How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill
Ultimate Showdown
Save Rafe!
Just My Rotten Luck
Dog's Best Friend
Escape to Australia
From Hero to Zero
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
提到世界奇幻文學大師級人物羅爾德·達爾(Roald Dahl)或許很多小讀者不太熟悉,但說到《查理與巧克力工廠》,《女巫》,《詹姆斯與大仙桃》,孩子們都很熟悉吧!Roald Dahl正是這些耳熟能詳讀本的作者。喜愛他作品的人不局限於青少年,大人讀了也會被深深吸引。
藍思值:560L-870L
15本/套
1.The Witches
2.The BFG
3.Going Solo
4.The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
5.The Magic Finger
6.James and the Giant Peach
7.The Twits
8.Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
9.Charlie and the Great Glass Elevato
10.Fantastic Mr Fox
11.Esio Trot
12.Danny the Champion of the World
13.George's Marvellous Medicine
14.Boy, Tales of Childhood
15.The Magic Finger
The Witches內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
高章節書閱讀
高章節書入門級作品必屬Harry Potter了!
藍思值:500L-950L
7冊/套
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
版本很多,大家根據喜好選擇。其中前四部有插圖彩繪版的,比較推薦給剛入門的孩子,哈迷們也可以收藏,哈哈!
常被拿來與Harry Potter同題材PK的要數Artemis Fowl了,喜歡哈利波特的孩子也不要錯過它哦~
藍思值:600L-930L
8冊/套
Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex
Artemis Fowl and The Arctic Incident
Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox
Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code
Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian
Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception
Artemis Fowl
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
Ramona這個被認為是美國兒童文學史上最經典的陽光女孩形象的故事主角在成長的道路上經歷了哪些困難,她又是如何面對並克服的?這部美國童書協會評為「兒童評選最愛童書」且獲得美國紐伯瑞(Newbery )兒童文學獎的作品值得孩子們一讀。
The Complete Ramona Collection(雷夢拉系列)
藍思值:715L-815L
8冊/套
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Brave
Ramona and Her Father
Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona Forever
Ramona's World
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
Narnia納尼亞這個奇幻神秘的王國不少青少年應該不陌生吧?閱讀前可以先看看這部由原著改編的系列電影哦。
The Chronicles of Narnia(納尼亞傳奇)
藍思值:790L-970L
7冊/套
The Magician's Nephew
The Lion,the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
喜歡《納尼亞傳奇》的孩子也可以嘗試下面這部動物奇幻勵志小說《貓武士》,語言難度與《納尼亞傳奇》相當。
藍思值:750L-1000L
五部曲之第一部曲:6冊/套
Into the Wild
Fire and Ice
Forest of Secrets
Rising Storm
A Dangerous ath
The Darkest Hour
另一部獲得紐伯瑞兒童文學獎的美國中小學必讀書目The Complete Little House,與The Complete Ramona Collection一樣,也屬於青少年成長題材的作品。
The Complete Little House(小木屋系列)
藍思值:720L-1030L
9冊/套
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
最後推薦的兒童文學作品就是「原版娃」都聽過的小屁孩,別看它的設計孩子氣很重,但語言難度一點都不低,更適合初中生閱讀。風格比較活潑有趣,且裡面有不少美國中學生常用的地道的口語表達,很受孩子們歡迎。
Diary of Wimpy Kid(小屁孩日記)
藍思值:910L-1060L
12冊/套
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Rodrick Rules
The Last Straw
Dog Days
The Ugly Truth
Cabin Fever
The Third Wheel
Hard Luck
The Long Haul
Old School
Double down
Do it Yourself
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
以上就是本期中高章節小說的推薦了~~~~
且慢,👇還有!
非虛構類的有哪些值得入手呢?下面維拉推薦兩個系列,一個是「名人傳記」系列,另一個是「學科」系列。
Who was? 系列講述47位西方歷史名人的人生浮沉,有演員、作家、政治家、商界名人等。
藍思值:570L-1020L
共47冊,分為:
西方歷史名人:
01:Who Is Bill Gates?
02:Who Is Richard Branson?
03:Who Was Dr. Seuss?
04:Who Is J.K. Rowling?
05:Who Was Jesse Owens?
06:Who Was Babe Ruth?
07:Who Were The Beatles?
08:Who Is Bob Dylan?
09:Who Was Frida Kahlo?
10:Who Was Claude Monet?
11:Who Was Alfred Hitchcock?
12:Who Is George Lucas?
13:Who Is Steven Spielberg?
14:Who Was Ben Franklin?
15:Who Was Abigail Adams?
傳奇男性人物:
01:Who Was Charles Dickens?
02:Who Was J. R. R. Tolkien?
03:Who Was Bruce Lee?
04:Who Was Charlie Chaplin?
05:Who Was Muhammad Ali?
06:Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?
07:Who Was Robert E. Lee?
08:Who Was Ulysses S. Grant?
09:Who Was Ronald Reagan?
10:Who Was Woodrow Wilson?
11:Who Was Blackbeard?
12:Who Was King Tut?
13:Who Was Milton Hershey?
先鋒女性人物:
01:Who Was Maya Angelou?
02:Who Was Harriet Beecher Stowe?
03:Who Was Beatrix Potter?
04:Who Was Marie Antoinette?
05:Who Was Jackie Kennedy?
06:Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt
07:Who Was Sally Ride?
08:Who Was Julia Child?
09:Who Was Clara Barton?
10:Who Is Gloria Steinem?
11:Who Is Jane Goodall?
12:Who Is Sonia Sotomayor?
風雲領袖:
01:Who Was Henry Ford?
02:Who Was Walt Disney?
03:Who Was Steve Jobs?
04:Who Was Mother Teresa?
05:Who Was Jesus?
06:Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr?
07:Who Was Alexander The Great?
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
其實除了人物傳記,Who HQ還出有Where was?系列和What is/was?系列,非常推薦孩子們去讀讀這兩個系列。
What was/is?系列涵蓋從革命鬥爭到自然災害,社會運動到女巫審判在內的所有重大歷史事件,共42冊。從歷史遺蹟到自然奇觀,Where is?系列則可以帶著孩子週遊全球最令人興奮的著名景點,共27冊。語言比較通俗易懂,是值得入手的人文科普讀本!
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
接下來的這個「學科」系列也非常有意思。從《要命的數學》到《可怕的科學》,從《可怕的地理》到《可怕的歷史》,齊活兒!地理迷、歷史迷或數學迷的孩子們不要錯過啊~
10冊/套
1.Awesome Arithmetricks
2.Easy Questions, Evil Answers
3.Savage Shapes
4.Do You Feel Lucky
5.The Key to the Universe
6.The Perfect Sausage
7.Desperate Measures
8.Guaranteed to Mash Your Mind
9.Guaranteed to Bend Your Brain
10.The Phantom X
內頁
(圖片來源於Murderous Maths官網)
Horrible Geography(可怕的地理)
10冊/套
1. Violent Volcanoes
2. Odious Oceans
3. Stormy Weather
4. Raging Rivers
5. Desperate Deserts
6. Freaky Peaks
7. Bloomin』 Rainforests
8. Monster Lakes
9. Earth-shattering Earthquakes
10. Cracking Coasts
內頁
(圖片來源於littlebookworm.com)
20冊/套
1.The Stormin' Normans
2.The Vicious Vikings
3.The Smashing Saxons
4.The Cut-Throat Celts
5.The Rotten Romans
6.The Groovy Greeks
7.The Awesome Egyptians
8. The Savage Stone Age
9.The Slimy Stuarts
10.The Terrible Tudors
11.The Measly Middle Ages
12.The Incredible Incas
13.The Angry Aztecs
14.The Gorgeous Georgians
15.The Blitzed Brits
16.The Woeful Second World War
17.The Frightful First World War
18.The Barmy British Empire
19.The Villainous Victorians
20.The Vile Victorians
內頁
(圖片來源於Rakuten OverDrive)
20冊/套
1.Sounds Dreadful
2.Space, Stars and Slimy Aliens
3.Terrible Truth About Time
4.Viclous Veg
5.Painful Poison
6.Microscoplc Monsters
7.Killer Energy
8.Frightening Light
9.Fight for Flight
10.Angry Animals
11.Evolove or Die
12.Disgusting Digestion
13.Deadly Diseases
14.Chemical Chaos
15.Bulging Brains
16.Blood, Bones and Body Bits
17.Fatal Forces
18.Shocking Electricity
19.Nasty Nature
20.Ugly Bugs
內頁
(圖片來源於littlebookworm.com)
每個孩子英文閱讀能力發展的水平不一,有快有慢。我了解到有的孩子三四年級就能獨立閱讀Harry Potter原著了,也有的孩子正處在初章節書閱讀階段。其實幾年級讀初章、中章、高章,這些沒有具體的衡量指標,也不是最重要的。孩子在成長的過程中,父母和老師幫助並引導他們找到自己的閱讀興趣,建立閱讀自信,培養每日閱讀的習慣(不論中文英文閱讀),因為熱愛閱讀、享受閱讀,那就無所謂「堅持」了!
轉眼又要到周末了,這篇文章我斷斷續續寫了近一周,每天邊「肝」專業書,邊寫公眾號,都是維拉喜愛的事,因此不需要堅持。
祝大家周末愉快!