Books for 6 year old with reading comprehension age of 12

[Ferrisbuellersdayoff]

I find it hard to get books for my six year old. He is an independent reader but still prefers books with illustrations. He likes reading about crime, especially heists; enjoys farts and slapstick; and loves history. He has read Tintin about 100 times per book, Jack Stalwart, likes the Rabbits books by the Sebag Montefiores, the Violet books, Ottoline, Max the Detective Cat...

I've given him book one of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Artemis Fowl. I think he's finding the former too dark and the latter too long and intimidating. Bedtime story at the moment is The Hobbit, which he is enjoying.

I'm looking for books that are challenging but have illustrations and a length suitable for someone still building reading stamina. They need to be appealing but still appropriate for his actual age. Novels, graphic novels - happy with either.

If anyone has any ideas, I'd be very grateful.

Sounds like he'd enjoy Anthony Horowitz's Diamond Brothers - no illustrations though, sorry.

Captain Underpants, Jeremy Strong, Professor Branestawm, younger Enid Blyton (Faraway Tree, Wishing Chair), Asterix (he won’t get the names or most of the jokes but that just means he can reread them later!), My Naughty Little Sister was a surprise hit here.

I read Narnia about that age but they might worry him from the sound of it?

Oh and DS1 (7) has been reading me The Moomin books as part of home school. Maybe do a more challenging book like that?

And there’s Paddington too, which DS1 finds hysterically funny.

The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
The Twits
George’s Marvellous Medicine
James and the Giant Peach
Just William
Stig of the Dump
Professor Branestorm
The Eddie Dickens Trilogy
The Grunts
Mr Gum
Toto the Ninja Cat

Maudlin Towers
Archie Greene
Nothing to See Here Hotel
How to Train your Dragon

Some excellent suggestions here - thank you.

Any David Walliams books,
Astrosaurs,
Mr Majeika,
Charlotte’s Web,
The Roman Mysteries,
Harry Potter (of course)
Wimpy Kid.

Try " Ollie Meadows and the Defiants" the first in a series and the second, newly out "Ollie Meadows and the DreamSpinners".
They are perfect for children around his age with a reading age much higher than their chronological age. They have a map and questions to answer after they've read it. Lots of 5 star reviews on the Waterstones website. Give them a try. More due out soon.

Thanks for all the recommendations. He's just finished Falcon's Malteser in the Diamond Brothers series, and is very keen to read more. He loved the Asterix book I got for him, and had asked for more for his birthday.

I'm holding off on Harry Potter as I think the maturity of the books kept pace with the original readership, and gets way too heavy for a 6 year old from Goblet of Fire onwards.