Please recommend some books for my 6yo boys.

[Gobbolino6]

Just that, really. I'd like something that helps them develop their reading without being off putting.

To give you an idea...they can read well, but in terms of comprehension/enjoyment things like Claude and Wigglesbottom Primary are too 'easy', while Jeremy Strong, Beast Quest etc are a bit of a drag for them.

Anything in between would be great. They've just finished the Sparky at Magic School books by Ruby Nash and enjoyed those.

Thanks for any ideas.

I'm looking for the same. Ds is very able to read but a whole Beast Quest is a bit of a slog and somehow he hasn't got into the other formulaic ones like Dinosaur Cove.

My DS is six and previously wouldn't read anything other than Minecraft manuals until we discovered the Tom Gates series. He's onto book three in less than two weeks!

Ds3 now 9 loved the Frogspell books (there are 4) by C J Busby, diary of a wimpy kid and Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books.

Hmm, I don't know Claude so I'm not sure of your base point. Will look up though, and the other things mentioned above - trying to find DS more different stuff he likes too. He's not bothered if it's easy. (Also 6.)

What Jeremy Strong have you tried? He writes for a range of ages, DS is a big fan. The Pirate School ones are very easy reading and fun. Next probably the My Dad has a Crocodile series? Or Indoor Pirates?

Some other series DS has loved recently, approximately in order of difficulty:
Winnie the Witch chapter books
Dinosaur Cove
Astrosaurs
The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark & series
Wimpy Kid

Mr gumm x

At about 5 or 6, DS loved the Usbourne Beginners series.

They are non fiction books, and cover loads of topics within the sciences and history, mostly.

His school was quite rigid in its teaching of reading, and he didn't seem to be getting far, then all of a sudden he started on those, and I was amazed at how his reading improved.

My daughter is an avid reader at 7. She was disappointed with beast quest as that's something that had excited her, she did love a similar series though - dragon something or another. The covers are really similar.

Horrid Henry is popular as is anything David Walliams. How about some early Harry Potter books?

Thanks everyone! I have ordered some of these already! I didn't realise about the Jeremy Strong ones, we only have The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog, which is a bit dense for them.
They don't like Horrid Henry...I thought theyd love it.

My DS (age 6) loves Ricky Ricotta. They are thick, like a chapter book, but with colour pictures in every page if you get the newly released ones. There are 8 or so in the series.
The next step from those would be Geronimo Stilton by the same author.
He tried Tom Gates but it was too 'old' for him and he didn't get some of the themes.

Dick King-Smith books are good. DS particularly enjoyed his 'Sophie' books when he was about six.

I still read to my 5.5yr old . Should I be encouraging him to read books himself? I'm not sure he would, he'll read signs and packaging and school reading books but I'm not sure how to encourage hone reading for fun?

We're reading the BFG together and he's loving it, but wouldn't manage it himself.

The man who wore all his clothes ,Allan ahlberg
Cinder boy ,Lawrence anholt

Brilliant, thanks. Allyoucan, I still read to mine, but they often forget to change their school reading books and I just get them to read their own stuff. The lower levels were interesting at school, but their current level seems to be where the bad books go to die.

Ally, I think if he reads school books and also read together with you, you don't need to worry. Reading signs and packaging means he is interested, which is a good sign. My ds used to read anything he can see as well.
How about taking him to library and let him choose what ever he wants to read?
When my ds was starting to read independently, he didn't always choose challenging books. He sometimes chose the picture books from library, but he wanted to read to us, or to himself. Also he started to read to himself when he saw me reading on bed, he sat next to me and started to read his own book.

The Dirty Bertie series are fun and my class loved the Secret Diary of Pig books by Emer Stamp.
I also agree with choosing books just for fun. Reading is reading and there is a place for quality and a place for easy stress free!

Ally of course you should still be reading to your 5.5 year old

My daughter is into the 'how to train your Dragon' books. It is a mixture of self reading (gradually getting more) and being read to though. I think an issue is that the really absorbing books are long and off putting by definition.....

Thanks for all these, they're great.

Magic Treehouse Serie

I second/third Usborne Beginners, they are absolutely great. I got most from Amazon marketplace, a bit cheaper than full RRP or "Used as new" for a fraction of the price.

Ally - DD is nearly 9 and we read religiously every night to her. Most books are a bit too much for her to tackle on her own, she loves classics but the writing is hard or the content means she wants somebody to talk about it. There is nothing better than snuggling up to her and reading. Most nights she will read the next couple of pages for herself to stretch herself a bit further. Her teacher - also head of literacy in her school - recently send out information about the importance of reading TO a child, even if there are in Y6.

Ooh, I'd forgotten about the Magic Treehouse. We've just been to the library and managed to pick up loads of these recommendations, so thanks again.

Jack Stalwart? Horrid Henry (the early reader ones, if the normal ones look too dense)? Charlie series by Hilary McKay?