Having a newly independent reader is a special thing. They still love the books you used to read to them when they were toddlers and preschoolers, but suddenly they have this brand new skill that they’re so excited about, and they’re developing a whole new relationship with books and reading. For parents, one of the big challenges is finding books that support the development of that new skill and interest, but aren’t too difficult, complex, or “grown up” for emerging readers. And that’s what I found with a budding book series called Olive & Beatrix.
The Olive & Beatrix series is a part of Scholastic’s Branches collection. The Branches books are designed specifically for kids who are transitioning to independent reading, but aren’t quite ready for full chapter books. They still have illustrations and plenty of sight words, but they also tell slightly more complex stories, broken down into easily digestible short chapters. The Branches collection includes dozens of popular titles, like The Owl Diaries and Kung Pow Chicken, but my 7-year-old daughter loves nothing more than science and anything even vaguely witchy or magical, so I knew the Olive & Beatrix series was the one for her.
MORE: Find the Perfect Branches Series For Your Early Reader
A Fun & Spooky Story of Twins
The Olive & Beatrix books tell the story of twin sisters with very different lives. Olive is a science whiz kid who loves working on experiments with her best friend, Eddie. But Beatrix is a witch, and she delights in using her powers to play tricks on her sister. The sisters engage in a unique kind of sibling rivalry, playing magical and scientific pranks on each other and creating silly mayhem, like a house full of giant spiders, that they ultimately must work together to resolve.