Do you have any kids who just don’t like to read? I do. And I don’t understand how it happens, ya’ll. I’m a reader. I’ve always been a reader. I was the kid walking through my school with a book open, reading as I walked and trying not to run into anyone. As an adult, before the age of the ereader, I’ve been known to panic at night when I finished a book and didn’t have another to pick up.
You would think that with my genetic material, everyone of my kids would have been a reader. But no. In my family, it’s primarily been my son who has rarely ever found a book or series he really enjoyed.
Every summer when the kids were younger, we signed up for our library’s summer reading program. And without fail my older daughter completes several reading records and my younger girls filled up one easily and sometimes picked up a second. And then there was Charles.
There haven’t been too many books he has ever just loved. He always enjoyed being read to, and occasionally he has enjoyed a good audio book. Sometimes he just has to find the right book or series. There have been a few that we’ve found that he did like. If you have a boy who just doesn’t love reading, here are a few books and series that may inspire at least a little love for books.

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Read Alouds
Redwall (and the other Redwall books)- This series is a very delightful series with a Medieval setting. The characters are all animals, and the books are very interesting.
The Hobbit– This is the prequel to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. I read this one aloud when he was pretty young, but he was interested enough to follow it.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory– This is a very interesting book and much better than the movie.
Tales of the Kingdom- This is actually part of a trilogy by David and Karen Mains. We found it through our My Father’s World curriculum, and it became a read aloud favorite.

Independent Reading
Harry Potter series– I will admit to some bribery here. I wouldn’t let him watch any of the movies until he had read at least some of the books. I know there is quite the buzz about the appropriateness of Harry Potter. After much review, I was okay with them. But this is open for discussion- and your own discretion.
Percy Jackson books– Amazingly he picked these up and started reading them on his own. He’s always been a big Greek mythology fan, so these were great. These have quite a bit of Greek mythology- gods and goddesses. There is a minor love story.
Time Warp Trio books- He picked these up several years ago and read them. He was about 9-10. It is a series of books in which the main characters travel to different time periods and learn about them with some adventure.
The Whipping Boy– Set in the middle ages, this book was a fun historical fiction read for him. (It also fits into the history cycle, so you can definitely count it as “school”)
Shiloh- This is a classic story of a boy and his dog. It’s another one with a male protagonist, and it has been a favorite of several of my children.
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