Book Series for Kids Who Hate Reading
A list by Gretchen Gales
Gretchen Gales's picks from Writing Gales (writinggales.com) for kids who would rather do anything than read, chosen from the series her own students fight over. Percy Jackson is the one she has seen turn a non-reader into a bibliophile, and Ranger in Time, a time-traveling golden retriever, pulls in readers well past its 6-to-10 label.
- 1
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1)
Book · 2012 · Jeff Kinney
“Middle school is a survival sport, and Greg Heffley is failing it hilariously—one stick-figure drawing at a time.”
- 2
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself
Book · 2019 · Lincoln Peirce
“Middle school misadventures with a doodling 'genius' who can't stay out of detention—Wimpy Kid's sweeter, slightly less chaotic cousin.”
- 3
The Lightning Thief
Book · 2005 · Jesse Bernstein
“Greek gods meet modern America in this wildly entertaining quest that finally made mythology cool for kids who thought reading was boring.”
- 4
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
Book · 2010 · Lauren Tarshis
“The ultimate gateway drug to history for kids who think books are boring; it’s high-stakes survival that actually teaches them something.”
- 5
Rescue on the Oregon Trail
Book · 2015 · Kate Messner
“A time-traveling golden retriever with a squirrel obsession heads back to 1850 to help a family survive the most dangerous road trip in American history.”
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