Any tips for English for a yr8 please?

[ILiveInSalemsLot]

Can anyone suggest any resources or give any tips for a yr 8 boy who is quite weak in English?
Any easy books to read that would also help? He’s been reading wimpy kid type books and struggles to enjoy anything too challenging.

Has he tried the David Walliams books? They aren't great literature but anything is better than nothing and at least it is sustained text. There is a lot of white space which might help too.

Harry Potters.
Roald Dahl.
Hunger Games
Divergent series

My y9 has been helped with her vocab by audio books. Also watching Shakespeare plays on DVD to help get used to the language (will be needed for GCSE).

Hi
Yes - absolute foolproof series of books - Robert Muchamore’s Cherub series about child spies. Even the most reluctant readers are desperate to read the next book in the series. Start him off with The Recruit. Boys especially find this such a cool series of books. There are also audio versions and graphic book versions.

Thank you. He’s read Roald Dahl and David Walliams and wasn’t really interested in the others.
I haven’t suggested Cherub series. It looks like it’s worth s try.

Definitely. Much more cool

Goosebumps..

I would go for books that interest them even look at non fiction. DD is dyslexic and struggled with reading so we gave her DS’s wimpy kid books she enjoyed that she could get through them quickly and not having too much on a page and Horrid Henry but thi seas when she was in year 5 & 6. Also look at books which interest her I.e DD loves dogs so we got her lots of books about dogs from our local library fiction and non fiction it’s still reading.

Thanks. He does like goosebumps.
Is there anything else that can help improve his grades in English?
Any good websites or workbooks that could help?

Graphic novels are worth a shot, assuming no visual issues with the small type. They're not "just" comics! The vocab is often very rich and the format is good for visual literacy (understanding the way pictures work with text, the basis for newspapers and adverts). The Alex Rider series might work well for a Y8, and many classics have been adapted. My Y8 has just done gothic horror in English, so Jekyll & Hyde, Frankenstein etc might appeal. I love graphic novel classics because they're accessible to kids who wouldn't pick up the novel for fear of the old-fashioned language; it means they can still get the cultural context of the story.

Second the non-fic suggestion too, I often find that's the key for reluctant readers.

Sorry don’t know how to improve grades. Maybe an English tutor?

Alex Rider series - first one is Stormbreaker.
Artemis Fowl series.
Magic Thief series.