woolybear Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Ds, age 10, has been slow to learn to read. It's just getting to the point where it's a bit easier and enjoyable. He just finished The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and wants something similar to read. He would like a series. He liked that series because it was funny, there was a combination of writing and pictures on the pages, yet it was a chapter book. Any ideas on something he might enjoy? Tia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Big Nate is another, similar series that DS has enjoyed. I've heard good things about the Middle School series by James Patterson, as well as the Origami Yoda books, but have no experience with either of them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 There are other books in the same mold as Wimpy Kid, but most of the "boy" ones don't seem to be taking off in quite the same way - Timmy Failure is the most recent one I've seen that's clearly "just like" Wimpy Kid, but I haven't heard much about it, so I can't say if it's very good. There are others that are similar though. Big Nate has comics and text together and is light and humorous and contemporary. Dragonbreath is also light and easy with some comics and lots of pictures interspersed and is about animals. My boy who liked Wimpy Kid really liked Dragonbreath. Also, that old parents-hate-it classic, Captain Underpants, also has a similar reading level and images interspersed style to Wimpy Kid. The Tom Angleberger Origami Yoda series is a slight step up in terms of quality and message from Wimpy Kid, without being much harder to read so that's a good popular option. Sometimes it's not a straight line for kids from one series to another though. My ds went from Wimpy Kid to Warriors and they're nothing alike. My other ds kept telling me he wanted more books like Frindle, but the next book he really loved was Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, which is totally different. Some other popular things that are good "hooks" for formerly reluctant readers include... Amulet, Bone, and other graphic novels - great series for boys this age 39 Clues - fantasy, lots of different authors Warriors - fighting cats Louis Sachar's Wayside School books - very silly and light Michael Buckley's NERDS series - also very silly and light about secret agents Dan Gutman's or Matt Christopher's various sports series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A home for their hearts Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Diary of a Wimpy kid is what got my strugglilng reader to actually want to read. He read the whole series. I had the same problem as you are having now after he finished. He isn't one to want to go to the library and go through all the amazing books to find something he liked. So I did what you are doing and ask for suggestions here, then went to the library got 3 or 4 different books from different series and handed them to him. It was interesting to see which one he picked. He is now reading the How to Train Your Dragon series and is loving it. I was surprised because he had already seen the movie so I figured he wouldn't enjoy the books. Boy was I ever wrong! He mentions from time to time how the movie got it wrong in certain parts. When the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid came out on DVD his sister kept trying to convince him to watch it and he kept telling her that he didn't want to because they always mess the movies up. :hurray: I'll look through my old posts and see if I can find the ones with book suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A home for their hearts Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I found a couple of them. The first one has suggestions for books and the second one has suggestions for audio books. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/451494-need-book-suggestions-for-reluctant-boy/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/451707-spin-off-need-audio-book-titles-for-relucant-ds12/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 My son recommends either the Origami Yoda series, or the Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 My ds10 is currently LOVING Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. This thread is helpful to me so I can see what he might enjoy next. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 I asked my son, based on others recommending it, if he was interested in the Origami Yoda series. "Yeah, I've wanted that one for a long time!" Oh... Okay then. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sobeknofret Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Darth Kid also recommends Super Diaper Baby, Captain Underpants, and Dragonbreath. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 I wanted to second the Louis Sachar Wayside School books that Farrar mentioned. He also wrote Holes and the sequel, which my kids liked. Mine also like Origami Yoda, Warriors, Aussie Bites, Hugo Cabret (because it looks like a giant book, but is mostly pictures) Just So Stories, well, that's all I can see from where I am sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 How to Eat Fried Worms Freckle Juice Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (then Shiela the Great, Superfudge...) Wayside School series Hugo Cabret Origami Yoda series 39 Clues TinTin comics That's what I'm trying anyway. DS is almost 8 and loves reading fluffy crap. I'm trying to alternate his picks with my picks. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug's Mom Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 I've said it before and I'll say it again...Aldo Zelnick by Karla Oceanak. The first seven are out (from Artsy-Fartsy to Glitch). Hotdogger is due in Sept. and Ignoramus in Dec. http://www.aldozelnick.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 My DD was another who finally got hooked into reading by DoaWK, and her next favorites were The Dork Diaries (similar format to Wimpy Kid, but with a girl protagonist. I've never understood why it's expected that girls may like boy protagonists but not the other way around) Nancy Drew Clue Crew books (a fairly recent, easier to read series) The Hardy Boys (originals). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbeaty Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 We had a similar situation and there are a few things that have helped. 1. Reading selection: The Geronimo Stilton Series is in the same vein - color pictures and text/word art. Has been a great stepping stone for my DS who is very advanced in reading ability, but intimidated by the amount and format of text on books that are more on par with his reading level. It is "fluffy" to me, but I prefer the content of the STilton series b/c it is more wholesome (he is 7). http://www.scholastic.com/titles/geronimostilton/ He also LOVES Life of Fred. I bought them to supplement our math curriculum, but he uses them like readers having read the entire series (A-M) cover to cover and over again. Another all-time favorite is The Action Bible. This is his reading of choice and he has read it multiple times. It is in graphic novel format. He recently started The Time Warp Trio Series as part of our summer library club. It had more text (some pics) and he enjoyed it. There is a graphic novel section in the juvenile section of our library (separate from comics and anime). It has everything from bios to science and math books with information presented visually. He loves these - even when the topics are advanced. 2) I use my ipad/kindle and enlarge the font size. He had previously been intimidated by The Magic Treehouse books because of the amount and size of text. I enlarged the font and he read the entire book in one sitting. Now, he is reading things like "Burgess Animal Book" in this manner. This has pretty much bridged the gap for us and I will continue to give him more advanced reading (and literature vs fluff) that he finds appealing to encourage him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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