Mumsnet Talk

Hi

What were the books that really really made your kids want to read to the end on their own and then gave the shove/thirst to read and read and read by themselves.....

My DS is only 3.5YO and has the attention span of a dead rabbit so nothing for him

But I know with me it was the Topsy and Tim books in nursery that started me off, my mum says when I got one to take home my first year at school I was so excited I took it everywhere and read tp anyone who'd listen

When I got to 7ish I started with the Goosebumps books which I was obsessed with and now I will read anything yout throw at me

I shudder to say it, but Horrid Henry was a great first read-on-your-own chapter book for my first two dds.

Fox in Socks was good for dd2 just before she got to Horrid Henry.

dd3 is just beginning to read on her own for pleasure and the first/only one I've seen her reading on her own for pleasure (rather than just looking at pictures) is one of those ladybird books of traditional nursery rhymes.

enid blyton secret seven. followed closely by the famous five

Ds1 - Captain Underpants books and the Horrible Science series.

Ds2 - Any books related to his favourite films and TV programmes, eg comic books, DK reference guides to Star Wars, DrWho guides.

Clarice Bean for dd.

DS- Harry Potter, and the Horrible History books

Rainbow magic

I hate to say it but it was the Beast Quest series that turned DS (6) from a 'well I'll read if I have to' reader to one that now devours books and considers a Waterstone's gift card one of the most exciting pressies there is!

Captain Underpants absolutely kickstarted my son. It was amazing to watch.

I reckon the awful, repetitive, drive-you-insane series are the best because you read one to them then refuse to ever read another ever ever again - so they have to read them themselves - that's certainly what happened with dd & the Rainbow bloody Fairies

Horrid Henry, Jeremy Strong books (My brother's famous bottom etc) and Harry Potter.

Horrid Henry, Naughtiest Girl in the School, Malory Towes, St Clare's.

buffy - she was an avid fan of the series.

this has led to lots of vampire other worldly genre readings since - she isn't much intrested in anything else

tried funny poems with ds - not intrested.
comics - not intrested

however he adored me reading terry pratchett to him - he was about 13 and he would pop in as i was reading and ask me to read it out loud - so i came him a quick precis of the chapters he missed and we carried on - still he never read them on his own.

he has DH's history of Nazism ( or something similar) in his room at the mo - i have serious doubts he has read much of it.

dh is an avid fan of fiction nased around historical characters - am i am v. surprised as how many men i know who read the same thing - so i think for boys this kind of thing may be of more intrest?

Beast quest here aswell for my ds 9 yrs.

Also he likes the David Beckham Football academey stories.

in fact I am pleasd when he reads the back of the cereal packet at breakfast time !

how old is your dc?

diary of a wimpy kid got my ds9 into reading for pleasure