DS hates reading - book recommendations?

Stephen King if he likes Stranger Things? Very story driven, straightforward language and wont feel baby ish like wimpy kid.

The new Loki book by Louie Stowell might interest him? It might be a bit young but if he's reluctant and potentially struggling might be a good introduction. I enjoyed it. Graphic novels might be a good shout too.

The Ranger's Apprentice series is really good. The author, John Flanagan, started writing it to encourage his own son (a reluctant reader) to enjoy books.

I got too excited and didn’t read the whole thread! It seems like someone got in there before me.

So glad he enjoyed it! They get better and better as the series goes on and obvs more up to date as the first one was written quite some time ago.

I remember enjoying Stephen King at that age

Would he enjoy something like ‘The Cherub’ series by Robert Muchamore?

Although the premise sounds a bit cheesy, they’re actually really gritty and realistic (think Line of Duty, but involving teens).

I’m an English teacher and it’s always the book I recommend to reluctant readers. So far, it’s never failed! Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger. I’ve read the series too and couldn’t put them down! My DD is also a fan.

I would try the horror/action/dystopia route personally - Michael Grant's Gone series is very good, Derek Landy's American Monsters series is great, Hunger Games, maybe some early Stephen King 'Salems' Lot', 'The Shining' and 'the Bachman Books'. I read a lot of Stephen King at age 13-15 and liked edgier stuff at this age

I can recommend Robert Muchamore's 'Cherub' series of books. Similar in theme to the Alex Ryder books with children being agents, but more gritty. The central character James has been recently orphaned by the death of his mother (who reset stolen goods for a living), and whose stepfather has no intention of caring for him and wants him put into a children's home. James' teacher is a former Cherub herself, sees potential in him and puts his name forward as a potential recruit.

THere's at least ten books in the series, probably more now. I read the first six myself, they were really good. There's also a second series, 'The Henderson Boys' which is sort of a prequel, covering the creation of Cherub during WWII.

First book in the series is 'The Recruit'. My son devoured it, and it was lent out to two other not-interested-in-reading boys in his class, and similarly enjoyed. All hail Robert Muchamore!

Percy Jackson or Artemis fowl, you read a chapter then he reads a chapter.
Or what about those puzzle books where you make a decision that sends you to page 21 or whatever (if someone can remember what they’re called?!)

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan (mythology) - in fact anything by this author!
Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy (fantasy)
Cherub series by Robert Muchamore (action/adventure)
Gone Series by Michael Grant (Sci-fi/Dystopian)
Wings of Fire Series by Tui Sutherland (fantasy)
Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter (fantasy)
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz (action/adventure)
Department 19 series by Will Hill (horror)
The Enemy series by Charlie Higson (horror)

Have you tried getting him to do something that involves reading but isn't?

Something like a cookery book, he's old enough to cook a meal once a week.

Let him pick a cookery book and have him plan the meal, work out the ingredients maybe even send him shopping for them.

Or tell him you have X, Y and Z ingredients and you want him to find a recipe to use them.

Or something like an electronics kit, I had one at primary school, the simple things you can just build but for other projects you need to read.

One school I worked in had a 'do now' policy, so there had to be something on the board for students to do when they came in to the room which should take 5min, one of the option was 'silent reading' so it was possible for a child to have read for almost half an hour but in 5 min slots.

I doubt you could get the school to implement the policy but could you do some blocks of reading, maybe with the whole family, 10 mins between eating and starting homework in the evening?

Your son might not like the more old style of writing, but have you considered books like
"The Day of the Triffids", "1984", or another John Wyndham one, "The Midwich Cuckoos"?
I really want to encourage my very bright 10 year old Granddaughter into reading for pleasure, not just because school says she has to, but I don't think she is old enough for the ones I suggested above. I was a voracious reader of Enid Blyton at my DGC age, but I think that the "experts" don't think she was a great author. I just know that from Noddy, to the Famous Five, I loved reading her novels, and I believe that whatever, or whoever, instigates a love of reading in someone, it almost always has to be a good thing?

So many teen boys aren't interested in fiction. My son loved the Cherub series and nonfiction / information books around his hobbies.

If he likes comedy, maybe funny books are the way to go. Tom Holt, Bill Bryson? We were talking about a book called The Falcon's Malteaser by Anthony Horowitz on another thread.

Sci-fi: Doctor Who spin-off books?

If he likes gaming Ready Player One might be good. Unfortunately DS1 watched the film, so now says he doesn't need to read the book.

DS2 loves The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time, and Matt Haig's To be a Cat.

Have you considered reading to each other? I was going to suggest a page each of a book which I do. Then I thought actually just get him to find the stupidest or grossest piece of writing and swap stories.

Might not be a fiction type of guy. Mine won’t do novels but loves bbc science focus magazine and books on computer stuff, history, space phenomena like black holes and satire .... doesn’t matter as long s it’s funny or interesting to him. Sometimes fiction just doesn’t do it but following their interests might. A magazine might be a more tempting prospect than a book to start with - music, esports or regular sports could be candidates- you know him best

Exactly the same in our house and similar age, every Xmas my do moans books are a waste of money but I continue hoping that at least they either spark an interest or if he changes his mind he has something to pick from. At Xmas as an example I bought diary of a wimpy kid plus the journal, Guinness book of records and two I picked up in lidls think one was Sherlock Holmes’s and a comic from work. Personally I say anything that keeps that spark he may never get into it or he may come back to it. Just out of interest I’m a reader and dh actively avoids lol

www.amazon.co.uk/Hoot-Carl-Hiaasen/dp/0330415298?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Cherub series has been a favourite of Ds14 for a while. Its a biggish series and he's reading them for a second time having started in y7/y8.

I think my boys liked things like Divergent and the Hunger Games at that age, also the Morris Gleitzman series Once. One of them liked Halo and the Warhammer books, and Harry Potter if he hasn't read that series yet.
If you can find a series that they like, that's the way to go.
Robert Muchamore are books aimed at that age group, DS3 loved them, and there are loads of them!

• Not ebooks - audiobooks