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Children's books

Join in for children's book recommendations.

Any good tips for boys 7 upwards not overly keen on reading?

10 replies

SecretSpi · 07/09/2011 15:48

I'm looking for recommendations for books that got non-bookwormy boys aged 7-9 more into reading. What do you think the magic ingredients were?

OP posts:
EmpressOfTheSevenOceans · 07/09/2011 16:04

Cressida Cowell's Hiccup the Viking books, starting with How to Train Your Dragon (nothing like the film version). She wrote them with the aim of getting boys interested in books, but DD loves them too.

munstersmum · 08/09/2011 10:13

Humour or lots of facts.
Try the Cows In Action series.

MrsDanverclone · 08/09/2011 10:35

Agree with munster about the humour/facts angle. My son was addicted to Cows in Action, he went from moaning if we entered a bookshop, to checking out if they had one he didn't have.
Astrosaurs by Steve Cole is another good series.
Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey.
Jeremy Strong books.
Secret agent Jack Stalwart by Elizabeth Singer Hunt was another series he enjoyed reading.
The Horrible series by Nick Arnold.
And the Beano comic, which actually got him into the habit of reading for pleasure.

omletta · 08/09/2011 10:39

David Walliams books - Good fun with short chapters so there is a real sense of achievement.

wearymum200 · 08/09/2011 20:23

My DS is a bit younger, but is completely gripped by the Superpowers books www.amazon.co.uk/Superpowers-Tusked-Terror-Alex-Cliff/dp/0141321369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315509655&sr=8-1
which are a similar-ish level to astrosaurs (another favourite). Also look at the Usborne young reading books, level 3 is similar difficulty to the above and he can choose fact (on any subject which happens to grab him) or fiction (retelling of Treasure island a hit here)

bodiddly · 08/09/2011 20:40

Definitely comics ... find one they are interested in then buy loads from car boot sales etc. My ds loves the beano and dandy and loves scouring car boots and charity shops for comics and annuals.

susylou · 16/09/2011 21:25

If we get the right book for our DS he will do nothing else and reads all the series, fast, otherwise rejects all books, fact, fiction, thought, completely. he's dyslexic and his intellect is higher than his reading skills, which leads to a lot of frustration. we only realised this late on - we knew there was a problem but primary failed to identify it and told us he was idle/stupid. and i stupidly pushed him too much, leaving him not enjoying reading with hang ups about it. he'll do it if we read to him, or if we take turns. he did enjoy things with humour or a little bit of fact - in his case football stats etc, jeremy strong, captain underpants and he loved getting a football mag a week which he has only just swapped now, about 4 years later, for a newspaper. he'd listen to audios - horrid henry etc. he liked the laura ingalls wilders books - graphic adventures of pioneering, the just so stories.

he makes me read all his books, usually a chapter behind.

so what I'm saying, i suppose, is that if it's fun to do together, he'll prob enjoy it and may take you to get the sort of books he likes from the library, if not, he could be put off. but do check out whehter he has myers irlen or something like that, or whether like many at that and later ages, is just not bothered. our ed psych told us to chill: he watches drama on the tv and enjoys stories, he reads football stuff, he thinks and has a reasonable if inaccurate vocabulary.

IndridCold · 24/09/2011 12:32

Try non-fiction. DS only started reading to himself at 7 when I got him a book on wildlife.

Another humorous series are the Mr Gum books, and Bookpeople have all 8 for £9.99 at the moment!

SecretSpi · 26/09/2011 07:46

Some great tips - thanks to all!

OP posts:
beautifulbooks · 26/09/2011 18:32

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