Ask a Student: Book series elementary school kids love

Brandi Sargent and students
A teacher leads her sixth-graders in a discussion at Maxfield Elementary School in St. Paul.
Tim Post | MPR News 2012

Usually every week for Ask a Bookseller, I check in with indie booksellers all over the country for recommendations. But this week, we’re changing it up with an Ask a Student edition, courtesy of some of the readers at Gatewood Elementary School in Minnetonka, Minn.

The students I talked to ranged from kindergarten to sixth grade. They were all students of English language learning teachers Becky Hart and Aliza Mashadi, and the kids stepped away from their bustling school day for a few minutes to recommend books they loved. Everyone had a series to recommend that either connected with their lives or led them on new adventures.

A graphic novel image of a girl standing in front of a microphone.
"Click” by Kayla Miller
Courtesy Image

Ten-year-old Ayan Mahamud loves the graphic novel “Click” by Kayla Miller, about a girl who gets left out of all the acts for the upcoming talent show. After watching old variety shows at her aunt’s house, she gets inspired to create her own role, as the show’s emcee. Ayan is in band and is looking forward to attending band concerts through school, so she connected with this book on a personal level. “Click” has several companion books as well.

A book cover of "Sal and Gabi Break the Universe"
"Sal and Gabi Break the Universe" by Carlos Hernandez
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Asiya Dakol, 11, loves the sci-fi “Sal and Gabi” books by Carlos Hernandez. Together, the two friends break, then fix, the universe — so naturally, she recommends reading both.

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Ten-year-old Daisy Zamorano Romero enjoys the funny adventures and drawings in the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series by Jeff Kinney.

Nine-year-old Jason Chomphel turns to the action-packed adventures of “Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot” by Dav Pilkey.

Book cover of 'Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot'
"Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot" by Dav Pilkey and Dan Santat
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Awo Mahamud, 12, says “The Series of Unfortunate Events” books by Lemony Snicket keep her guessing what’s going to happen next. Orphaned siblings Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire face continued, well, unfortunate turns of events as the dreaded Count Olaf maneuvers to steal their fortune. (And it’s funny, too.)

For 6-year-old Rosie Zamorano Romero, there isn’t a specific series she likes, but one single subject: puppies.