What child hasn’t dreamed of being transported back in time, or wondered what it would be like to wake up in a future filled with flying cars or jetpacks? With so many great stories of childhood adventures across space, time, and parallel dimensions, fueling your young reader’s fascination with time travel is easy.
“Time travel books have a special way of enveloping and transporting the reader, just as they're transporting the characters within the book,” says Karen Burke, senior vice president of academic planning at Scholastic Education.
Many time travel books are geared toward kids in grades 2 to 5. As your child transitions from learning how to read to reading to learn in 3rd grade, these books will help by teaching them about cause and effect, setting, and point of view as they watch characters adjust and react to new worlds.
Here are three reading skills books about time travel build — all of which lead to better reading comprehension.
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1. They expand your child’s vocabulary.
Books about time travel introduce young readers to new vocabulary they may not be exposed to otherwise (think “lance” or “intergalactic”). “Vocabulary is always the underpinning of comprehension,” says Burke, adding that one of her favorite vocabulary-rich books about time travel is A Wrinkle in Time.
Often in time travel books, characters learn about this vocabulary at the same time as the reader. This gives the new terms perspective and setting — and makes them less intimidating for your child to learn.
2. They encourage exciting conversations.
If vocabulary sets the foundation for comprehension, discussion takes it to the next level. “One thing we always want to do when we read a good book is to tell somebody about it,” says Burke.
Stories tied to events and eras in history like The Devil’s Arithmetic and The Orphan of Ellis Island lend themselves well to discussion, because learning about historical events encourages kids to think about present-day issues from a new perspective, says Burke.
To spark conversation at home, ask your child how they might connect events in the time travel book they’re reading to events happening in the world today.
3. They motivate your child to read more.
Books about time travel will foster the imagination and creativity of your child, and inspire them to keep reading for fun.
“A lot of kids will be motivated to read more because time travel books are fanciful and they give children the opportunity to imagine other places and times,” says Burke. These visualization skills will bolster their reading skills for years to come.
Time-travel books like George Washington’s Socks and its sequel George Washington’s Spy are great picks to have on hand. Meanwhile, if your young readers loved A Wrinkle in Time, the A Wrinkle in Time Quintet box set will keep them hooked on the series.
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