High Interest Approachable Vocabulary
- Book Review
Suspense Series for Tentative Readers
Dateline: 8/30/2004
by Ruth Pell
Published with permission of Tammy Takahashi
Editor - California HomeSchooler Newsletter/Magazine
HomeSchool Association of California
"A hand was there in the mud. On the hand was a ring
with a big red rock. By the hand was a locked bag. It was spooky!"
Thus begins The Swamp, Book One of the New Start Suspense
Series, a series of six short novels by Patricia Birtwistle that
consists of exciting stories of intrigue and suspense. Each story
follows the same group of five characters on a new adventure.
As with most "high-interest low vocabulary" readers,
the content is appealing to most students ages 10 and older,
while the author uses shorter sentences and simpler vocabulary
typical of a second to third grade reading level.
Each story is divided into short, manageable chapters, and
uses a carefully controlled vocabulary and frequently repeated
words to reinforce reading success. Included with the set of
six paperback novels is a comprehensive Resource Guide that includes
story summaries, discussion questions, and a vocabulary list
that is sorted by vowel words, word families, and sight words.
I sat down to read these with my 10-year-old autistic son,
who currently reads at about a third grade level. He had no trouble
with the vocabulary, and the short sentences encouraged his comprehension.
The characters are well developed and the stories are fun to
read. The story endings cleverly lead into the next story, encouraging
the reader to keep reading. Each successive book seemed to use
a bit more advanced vocabulary and increasingly complex sentences.
In The Swamp the kids find stolen money after being
trapped by a rockslide; in The Old House they find a lost
child. What a Day takes the kids swimming at the lake,
and The Junk Yard finds one character at odds with a guard
dog. Our favorite, The Trip, is an adventure on horseback,
and the final book, At the Mall, involves the kids in
a back-to-school mystery. The story lines are appropriately suspenseful,
though they may be too tense for very young children.
Using the same familiar characters in each book made it easier
for my son to follow the storylines. My son had a lot of fun
reading these stories, and his sisters found themselves drawn
into the suspense as they listened to him read. We all would
then join in discussing the events and conclusions. After reading
them aloud, my son could be seen reading and enjoying them on
his own, too.
Pat Birtwistle
Patnor Publishing
Tammy Takahashi
Editor - California HomeSchooler Newsletter/Magazine
HomeSchool Association of California
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