Books for Reluctant Readers — Curated List

Books that work for reluctant readers

Convenience links to find any of these. The Barrington Stoke titles are particularly worth knowing — they specialise in dyslexia-friendly, high-interest books for reluctant readers.

Funny — accessible humour

Often the first books reluctant readers will pick up.

• D Diary of a Wimpy Kid — Jeff Kinney
  Series — illustrated diary format
• T Tom Gates: The Brilliant World of Tom Gates — Liz Pichon
  Doodle-illustrated, British
• H Horrid Henry — Francesca Simon
  Short chapters, accessible
• T There's a Werewolf in My Tent! — Pamela Butchart
  Series — short, silly, popular

Football and sport

Genuine high-interest content for children who think reading isn't for them.

• F Football Academy: Boys United — Tom Palmer
  Series — has converted thousands of reluctant readers
• Y You Are a Champion — Marcus Rashford
  Real footballer's voice — accessible
• J Jamie Johnson: The Kick Off — Dan Freedman
  Football fiction series
• F Frankie's Magic Football — Frank Lampard
  For younger reluctant readers

Graphic novels — full visual support

Graphic novels are reading. Vocabulary growth is the same as prose; comprehension benefit is the same.

• S Smile — Raina Telgemeier
  Real-life memoir — beloved
• B Bone: Out from Boneville — Jeff Smith
  Long fantasy series — readers who get hooked devour them
• A Amulet: The Stonekeeper — Kazu Kibuishi
  Fantasy adventure series
• T Tintin: The Crab with the Golden Claws — Hergé
  Classic — still works

Barrington Stoke — dyslexia-friendly

Barrington Stoke books use special fonts, paper, and spacing for accessible reading. Brilliant for dyslexic and reluctant readers.

• A Armistice Runner — Tom Palmer
  WW1 story — Carnegie nominated
• A After the War — Tom Palmer
  Holocaust survivor story — Carnegie nominated
• L Lark — Anthony McGowan
  Carnegie-winning novella for older reluctant readers
• T The Lie Tree — Patrick Ness
  Mystery — for older confident-but-reluctant readers

High-interest non-fiction

Some children only read non-fiction. That's still reading.

• S Survival Skills Handbook — Bear Grylls
  Activity-based
• W Women in Science — Rachel Ignotofsky
  Beautifully illustrated profiles
• S So You Think You Know About Tyrannosaurus Rex? — Ben Garrod
  Dinosaur series — accessible
• N No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference — Greta Thunberg
  For children interested in climate

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