Phonics Books for Kids Learning to Read from age 5-14!!

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Decodable readers or phonics books are a wonderful resource for kids learning to read – providing authentic practice and building confidence. I’m excited to introduce a resource to support kids who are learning to read at any age.

Phonics books for kids ages 5-14! High-interest, engaging decodable readers to reinforce skills & support emerging readers.

View the video below for a brief overview or read on for a more in-depth review. We received this product free-of-charge compensation for our time to prepare a fair and honest review.

To find out more:

Visit the PhonicBooks website
Check out the Catch Up Readers for ages 8-14
See the Beginner Readers for ages 5-7

PhonicBooks: Decodable, Phonics Based Books for Kids

PhonicBooks offers sets of decodable books & workbooks designed for kids who are learning to read. There are two different sections: Beginning Readers for kids ages 5-7 and Catch Up books for ages 8-14.

Each book focuses on a different reading, spelling, or phonics skill, such as phonemes, spelling with long or short vowels, suffixes, or building fluency. They include a brief guide to the skill along with new vocabulary words at the beginning of the book.

Phonics Books Designed to Meet Kids at Their Level

Meet them at their level: These books offer just the right amount of challenge and support for beginning and struggling readers. Kids can work on their new skills without a lot of frustration.

Authentic skills practice: When your child reads through, or when you read together, they have a chance to practice the skill, reading fluency, and comprehension all at once. Kids get a chance to really read and practice their skills – beyond the basic reading passage and worksheet.

Encourage independent reading: PhonicBooks encourage kids to read independently, which builds confidence. When your kids are more confident with their reading skills, they’ll enjoy reading more!

What makes PhonicBooks Stand Out!

We got to try a selection of readers from both sections. My kindergartener loved receiving a set of readers to enjoy on his own. However, I think what really separates PhonicBooks from other publishers is their Catch Up books for older kids. We are so impressed! The PhonicBooks Catch Up series take decodable readers to the next level.

PhonicBooks: phonics books for kids from ages 5-14

Looking for Phonics Based Books for Older Kids

Decodable readers and phonics-based books are an excellent supplement for kids learning to read, however it is difficult to find appropriate resources for older, struggling readers. Most phonics books are designed for kids in grades K-2 with simple, relatable stories and illustrations little ones really like. We’ve read a variety of these over the years to build reading skills, but I started running into some trouble this year.

My daughter is eight now and going into third grade. She has dyslexia and has been working hard to read for years. She sees kids her age reading big books, chapter books – they’re talking about reading Harry Potter and The Babysitter’s Club. And here we are, slogging through the same decodable books that her 5 year old brother loves and is reading with ease.

I know she feels defeated. She’s not excited to read. She avoids reading at all costs! It’s a challenge to find books that she is capable of reading and that she actually wants to read. Her tastes have matured faster than her abilities.

Catching Up Struggling Readers

If you have an older, struggling reader, you know what I mean. You don’t want to give your eight- or ten-year old books and worksheets designed for five- and six-year olds! It’s upsetting, as they feel like they’re doing baby work. Because, honestly, most of it looks like baby work!

PhonicBooks addresses this problem with several Beginner Readers series and Catch Up Readers for kids ages 8 to 14. These catch-up series make this company really stand out among the rest. When we opened these, my daughter was SO EXCITED to read. I’ve never seen that before!! She said she felt like they were made just for her – “big kids learning to read.”

High Interest Phonics Books for Older Kids

PhonicBooks include a variety of options – adventure and fantasy stories in a chapter book series style. They are high interest, engaging series that build a story and develop characters and story lines over time, which encourages kids to keep reading.

The big kid, more grown-up illustrations caught my daughter’s attention right away. She started with the Island Adventure series and was so motivated to read that I found her under her covers with a flashlight the very first night! My heart!

Building Confidence with Chapter Books

These phonics catch up books are longer than the average decodable reader, so kids get the feel of reading a real book. Each of the series is 8 to 12 books long, so they have the opportunity to really dig into a series by themselves. This build confidence in a way that other books developed for younger, beginning readers does not.

Along with the motivation to begin a series, my daughter felt confident enough to read through and finish it. We read together, taking turns, and later she read on her own. This was the first time she went through a series from beginning to end, and then was excited to start the next!

Skill Practice for Big Kids

In addition to the Catch-up readers, there are workbooks that coordinate with some of the series and are designed to reinforce the skills your child is practicing. These are also made for big kids with puzzles and games that challenge without overwhelming.

These are great for my daughter who, at this level, might otherwise be using workbooks designed for kindergarten or first graders. We are reading through the Alba series, now, and the chapter-by-chapter activities give her a chance to practice her spelling and writing skills along with reading a series she really enjoys.

Phonics books and workbooks for kids — Reading the Alba series & reinforcing skills with the workbook!

Who I’d Recommend PhonicBooks To

These books are fantastic to support kids of any age who are learning to read. Both the beginning and catch-up readers are quality, high-interest books that can supplement reading instruction, reinforce skills, and provide authentic practice that will build your child’s confidence in reading.

I would specifically recommend the Catch Up Readers and workbooks to parents helping older kids who struggle with reading and decoding. They are unique in that they are designed to address the needs of big kids who are working on building early reading skills. You can work through these together, but don’t be surprised if your child wants to take these books out of the designated learning time and into their room to read on their own!

These books are a great resource for parents and a wonderful stepping stone for learning to read. Whether you’re homeschooling, supporting your struggling reader after school, or just want to get your kids some books that they’ll be able to enjoy without frustration, I highly recommend checking out PhonicBooks.