Books similar to Beast Quest

[Holenewme]

Ds has read the whole series now and I’m trying to find something else that’s a similar level to keep him reading through the holidays. He’s read all the How To Train Your Dragon books and liked those too. We’ve tried Harry Potter a couple of time’s but it’s still a bit too complicated for him to follow (he’s nearly 7).

Can anyone recommend anything similar? He’s a pretty fussy reader but once he finds something he likes he will read for hours. It seems a tricky level that he’s at where most of the proper chapter stories are either too difficult or too boring.

Thanks

Sea quest?

How can he have read them all, there are hundreds of them?!

Harry Potter is too big a jump from Beast Quest books, in my opinion. Plus there is a jump in subject matter between each book.

I would go for the Charlie series of books by Hilary McKay. You'll be able to get them cheaply second-hand on Amazon. They're perfect for little boys moving on from Beast Quest!

How can he have read them all, there are hundreds of them?!

About 150, I think. Once a kid has built up a little bit of stamina and the conviction that s/he can read them, s/he can get through one in less than 45 minutes.

They're very formulaic. Believe me, I've been there and done that!

What does he like to read? Ds1 loved beast quest but had no truck with anything else magic/dragons etc. He likes adventure though.

The Bear Grylls series was a hit
Time Hunters series
Secret Seven is the right length and easy
Flat Stanley
Claude
Dinosaur Cove is as formulaic as Beast Quest but (slightly) better written.

Books with short blocks of text Nd lots of cartoon stuff like Dog Man, Captain Underpants, 13 Story Treehouse are great confidence builders for early readers.

It doesn't have to be great literature. Just follow his own interests and try something different now and then.

37 Storey Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths.
Astrosaurs, and Cows In Action, series, both by Steve Cole.

demented I didn’t realise there was a Sea Quest too. That’s perfect, thanks so much. He’s been reading the buggers for months. They’ve got the whole series at the library and he’s been going through 3 a week. I’ve read a couple and they all seem exactly the same so I don’t know how he’s not bored out of his mind. But then I used to do similar with Goosebumps and Point Horror. I reread a couple of those recently and can’t believe they used to terrify me so much!

jamie I haven’t heard of those books. Thanks, I’ll have a look now. It would be good to get him reading something slightly different.

Jack Stalwart?

Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo (slightly harder)?

I’ve read a couple and they all seem exactly the same so I don’t know how he’s not bored out of his mind.

My son once observed that Tom always defeated the beast in chapter 9. He still wanted to keep reading them! Thank god for libraries.

I sweated blood weaning him off the bloody things on to something with an actual plot!

They are all the bloody same. I bought (second hand) up to book 36 and stopped. I said after that he could find them at the library or spend his own cash on them. He did break out and try some other stuff though so it worked.

As well as Sea Quest, Adam Blade has also written the Team Hero series which your DS might enjoy.

The Quest of the Gods series by Dan Hunter might also be worth a look.

There is a series called I Hero by (mainly) Steve Barlow - they are quite short, but you get to choose what happens next, which is good fun for that age.

The Tom Gates series by Liz Pichon are an easy read even though they look like big books. Also David Williams.

I help in a school library, and love Beast Quest. Nothing like a bunch of Year 1 or 2 boys sitting together with a pile of them working out which they haven't read yet.

DS1 also liked Jeremy Strong, Michael Lawrence, and then Anthony Horrowitz. Not the same, but well written.

My nearly 7 year old is reading through SeanQuest and has read a number of Beast Quest. Other series of books he has enjoyed are the Spy Toys series (3 books) and Sam Wu is not afraid of series, Captain Underpants, Dirty Bertie, Tom Gates and Football Academy.

In the interests of gender equality you could try him on the Rainbow Fairies.

Ds was persuaded to try one by his big sister who'd loved them. He wanted to please her after he'd read it, so came out with the absolutely wonderful review.
"When Jack Frost appeared it was almost interesting."

I had similar feelings on both series.

What about trying some Enid Blyton. Famous Five aren't hugely harder, but there's always Faraway tree and Wishing Chair etc.

The White Giraffe series by Lauren St John
A bit of an eco adventure series set in South Africa. 9 y o DS loved them

In the interests of gender equality you could try him on the Rainbow Fairies.

^Ds was persuaded to try one by his big sister who'd loved them. He wanted to please her after he'd read it, so came out with the absolutely wonderful review.
"When Jack Frost appeared it was almost interesting."^

Hah!

I am more trendy than the hippest hipster so my son has read Rainbow Fairies too. He started off on RF and then moved on to Beast Quest.

Plotwise, all absolutely the same.

Mr gum
Diary of a wimpy kid

My son loved the Animorphs books and then went mad for Animal Ark. After that he moved on to the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. He won’t be able to whinge that he has nothing to read now.

I’ve just googled Animorphs. They look hilariously terrible. I feel rather sorry for the poor girl who turns into a starfish. I’m sure ds will love them.

Oh Animorphs!

I've suddenly had a flashback of my mother making disparaging comments about the Animorph books. I had to read them illicitly, five books at a time, in the library while she went shopping and then say I'd been reading a Proper Book when she came back.

I've turned into my mother!

Move him up to percy Jackson next, longer chapters and slightly more challenging than beast quest etc. Ds loved them both and after that moved onto harry Potter.