Closed - Fast moving suits 8yr old boy who doesn't like reading

[Fayley]

Hi, I'm looking for a book to read to my 8yr old son. He doesn't like reading yet so I'm hoping for something fast moving and easy to understand that i can read to him to catch his attention.

[Sonja]

my eight year old is the same and he liked the super soccer boy series by Judy brown and the different "F E A R Adventures" by Jak Shadow

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Try some of Andre Norton's books. She's done everything you can think of. Does he like cats? She has a series Star Ka'at that features cats from outer space who come to earth to rescue the cats here, and wind up taking along a boy and girl with them.

King Arthur? Then you have Steel Magic (If he liked the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movies, he might like this one.)

Does he like history? (Wild West) Then Stand to Horse or Ride Proud, Rebel! and Rebel Spurs

Magic Octagon Magic (with time travel to the past) Fur Magic--set in the time of the Vietnam War, includes N.A. magic Red Hart Magic (Time travel to the past) Seven Spells To Sunday (This one deals with kids in the foster system) Dragon Magic (you guessed it--dragons)

Kids having adventures Ten Mile Treasure

There is also the Danny Dunn books. Much like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew this series is updated periodically so that it stays kind of "up-to-date." Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint is the first one. But I believe that Danny and his friends are more at the 10-13 or 14 age range, rather than the late teens that the other 2 are.

[Cruth]

We found Roald Dahl to be a big hit. Has a nice read aloud quality.

Also (Australian author) The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. Designed for young boys who aren't keen on reading but very good for sharing/reading together.

[Anna]

The Adventures of the New Cut Gang by Philip Pullman

Terry Deary Horrible History series

[Fayley]

Thank you all so much!

[Pamela]

You might try a book of folktales--libraries often have many collections. That way you could read and finish an entire story in one afternoon or evening. Also, if he didn't like one story, he might like the next.

Or try a collection of poetry, like Shel Silverstein wrote.

[Victoria]

Sea Cutter: Book 1 in the Chronicles of Nathaniel Clilde by Timothy C. Davis
Very fast moving and great for a boy because it cuts out the "unnecessary details and explanations (the necessary ones are left in) and gets to the action!
I think you may be able to hold his attention with this one, Mom.

[Fayley]

Thanks Victoria. Is Sea Cutter young enough for an immature 8 year old ? Other reviews put it in Young Adult.

[Pamela]

Also, Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald Sobol are collections of short story mysteries that kids can try to solve themselves. They're popular, and my son enjoyed them at your son's age.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

The Great Brain series might be appealing too.


And maybe The Mad Scientists' Club

Both are series, and usually have several different "adventure" in each book.

[Fayley]

Thanks everyone - Coby won't know what hit him!

[Cruth]

Fayley wrote: "Thanks everyone - Coby won't know what hit him!"

We have also found books with movies a fun way to read together. We read the book and then watch the movie. We can discuss the differences, but it has also encouraged us to persevere or to choose something unusual because we wanted to see the movie. There are lots of Roald Dahl's book as movies, but also Dr Seuss, various classics, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (slower moving book but the illustrations are stunning), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (very different movie to book).

A w'pedia page of children's books made into movies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...

[Lance]

Fast-paced action series begins with "The Last Thing I Remember" but this may be just a little old for him.

[Melissa]

There is also another great group on Good Reads called Great Middle Grade Reads. I have asked a similar question of this group for my 10 year old (reluctant reader) daughter and was given a great list of book ideas.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

The Indian in the Cupboard is another one that you might consider doing the "Movie and a Book" thing for. And of course, there's always all of the Harry Potter books and movies. Plus of course, Percy Jackson books/movies.

[Hillary]

I second Encyclopedia Brown - and am just now reading Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. A fast paced mystery with lots of clues to follow - all the main characters are 12. An homage to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for sure.

[Liralen]

I'm not 100% certain of the right age range for these, but, hey, worth a go:
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Sideways Stories From Wayside School
Homer Price
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Day My Bum Went Psycho

[Tammy ~Witching Hour Reads~]

My son just turned 10, we Read the Percy Jackson books together, but I had some difficulty finding things for him to read on his own, it was my local library suggested Graphic novels, they said it does not matter what he reads as long as he reads so I started with things like the Geronimo Stilton books , he started those and really seemed to enjoy them. I had him with me at the book store 2 years ago before Christmas and he picked up the Amulet series all on his own, he now really enjoys reading and reads 3 books or so a week, he just finished (chapter book) he said he could not stop it was soo good.

[Fayley]

Thanks everyone

[Teresa]

The Redwall series tends to go over well with boys of that age.

[SparksofEmber]

Motivations can help, too. I remember when I was in 3rd grade, my parents motivating me by promising an Aslan tshirt when I finished the Narnia series. I still have that set, with the date & a signature inside the front cover as I finished each one.

[Dee]

There is a fairly new series called the Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanigan ( He is Australian) He wrote the stories for his son who was also a reluctant reader.

[Janet]

Fast moving, funny, easy reads that are really popular:
Sideways Stories From Wayside School

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Bunnicula

[Teresa]

And if none of these give him the inclination, don't fret: 9-10 years old is when a lot of boys go from being reluctant readers to devouring books at a stunning rate.

[Pamela]

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron and its sequels is terrific. The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet

Also, The Forgotten Door, by Alexander Key. The Forgotten Door

[Jess]

Try the fly guy books. It is a book that he should be able to read on his own. At that age it was all I could get one of my kids to read alone

[Merrilee]

The Spiderwick Chronicles were what my learning disabled nephew and I started together when it was discovered that he had dyslexia (in addition to ADD and a below average IQ) and wasn't reading at all. I read each book in about 45 minutes, but it took us several weeks to read each aloud. The books are: The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone, Lucinda's Secret, The Ironwood Tree and The Wrath of Mulgarath. An added bonus is that they made all 5 books into a movie of the same title as the series which is extremely different from the books.

[Chanda]

My own boys loved Janet Tashjian's books, My Life as a Book, My Life as a Stuntboy, and My Life as a Cartoonist. The main character of the books is also a boy who is a reluctant reader - as is Janet's own son, Jake, who provides the illustrations.

[Pamela]

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume is hilarious. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

[Rotem]

I fell in love with these The Lightning Thief, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Maze of Bones, and The Fairy-Tale Detectives when I was around his age.
I can't believe I almost forgot this one Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism hilarious and vivid.

[Megan]

Try The Magic Treehouse series. It starts with Dinosaurs Before Dark or anything by Roald Dahl. I loved The Boxcar Children when I was younger.

[Fayley]

Thanks all ... we now have a pile of books that we are making our way through.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Is he getting any more interested Fayley? Have we hit on any books that he's actively enjoyed?

[Fayley]

He didn't mind the Geronimo Stilton book we read. We are about to start The great brain which he is excited by. We didn't get past ch1 of Tales if a Fourth Grade Nothing, apparently it is "boring and sounds like a girl story"! He is much more willing to be read to now - I think the first one was the big hurdle, now I have to keep the momentum going. I'm going to keep returning to this thread as we get through the books we already have.

[Amy]

My son was a bit younger, but the Captain Underpants series made him an avid reader. I guess it was the naughty words that made him a fan.
Also, the "Nicholas" series about a trouble-making kid and his goofy friends (Rene' Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempe')

[Fayley]

Who are the Nicholas books by? I can't find.

[Cruth]

Fayley wrote: "Who are the Nicholas books by? I can't find."

They are very strongly boy books, translated from French in 2000's but first published in the 1950's or so. You should readily find them in Aus bookshops. The author, Rene Goscinny, wrote Asterix.

Le petit Nicolas
Nicholas

They are a good read and lend themselves to reading aloud. But they have that casual violence of little boys which some may not approve of.

[Fayley]

Thanks

[Cheryl]

Maybe try Paul Jennings

I remember them being popular with young boys.

the only one I've read is Unstoppable! but it was a fave as a 10 year old.

The Uncollected series are a selection of short stories and often very funny and or gross.

[Wendy]

Liralen wrote: "I'm not 100% certain of the right age range for these, but, hey, worth a go:
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Sideways Stories From Wayside School
Homer Price
[..."

Agree on [book:The Mouse and the Motorcycle|232109]
My nephews simply loved those Goosebumps series. That included one non-reader nephew. It has been awhile, but those ownChoose Your Own Adventuretype books.

[Wendy]

Fayley wrote: "He didn't mind the Geronimo Stilton book we read. We are about to start The great brain which he is excited by. We didn't get past ch1 of Tales if a Fourth Grade Nothing, apparently it is "boring a..."

Tales is definitely for a boy whose older. Doesn't it have puberty issues?

Do you read aloud to him? I would recommend the Harry Potter books to read aloud.For a kid who does not like to read, they would be too much.

[Sarah]

Get him graphic novels! There's lots that are actually great reading, but the pictures would keep him interested in the story. He won't even feel like he's reading a "real book" but he is, bwahaha...

For instance... the series "Bone" by Jeff Smith is a great one.

[Scott]

Does he like dogs? You might try the work of Jim Kjelgaard. Snow Dog was a favorite of mine.

[Fayley]

Thanks all. We have a huge pile of books now. We hit on the idea of working on the experience rather than the story itself, so now I read aloud with all three kids piled on the bed together. It turns out that any story seems fun with two older sisters laughing along and making funny voices for the characters! Thanks all for your help.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Hi Fayley, instead of moving this to Solved which removes it from the "books in general" category where it really belongs - I'm going to close the thread.

We're glad you got so many great suggestions.