by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Lexile: 970
One tip I've found, when searching for appropriate books for my accelerated reader, is to go back to the classics. The Secret Garden is perfect. A beautifully-written combination of adventure and fantasy, this story draws children in as the story comes to life. An orphaned, spoiled child named Mary comes to live in a dark, brooding house in rural England. She discovers an abandoned garden and begins the process of helping it to bloom again.
After reading this book, my son wanted to talk about all the flowers we saw in town, and he asked many questions about Dicken and his remarkable bond with animals. It's a gentle story with many layers; children will go back to it again and again. I recommend the remarkably illustrated version by Inga Moore, whose drawings feel as if they've always been associated with the story.
My son first read this book at age 5. There are some exciting plot twists, but nothing overtly scary.
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