Books for a 5th grader who doesn't like to read?
September 29, 2018 11:10 AM Subscribe
I'm working with a fifth-grade boy who doesn't have a reading disability, but doesn't like to read. He does like football and Fortnite. Any suggestions?
I am having some luck with How to Train Your Dragon and My Side of the Mountain, and I'll try Harry Potter. Is there, by any chance, some kind of Fortnite fan fiction appropriate for kids? (NB: I barely know what Fortnite is.) The goal is just to get him reading for pleasure. If you have any ideas, I'd like to hear them.
I am having some luck with How to Train Your Dragon and My Side of the Mountain, and I'll try Harry Potter. Is there, by any chance, some kind of Fortnite fan fiction appropriate for kids? (NB: I barely know what Fortnite is.) The goal is just to get him reading for pleasure. If you have any ideas, I'd like to hear them.
My older brother the engineer, who probably hasn't read for fun since he read Matt Christopher books, was a huge fan of Matt Christopher books.
posted by Grandysaur at 11:29 AM on September 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Grandysaur at 11:29 AM on September 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
When I'm approached with a reluctant reader of that age (and older!) I will often steer them towards the nonfiction section. This is especially good if the kid gets bored easily or prefers information and facts to a linear story. I've seen reluctant readers go absolutely nuts over books with lots of info and pictures that you might find in the adult nonfiction section: the history of warplanes, guides to North American mammals, books of maps, books about different kinds of bridges and tunnels through the ages, books about volcanoes and earthquakes, books about the old west, etc etc etc.
If the goal is to get the kid reading, then anything is fair game. I know tons of adults that prefer non-fiction to fiction. This is an excellent way to get a kid reading that doesn't have the attention span, or interest, to follow a novel from start to finish. A nonfiction book can be a five-minute perusal read or a three-hour immersion read...and either is okay.
posted by Elly Vortex at 11:30 AM on September 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
If the goal is to get the kid reading, then anything is fair game. I know tons of adults that prefer non-fiction to fiction. This is an excellent way to get a kid reading that doesn't have the attention span, or interest, to follow a novel from start to finish. A nonfiction book can be a five-minute perusal read or a three-hour immersion read...and either is okay.
posted by Elly Vortex at 11:30 AM on September 29, 2018 [12 favorites]
Also if he liked My Side of the Mountain, consider Hatchet.
posted by Grandysaur at 11:56 AM on September 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Grandysaur at 11:56 AM on September 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
My recommendation for this is always My Side of the Mountain but I just love it so much.
Oops, I see that he liked that one. For what it's worth, My Side of the Mountain was my favorite book but I did not like any of the sequels and did not enjoy Hatchet nearly as much.
What about Diary of a Wimpy Kid?
posted by easy, lucky, free at 12:03 PM on September 29, 2018
Oops, I see that he liked that one. For what it's worth, My Side of the Mountain was my favorite book but I did not like any of the sequels and did not enjoy Hatchet nearly as much.
What about Diary of a Wimpy Kid?
posted by easy, lucky, free at 12:03 PM on September 29, 2018
You might try him on books (especially series) that focus on battle and competition? Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Scorpio Races, The Maze Runner... not sure if these are slightly too "old" or violent for him, but perhaps worth a shot.
There might not be enough fighting to capture his interest, but the Redwall series has a fair bit of battling, too.
posted by halation at 12:10 PM on September 29, 2018
There might not be enough fighting to capture his interest, but the Redwall series has a fair bit of battling, too.
posted by halation at 12:10 PM on September 29, 2018
Anything in the Percy Jackson vein might also work.
posted by halation at 12:11 PM on September 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by halation at 12:11 PM on September 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Diary of a Roblox Noob is a little young for your person but they do have a Fortnight episode which might get him interested in the series. I had friends who had a reluctant reader at that age and they did what Elly Vortex is describing, found non-fiction books about MINECRAFT band it gave him something to do to pass the time until he was back on screen playing. The public libarian in your town (unless that is you!) might also have suggestions on what the local kids that age are reading which might be useful as well.
posted by jessamyn at 12:11 PM on September 29, 2018
posted by jessamyn at 12:11 PM on September 29, 2018
Diary of an 8 bit warrior, a series. Any of the Minecraft related novels that are everywhere.
Graphic novels- Reds Planet and its sequel (this is the one that got my kid hooked on reading. Summer before he started Grade 5)
Big Nate
Dog Man
Archie comics
Calvin and Hobbes
Garfield
Artemis Fowl
astronaut academy
Any of the Marvel comics
Brilliant world of Tom Gates
Gravity Falls
We listen to audio books in the car, and that's really helped.
Some of the books mentioned above are just too long and pages of texts. Start a bit easier.
We are a library family and I constantly have books on hold for my kids. I threw stuff at them all the time and see what sticks and I constantly read book blogs and recommendations.
My 11 year old (the super reluctant readers who was sucked in by Reds planet) just finished the 87 book series One Piece. It's Manga.
posted by Ftsqg at 12:34 PM on September 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
Graphic novels- Reds Planet and its sequel (this is the one that got my kid hooked on reading. Summer before he started Grade 5)
Big Nate
Dog Man
Archie comics
Calvin and Hobbes
Garfield
Artemis Fowl
astronaut academy
Any of the Marvel comics
Brilliant world of Tom Gates
Gravity Falls
We listen to audio books in the car, and that's really helped.
Some of the books mentioned above are just too long and pages of texts. Start a bit easier.
We are a library family and I constantly have books on hold for my kids. I threw stuff at them all the time and see what sticks and I constantly read book blogs and recommendations.
My 11 year old (the super reluctant readers who was sucked in by Reds planet) just finished the 87 book series One Piece. It's Manga.
posted by Ftsqg at 12:34 PM on September 29, 2018 [2 favorites]
There's a famous manga about American football, Eyeshield 21. Maybe he likes it?
(The name for the genre of Japanese comics about sports is "spokon". There are spokon for nearly every sport-- for basketball, try Kuroko no Baske or Slam Dunk. For soccer, the all-time classic is Captain Tsubasa. )
posted by sukeban at 1:49 PM on September 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
(The name for the genre of Japanese comics about sports is "spokon". There are spokon for nearly every sport-- for basketball, try Kuroko no Baske or Slam Dunk. For soccer, the all-time classic is Captain Tsubasa. )
posted by sukeban at 1:49 PM on September 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
I know this one! Try Jake Maddox JV books, they work for my sporty, hesitant reader.
posted by rabidsegue at 5:26 PM on September 29, 2018
posted by rabidsegue at 5:26 PM on September 29, 2018
Do some searching of topics that interest him alongside the keyword High/Low, which is short for High Interest - Low Reading Level. You want books that communicate exciting and engaging stories, but using fewer and simpler words, so less skilled readers can access them.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:48 PM on September 29, 2018
posted by pseudostrabismus at 6:48 PM on September 29, 2018
One thing that got my son hooked was a weekly magazine subscription. If you're in the UK, I highly recommend The Phoenix.
In the US, National Geographic for KIds is excellent as well, and there must be a kids' magazine about football.
posted by yankeefog at 1:05 AM on September 30, 2018
In the US, National Geographic for KIds is excellent as well, and there must be a kids' magazine about football.
posted by yankeefog at 1:05 AM on September 30, 2018
Rick Riordan or Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series were both gobbled up by my cousin who's not a particularly big reader. I'd also suggest comic books or graphic novels.
posted by Tamanna at 9:12 AM on September 30, 2018
posted by Tamanna at 9:12 AM on September 30, 2018
I've used the Guys Read books with reluctant readers - they are collections of short stories/excerpts, aimed at boys, centralized around whatever the theme of the book is (humor, thrillers, sports, etc). Usually I'd recommend the Guys Read website (which had recommendations for books for boys, especially reluctant readers), but it looks like it's down for a redesign right now. (Here's a wayback machine link!)
My older son was a reluctant reader - it took finding some authors/genres that he was really into in high school to get him to enjoy reading. We read together as a family into my boys' high school years, and they were both into it, even though the older one wasn't interested in reading himself.
posted by Emmc325 at 10:53 AM on September 30, 2018
My older son was a reluctant reader - it took finding some authors/genres that he was really into in high school to get him to enjoy reading. We read together as a family into my boys' high school years, and they were both into it, even though the older one wasn't interested in reading himself.
posted by Emmc325 at 10:53 AM on September 30, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I would favorite every one of these. I'll be requesting all of these books at the library.
posted by pipti at 5:50 PM on September 30, 2018
posted by pipti at 5:50 PM on September 30, 2018
Similar child here, and he enjoyed reading biographies of sports players written for children more than fiction books. He finally began to be an avid reader in college so some people take longer than others to develop a love of reading.
posted by maxg94 at 7:29 AM on October 1, 2018
posted by maxg94 at 7:29 AM on October 1, 2018
Based on my own 4th grade boy, I'll second the Big Nate, Dog Man, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, and add The Last Kids on Earth series, which he is currently loving, and has a post-apocalyptic, monster-hunting storyline in a humorous and age-appropriate way.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:42 AM on October 1, 2018
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:42 AM on October 1, 2018
What about graphic novels and comics?
I would highly recommend Bone by Jeff Smith. Exciting and silly and adventurous!
Basewood by Alec Longstreth is another excellent graphic novel that can feel similar to "My Side of the Mountain" where a very inventive man finds himself lost in a wood.
Crogan Adventures series by Chris Schweizer is a great series, too, swashbuckling adventures! I also highly recommend his The Creeps series of spooky science-y adventures.
And I am constantly recommending The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing because it is just that good.
The Nameless City trilogy by Faith Erin Hicks is exciting and has great depth of detail. And she cowrote Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong that involves robot battles and high school drama.
posted by jillithd at 2:14 PM on October 1, 2018
I would highly recommend Bone by Jeff Smith. Exciting and silly and adventurous!
Basewood by Alec Longstreth is another excellent graphic novel that can feel similar to "My Side of the Mountain" where a very inventive man finds himself lost in a wood.
Crogan Adventures series by Chris Schweizer is a great series, too, swashbuckling adventures! I also highly recommend his The Creeps series of spooky science-y adventures.
And I am constantly recommending The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing because it is just that good.
The Nameless City trilogy by Faith Erin Hicks is exciting and has great depth of detail. And she cowrote Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong that involves robot battles and high school drama.
posted by jillithd at 2:14 PM on October 1, 2018
I forgot to add The Unsinkable Walker Bean books by Aaron Renier. More adventure with inventions and ships and sea monsters and being clever!
posted by jillithd at 2:22 PM on October 1, 2018
posted by jillithd at 2:22 PM on October 1, 2018
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posted by Coffeetyme at 11:27 AM on September 29, 2018