What's after diary of wimpy kid?

[Stressedoutmammy]

Hi, just looking for book recommendations for my DS12.

He used to be an avid reader but very much one genre, that being funny/comic books such as diary of a wimpy kid, Tom Gates, 13 story treehouse but hasn't been able to progress beyond these and now rarely reads.

His little sister had the latest diary of a wimpy kid for Christmas and he has chosen to read it, so I think if I can find him the right books I could get him to read again. I'm keen to do this as he has slipped in to the habit of using his phone before bed and doesn't sleep great.

Just wondered if anyone had any suggestions for books to move on to. Did you have fans of these books and what did they read next?

Yeah but there is something special about Wimpy Kid. My DD reads in most of her spare time (quite complex stuff) and she still loves Wimpy Kid at 15! She asked me for the new one the other day.

It's a fine balance getting something gripping but not babyish. I think Theodore Boone or Alex Rider might be good - real life but very exciting.

Would he enjoy Terry Pratchett?

There's a blast from the past! I read those when I was a child. Absolutely loved them.

Great idea

Was also coming on to say Adrian Mole. My DS is 13 and loves funny books about boys basically. He loves Wimpy kid, Adrian Mole, just William, Calvin and Hobbes comic strips.

I would also recommend the French “Nicolas” books - they’re a little hard to track down in English but so funny and sweet. DS loved them.

i wouldn’t recommend David Walliams at all.

No advice but thanks for thread OP I'm in the exact same position. Will follow up the recommendations

Interested in which shop does this. Also in Ireland and I think my Ds would love it.

The Lottie Brooks series!
Honestly - he might feel put off that it is about girls rather than boys, but they are not only read by girls and they are exactly the funny tween diary he is looking for.

This is the problem, be read most of these books from the ages of 7-9, his reading was above average at that point, but because he hasn't found anything that interests him, I'm not sure it's progressed much in last couple of years! I'm definitely looking for something more challenging but within the same genre.

Thanks again all!

I was thinking Adrian mole, but as these were out when I was a teen I wasn't sure if they would be relatable to current tweens - will give them a go though!

Also, will have a look at the Lottie Brooks series, DD9 also loves diary of wimpy kid - it's a whole new thread thinking about getting her to read, she rarely sits still long enough but maybe I can get a two in one which would be amazing!

In the same boat, so following this with interest.

My 12 year old was gifted the first one piece trilogy for Christmas last year and has now read all 120 odd books. He’s also read the skullduggery pleasant series this year. He’s now reading black clover, one punch man and hunger games. He also enjoyed noughts and crosses. He loves manga but I would never have thought to buy him any, so I suggest that - if feels like a natural next step if they like dog man etc when younger.

Alex Rider is also available in graphic novel form. Dd1 particularly enjoys reading graphic novels. Also enjoyed some of the Rick Rordian series but not all of them, Magnus chase she really enjoyed.

Dd2, has since enjoyed Heartstopper and Maze runner series. She adores a couple of books by Adam Kay. Kays Anatomy and Kays Marvelous medicine. Has also read a number of Sarah Crossan recently and enjoyed.

Both loved wimpy kid/story Treehouse have moved on to fairly different styles of books afterwards.

Those looking for personal book shopping experience - if you are anywhere near Bath there is an amazing bookshop called Mr B's which offers a book spa. It's quite pricey but absolutely brilliant (I've done it as adult but they will do it for any age). However if you are just wanting a couple of recommendations my daughter (8 - dyslexic and v reluctant reader unless it's something that grabs her) has found some gems just by talking with staff at Mr B's and telling them what she has liked in the past. We have then been shown a few options and she picks (most books I have never heard of but all have been hits). mrbsemporium.com/gifts/reading-spas/

I read a piece from Michael Rosen in one of his books, it says that the ability to browse and choose literature is as important as reading it, it’s finding what piques your interest, whether a book looks good from the cover and then learning from that and adapting next time you browse, because that skill of browsing and picking to suit your needs (not just for books) will be useful for your whole life, and in this day and age where the next YouTube video comes up as a recommendation from the last it’s harder to perfect that skill.
So definitely try and get him to the library every now and again, even if he only picks one book!

That's really interesting, @Kettlebellend - my 10-yr old is an advanced reader and reads a lot for pleasure but put him in a library and he suddenly becomes Kevin the Teenager, with seemingly no ability to browse/read blurb/assess the suitability of the books there. I think he's just overwhelmed, but it's very frustrating!

My oldest DC was the exact same @DiamandaTheGreat he’s got a bit better but I think it depends on the library (fine with our smaller one/supermarket/bookshop but finds the ones in the city overwhelming)
interestingly youngest and middle DC have had the same amount of exposure as eldest but are much more confident to select something no matter where we go

Dork Diaries is a little bit more advanced than DoaWK but similar in style, with drawings breaking up the text into manageable sections. It’s marketed towards girls but since he’s taking an interest in his dsis’s books it might be a way to sneak in an extra one.

My very reluctant reader loved the avatar graphic novel series (based on the Netflix series). We spaced out buying them so there was a bit of anticipation and excitement. She moved from that to Harry Potter, Keeper of the Lost Cities and Percy Jackson. I think when dc are lagging behind their peers they have to rediscover confidence that they can read iyswim

Try El Deafo by Cece Bell. It’s a graphic novel and the true story of how the author as a child became deaf - lots of relatable tween stuff about friendships and school (except her alter ego is a rabbit!). Sounds odd but reads like realistic fiction, I really loved it as well as my DS and there’s a series of it on Apple TV.

Raina Telgemeier graphic novels (Smile is the most well known) are also a hit here.

The Babysitters Club graphic novels, Witches of Brooklyn series and The Witch Boy trilogy are in a similar vein.

Op i just gave my exactly the same sounding 12 year old Adrian moles diary and he is loving it

Fabulous thread OP, thank you everyone.

I can second the recommendations for the Anthony Horowitz Diamond Brothers series, the Little Badman series by Humza Arshad and the Jiggy McCue series by Michael Lawrence.

Other successes were the Iguana Boy books by James Bishop, and my eldest son absolutely raved about a book he'd read in school called The Umbrella Mouse (WW2 French Resistance theme) so much so that I read it myself and really enjoyed it!