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Book suggestions for 7 year old, reluctant-reader DS?

19 replies

SrirachaGhoul · 02/11/2012 16:37

DS has been working very hard and is just starting to pick up steam and gain confidence. I'd like to add to his chapter-book library but at the moment he is only drawn to funny, silly stories like Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Any suggestions for similarly themed books or some that will entice him to try something new?

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Tgger · 02/11/2012 18:36

Is he passed the Horrid Henry/ Dirty Bertie stage? Has he tried Jeremy Strong?

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libbyssister · 02/11/2012 18:39

What about the Mr Gum series by Andy Stanton. They're quirky and funny and my 7 yo DS likes them...

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OwedToAutumn · 02/11/2012 18:41

Try Beast Quest.

DS (8) also loves Tom Gates which is similar to the wimpy kid books.

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gwenniebee · 02/11/2012 18:43

YY to above, also Flat Stanley, Upside Down Harry.... Dick King Smith is a great author, too. Also some of the younger Michael Morpurgo ones. (All his are fab imo but some too complex for Yr2/3.

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Bobolbach · 02/11/2012 18:44

I second the Mr gum books. They are terrific.

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SrirachaGhoul · 02/11/2012 19:55

Thanks everyone! We've just got the book order form from school and a few of these are in there...going to look on Amazon now for the others Smile.

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NeedingALieIn · 02/11/2012 20:46

Beast Quest. Beast Quest. Beast Quest. Our DS (7) was also reluctant reader, despite having no particular difficulty when he got new books from school.

Got the first 12 Beast Quest books for his b/day in August, starting reading in September some time. Now he wants to read a bit to me every night, sometimes sits and reads by himself (with good comprehension), whines (playfully) when we stop reading on a cliff-hanger (which happens every 2-3 chapters) because he wants to read more, etc, etc.

Read the amazon reviews. Person after person saying essentially what I just said. And there are about 40 of them? I think, so plenty to keep him going till he fancies something else.

And... his reading of schoolbooks has improved no-end.

K.

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CMOTDibbler · 02/11/2012 20:52

Def Beast Quest - ds's teacher says they are the best thing for sucking boys into devouring books. And since theres 60 odd of them, thats a lot of reading !

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SrirachaGhoul · 02/11/2012 21:23

Fabulous! Thank you! I have ordered the first few in the series and now I want to read them.

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Runningblue · 02/11/2012 21:25

Book people is well worth a look for good offers!

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GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething · 03/11/2012 20:12

My DS raced through the first 10 Jack Stalwart books (by Elizabeth Singer Hunt) which I got as a set from The Book People, great bargain for only £7.99. He loved them! He has also recently discovered the "Dinosaur Cove" series from the library.
HTH

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JiltedJohnsJulie · 04/11/2012 11:03

Our DS is a very good reader and is 8 but wouldn't read mr gum. He gets us to read them to him.

He will read beast quest though, at one point he was reading one a day.

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hawthornknitter · 05/11/2012 13:32

DS is 6 and looooves the How to Train your Dragon books. We listened to the first one, read by David Tennant - hilarious, and he went back and read it himself and went from there. Addicted. He has just finished reading them all now and was a bit stuck for a day or two but discovered DS1's old Astrosaurs last night so hopefully they will go down well.

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mimbleandlittlemy · 05/11/2012 16:24

Astrosaurs, Beast Quest, Mr Gum - all popular in our household. Ds also loved the Paddington and Olga da Polga books too and the David Walliams books - particularly Billionaire Boy - which he found riotously amusing and hawthorn is absolutely right about How to Train Your Dragon though they are getting much, much darker as the series goes on I have to say.

Sriracha, believe me though when I say that very soon you will never want to see another BQ book - fortunately mine grew out of them around about the 30 mark. To say they are written to a forumla is a bit of a tiny weeny little understatement, but I worked on the basis that he was happy to read them and then he too (thank the lord) realised they were all the same Grin

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hawthornknitter · 06/11/2012 12:18

Yes the last couple of How to train your Dragon books are a bit grim - still funny in places, but a lot more serious. I wonder how much of that she had in mind when she started out.

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rockinhippy · 06/11/2012 12:26

What about the R L Stein Goosebumps or Horrorland series of kiddy horror story books ??

my own DD moved on from the books you mention & the Horrid Henry, Dirty Berty & spent the next few months with her head buried in these, she absolutely loved them & there are tons to chose from

INFO HERE

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SrirachaGirl · 06/11/2012 23:24

DS is now happily engrossed in Ferno the Fire Dragon. He even took it to school today so he'd have it to read at D.E.A.R (Drop Everything And Read) time. I never thought I'd see the day! Thanks for all your suggestions.

Yy to Goosebumps...we have a few of them on the shelf and DS is already familiar with the stories thanks to the terrible videos. Right up his alley Grin.

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elkiedee · 20/11/2012 13:23

I know you're asking for chapter books, but is he interested in factual stuff? I also shop at the Book People, great for sets. My DS1 is only 5.5 and isn't a confident reader yet but enjoys sharing books, but he will look at non fiction books on his own.

You could get catalogues from the Book People and Red House website, perhaps you could get a catalogue and offer him a chance to browse through and pick something?

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MGgirl · 22/11/2012 06:48

If he likes the Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpantsbooks, have a look at the 'Big Nate' series and 'The World of Norm' books.
He sounds very similar to my DS who just didn't get Beast Quest but will happily read these to himself.

Muddle Earth and Muddle Earth Too by Chris Riddell

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