Reluctant Reader. Is there anything we can do?

[FiveHoursSleep]

DD3 is 8 and in Y3.
She loves maths, this is her thing. She's also in the top group for everything else including literacy, so she can and does read for information, but just really isn't keen on made up stories.
She has read the first Harry Potter but has also heard the audio books last year on our holidays ( lots of long car journeys) so can't be bothered reading the others. She will half heartedly read a crappy, very easy book if it's got an animal in it, but doesn't want to stretch herself with fiction.
I'm not worried as such, I just find it a bit hard as my husband and I both read a lot and our three other kids ( including her younger brother) all love reading.
I have bought her book after book to try and encourage her, but she's just not that interested unless it's a minecraft or pokemon manual.
Is there any point encouraging her to read, or should we just be happy she can read?

I'd say she has slightly different interests to you and would leave it at that. Are there any concerns from school?

My D's doesn't really enjoy fiction books. I cut articles out of the Metro for him - there was a recent one about Stampy. Look through the non fiction bit in your library for inspiration.

DS prefers to read on the kindle. I'm going to try getting him to read his school books on the Oxford Owl app for his tablet.

What worked with my DS was letting him read exactly what he wanted to read- in his case it meant accepting that he wasn't interested in reading "hard" books for fun. Once he'd found a few things that he was interested in, he was more prepared to try stuff.

Also - do you read to her? DS liked being read to and sometimes he was suitably encouraged to (say) read the next chapter!

No concerns from school at all. They say she always has her head in a (NF) book there.
She has a kindle already- an old one that I replaced and if she reads on it, she puts the print on the largest setting possible!
I do read to her (them) but it doesn't encourage her to finish the book herself at all. She's much rather someone else do the work.

She has different interests . I love reading, always have .... My DH never seen him read anything except technical work material.

Perhaps get her a magazine subscription to something that interests her and let her be.

Would she read books that are written as comics? Might be worth a try. You can buy the classics in comic form these days!

We had the same situation with our daughter and we went to the library every week so she could choose a selection of books including quite a bit of non-fiction and she did the summer reading challenge.

Then at home we set aside 10-15 mins reading time a day when we all sat down with our books and read. We made a special reading area for her too with comfy cushions and a light. Reading was also encouraged for 10 to 15 mins before lights out at night.

My DD is still not a big reader however she has chosen progressively more challenging books and does enjoy the time she spends reading now. I think the most important part was all reading together and her seeing us enjoying books and talking about them.

My brother never read fiction - ever! He has an MA in publishing and works in a University library. Try not to worry, not everyone reads fiction and whilst us fiction readers find it impossible that people don't, your DD will be fine.

I'd definitely embrace the non-fiction route. Stories grounded in reality will appeal to her.

You could try delving into the Horrible Histories series, or Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonder

Pat yourself on the back, you are doing all the right things.

My biggest piece of advice - always take her to the library, let her choose whatever she likes and she'll soon develop her own niche. Embracing the world of non-fiction will open up a HUGE, exciting world for her.

There's no need to worry. Why not try non-fiction instead? Or graphic novels? Or instructions for lego? Anything with words on - it doesn't have to be fiction to be reading. Good luck.

I encourage parents to get what I call 'Value Added' books, where some other activity is developed out of the content of the book.

Two I cite are "Watership Down", which is set in a real place, that can be found on maps and several websites. The housing development that forced the rabbits out of their home is now on the outskirts of Newbury.

The other is Arthur Ransome's "Coot Club". This is set in the Norfolk Broads in the 1930s, and all the places mentioned can be found on the Ordnance Survey 2-1/2 inch map of the Broads. Some of the railways have gone, and there are new roads, but otherwise little has changed. It also conveys social history of the period: the children want to contact their friends in a nearby village, and say that if they post a letter in the morning it will be delivered by the second post in the afternoon! They buy provisions at a riverside shop, and the 'shop boy' carries their purchases down to their boat for them.

My Dts (yr 3) are similar. One reads football magazines and cricket books all the time, the other loves science book - but neither really like fiction. School have no concerns, but I think it's really sad as I love reading.