Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Hand to a Reluctant Reader

So today’s theme’s official title was “Books I Would Hand to Someone Who Claims to Not Like Reading”. But that was an awful lot, so I shortened it a bit. I’m not necessarily a huge fan of the term “reluctant reader” because I think it’s got a little bit of a negative connotation. But at the same time, these kids exist and they often visit my library. I’ll usually see more of them heading into summertime as parents try to get their kids reading during the summer. I love parents who want their kids to read, but sometimes it’s a lot of pressure.

I’ll often hear, “Where are the [insert current grade level here] books?” Or they’ll revert to things they remember from their childhood. And I’ve got nothing against the classics, but if you’ve got a reluctant reader on your hands, you’re going to want to grab their attention quickly. And preferably with something they already enjoy – like sports or video games, adventure or mysteries.

Sometimes, genres and formats are your friends in these situations. Look for books that aren’t so intimidating – books that have illustrations that support the text (think Diary of a Wimpy Kid) like The Tapper Twins or The 13-story Treehouse. Other times you can try a novel in verse. All that white space works really well for a kid who’s overwhelmed by text. Try a survival novel like Alone or a crowd-favorite like The Crossover.

And sometimes it’s great to head straight over to the graphic novels. These books, although have far less text than traditional novels, are great suggestions for reluctant readers. And take some practice and finesse to read – you need to know how to follow the layout, what speech bubbles to read in what order, plus with so much illustration – your brain gets a workout with decoding text AND pictures! Try Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth literally written for reluctant readers or The Babysitter’s Club: Kristy’s Great Idea (you can see if your reluctant reader has seen the Netflix version).

And finally, don’t forget to reach out to other options – like nonfiction! Nonfiction for kids is so much more accessible and exciting. A book like Weird But True! is filled with interesting facts that you can’t help but share. Plus, with small little blurbs of text, it won’t feel like reading at all. And you can never go wrong with something that grosses you out like Gross as a Snot Otter filled with great photographs and really amazing information!

Looking for even more ideas to get kids reading? Check out my blog post Reading Is More Than Just Books for some more suggestions!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Books I Would Hand to a Reluctant Reader

1. Alone by Megan E. Freeman
2. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
3. Gross as a Snot Otter by Jess Keating
4. Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick
5. Kristy’s Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier
6. The Tapper Twins Go to War by Geoff Rodkey
7. The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton
8. The Unicorn Rescue Society: The Creature of the Pines by Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Hatem Aly
9. Weird But True! 1: 350 Outrageous Facts by National Geographic Kids
10. Polar Bear vs. Grizzly Bear by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the titles above, please use my affiliate links for Amazon. When you purchase from the links above, I will earn a commission as an affiliate.

The Artsy Reader Girl currently hosts Top Ten Tuesday, an original feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.