All of us at Reading Quest have been excited to use the series Mel on Mars with our struggling readers.
It is extremely helpful to have a book about an older boy and girl in a book series that begins with CVC and CVCC words. It's especially wonderful to see an older girl, Mel, as the main character. She is searching for her older brother, a thirteen year old boy named Dom who has disappeared somewhere in space.
The diversity of the book's characters mean a great deal to our students and staff.
The series has a gradual progression of difficulty which is ideal for struggling readers. Books one to three use mainly CVC and CVCC words. Book four introduces -ed while also using CCVC words and book five focuses on CCVCC words. Books six, seven, and eight introduce digraphs and suffixes. Each of the following books introduce one or two new reading rules which provide 'just right' opportunities for repetition and practice. The books have a nice balance of dialogue and narrative. This series also has some exciting moments with blobs and plants, but these are not as scary as in the Magic Belt, Totem, and Talisman series.
Each of the following books introduce one or two new reading rules which provide 'just right' opportunities for repetition and practice.