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Favorite Chapter Books for Reluctant Boy Readers


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What are your boys' favorite chapter books?  I have a couple of reluctant readers. They read, but are not book worms like their older siblings, which baffles me. One is 10 yrs. old, and one is 15 yrs. old. Any ideas?

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The Narnia series

Percy Jackson series

The Ranger's Apprentice series

Things Not Seen and Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements (this author has a number of books that might be worth exploring)

Mike Lupica books (my 12yo would rather play sports than read and he is finding this author's books fairly interesting)

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Gary Paulsen books (more outdoorsy-independent type protagonists)

Gary Schmidt books (variety of topics/settings, typically sprinkled liberally with humor)

Nancy Farmer books (more sci-fi type)

Orson Scott Card books (sci-fi, futuristic space setting)

Terry Brooks books (fantasy, along the lines of Tolkien but lighter and not as tedious with all the long songs)

When I taught 8th grade, a lot of the boys loved the Alex Rider series.

 

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For reluctant readers? Well, none of these are literary, but they're all things 10 boys who don't like books are more likely to pick up, that's for sure (and many of them are things 15 yo boys would also like...)

 

Wimpy Kid

Origami Yoda

Big Nate

Timmy Failure

Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja

Dragonbreath

I, Funny

Jedi Academy

My Life as a...

Captain Underpants

 

And then there's a graphic novels, some of which are really great...

 

Bone

Amulet

Calvin and Hobbes

Tintin

(lots and lots more here... that's just a start...)

 

And then, if kids are open to getting hooked on "real" books without pictures, these are series with higher appeal for many kids...

 

Percy Jackson

Alex Rider (more for the 15 yo)

Artemis Fowl

39 Clues

Spirit Animals

 

And then... if a kid is moving forward, I have found it better with my slightly reluctant readers, to strew individual books with more literary value than to try and hook them on a series. A series is just intimidating to them. Even something like Percy Jackson, which is well in their reading level now, is just way too long to do it for them. But if they know that an individual book is going to be good, then they're more likely to dive into it. So individual titles by Andrew Clements have been a hit with my boys. One of my boys loved Wonder. It all just depends on a kid's interests though.

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Gregor the Overlander series (Hunger Games author, but for younger set)--I think my 11yo has read the whole series at least 3 times

All of the books by Margaret Haddix

 

Mine is also reading The Last Thirteen books from Usborne.  He likes them...not sure if they're a favorite.

 

The Mysterious Benedict Society

 

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