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Original poster

Need shortish and pacy books for for 9 year old DS

35 replies

Shinyandnew2022 · 04/02/2023 22:54

We are so struggling to get any real momentum with DS reading.
Our most successful series have been Famous Five and Dogman!

He enjoys non fiction more than fiction but surely there must be a way to get him reading 'stories' for pleasure ?

Currently reading Amari and the night brothers and finding it a real slog - too long and long winded - even I am bored of it .

HELP!

I have an older DD who is an avid reader and we have so many books but nothing seems to appeal .

OP posts:
larkstar · 04/02/2023 22:55

Try the first Joey Pigza book.

elliejjtiny · 04/02/2023 22:56

My 11, 9 and 8 year olds love the treehouse series, the daisy and the trouble with series and some of the Jacqueline Wilson books for younger readers.

leafinthewind · 04/02/2023 22:59

The Clumsies. Very funny. No long explanations, the stories just get going. Small pencil drawings.

BestZebbie · 04/02/2023 23:09

We have had success with the books published by Barrington Stoke (esp. the 4U2Read series, which can be picked up cheaply on Amazon/EBay slightly used).

Barrington Stoke are a specialist dyslexia publisher but you don't have to be dyslexic to read the books!
They aim to commission new stories by well-known children's authors which fit into 100 pages or less.
They know that a lot of their audience will have a lower reading age than their chronological age so on their website you can search books filtering on both at the same time (eg: books for a 9-12 yr old but with a reading age of 7), which gets past the "books for my age are too intimidating but thinner books are too babyish" problem.

MusicWithRocksIn · 04/02/2023 23:11

Tom Gates were the books that really got my DS into reading.

neverendinglauaundry · 04/02/2023 23:12

13 storey tree house and beast quest were popular at that age

Brody77 · 04/02/2023 23:13

What about some of Enid Blyton’s other books like the secret seven, my dd9 loved famous five and is now listening(she’s dyslexic) to the adventure series Mystery of… missing cat etc etc, also loved the 13 story treehouse series which she is reading to herself. I fondly remember devouring the Adventure series by Willard Price around the same age.

Buffysoldersister · 04/02/2023 23:13

Try Charlie changes into a chicken by Sam copeland - not particularly short but it's pacey and very funny

HopRockers · 04/02/2023 23:29

if he likes DogMan he will like comic books-
Bunny vs Monkey
looshkin
Bad Guys

non fiction comic books (but wordier than the above)
Science Comics :polar bears/dinosaurs/sharks/solar system etc
Corpse Talk (history & very funny)

Excellent comic book - chapter book bridging books
13 storey treehouse
Danny Dragonbreath - Vernon

Chapter books-
Tree Goblins - Melling (very funny silly)

FWIW I have a 12 yr old who is reading at a much older level now who didn't read until 7 & then only comic books until he was over 10. He's read 10 (huge) chapter books since New Year - they get there in their own time 🙂

AnnieMay55 · 04/02/2023 23:54

Boys often prefer reading non fiction. There is nothing wrong in that. The main thing is that he is reading. Get him books about things he is interested in. Go to the local library and let him choose something he likes. Otherwise comic books are often more appealing to boys. I don't think you mentioned that he was particularly behind with his reading. A lot of people just don't do a lot of reading for pleasure. Does he see you and other adults reading at home?

LightGreenDot · 05/02/2023 20:17

13 Storey Treehouse, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, anything by Jeremy Strong are easy reads and funny, a big hit in my house.

Spudina · 05/02/2023 20:19

The Goosebumps books are excellent. Quickish reads too.

IsItMimi · 05/02/2023 20:26

Comic series - Asterix, Usagi Yojimbo, Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales (history told in comic format, but with an American slant)

Others - Varjak Paw, The boy at the back of the class/ the lion above the door (same author), Armistice Runner.

The incorrigible children of ashdon place series is excellent and really gripping, but we listen to it on audiobook so I'm not sure what the print version looks like in terms of pictures etc, which might make a difference

KitKatClub · 05/02/2023 20:30

Mine really liked Tom Fletcher and Warrior Cats at that age

Topbird29 · 05/02/2023 20:38

Have 2 Ds - one just under 11 and one 8 1/2. Noth like dogman and cat kid comic club books, and the 13 storey treehouse books. Also like Tom fletcher and David baddiel - not long chapters. And beast quest and sea quest books. Found a couple of choose your own adventure books set in the beast quest world - those are quite popular at the moment. The older DS will read longer books too - harry potter, marriage series. Although currently on diary of a surfer villager series of books (minecraft characters) on the kindle. I'd there a series or game that your ds likes? Maybe see if any books themed around that. It is amazing what you might be able to find. There are star wars junior novels that were also a hit here.

Mum97540 · 05/02/2023 20:42

Tom gates

LucyWhipple · 05/02/2023 20:46

The wild robot books have been a massive hit with my almost 9yo - following on from loving the iron man at school.

Pugs of the frozen north & others by the same authors.

adventures on trains series

Original poster
Shinyandnew2022 · 05/02/2023 21:20

Thanks so much everyone this is really helpful.
I have ordered the Joey Pigza and will show DS some of the others .
We have so many of these already it's quite frustrating!
But @AnnieMay55 your post massively makes sense to me. My DH has never been a reader for pleasure and is one of the smartest people I know - but I am an English lit graduate so we are quite different !
The reason I worry is that my DD who is perhaps more like me has such a rich vocabulary and writes so well whereas DS really struggles to 'infer' from texts and wrote anything creative - it's becoming an issue at school.
Possibly I need to reflect that he isn't ever going to read in the way I imagine .. I will have a really good look at the suggestions
And maybe accept the comic books and non Fiction may work best.

OP posts:
Laquila · 05/02/2023 21:25

Oh God, Beast Quest 😱 my son was obsessed with those for a (mercifully short) while.

The Jack Stalwart ones are quite short - complete rubbish really, but quite short and pacy! And they do like a series at that age.

My 9-yr old also struggled with Amari and the Night Brothers but he loved the Dragon Mountain series (Katie and Kevin Tsang I think), the Wimpy Kid ones and the How to Train Your Dragon series (he ADORES these). He's also loved reading The Hobbit and Treasure Island together, one of those might be worth a try?

AnnieMay55 · 05/02/2023 21:52

Shinyandnew2022 I am actually speaking from experience of having a DD who basically taught herself to read at 2 1/2 and always has loved reading right through to adulthood. My DS, my 2nd child didn't struggle to read but never did for pleasure and I remember a parent evening when he was about 7 or 8 telling the teacher he only read The Beano. She replied that 'At least he was reading' Apart from any texts for school, he had probably read less than half a dozen fiction books for pleasure before he was about 18. It is surprising how much vocabulary they can pick up through reading books about football and extend their knowledge of countries around the world! I will admit I have never enjoyed fiction and never read books whereas my husband reads all the time. So like you my children have taken after each of us. It doesn't affect anything in the end we both went on to higher education and my DS ended up with a Ist degree! ( I'll also admit I was a primary teacher and still took a while to realise it didn't matter!) It's just important to realise they are different individual children and learn in different ways.

Singleandproud · 05/02/2023 21:54

Goosebumps
Unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket

Original poster
Shinyandnew2022 · 06/02/2023 10:56

Thanks again @AnnieMay55 that is really encouraging and reassuring !
My DH and I chatted about it last night and he said he doesn't really remember reading as a kid but it definitely didn't hold him back at all.
Even the lack of inference is quite interesting as he is I guess quite logical and factual whereas Dd was more of a dreamer at his age.
Maybe I just need to relax a little and not put him off reading even more by constantly book pushing!
I appreciate all the suggestions though and will see what might appeal when we eventually finish sodding Amari!

OP posts:
Singleandproud · 06/02/2023 11:20

Try factual books and thinks like Guinness World Records or Ripley Believe it or not, it's not reading reading but many children enjoy them and they were a big hit at the school I worked at, the grosser facts the better in a lot of cases. Public libraries will have them save you buying them too.

FarmersWife3 · 06/02/2023 11:43

My DS (8) is the same - really struggle to get him to read anything! However recently he has started to enjoy reading Roald Dahl's Matilda, and really likes it. He loves audio-books (uses his Yoto player for these), and loves listening to Roald Dahl, and Enid Blyton. He also liked Toms Midnight Garden and Horrible Histories as audio-books. I'm hoping his love of Matlida will transfer to reading more! We've tried a few of the suggestions above, but will look at the Barrington Stoke published books - not heard of these.

urrrgh46 · 06/02/2023 11:44

i have 5 sons. Eldest Ds (20) has ADHD didn't touch books other than the ones he was made to read at school and now reads motivational books and books related to his job. Ds(18) is dyslexic and autistic didn't read at home until he was 11 and is now an absolutely avid reader or anything he's into. atm he's mainly reading factual history and chess books. Ds (16) hates reading anything in a book but reads everything on the internet regards football - male, female, international, players. He needs to become a pundit! Ds9 is autistic and VERY dyslexic but loves being read to - he loves the Percy Jackson books and Harry Potter and factual animal books that he can access himself now. Ds (6) isn't into books but loves films, which is how ds 18 got into books so maybe he will when he's older.