Both of my kids started reading at 4 and 5, and I would flip out if I had a kid like this...but some don't pick it up until 9 or 10. I am part of a huge homeschooling community and I hear ALL the time about kids like this. They just all of a sudden do it, do it well, and love it. It would drive me nuts as a parent, but the only problem is that this does not work for public schools. They will find something "wrong" with her even if she is just a late bloomer.

I think it's all about what parents expose the child to. My daughter is pretty advanced but I stay home with her and work with her constantly. My niece has mostly been raised by sitters and daycares that teach her nothing. She is going to be turning 5 but she doesn't even know all her letters. She is by no means slow, just never having been exposed to it.

means changes in everything for good.

My daughter just graduated from Kindergarten. She is six years old and can read full books.
Here in Colorado, I know that children have to be at a specific reading level by fourth grade, or they are held back.
I noticed that the Kindergarten curriculum has become harder.
Anyway, I started working with my daughter on writing first. We did that when she was four. She went to preschool and could write and recognize her own name. Upon entering Kindergarten at 5yo, she could read very few words, but could write. Like I said, she's now 6yo and just got out of Kindergarten in May and can read and write pretty well.
Just keep working with her. It's going to become really important really soon for her to be able to read. Good luck!

Some kids are readers, and some are not. I have one of each. Read to them every night, etc. My oldest took to it, my youngest did not - she much prefered being read to, or listenning to audio books. If she HAD to read, it was almost exclusively non-fiction.

Maybe make a game of it - Dad reads a sentence/paragraph/page, then she does. Have her go to the library and pick out books she's interested in. Consider getting her a used e-reader.

I'm sorry, seeing what it does to an adult who is illiterate (my FDH), and knowing a bit about child development (ex foster mom, state caregiver etc), this is NOT normal.

She should be able to write her name, read at least one of those cardboard books for infants....read the last three words and repeat that to yourself. BOOKS FOR INFANTS.

Not normal, not right, she needs to be seen and checked for learning disabilities.

If shes allowed to continue to act/develop this way she will have an EXTREMELY difficult time in life.

Copied directly from one of my child development books a 6 year old should be able to...

"apply their knowledge of how print works and practice strategies to decode unfamiliar words. They learn to read aloud with fluency, accuracy and understanding. They read a variety of texts for pleasure (e.g., stories, informational texts, poems) and draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies to understand and enjoy texts. Children this age write stories, notes and descriptions. Most are able to develop an idea beyond a sentence and will add some details to help describe or explain things in their world"