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Original poster

Comic books for reluctant 9 year old

39 replies

drspouse · 29/12/2021 10:40

DS has read Dog Man and Bunny vs Monkey about 300 times each.
He will not read anything with pages of words e.g. Tom Gates, Worst Witch, Dirty Bertie, not even Barrington Stoke.
I'm reading him Harry Potter and he can read it - just won't.
Any ideas to get him a tiny bit more stretched?

OP posts:
unexpectedthird · 29/12/2021 11:08

I'd have a look at graphic novels too. You could take him to the library so he can see which he likes before buying.

noblegiraffe · 29/12/2021 11:08

Yes, a subscription to the Phoenix (which runs Bunny vs Monkey) would be ideal, they have a mix of comics and styles. Jamie Smart who writes BvM also has proper books out, the Flember series, which might be an 'in'?

Otherwise, he also writes the Looshkin comics which are similarly crazy.

If you want comic strips that are brilliantly funny and more thoughtful and articulate, buy some Calvin and Hobbes books?

Original poster
drspouse · 29/12/2021 11:07

@GoGoGretaDoll

And (sorry, just checking) you know there are loads of Dog Man books?
We have every one plus all the Cat Kids, he won't read Captain Underpants sadly.
OP posts:
Original poster
drspouse · 29/12/2021 11:06

@Chronicallymothering

Why not subscribe to Phoenix magazine? Love of reading is more important than length of book. It gets ripped apart in our house on arrival.
We had this but he only likes Bunny vs Monkey and Looshkin. Some of the comic strips rely on knowing what secondary school is like.
OP posts:
SwanShaped · 29/12/2021 11:01

Zita the Spacegirl. It’s a graphic novel, so is long. But is about aliens and danger and rescuing someone.

Fivemoreminutes1 · 29/12/2021 10:59

My DS likes:
Beano comics
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The Misadventures of Max Crumbly
The Treehouse Series
Bunny vs Monkey
Grimwood

EllieSattler · 29/12/2021 10:58

Some of the Spiderman comic books are aimed at young readers now and are pretty good. He might enjoy the Miles Morales Spiderman ones.

Topbird29 · 29/12/2021 10:57

Maybe tin tin? And I hate say , but beast quest books really got mine into reading. They are all basically the same story with different characters, and once he had read about 50 he did get fed up with them! However, most we're borrowed from library. Now expanded his reading, so has now read narnia series, all of how to train your train, the wizards of once series and all harry potter. Also, quite a few David baddiel books. Now reading minecraft based stories on my kindle (dave the villager).

parrotonmyshoulder · 29/12/2021 10:56

Mine is the same and I am trying really, really hard not to be judgemental about it. I don’t want him to be put off completely. His sister is an avid, to the point of obsessive, reader and I think he has built up a wall of indifference because he can’t/ won’t/ doesn’t want to ‘compete’.
Audiobooks are beneficial. DS listens to them at night and we all do in the car. Good opportunity to get the benefits of vocabulary, story language, imagination without having to ‘do’ the reading. DS still finds it quite hard (also 9, had a couple of bad school years, even before covid, so a bit ‘behind’ but getting there).
As I said, trying not to be judgmental - only makes it worse for him. I did buy a couple of new books for Christmas that I thought he’d like to read aloud - we do a page each alternately.

GoGoGretaDoll · 29/12/2021 10:52

And (sorry, just checking) you know there are loads of Dog Man books?

GoGoGretaDoll · 29/12/2021 10:51

Asterix did the trick for my reluctant reader, also the Beano magazine (subscription works out much cheaper than the shops if he likes it by the way).

There's another Dav Pilkey series - Captain Underpants - which is very funny and the same style as Dog Man.

Chronicallymothering · 29/12/2021 10:48

Why not subscribe to Phoenix magazine? Love of reading is more important than length of book. It gets ripped apart in our house on arrival.

TrashyPanda · 29/12/2021 10:45

I was just about to say Asterix.

So funny

OublietteBravo · 29/12/2021 10:44

How about Asterix?

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