A friend asked me about books for her sixth grader who'd rather play sports than read. He's a good reader, just not an avid reader.
I finally put together a list. It is NO WAY COMPLETE. I didn't even touch fantasy (
Percy Jackson, The Ranger's Apprentice,
Harry Potter) horror or adventure. I barely touched mystery. But, here it is, my incomplete list of authors (and some of their books) for kids that don't like to read.
Dear L,
I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this list to you. I will start with
the names of sports authors that middle school boys like. I linked to
the author's home pages below.
Mike Lupica
- He writes with boy and girl main characters - mostly
boys. The books frequently address family, friendship, responsibility, and sportsmanship issues.
Kwame Alexander -
a poet who writes in a verse style. Don't worry. His books read
like novels and move very, very quickly with lots of sports action. His
books
Crossover and
Booked, have been winning awards all over the place.
Jason Reynolds - I particularly like his novel
Ghost
which centers on track and field. His characters are likable and
real.
Robert Lipsyte -
He's been around for awhile. His books appeal to middle school and
teens. He makes it to almost every Boys Read booklist.
Fred Bowen - is a sports columnist for the Washington Post. Check out his website.
Carl Deuker's
books are for high school kids but they are so popular. Look at one
before giving them to your middle schooler, though. They may include stuff that is
meant for older readers.
John Feinstein books never stay on the shelf. He writes for teens mostly but his books are very popular.
Getting active kids to read has inspired book series and organization such as
Boys Read.org. Check out their lists. The lists include non-fiction and fiction titles.
Jon Scieszka started a whole movement with
Guys Read, including books of short stories written by some of the best writers in children's lit. Check out the
Guys Read website.
OTHER AUTHORS THAT "NON-READERS" LIKE
Gordon Korman -
his books are funny and move quickly. A few center on sports and
almost all of his main characters are boys (or animals) who are more interested in
messing around than in reading or schoolwork. Check out
The Chicken Doesn't Skate for a fun book with lots of hockey action.
Gary Paulsen
- Paulsen writes about the great outdoors.
Check the age range because Paulsen writes for teens as well. It
doesn't look like he has a separate Paulsen only website, so I linked to
his Wikipedia article. Your son probably knows all about
Hatchet. It's a survival story and it's awesome.
Carl Hiaasen - writes for the Miami Herald and mostly writes for adults but his book,
Hoot, written for young teens has been made into a movie.
Louis Sachar
has written some of the weirdest books ever. His books deal with the emotions of competition and survival in the social life of
middle schoolers and teens. His latest,
Fuzzy Mud, received great reviews.
Tom Angleberger 's books all deal with middle school. No sports here but the books are quick reads and very funny.
Varian Johnson - I just finished the second book in his Jackson Greene series,
To Catch a Cheat. Jackson Greene is a middle school con man who is trying to go straight. His schemes are incredible!
I
hope this gives you a place to start. Ask the librarians at the
public library. I am sure they know the books that middle school kids
are asking for - beyond The Wimpy Kid and Big Nate (both a little too
young for your son, I think.)
Don't forget to ask about non-fiction as well. Some kids don't like to
read "made up" stories.
Good luck. And Happy New Year!
Karen
****
Hey, it's December and this post is about books - Books of December works, right?
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