Working in a school library you do get to know your students. You know which kids like animal stories, or horror or graphic novels. You get to know the kids who love to read but also the ones who don’t want to read. It is not necessarily because they have trouble reading but because they would rather be outside. Or more, that they just haven’t found the book that is right for them. I find for these group of children, and yes they are mostly boys, that humour works well at hooking them in.
Here are just a few of the popular ones at the moment. I have had to buy multiple copies of these books as I can not keep them on the library shelves. They are always out. Great for children aged 8 up.
May contain nuts
World of Norm series
by Jonathan Meres
Great, easy to read, humourous novels about a boy called Norm who is always having one of those days! Cartoon illustrations help break up the text to make reading less daunting. Very popular. Several books out in the series now. Do look for them.
From the top
Big Nate series
By Lincoln Peirce
This trailer is fan made but pretty good. I have also included a clip where the author Lincoln Pierce discusses how to draw the character Big Nate. Again this is a funny series in a very easy to read format to keep the reader hooked.
Diary of a wimpy kid
Series By Jeff Kinney
Of course you can’t go past Jeff Kinney’s series Diary of a wimpy kids. Laugh out loud humour, easy to read text and stick figure illustrations. Because the text is on actual lines these books are great for helping with eye-tracking for those that need a little help.
The third wheel
An earlier post on the Dinosaur rescue series by Kyle Mewburn can be found here.
Great chapter books about dinosaurs and cave men. The boys love the toilet humour.
booktrailers4kidsandYA 
I have found the Big Nate books to be as popular as the Diary of a Wimpy kid books I can’t keep either series on the shelves. I bought the first Norm book recently and am curious to see how it will go. I have also got the “I am not a loser” series which is about to go on the shelves. Slightly different but still in a great format for reluctant readers and very, very funny is the Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger.
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We couldn’t agree more! It is usually boys and some boys actually manage to go through key stage 2 without reading a book independently! Humour is definitely the way forward along with a format that is appealing not daunting. Check our new book – The Janksters and the Talking Slug – written specifically for this group of boys! For more on our new approach see http://www.cidandmo.co.uk Thank goodness the focus of education is now reading for pleasure! The new literacy curriculum states that children should ‘hear whole stories’. A welcome change from the extract approach of the literacy hour which has turned so many children off reading.
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We couldn’t agree more! Humour is the way forward. As teachers we know that reluctant readers are often boys and some boys manage to get through the whole of key stage 2 without reading a book independently! Funny books that are appealing and not daunting are ideal. Our new book – The Janksters and the Talking Slug – is written specifically for this group of boys! Low reading age with an older interest level, the ideal resource for reluctant boy readers in key stage 2. Check out our website for more details http://www.cidandmo.co.uk
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