I'm looking for suggestions for my 11 year old for books for him to read independently. He has always preferred being read to over reading himself, which I attribute to the subjects he's interested in outpacing his reading ability. He can read chapter books on his own when assigned in school, but wouldn't choose to on his own.
He reads almost exclusively graphic novels (dog man, hilo, barb and the bezerkers, etc) to himself. He will sometimes read stuff like diary of a wimpy kid or 13 story treehouse if told he has to choose something other than a graphic novel by his teachers for free reading.
Things he enjoys being read to him are Lord of the rings, Rick Riordon (eg Percy Jackson), Tiffany Aching, never ending story, etc.
Most of these seem like they are within his reading ability now, but he still chooses to read little kid stuff to himself. While it's sweet that he still wants to be ready to every night, I'm looking for ideas that could entice him to nudge him towards increasing his tolerance for reading text for enjoyment.
by CorugaBlanca
8 Comments
make him read Ducks, Newburyport
He might really enjoy the ‘litrpg’ genre.
Have him try Dungeon Crawler Carl. It’s accessible, funny, action packed, and almost comic-booky in its own way.
Else lots of literary graphic novels exist:
Killing Joke
V For Vendetta
Maus
Gareth Hind’s adaptation of the Illiad and Odyssey
Persepolis
Blankets
(Tried to recommend ones appropriate to an 11 year old)
How about Keeper of the Lost Cities?
Neverending story by Michael Ende
Try the Warriors series
If you read him the beginning of a book with good cliffhangers, do you think he might be motivated to pick up the book himself to find out what happens next?
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Chronicles of Prydain series, #1)
Easy to get into epic fantasy story. Not too long and complex, but so fun to read. If he bites he will be hooked and read the whole series!
Reward him a bit for trying out just a chapter. Start small and easy and praise small successes.
If he likes graphic novels, steer him to higher ability graphic novels – try Bone, or the Percy Jackson series is also available as a graphic novel to get started. There’s no reason why he can’t continue to enjoy reading by reading more complex graphic novels.
Sometimes it’s better to lean into their inclination rather than shake them towards traditional novels. Audiobooks and reading aloud are still available and just as ‘good for you’ in terms of increasing vocabulary and so on.