Getting an 8 year old boy into reading

[juniper904]

I'm trying to motivate an 8 year old boy to read, as his reading has not really progressed since autumn.

Can anyone recommend any good books? He is not a low achiever (achieved national expectation in Y2 SATS) but he doesn't seem to have found anything that grips him.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

And thanks everyone for the suggestions- I will pass them on.

I bought some Dennis the Menace books for DS1 (8.5) who struggled a bit with reading up until about halfway through Y3. They got him started and have fairly short chapters. BeastQuest and WimpyKid are popular. He's just moved on to Alex Rider books.

Both been said but usborne beginners and the astrosaurs series are great.

Don't forget non-fiction too. Some of the Usborne books are good. DS1 liked these (linked to school topics)

www.amazon.co.uk/Roman-Soldiers-Handbook-Usborne/dp/0746099495/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332355795&sr=1-1

and
www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Space-Usborne-Beginners-Daynes/dp/0746074492/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332355883&sr=1-11

Beast Quest is the bees knees as far as 8 year boys are concerned. My ds really liked the Spy Dog books too.

Usborne Beginners Plus - new series launched last year for age 7+ aimed at reluctant boy readers - covers Tanks, Helicopters, Fighter planes, racing cars, motorbikes.

Also try Usborne True Stories - Pirates, WW1, WW2, Dday, Blitz, Spies, Heroes, Polar explorers etc

I would not normally recommend Beginners for age 8 and an OK reader as it is aimed at ages 4-6. Usborne Discovery is aimed at 7+ and covers Big Cats, Trains, Astronomy, Space, Pyramids,

Depends on his interests......for the fiction. Usborne do a lot of classics rewritten for this age group - eg frankenstein, victorian ghost stories, dr jekyll.

Also suggest things like reading the sky tv guide planner stuff, reading websites etc.

Reading for a purpose, to find out what's on tv, to research what time the pool is open etc.

Also getting kids to help with baking cakes, licking bowl as the incentive! They need to read the recipes! They can't fake it his ways as they are using reading to achieve something.

Sorry that sounded really stilted. In typing with left hand whilst feeding!

I've just bought these:

Invincible Iron Man and Marvel Avengers. DS will love them. He has gone off "story books" but he has enjoyed level 2 and 3 of these Marvel DK readers.

Beast Quest, Asterix, Roald Dahl (try Revolting Rhymes), maybe even some poetry (only thing my brother really read, he liked that it was short and accessible, and he was the most boyish boy you could imagine)

Agreed on Astrosaurs, Captain Underpants, Roald Dahl and especially the Mr Gum series, which are amongst the funniest books I've ever read. I had to keep waiting for DS to finish each one so that I could pinch them to read. DS also liked the Wilma Tenderfoot books, and Skulduggery Pleasant although those are probably more suited for slightly older than eight or children that already enjoy reading.

ds1 is 8 and in year 3. He is currently reading the Alex Rider series and has just found the David Walliams books.

He has read most of the Dahl books.

Before these liked Oliver Moon Ben 10 & Horrid Henry which all have sets in the book people

This might be helpful, Oooggs:

www.guardian.co.uk/books/childrens-books-8-12-years

and scroll down to top ten books this year...

Sorry - it's Juniper I should be addressing!

We have a similar challenge with my DS, who's 7. He's in the top reading group at school but has never seemed to really 'get into' reading. Recently we've been making regular trips to the library and have a 'book table' at home with all the new library books just spread out on it. He's really enjoying the Usborne Greek Myths at the moment, and Pokemon read it yourself books. I find he is more inclined to pick something up to read if the level is not too difficult. We also often read him stories, which he'll then go back over himself.
He's also trying Dinosaur Cove. He read Roald Dahl's 'The Magic Finger' - it's one of the shorter RD books. I think the longer ones can be a bit off putting.
We've also started something at home called 'lazy reading'! Both my kids love it. We basically get really comfy with cushions and blankets etc. and all choose books to read to each other.
Good luck!

Dinosaur Cove definitely.

As OP is a teacher will say yr3 DS has just got on to the graphic novels (ORT Scarab something, something Emperor) and these are the first school books he has actually shown enthusiasm to read.

The best books my 8 yr old has read are the bone books - graphic novels by scholastic.

bone books

Pink I have ordered a Bone book on your recommendation. DS better like it !

Hi, bit of a different tack here but could it be that he has lots of other more interesting-with-less-effort things to do ?
There was a TV programme (the cheery Garath chap who does the singing) that seemed to show that children who had other distractions completely removed did gravitate to reading - not sure how you'd phrase this to his parents though :o

Agree - I have always allowed my boys and extra half hour in bed before lights off, but the deal is they can only look at books. Or sleep.

This is when most "reading for pleasure" is done. Even DS2 chats away with his books, or tries to Find Wally etc.

ooogs
I would try and steer away from Alex Rider for a Yr 3 8 yr old. Some of the content isn't suitable at all, as I discovered too late and got into an interesting discussion about pornography

which book was that betterwhen???? he is on number 6 already!!!!!