From age seven to nine, little ones are full of energy and questions about the world around them. Fortunately, books can help channel that curious energy into something that will fuel their minds.
By the time your little one is entering second, third, or fourth grade, the best books are ones that encourage independent exploration and creation. Reading is a tool to help your child discover how things work, and when it comes to new discoveries, it helps to be a little hands-on.
Enter the world of interactive books: the perfect hybrid between reading and doing, where your child can draw, play, and sticker their way into the reading world. Interactive books and activity books are an exciting way to introduce new concepts and help readers develop a habit of focusing for longer periods of time. With interactive books, you get a kind of active play that your little one won’t find in games or screens, and Literati subscription boxes have the perfect one for every kind of reader.
We’ve ranked our favorite interactive reads for every energetic second-grade, third-grade, or fourth-grade reader. Read on to discover the top five interactive books to distract, delight, and engage your 7-9 year old.
Maze Quest History: Travel Through Time!
Part maze activity, part storybook, Maze Quest tells the story of George and his puppy companion, Milly. During a visit to the Natural History Museum, they’re sent back in time with no way home! As your child completes and connects each maze, they get to experience history and send our protagonists back to the present.
Thanks to its exciting time travel theme, this maze book is rich with educational value far beyond the cognition skills needed to solve the mazes themselves. Maze Quest History is an ideal challenge for the budding problem solver.
Laugh-Out-Loud Ultimate Jokes for Kids
This book, which holds the #2 spot on our list of best activity books, is jam-packed with jokes, puzzles, and goofy games. Getting acquainted with humor and joke structure is a great way for kids to learn literary devices—as wordplay and analogy pop up all over the place.
This book is a 2-in-1 collectible copy, combining Laugh-Out-Loud Awesome Jokes for Kids and Laugh-Out-Loud Road Trip Jokes for Kids into one side-splitting book. Rob Elliott includes tried-and-true jokes (think chickens crossing roads) with brand-new iterations, making this book a hilarious must-have for every household.
National Parks of the USA
National Parks of the U.S.A. stuns with glossy, realistic illustrations that will introduce your child to diverse landscapes and animal species they might not realize are in our very own backyard! And they aren’t just pretty to look at—your child will learn bite-sized facts they can remember and recite back.
This book includes a crossword of predators, a bird word search, spot-the-difference games with insects, a pull-out poster map, and dozens of stickers. Safe to say there’s hours upon hours of fun to be found in this book—no travel necessary!
Doodle Adventures: The Rise of the Rusty Robo-Cat!
Has your child ever wanted to star in a book they were reading? Well, here’s their chance! This book goes beyond second-person storytelling to activate their imagination and encourage their creative side.
Doodle Adventures: The Rise of the Rusty Robo-Cat makes reading fun and interactive, working like a wacky game of Mad Libs, where your child can draw themselves into the story and all of its absurd adventures. They’ll complete prompts, doodles, and puzzles as they wind their way through their story.
STEM Starters for Kids: Science Activity Book
Is your child often asking questions about how the world works? You may have a mini scientist in your midst.
STEM Starters for Kids: Science Activity Book won’t just keep their hands busy—it’ll keep their brain activated for hours on end.They’ll race through a maze to make steam, draw sound waves, learn about light with shadow puppets, and more. At Literati, this sensational multi-sensory book gets top marks as one of the best books for 9-year-olds! Get ready for your child to have a reading experience that’s equal parts silly and scholarly.
Interactive Books for Ever-Learning Minds
With interactive books, readers are empowered to lead their own story. These healthy outlets for curiosity and creativity are also instrumental in building a lasting love of reading.
With our Literati Kids book box subscription, you’ll help to fuel a passion for reading at any age. Every Literati box is personalized to fit your child’s interests, and adapts to challenge them as they grow.
A subscription book club for kids gets them excited about the amazing world of literature with books that are just-right for their pace of development. Keep your child reading, active, and ever-learning with Literati Kids.
