Friday 15 January 2016

6 Book Series for Reluctant Readers

Let's kick this post off with a quote that I wholeheartedly believe…


For me, finding books that students love, regardless of genre or topic, is probably my number one priority. I want my students to love reading and I try my best to model and encourage that every single day. When a student tells me they don't like reading, my standard response is:


Today's post was actually inspired by one of my students today. After months of being apathetic towards reading, he actually asked if he could take a book home for the weekend…I felt like I had won the lottery.

So if you are having a difficult time finding chapter books for some of your struggling readers, I've got a list of six book series that have been read and reread by my students over and over again during the past few years. Initially I was going to write this post about book series for reluctant BOY readers, but as I was composing my list of books, I realized that most of these books are enjoyed equally by all my students.

All images via Amazon

1) Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney



Did I really need to mention this series? I thought I had finally stopped hearing about "The Cheese Touch"…until a student mentioned it just the other day. This series has been going strong for years and will hopefully engage reluctant readers for many more.

2) Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce



I am constantly being asked by my students to find more books from this series. The boys and girls in my class are fully obsessed.

3) Stink by Megan McDonald



I've known about Judy Moody for a few years, but I just discovered the spin-off series for her brother Stink. The length and reading level of these books makes them perfect for struggling readers who want to move onto chapter books…and what kid can resist reading about a character named Stink! Bonus: they are illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, the author & illustrator of some of my favourite picture books.

4) Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan



Another no-brainer for this list. Rick Riordan now has a bunch of other similar or spin-off series, including the new Magnus Chase series. My students freaked when I told them about this new series before it was released in October.



Another great thing about the Percy Jackson series is that they are now available as graphic novels, a format that my students adore.



5) Bone by Jeff Smith



Like I said, my students adore graphic novels and I know they are not alone. Our school library has multiple copies of these books because they are always checked out.

6) Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi



What can I say? Another graphic novel favourite.

Do you have any other series that would make great additions to this list?