2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[Cranfield Kate]

i am hoping some of you might be able to help. My boyfriend's son is not a reader - he finds books boring. but he really needs to read as his vocab, spelling and comprehension aren't great.

 

can you recommend something a 10 year old, football and sport mad boy might like? he wasn;t taken with harry potter. he's a bit literal so I was thinking some how-too books might be good. I'd really like to get him something that he then loves (happy child = happy boyfriend).

 

any suggestions...?

 

thank you! x

[Bramble]

My nephews LOVE the Bear Grylls books "Mission: Survival" series (I've read a couple and have to say, they're not bad!!! ) lots of adventure, survival skills etc and some really interesting "words" These are books aimed at children through, I'm pretty sure BG has written some adult books so you need to get the right ones!!!

[UKMARCH]

My ED loved the Percy Jackson series she recommended them to a male friend and he has asked for the series for his birthday and I know he's not a big reader either.

[chuckmum6]

My son (10) loves The Diary of a Wimpy kid books. They have the text spaced out and cartoon drawings on the pages, so progress is rapid, this is an important motivational point for boys, they are also funny and certainly appeal to my son's wicked sense of humour. My older son read Alex Rider and books buy Antony Horowitz when he was ten and loved them.

[Margalot]

My son (10) loves The Diary of a Wimpy kid books. They have the text spaced out and cartoon drawings on the pages, so progress is rapid, this is an important motivational point for boys, they are also funny and certainly appeal to my son's wicked sense of humour. My older son read Alex Rider and books buy Antony Horowitz when he was ten and loved them.

 

Second The diary of a Wimpy kid books they are so true to life and very funny

[patsylabrador]

My ES at 10yrs enjoyed reading & was a good reader but couldn't sit still for long enough. We solved this with lots of factual books that had well annotated ( think that's the right word) diagrams, like the usborne books. The first book he got absorbed by was the Dolphin Crossing which if you don't know it is about the little boats that crossed to rescue soldiers off Dunkirk.

[Willow]

I did a book reader challenge with my cub pack and started by gathering together all the comic books (beanos, The Simpsons etc) my boys had grown out of and bought a few other comic strip books (theres lots of factual comic strip books) and started them on that. (I'm a huge fan of using comics to get reluctant readers going.) Then I broadened it and we got them reading things like diary of a wimpy kid and Horrid Henry moving onto Percy Jackson. The trick was to start the reluctant readers reading books that were easy for them to read but a good story line and they progressed from that. We had amazing success and turned one lad who was a resolute non-reader into someone who started spending his lunchtimes in the school library - his mum was so pleased with us Lots of the other boys got more into reading but his was the most dramatic turnaround.

 

I'm sure there's an old thread that had lots of good ideas, I'll see if I can find it. Found it http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=59414&hilit=wimpy

[Goosey Lucy]

Boys often prefer non-fiction, how about any of the Horrible Histories series? Or made Steve Backshall's Deadly 60 books? Dorling Kindersley do a brilliant range of non-fiction books. Magazines are also good to get them hooked. How about something like Match or Shoot (not my specialist are I'm afraid). National Geographic have a magazine for younger readers called NG Kids which my eldest reads and rereads from cover to cover. It's not just about animals there's a good mix of different things in there.

 

If you want fiction there are the Anthony Horowitz ones based on Alex Rider (think Stormbreaker starring Ewan MacGregor, Bill Nighy and others), he also has some that are about two brother detectives. Terry Pratchett has written several children's books.

 

Hope this helps x

[jjmack]

Tom Palmer writes football books. He does a range for 6 -9year old and 10-15 year olds. Got my son reading. Diary of a wimpy kid good too as is Stink (judy Moodys brother). In fact anything about football or disgusting boys usually works!

[lizinsa]

I'm a Year 5 teacher and I've found the key is to get reluctant readers reading is to encourage them to read anything and from this they start to develop an appreciation of reading. Comics, football magazines, 'fact file' books are a great place to start.

 

Like others have said I'd recommend the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and Horrible Histories. Mine also loved the Dr Who books (there are challenges to solve in them) and Beast Quest. If books are too tricky or long they become a turn off so 'easier' books like Flat Stanley or Horrid Henry may also be a good place to start.

 

My school is taking part in a technology project so we are also trialling the impact of kindles and ipads as a way of getting children to read. A week in, the novelty seems to be engaging them but it does disappoint me that books with real pages are seen as turn off

[Valkyrie]

Anthony Horowitz books are good. The Diamond Brothers series are funny (world's worst detective) and the Alex Rider (OO7 Junior type of lad) are brilliant - probably better for older children though.

Terry Pratchett's The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents is funny too.

[Christian]

The Lemony Snickett series? Quite dark! I love them as does my 9 year old Nephew.

[Willow]

The Lemony Snickett series?

 

I definitely second Christian's suggestion, they are great fun, each story is not too long but leads you into picking up the next book.

 

I had an old friend whose daughter loved then and she picked up one book one day and decided they were much too silly and stopped her daughter reading them Actually when you look at them more analytically they use interesting writing techniques for telling an exciting story but not in a way that is in your face good writing.

 

I do get cross with parents who dismiss some of these great children's books. My boys read a lot and my 12 yr old has just got gripped by the original Sherlock Holmes books and Dickens but he would never have got into them without getting a love of reading from comic books, Horrid Henry, Lemony Snicket and the other books mentioned earlier in this thread.

[Sue_F]

My cousin is 10 and we couldn't stop him reading "The boy in a dress" on holiday even thogh he never normally reads... Don't know who its by but know its about a boy who finds he likes wearing dresses and loves football

Hope this helps

Katy

[Christian]

The Lemony Snickett series?

 

I definitely second Christian's suggestion, they are great fun, each story is not too long but leads you into picking up the next book.

 

I had an old friend whose daughter loved then and she picked up one book one day and decided they were much too silly and stopped her daughter reading them Actually when you look at them more analytically they use interesting writing techniques for telling an exciting story but not in a way that is in your face good writing.

 

I have the whole series in Hardback. My nephew (9) is really into them now and I get him 3 every Birthday and Christmas as part of his present. He has asked to borrow all of mine and was surprised when I mentioned 'sticky marmitey fingers, I don't think so'! OCD with my books?? Yep!

[beach chick]

Wimpy Kid and Horrible Histories def. the "boy in the dress" is by David Walliams I think??

but really - anything he will read will be good. so, comics, sports pages in the newspapers - in fact the Sun might be quite good, because it is written for the average 10 year old in terms of vocab etc. (sorry, I know that sounds really naff but it is true!) with boys the trick is to fire their enthusiasm, so worry less about quality/content, just try and find things he enjoys.

my now almost 15 yo girl is an avid reader - but she is also dyslexic, and didnt take to reading for pleasure til the summer before last (13) when she discovered the Twilight series. now she reads anything and everything - and is working on Jack Kerouac /On the Road, which I remember finding a very difficult book.

[Cranfield Kate]

thank you everyone you've been great!

 

(KNEW the omletteers would come through for me!)