10 Books That Get Boys Interested in Reading
Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 5:00AM
Do you have a son who is a reluctant reader?
I do.
Oh, he can read very well. Once he finds something that interests him he will read it OVER and OVER and OVER.
He won't, however, choose to sit down with a book for fun. He doesn't DEVOUR a wonderful story like his 12 year old sister will. (At this age she was reading Harry Potter, Cornelia Funke, and Dear America.)
He doesn't CRAVE a good book like I do. When I let him choose a book to read he always picks the one with the least amount of pages. (sigh)
For my son, reading is a lot of being STILL - he would rather be using his hands, playing outside, or chatting with someone. It's not in his nature to just plop down and stick his nose in a book.
He has to be greatly inspired to read. {and that's OK!} Most days I require a 30 minute sustained silent reading time. I usually try to make this reading relevant to the time period we are studying in history.
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Reading Harry Houdiini - Childhood of Famous Americans
While I understand children are different and not everyone will be a voracious reader, I believe reading is a valuable skill, one my son will need as he gets older. I want to give him the gift of discovering a great book can transport you to another time and place.
We read aloud daily, but I'm also working on inspiring my son to read on his own - and I do believe it's working.
Mostly, this inspiration comes through strewing reading material around the house based on his interests... sports, LEGOS, freaky facts, cartoons, and an occasional interesting chapter book.
As I was doing some spring cleaning in Grant's room, I spied the pile of books next to his bed - that place where a book gets hastily dropped as he is falling asleep each night. It made me smile to know he is enjoying reading more these days. He now CHOOSES to read before he goes to bed.
Which books make the cut for my picky reader? Here are 10 favorite categories...
DK Adventure Books
These books are just the perfect length and have interested my son quite a bit. Oh, and the two that interest my son have a Star Wars theme.
(There are many other DK Adventure books, too - they're all great!)
Kingfisher Treasuries
I love these collections of stories. The manageable length and action packed pages make them fun for my son.
Kingfisher Treasury of Pirate Stories
There are several more of these treasuries - keep your eyes open at used book sales and second hand stores. I picked up our latest treasurt at GoodWill!
Matt Christopher Sports Stories
My son is a sports lover. My sister (whose son is actually grown and in his own career now) read these books when he was young.
They are just GOOD stories that engage your sports lover. They also have beginning chapter books for younger boys and slightly harder books for upper elementary/middle grades. We love the baseball books in particular.
Dan Gutman Sports Books
My son has loved all of the Dan Gutman books he has read. We have a series and then one book in particular we have enjoyed.
Babe & Me (many of these baseball card adventure stories about different legends of the game)
LEGO Building Books
Enough said.
LEGO.
LEGO Character Encyclopedias & Visual Dictionaries
Once again - LEGO. I swear my son has these books memorized.
It's a bit scary, actually.
LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia
Guinness World Records Books
We have these books from 2005 onward. My daughter began getting them at book fairs when she was in school, and now when the new edition comes out for the current year the kids have to get it.
Who doesn't love a bunch of freaky facts?
Guinness Book of World Records 2014
DK Eyewitness Books
These books are great to just strew around the house based on what we are studying in our homeschool. Again, they are full of interesting facts and tidbits my son can collect in his memory.
The Boxcar Children
There's just something about this series that appeals to children. My mom got my kids started on these many years ago and we have a shelf full of them.
Peanut's Classics
Maybe it's my son's sense of humor, or the timeless humor of Peanuts, but he LOVES these books! They are short, quippy, and always inspire many giggles.
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A Recap of 10 Books That Get Boys Reading
Do you have any books that get your little guy reading? I'd love to add some titles to our repertoire!
Reader Comments (10)
Mine has loved the Knights of the Lunchtable series, Captain Underpants (anything by this author), and the Klutz books.
Joseph is really enjoying the Percy Jackson series (the first series, there is a second too). Daniel loves the chapter books in the Magic School Bus series.
My 8 y.o. son loves to read Calvin and Hobbes. His vocabulary improved greatly when he began reading it every night before drifting to sleep. :)
Thanks for the suggestions! Already put some on hold... xo
Oh I always LOVED the Boxcar Children series when I was growing up!!! I will have to start reading those to my pre-readers!
Great post! My husband and I have talked about the differences in our reading growing up, and he loved the Eyewitness books, so we saved them for our children.
My brother loved anything about the Titanic - stories, charts, books.
Thanks for the suggestions - stopping by via the Kid Lit Blog Hop
Brittany at Tales of a Bookworm
Hi Mary, I have a 10-year-old son who enjoys reading, but I don't always know what to get for him. Thanks for your recommendations and thank you for participating in the Kid Lit Blog Hop! Have a blessed Holy Week and Easter. :o)
Thanks for sharing. I've got three boys who all love to read. This is a great list.
Also try the Secret Series by Pseudononyms Bach. My son is 13 and I teach creative writing workshops to middle and elementary school students. Boys almost always are reading the fantasy adventure stuff.
It IS hard to get boys reading when they much prefer screens or running around outside. My son is 9 and we have the same issue of slowing him down to read. He is loving the Timmy Failure series and anything by Rick Riordan. He also likes graphic novels. What great ideas you have to match books with boys' interests. Thanks so much for sharing at the Kid Lit Blog Hop!