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Help? What next for ds aged 11

35 replies

Onceuponatimethen · 26/09/2022 11:53

DS is in Y6 and has just turned 11.

He’s been a very very slow and reluctant reader and has finally this year started a habit of more or less regular reading at home. He’s only just ventured onto ‘real’ books with proper vocabulary and sentence structure expected at his age. Before that he was only very sporadically reading jokey books like Treehouse series. Also Mr Gum, Tom Gates and Secret Diary of Pig. A bit of Kid Normal. Some David Walliams (Slime etc). He’s always been wiling to dip into non-fiction on favoured topics like space, coding, climate change.

He didn’t like Artemis Fowl at all or a historical book I just got him for his birthday.

In proper books he’s loved so far are Jennifer Bell’s Legendarium and Wonderscape and David Badiel Future Friend. These are the only traditional chapter books he has read independently.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what next after Jennifer Bell and Baddiel’s Future Friend? It seems like his favoured genre is non-scary sci fi with a time travel or computer gaming element! I want him to keep reading as he is loving it so much but also because I’m conscious the level of books they will come on to in secondary will require some reading stamina!

OP posts:
EwwSprouts · 23/10/2022 16:40

For the Christmas list?
George's Secret Key to the Universe
The Phantom Toll Booth
Chase - Linwood Barclay
H.I.V.E series - Walden

America12 · 23/10/2022 17:08

Michael Morpurgo ? Harry Potter ?

Onceuponatimethen · 23/10/2022 17:26

Thank you very much @America12 and@EwwSprouts

I will definitely check out Hive, Chase and the Secret Key book.

On paper he should love phantom tollbooth as he’s quite into maths. But for whatever reason he struggled with it. I used to love it as a child but I guess there’s a lot of complex language which may be beyond him at the moment.

@EwwSprouts is there a particular Morpugo that would be good to start on?

I’ve tried Harry Potter before with him and for some reason he couldn’t get into it. I’m baffled as I loved it myself!

OP posts:
America12 · 23/10/2022 17:52

@Onceuponatimethen Private Peaceful, Warhorse.
What about The Dark Materials books ?
My DC hated reading but liked Jaqueline Wilson.

NotLovingWFH · 23/10/2022 20:08

Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson series. DS was a really reluctant reader but absolutely devoured these and they’re still top favourites years later. DD12 is currently hooked on them too.

DelurkingAJ · 23/10/2022 20:12

Diana Wynne Jones? Howl’s Moving Castle or Charmed Life would be the obvious ones (I think) to start with
Terry Pratchett? perhaps start with his short stories (The Witches Vacuum Cleaner etc)

EwwSprouts · 23/10/2022 21:14

@Onceuponatimethen Take a look at Mudpuddle Farm. It's short stories with some illustration but the humour is quite dry. No deaths like a lot of Morpurgo. Kensuke's Kingdom is a good one.

Onceuponatimethen · 12/03/2023 16:51

Thanks again everyone for all the brilliant advice on this thread.

Well would you believe ds still going strong! He’s read a book every two weeks at least and since Sept must have read at least 15 books. Probably 5 times more than he read in the same time period last year.

We’ve almost got through all the suggestions here so if anyone has any other ideas please do let me know. All ideas gratefully received!

OP posts:
epeduardo · 16/03/2023 13:07

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BrownOwlknowsbest · 18/05/2023 21:29

Has he tried the Charlie Bone books? see here https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/charlie-bone/

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