Books for 6 year old boys

[hankythechristmaspoo]

I have twin boys who have just tured 6 and are in year one. Their reading is broadly average I think and they are on ORT stages 4 and 5. The problem is they seem to find these books very boring and see them as homework and want to read other books. However, all their other books seem to be for parents to read to them or are for more advanced readers, having been inherited from DS1.

WE have lots of Roald Dahl etc but they are not at this level yet. Does anyone have any recommendations? We visit the library regularly but it's a very small one and seems to be either toddler books or those for advanced readers.

[Heathcliffscathy]

(whispers) Beastquest. YOu will hate their fomulaic nonsense. they will LOVE them.

[caffeinated]

My ds1 is in year 1 also and reading well. He is ORT 7. I have been desperate for him to develop a love for reading but longer chapter books really seemed to intimidate him and he saw our picture books as too babyish for him to read.

I got him some dk readers for Christmas level 1 and 2 star wars themed and he can't keep his nose out of them. This morning he climbed into his brothers bed and read them to his brother for an hour.

[smee]

My 6yr old loves TinTin books - he can't read all the words, but he can get the story and the humour by the pictures. He'll happily sit for half an hour or so looking through one.

[treas]

Eoin Colfer - Legend of Spud Murphy, Legend of Captain Crowsteeth, Worst Boy in the World

[UptoapointLordCopper]

My DS1 is nearly 7. Don't know what level he's on but recently he has read:

Ben10 Alien Force (cheap from Bookpeople).

Horrid Henry (you can also get early reader versions - also cheap from Bookpeople, and in abundance in libraries).

How to train your dragon series. (I love them! He does too, but takes forever to read - the first book was renewed so many times...)

[hankythechristmaspoo]

Great ideas thanks! Have googled and will be buying some DK readers and Ben 10s for now, and will come back for the others as their reading improves.

Any more ideas, please keep them coming!

[lovecheese]

Shorter Roald Dahl books eg The Enormous Crocodile - DD2 blew me away when she sat down one day and read the whole lot.

[wibbleweed]

Try the 'Magic tree house' series (by Mary Pope Osborne). They're proper chapter books with good stories, but nice and simple. Would also second the Horrid Henry and Beast Quest suggestions. Oh yes, and the Dinosaur Cove series too. With HH, BQ and DC, we found that I read some of them to DS and we gradually switched to him reading them himself...

[Penguinsarefab]

My Ds is a good reader (age6) but at his school
they give boys Rapid Reader series books
which were originally designed to get
uninterested kids from KS 2 interested. The key
thing is great content, ESP for boys - things
about explorers and space. He reads them quite
happily but other school story books - not interested!
He also likes factual books - if your kids like Lego
try the Lego books.

[Shelds]

Definitely try the book people...they have lots of books for early readers.

[Northumberlandlass]

My DS 7, is reading Flat Stanley. Apparently it's brilliant !

[GooseyLoosey]

Would second Beast Quest - every 6 year old boy I know loves them - whatever their reading level. Horrid Henry also very popular in our house at that age and not too tricky to read. Winnie the Witch was popular with both ds and dd.

[DreamTeamGirl]

Another vote for DK readers

We do have Dinosaur Cove but he couldnt read them himself

[ragged]

Oh dear, DS must be very thick because no way could he tackle Horrid Henry or Beast Quest (even though he's in yr2 and his teacher mentioned something about him going to Free Reader status soon ).

Anyway, my 6yo is still quite happy with the early readers section of the public library; we read a version of the Trojan Horse story last night which he found riveting. We've got Beowulf to read tonite. I expect him to catch onto Astrosaurs before Horrid Henry.

[DreamTeamGirl]

Depends on the Horrid Henry ragged
We have some paperbacks that no way he could tackle, but these he would have a crack at Horrid Henry early readers

[civil]

My six year old dd enjoys a range of Usbourne Fact books about things like volcanos.

[Babelange]

My DS7 (one of the youngest in Y3) loves Flat Stanley and the Stink series (American based but published in UK and readily available from Amazon). With these books they have been read to him at least twice and then later he has chosen to read them himself. Have had to seriously lighten up and eased off foisting my choice of suitable books - it's hard to be surreptious when you even subconsciously edge them towards longer and more sophisticated books - they smell it a mile away! All annuals have gone down well and are read continuously (Star Wars, Clone Wars, Beano), Where's Wally? for relaxing browsing and Puzzle Palace etc. I am however very tempted to remove the Captain Underpants series from the shelves - they have been read continuously again and again. So if you have a DP or DH get them to read or share these to them (and leave the room and find yourself something more interesting to do!).

[taffetacat]

My DS( now 7 ) at 6 and still doesn't like Beast Quest, How to Train Your Dragon, Horrid Henry or any by Enid Blyton.

He does like all the Captain Underpants ( incl the latest Ook and Gluk, but you have to be a bit laidback about them seeing wrong spellings and Americanisms ), just getting into Harry Hill's Tim the Tiny Horse, loves all the Usborne See Inside and Search books, any football annual he can get his hands on, and all the Roald Dahl, which I read to him, his favourite is Matilda. I have tried Mr Gum but think he's still a bit young for the humour. I think they are hilarious.

yy to Babelange's comment about needing to ease off what you would like them to read. My DC really know their own minds, and make their own choices. I waited until DS was asleep to "read him" the Velveteen Rabbit. [saddo]

[haggis01]

Another vote for Flat Stanley and the younger Roald Dahl's - Enormous Crocodile, The Twits and the magic Finger. I used to read a page or a chapter and then DS would read the next to make it less daunting.

My Ds hated BeastQuest, Horrid Henry, Captain Underpants and Mr Gum etc so it has been a bit tougher to source books. He loved Where's Wally and the I - Spy (spooky house, treasure etc)series of books mostly visual but still some reading to be done.

Some of Corgi Pups series - he particularly liked the Monster Story teller and the dinosaurs packed lunch by jacqueline Wilson.

We also found an American series called Hello Reader! Level 3 Science that he adored

Now 7 he is reading the Wimpy Kid books, Charlie Small series and Jake Cake books.

[sybilvimes]

My ds as probably a bit older than 6 when he discovered Beast quest but most boys tend to like them. He also really liked the Astrosaur books (dinosaurs in space) and Spydog books - in fact Spydog was his favourite for ages, they would be good for boys and girls.

[wearymum200]

Astrsaurs harder than dinosaur cove (which my ds loves, he can reads bits for himself but still wants them read to him). Have you asked in your library what they could order for you, even if they don't keep books in stock. Most early reader stuff you're not going to want to buy. We went to library today and came home with a selection of books from 7 different gradedreading schemes. I agree that many are sooo dull!

[taffetasplat]

haggis01 - a MASSIVE THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had reached a bit of an impasse with DS (7) with fiction. I had tried so many and he just wasn't interested in any and didn't want to do any rereading. Seeing your recs, I trundled along to Amazon and noticed there was a football Jake Cake, and knowing his enthusiasm for that subject, thought I'd give it a bash. He adored it. I read it to him over three nights.

I got the Robot Dinner Ladies from the library and we finished that. Today, on a train journey, he read the first story from Werewolf Teacher to himself and tonight in bed read the second, again to himself.

I have waited forever for this and had almost given up hope!

Thank you SO much!

[pastagirl]

horrid historys are great. i sent them to my brother when he was7 or so and he loved them.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

Jeremy Strong was a firm favourite with our DD when she was that age.
they are well written and funny.

[MilaMae]

The Daisy books by Kes Grey are currently being devoured by my reluctant readers ds.

The Magic Treehouse series is quite easy and both by twin boys enjoyed them.

The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl and George's Marvellous Medicine are easier than the others.