What books were "Turning Point" books for your reluctant reader

[nukeswife]

Hi all,

 

I have a 9.5 year old 4th grade boy who's a bit of a reluctant reader. He will read the 20 minutes a day I ask, but no more than that. I'm looking for some books for him that would be purely for enjoyment.

 

We're not worried about "twaddle", I hate that word by the way, as long as it's a book and he enjoys it we're ok with it. My dh and I both enjoy reading for fun and would love to pass this on.

 

So what books have been books that helped your reluctant reader enjoy reading for fun?

[Another Lynn]

I remember exactly because his reading really took off and I could not tear the book from his hands! It was the Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first and then the others.

[Carol in Cal.]

They are so formulaic but they are exciting. I read one to DD and then moved on to tougher tomes, but she went back and read more of them. I think that she read the first 10 or so, and then abruptly decided that they were boring because they were all the same. However, the reading of that first 10 solidified her reading skills significantly, and she started reading voraciously after that.

 

BTW, the books she read next were largely Beverly Cleary novels that I had read to her already. Although they may have been a bit above her reading level, she was able to read and greatly enjoy them mostly because they were quite familiar to her already.

 

Significant in her willingness to read were two things--the fact that I promised to keep reading to her as long as she wanted me to, whether she was reading to herself or not; and also, that I convinced her subtly that I really was not completely thrilled with the idea of her learning to read because then it would be harder for me to keep secrets from her by writing little notes. (I did not lie. Nope I did not. I just said, "Oh no, now that you know how to read, I won't be able to keep secrets from you anymore! But wait, you hate to read. So maybe you will forget how." To which she replied, "Oh, no, Mommy, I LOVE to read! Ha Ha!" (Which had been true for some time, but which, because of our prior battle of wills over the learning to read issue, she had not been willing to admit to.))

[TerriMI]

For my longest time most reluctant reader, the turning point was Hardy Boys books which have lots of exciting action. Immediately following his finishing that series, he started on a Brian Jacques kick and read all of his Redwall series. He is slowly gaining interest in other kinds of books. The key for him has been to keep plugging away at exciting series books with a little more serious books thrown in every so often.

 

For extremely competitive ds who at a very young age, dug in his heels when I gave him books to read, the turning point book was the Benjamin Franklin book from the Childhood of Famous Americans series. One of the things he was excited about as he narrated parts of that book to me was that Mr. Franklin had read sooo many books in his lifetime. I myself forgot the number, but that day my ds told me the exact number and his eyes were shining as he did so! From that day forword, he has read voraciously. It's like he was motivated to beat Mr. Franklin's number! Ha!!!

[sjp]

the roald dahl books are the best....and the line drawings are a nice plus.

 

the william steig books (the short novels, although the picture books are fantastic too just not what you asked for)

 

eb white books

[JennW in SoCal]

My kids loved the Magic Tree House series, both the story books and the study guides. My youngest also really enjoyed the Secret of Droon books followed by the Deltora Quest series, and he grew into a huge fan of fantasy and sci fi. They both also loved Harry Potter and the Narnia books, The Indian in the Cupboard books and of course Beverly Cleary. And Dick King Smith.

 

Don't discount non-fiction as good reading material. My oldest son never turned into someone who reads fiction for pleasure. He became a fluent reader one Christmas vacation by reading strategy guides for a video game, and now prefers to read the newspaper or trade magazines and books about his interests. I'll find him reading long articles on the internet. I'm always thrilled when I assign a novel that draws him in, but it is a rare thing.

 

One other way to instill a love of literature is to keep reading aloud and to have audio books on hand. When my kids were younger they enjoyed listening to books far above their reading level, and they came to appreciate good writing because of all the good books I've read aloud or that we've listened to over the years. Even the non-fiction buff enjoys being read to, or listening to books in the car.

 

The other great thing about audio books is that kids can draw or build legos or turn cartwheels all while listening. Reading to yourself requires being still, a hard thing for most 9 year old boys!

[Hillary in KS]

Calvin and Hobbes books and the "Sideways Stories From Wayside School" series.

 

After reading those over and over and over again, he asked the librarian to recommend books like those and off he went!

[Titus.Two.Five]

My boys *really* liked the book: Rascal

[rhrice3]

I have had the same trouble with my dd who just turned 9 yr old last week . I know how well she reads, but she would read only the required 30 minutes. Well, it was those silly Junie B. Jones books. I dug them out, because I used them with my other daughter. She read them straight for 2 weeks and when she discovered she could read one in a sitting, I introduced Beverly Cleary.

 

Have you tried the Magic Tree House books? OR the Encyclopedia Brown books? Or all the Bulla books? Or even those crazy Time Warp Trio books? Just keep trying until it clicks, and it will. Then there is The Box Car Children, Beverly Cleary, Trailblazer, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Roald Dohl etc.

 

My second child, dd, was a reluctant reader because she had speech and reading issues. I learned early on that "long" books were stressful for her so I have made sure she always has shorter books and books she enjoys intermingled with her "school" books. Now in the 8th grade, she loves reading really good books.

 

All I have ever wanted is for all my children to love to read. Some take different paths, and we have to try different books and formulas. Good luck. Sorry for the rambling - my husband is working out of town now, and some weeks are longer than others!

 

Have a good week

ReneeR

[keptwoman]

The Hiccup books...How to Train Your Dragon etc by Cressida Cowell.

We got an audio book out of the library and he was hooked. They are rollocking good fun, humour and adventure all wrapped into one.

[jeri]

(and since there are over 120, he still has a ways to go!)

 

jeri

[Alessandra]

At age 7-8, my ds was quite a good reader, but constantly whined, "Why was reading ever invented?" The first books that he really liked were ones in the Horrible Harry series -- I couldn't stop him from reading them! Then he went straight to Narnia and now is back at a good level for his ability --- Henry Huggins.

 

I agree wholeheartedly that with a reluctant reader, literary merit is not that important. Sports magazines or a Lego catalogue or whatever -- anything to get dc reading. I especially like series books, because dc do not have to be "hooked" again and again. Here is a link that I have found helpful -- it lists a good selection of series:

http://www.kidsreads.com/series/index.asp

 

Also, I never stopped doing read alouds -- some of them "good" classic books and no-fiction and poetry, but I also read every Junie B. Jones book (which I personally find to be wonderful) and other lighter books.

[Michelle T]

I'm pretty sure DS was 9 when he discovered these. It was the first time he ever sat on the couch and read a book straight through. He loved those, and read around 20 of them before moving on.

 

He's 12 now, and while he is still not the most eager reader around, he does enjoy reading.

Michelle T

[Karie]

For my reluctant reader( he's 9), the Magic Tree House books were a big help. He still isn't a huge reader, but he's just started on Redwall-which he is loving. It's wonderful to see him excited about a book. He's actually on the 2nd book of the series. It's a longer book, but the characters and idea behind the story caught his attention.

[Sahamamama]

... of course, for me, nine years old was a looooooong time ago, LOL. But I still remember some of the books and reading materials that turned me absolutely "on" to reading:

 

• King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
  
• The Secret of Hermit's Bay, by Elinor Lyon
  
• Rascal, by Sterling North
  
• Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
  
• National Geographic Magazine (the adult version, not the kids' version, and no, I wasn't JUST looking for photos of naked people!;))
  

For some reason, these books have stayed with me my whole life. Literally. I still have the books from when I was nine. HTH.

 

Suggestion 1: Take him to the bookstore and let him pick out 2-3 on his own (so long as you approve of what he picks!). It's nice to own books at that age. Put his name in them. Get him a stamp for his books from Kinko's or a print shop, something like, "This book belongs to ______________."

 

Suggestion 2: Your son and your husband could build a shelf together, sand it, stain it, etc. This shelf could be for his "special collection" of only his absolute favorite books. Build the expectation that he will HAVE some favorite books. If you build it, they will come. ;)

 

Suggestion 3: Don't forget magazines, biographies, and non-fiction. Some children just tune into these more than story-type books. It's still reading, IMO. Does he have to always read stories? Mix it up a bit. HTH.

[nukeswife]

Thanks all,

 

He does enjoy the Magic Tree House books and is about 1/3 of the way through the series. I'll look into the others as well. I think he's getting sick of MTH just because he'd like some other plots as well.

 

Keep the suggestions coming though.

[Peela]

It was The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer. It's quite a thick book. I started reading it aloud, and when I had had enough, he asked me if he could read it himself. He has read many "thick" books since then! He was the same age as your son, a reluctant reader, and I was desperate to get him to love reading. He now reads several grades above grade level (he is 12), even adult fantasy books like David Eddings, although he is dyslexic and finds writing difficult. He loves reading.

Just before Sea of Trolls were the Tashi books which also helped a lot.

 

ETA: He likes to "own" books too.

[bkpan]

Four oldest boys are all turning into voracious readers, and it took off for the older two somewhere around 9yo with the series that others have mentioned - Chronicles of Narnia, Magic Tree House and Hardy Boys. My 7yo twins are currently hooked on Harry Potter. They also love the MTH books and Hank the Cowdog series. HTH

 

Kim

[Jane Elliot]

All my boys got hooked on books by Clyde Robert Bulla at that age.

 

Also:

Series of Unfortunate Events (caveat: some people think these are gruesome in places and might be too scary depending on your child)

Billy and Blaze

Childhood of Famous Americans (Simon Kenton was the favorite)

Dan Frontier (these are old readers that are OOP, but you might be able to find them on ebay)

[trisharog]

The turning point for one of my twins was the Hardy Boys. His brother was the more competent reader. Once twin A started on the Hardy Boys it was no longer about being a competent reader but he became a passionate reader. I was concerned in the beginning because I had a hard time getting him to branch out and read other genres but now he is a true lover of books.

[In The Great White North]

Another vote for the Magic Treehouse, followed immediately by Encyclopedia Brown and the older Hardy Boys.

 

My dd started with the Famous Five, then older Nancy Drews.

[elegantlion]

A to Z mysteries

Star Wars: Jedi Quest series (we have Jedi Apprentice too, but they are OOP)

Who is? series (We just got Who is Albert Einstein?)

Alex Rider series

[MicheleinMN]

Son #1 - the Thorton Burgess animal books (Chatterer the Red Squirrel, etc.)

 

Son # 2 - the Percy Jackson series (Greek myths twist)

 

Son #3 - Calvin and Hobbes

 

I wonder what book or series it will be for son #4. ;)

 

Michele

[periwinkle]

all: Garfield books

 

ds#2: Hank the Cowdog series (and later, Chronicles of Narnia)

ds#3: Dick King-Smith books (and after those, Great Brain series and Redwall)

[Tabrett]

Harry Potter

Chronicals of Droon

[Firefly]

DS became a fluid reader very early-- by age three. But I was so frustrated because he didn't really like to read! He was a very reluctant reader until he was 6 or so, when he discovered the Harry Potter books. Delving into such a rich series I believe really taught him a love of reading, of being absorbed into the world of a book. Since then he has become an avid reader I am happy to say!

[JaniceO]

My 10 year old used to hate reading. He would rather get teeth pulled than read a book for pleasure. Then I picked up the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. He stayed up late every single night reading that book. Then begged for the others. Since he finished that series, he just keeps finding more books that he enjoys. The Percy Jackson series has Greek Mythology in it, which is his current passion. Since then, he's read the Tales of Greek Heroes, Books 1 and 2 in the Land of Elyon series, and a bunch others that I don't remember. He's currently reading the first Harry Potter book.

[CactusPair]

The Kid who Only Hit Homers by Matt Christopher. Ds's first independently read chapter book. He stayed up late so he could finish it. Highly recommend sports books by this author.

 

Also, a series of 3 big dinosaur books: Mammoth Book of Dinosaurs, Colossal Book of Dinosaurs, and Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures. He has read these over and over.

 

Besides these, the only other book I'd call breakthrough is the encyclopedia:001_huh:. I was lucky enough to find a used set for sale at the library. Ds like to read about different subjects pertaining to baseball in the World Book.

 

Besides these books, ds would usually rather go outside to play than read.

[Heather in VA]

I had a similar problem too. My 9 year old could read at 3 and reads very well but didn't like it at all. Believe it or not, the book 'Kite Fighters' did it for her. She finally experienced that feeling of being sad a book was over and longing for more.

 

Heather

[In the Rain]

Series books really appealed to my dd when she was just getting started as a reader. She loved many easy series: A to Z, Cam Jansen, Encyclopedia Brown. The other series I didn't notice being mentioned was the Boxcar Children. They are all pretty easy, but built fluency, speed and confidence. Chickadee magazine was also a big hit.