Books for a 10 year old boy who doesn't like magic/sci fi

[Hallloumi]

Looking for recommendations for a friends' son. He is not a big reader but they are trying to encourage but he does;t like anything 'not real' (so no magic/sci fi etc). No specific sporty or other interests. I'm stuck so any help appreciated.

diary of a wimpy kid is the book that got my son reading. he then moved on to the tom gates series x

Hatchet

My side of the mountain

Swallows and amazons

Goodnight Mr Tom

A Far off Place

They found a cave

One is one

Or a Morpurgo

Tom Gates
Wimpy Kid

Easy to read and funny.

Some suggestions here

Anthony Horowitz, Michael Morpurgo?

Roddy Doyle, the Giggler Treatment. Frank Cottrell Boyce, Cosmic (and others)

My son read Tom gates and the diary of the wimpy kid at that age. I think he also had the joe sugg books. Not sure what age they are aimed at though.

Michelle Paver Wolf Brother series
Anthony Horowitz Alex Rider series

TINTIN more pictorial but complex stories and great locations

At 10 Ds1 loved the Alex Rider series that has been mentioned.

Erich Kästner - Emil and the Detectives

E. L. Konigsburg - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Lisa’s Evans - Small Change for Stuart

Sorry - the last actually involves some of the tools of magic but it’s entirely real world not fantasy! And very funny.

Alex Rider, Wimpy kid and David Walliams are all popular with 10 great old boys. Tom Gates are a bit of an easier read.

There are graphic novels of Alex Rider too which are a good start for more reluctant readers.

Captain underpants, David Williams books.

My ds only really read the wimpy kid books. Ds1 has probably read each book about 4 times!

Occasionally they will branch out into Tom gates, David Williams, frank cottrell Bryce but they are all still a similar genre - family/school based, easy to read with a touch of humour. They’re not going to develop their vocabulary or comprehension skills, but they are reading daily. (Chick-lit for kids)

Sometimes I chose a book and we read it together- I read a chapter then get one of them to read aloud. Books we’ve shared
The London eye mystery
Harry Potter
The phantom toll booth
Stig of the dump
Kids version of treasure island
Wonder
What to do if you turn in invisible

www.mumsnet.com/books/books-to-give-your-10-year-old-self

Roman Mysteries
Chris Priestley's Maudlin Towers books

My Family and other Animals?

The Gerald Durrell books - nothing like the TV series.

My Family and Other Animals - I read and loved the whole series in my early teens. Very focussed on the animals rather than family relationships

All Creatures Great & Small - James Herriot

Lord of the Flies
Moonfleet

Maybe books about easy science experiments, building treehouses, or identifying animal tracks?

Superfudge

Rosemary Sutcliff. Eagle of Ninth plus many more novels with historical settings.

The Ghosts of Glencoe by Mollie Hunter.

A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hunter.

Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian.

Wonder by R J Palacio.

The unbelievable top secret diary of pig
Zoobreak - Gordon Korman
Diamond brothers series - Horowitz
Treasure hunters by James Patterson
Dirtie Bertie Burp
Paddington (the proper chapter books)