Getting Son Interested in Reading for Pleasure

my son loves the captain underpants series. He was a rough one to get into reading. So Everynight before he goes to bed we read a couple chapters together. He reads one side of the book and I read the other. He looks forward to it everynite. My 4 year old daughter will sit with us so were also reading to her as well.

I take my kids to bookstores and let them pick out their own books. They're 5 and 6, and LOVE to read! I think if you do this, he'll take pride in what he's reading.

I didn't have time to read all your responses, but one more fun thing to do to encourage reading is enroll your child at www.bookadventure.org. This is a free online testing site for testing reading comprehension. There are only 10 questions per book and they earn points for free prizes. My kids LOVE it. There are 1000 books to choose from. Just get it from the library, have him read it and then he logs on for a test. Good luck!

Hi A.,

Looks like you've got some great responses! I have one more...check out http://gettingboystoread.com; it's by a male librarian who is passionate about passing a love of reading on to boys. I have checked his site out a few times, and he has great tips. He's also pretty personable, and think he would respond to any questions pretty quickly.

Good luck to you!

T.

I can see you got a lot of great suggestions, inclding two of my son's faves "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Captain Underpants". Just a couple more authors to check out: Matt Christopher, who writes stories around sports, and Jack London, who has authored many adventures based around dogs. Also try non-fiction books about whatever your son is interested in.

Hi there,

I just wanted to add one more thing to all those responses! I too had a hard time getting my twin 8 yr olds to read for fun. The thing that really got them going (and it really took off) was that they discovered graphic novels (they are like long comic books.) YOu can find them at the library. Now I find them reading just for fun all the time. It doesn't really matter that they are not real chapter books, they are more confidant with chapter books now that they have finished reading such thick graphic novels. I think it made it seem not so daunting that the books were thick. anyway, now my boys are reading tutors at school and excel in their reading and comprehension skills!! hope this helps some!

S.

My son is 9 and was the same way. I love to read and have always read to my children. I'm sure you have too. But, I found myself in the same boat. My son read what he had to read. He read on grade level on did fine. But, I wanted him to really get into reading. Reading is a huge part of learning.

One idea that you may want to consider is offering to pay them for reading. We pay our children 2 cents a page to read as an extra motivation. We paid a lot of money to our 12 year old when she discovered the Twilight series this past year...lol.

To get my 9 year old son interested in reading I started reading the Artemis Fowl series to him in January. I would read several pages (sometimes a whole chapter) and then have him read a page or two to me. We finished it together and he could wait to start the next book. We read that together too, but this time he was reading more of it on his own because he didn't want to wait until I was available to read it, which is usually at night before bed. He finished that book and we paid him for what he read. He ended up reading the last three books pretty much by himself. Now he's reading the Chronicles of Narnia. He loves to read! And he's reading books above his grade level. It's really helped him have confidence in his reading ability too. And it's increased his vocabulary. He called his little sister insolent the other day! Anyway, I hope this helps.

J.---happily married wife and mommy to 4 (ages 3,6,9 and 12) with other blessing on the way.

Another series that your son might enjoy is the Hardy Boys mysteries; you may have to order the original books, but they're great; I loved the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Boxcar Children.

Hi- I don't have time to read all the responses so forgive me if I'm repeating. I would not offer a reward even without the sister factor. Keep trying to develop a love of reading. A reward implies it's work and you want to try to get him to the point that it's fun. Try reading aloud to him each night really "big kid" books. I've always read to my girls books that were way over their heads as far as reading ability and not only do we all enjoy it but I think it has them looking forward to what's ahead for them. I have girls so the books maybe different (stuff like Lion, Witch & Wardrobe, Alice in Wonderland, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry) These are books that they were not ready to read themselves but loved to listen to. I'm sure it developed interest for my oldest, she's a huge reader now that was never interested in the little kid books that are supposed to develop readers. Also don't discount magazines and comic books especially for boys. I got my friends son a subscription to Sports Ill. Junior and he loves it, asks for a renew each year on his birthday. The boys in my daughters 5th grade class love anything comic bookish or gross. You'd be surprised how many real books there are out there dealing with comic book themes. Have you tried the Diary of Wimpy Kid series? Boys seem to love those. Also remember, some boys just go through a phase where reading seems like a chore but if you keep looking for stuff that interests him eventually he'll realize there is so much cool reading material out there he'll want to get more involved. Good luck!

Talk to the librarian at your son's school. Elementary librarians usually know what kids (even yours specifically!) are reading, and know what they have available at different reading levels. They can guide your son to things they he will enjoy that will help him progress in his reading.

I have an 8 year old son. After he got through Henry and Mudge type books, his favorite books were the Geronimo Stilton books. They are about a mouse but are funny, very visually interesting, and have short chapters.

The Spiderwick Chronicles are great too! We started reading them together and he couldn't wait and took off on them on his own. They are a little scary for some kids though.

I wouldn't worry too much. Once he hits stuff that is really interesting for him, he will take off. Every child does this at his or her own rate. Just keep trying new material!

Good luck!

It was the summer after third grade before my first son really started reading chapter books on his own. (Unless Captain Underpants counts...great for roping an 8 yr old boy into chapter books.) He always liked to read, and we read to him a lot starting very young. He got into the Harry Potter series and read the whole series. Reading is a reward in itself if you find a good book. If your kids see you reading, and you share the joy of reading with them, they'll want to read. There shouldn't be anxiety or pressure involved.

Hi,

It looks like you're getting some good ideas. My son is 9 and loves to read. Some of the first chapter books he liked were the Flat Stanley books. Those are great - not too long and keep them involved. He also liked (and still likes) the Magic Treehouse books. We have gotten some of them on tape from the library and listen in the car. One book that we loved listening too was The Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (I think). Then, later, he read the book. We also go to the library often and ask the librarian for books that fit his fancy. She is wonderful to help us find what we need. Hope this will help a little.

J.

My girls are 2 and 4 so we're still on the Very Hungry Caterpillar, but I have two newphews, one reads above his grade level and the other reads below-he has high functioning autism and is more interested in things like the Magic Tree House (he is going into 6th grade next year.)
Many of the books I've seen my 10 year old nephew read are pretty long and may be intimidating, but he likes Diary of a Wimpy Kid and was wanting to read the Twilight series, but got stuck in the 2nd book. You might try a longer book by reading some to him and then having him read some-obviously the Harry Potter books that have been so wildly popular would be a good choice. You could also chose books that have been made into a movie (Inkheart, Chronicles of Narnia, Jumanji-there are tons!) and tell him that after he/you and sister finish this book you'll have a movie night and watch the movie that goes along with the book-you can do pizza in the living room or whatever would get him excited about it.
The extra 30 minutes as long as you are reading is a great idea too!

The best way that my parents got us interested in reading was with one simple "reward". You could stay up 30 minutes later at night, if you were in your bed reading a book. No reading meant lights-out. I don't think my brother and I ever missed a night of taking advantage of the "privilege" of staying up that extra 30 minutes.

To this day, I have to read a book before I can relax and go to sleep, even if it's just a page or two because I'm so exhausted. My husband is thrilled, because I've already got my 4-year-old begging to be allowed to stay up in her bed "reading" a book, every night.

Good luck with your son!

I'm late here, but I see that you added your son is really into baseball. Did anyone suggest the baseball card time travel series by Dan Gutman? He has written 7-8 books about a boy who travels back in time to a historical baseball event using a baseball card. Some of them are "Babe & Me," "Abner & Me," "Honus & Me," "Jackie & Me." There are more and my baseball fan LOVED them. Happy summer reading.

I don't know if you've heard of this series yet but if you son loves baseball like mine does he will love Dan Gutman's Baseball Adventures. There's books like "Babe and Me", "Jackie and Me", etc. I had trouble getting my son to read but once he started on these he couldn't get enough. He has read them over and over. I think they are about a 4th grade reading level and about 150 - 200 pages. He started reading them when he was 8. He's 10 now and still reads them over and over. Dan Gutman has another series called the Weird School. They are shorter and a bit easier to read. They're very funny. He's a great writer. You might want to give him a try. Good luck!

I know you have received many responses, but the teacher in me just can't resist. One suggestion would be to find chapter books in which each chapter is its own short story. It's kind of a way to step into chapter books. Also, he might like some graphic novels (comics) sprinkled in. I know a lot of the boys in my 4th grade class love them. They also like non-fiction, like the Guiness Book of World Records. Is there any way you could start a reading club with him and any of his friends? Snacks/ice cream/pizza might entice them even more. Also, books like Because of Winn Dixie appeal to a lot of kids because they can watch the movie before or after. He might be a little young for some of my class's favorites, like the City of Ember, Matilda and Holes. Maybe the Tales of Desperaux? Keep on trying and hopefully something will stick! Also, if you want to reward him, you could always find something that your daughter doesn't typically do (clean her room, practice math facts, write stories, whatever) and reward her for working on something out of her comfort zone. Goodluck!

So many books, so little time!

Our son was a slow starter, but at 12, he now likes books much more. We still read to him sometimes just because we all like hearing the story together or the book is particularly long. It's kind of a throwback to when he was younger, and he loves it! Sometimes we'll trade off so he reads to us and us to him, which gives him practice reading loudly and clearly enough for others to hear--another good skill to learn.

I loved getting our son into series books. That way, if he liked one, you had more to draw from. He's 12 now, but at your son's age, he loved the Magic Tree House series, Magic School Bus series, Captain Underpants, Tales of Desperaux. He also loved any Roald Dahl books, Winn Dixie books, and the Spiderwick Chronicles. We've read all of the Harry Potter books to him so many times, he corrects us if we misread anything (ARGH! Time for him to read them himself!) We started those when he was about 8.

At 12, he really has enjoyed the Charlie Bone series and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli which they read in class. And a new book that he says he likes even more than Harry Potter is The Eyes of a Raptor by Julie Hahnke. It's in the genre of Harry Potter, with special powers, etc. It's got great vocabulary-stretching words--enjoyable for kids and adults. The author has just come out with another book, too, called The Grey Ghost which he'll be reading shortly, I suspect.

Meanwhile, one thing that also got our son reading was magazine subscriptions. He's had about 5 subscriptions he's been given as gifts through the years. The ones he's loved the best are Your Big Backyard (now he gets Ranger Rick, which is by the same people for older kids), Boys Life (Boy Scouts magazine, he gobbles it up, especially the comics and jokes sections) and Kids Discover (my personal favorite). If you had to choose just one, I would choose either of the National Wildlife Federation magazines (My Big Backyard or Ranger Rick) or Kids Discover.

Personally, I thought National Geographic Kids and Highlights were a waste of money. The former had way too much advertising in it, and the latter was just plain boring to our son. But the other magazines he gobbles up when they arrive. He's even started reading my husband's Air and Space when they arrive (cool planes and stuff, y'know!) and our local newspaper on occasion to keep up on things.

Whatever piques his interest is probably the most likely to get him reading. Engagement with you always helps, too. We often end our days with us all reading in the living room. Sometimes it's for fun, sometimes it's for his reading requirements of at least 1/2 an hour each day. Or he reads at bedtime in his bed.

Another book he liked around 8 was Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie. (Yes, THE Salman Rushdie. It's based upon bath-time stories the author told his 9-year-old son and was the next book after Satanic Verses--a little change of pace for him, I guess.) It's a kid's book and we all enjoyed the story and it's imaginative weavings and naming of characters.

I never had a thirst for reading till I was an adult. It's so fun to get our son engaged in reading at an earlier age. It's something he can take with him his whole life!

I would suggest that you not push the "chapter books" but look into some of the newer "graphic novels" on the market. There are some really cute ones (The Warriors Series - look carefully. these are available in two formats, graphic - comic book and chapter books) as well as The Hardy Boys Series (again look for the comic book style). Having had two children that had trouble reading i found that making the books fun.... not work did more to get them to read on their own then anything else. I also got as many books on tape as i could find. Set up the tape (unabridged) and t copy of the book and just let him follow along. (check on him every now and then to make sure he hasn't lost his place with the spped they go!) My son read Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott in the third grad by this method and then again in 8th grad on his own. If you are religious there is also a comic book styled Bible that he will love because it has all those great battles!! There are some other books i can recommend as well but i wil have to go look up their names. There is a great one that is kind of like the Indian in the Cupboard but with Knights.

Well, I've not read any other advice, but I used to be a reading teacher assistant. Here's what we did. Take a manilla folder, open it, draw squares to make it look like a game board. Be sure you have a beginning and a finish. You can find stickers to put on it as well. Then either laminate it or buy clear contact paper and put over it. Then cut some cards out of card stock of some sort. Pick words that he knows and some he doen't know and carefully write the words on the cards. Give each word a point, harder words more points. Go to the dollar store and buy some cheap erasers that look like cars, or animals....something he can use as a game peice. Get a friend of his over, or he can play with you, and put the cards (which you might want to coat too in contact paper) upside down. He draws a card.....says what it is, then uses it in a sentence. If he is correct, he moves the number of spaces on the board that is on the card. You can make them as elabrate as you want or as plain, they won't last forever, but they last long enough to go through spelling words, sports or anything that he likes. Play and have a good time with it........he thinks it's a game, you know you are teaching him to read. I sure hope this helps, it's cheap and you can keep interesting by keeping up with what he likes. You can also make sentences if you think that will help. Good luck, if you have any questions, please let me know.

My 6 yr old brought "Ready Freddy" books home from school, and read them in a weekend, to himself. Thats the first time he's ever done that. I think its just about finding something they're really into. My son also gets a free Lego magazine. You can order them at www.legos.com. He really likes to read those, too, because he's really into legos.

It might be a good idea to go to your local library to look around and perhaps ask the librarian for some suggestions.
If you make regular trips to the library with your children they always have access to so many books and the librarians are up on what is appealing to any age group.
As a grandma and mom who loves to read I would suggest that he read the first HARRY POTTER book THE SORCERER'S STONE.
It just might be the catalyst!
If your library has a Summer Reading Program, participate for sure!

Hi A.,
My son is 7 1/2 and, though he is a good reader, it is hard to find books he really enjoys. He is not really into the mystery series' that are so prevalent for that age group. Lately, we have been reading "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and he really seems to like them! I think he didn't like the fact that he was reading/doing "work" while his little brother watched TV or did other things. So we started having him read before bed while we read our own books in the same room. I think it makes a solitary activity less isolating. Good luck!

I feel your pain. My daughter is 9 and had to take the second grade over due to her reading. 1)she goes to the Greenwood Public Library (Indiana) and participates in "reading to a furry friend". They bring in dogs and allow the kids to read to them - free of charge. 2)she loves "Magic Treehouse" series. They are chapter books, short and very interesting for their age group. 3) we made a chart with numbers 1 to 100. We write down every book that she reads. Every 10 to 15 books she gets a reward (out to movie w/a friend, $10 to spend on whatever she wants, airplane ride @ the Greenwood airport, etc). Everything is working very well.

Good Luck

I have a reading club every summer for my 4 kids. It involves reading a certain amount of books from their level---we make a list together---some i choose that i know they would love, and they can also choose books at the library as they come across them. Then when they ALL reach the first level---for example we will go somewhere easy like DQ. This is usually easy to earn to get them motivated (for ex. have him read two Henry and Mudges--something he already knows he can do). Then we do something else easy to earn, and progressively get more challenging---all the rewards are done together--only an activity chosen as a family--never prizes---and all are achievable by their level and interest in reading. Also, we usually pick books that are exciting to read aloud to them---have you looked at the Series of Unfortunate Events, The Lightning Thief, and Harry Potter? All exciting. It gets them into books. Some of my kids were motivated readers, some late, reluctant readers, but all eventually grew to LOVE it. There is no need to achieve, achieve---just make it fun and enjoyable for him.

My 9 year old son isn't too crazy about reading either, and wasn't interested in the Magic Tree House books or any of those lots of kids like. A librarian recommended the Stink Moody books...he's the brother of Judy Moody. The books were funny and just enough...my son actually sat and read by himself, and will read them over and over. He even asked for them for Christmas. Now he's reading books from the Beast Quest series; the author is Adam Blade. They're not very long, about 75 pages or so each, and feature a young boy on an adventure to save his kingdom. It's exciting, just a little challenging, and not so long that they intimidate him. I know they have them at our local library. But at bookstores they're only like $5.

You didn't mention what things he likes......baseball, trucks, etc. There are TONS of things he could be reading. Make SURE you pick something that interests him, like baseball.

I used to work at a children's bookstore and I know there are a multitude of things out there. You also didn't mention whether he is reading AT HIS AGE/GRADE LEVEL. That's helpful to know, too.

Another thing to keep in mind, when you find something or even if it's not a chapter book, you read a page, then he can read a page. GET INVOLVED and this helps him feel like he doesn't have to read the entire book! Take turns.

One book I ABSOLUTELY LOVED was NO MORE WATER IN THE TUB. GREAT story/great creativity and something that is FUN. Another one is PIGSTY. As you can guess, this is about a child who doesn't want to clean their room. FUN story.

I know you already posted your update, but I've got a 13 YO reluctant reader. There's actually a list of books (at least for his age level), I think it was ALA Reluctant Readers Pick. Because my 5 & 8 YOs love to read & the 13 YO doesn't, I decided to give them a contest. Whoever reads the most documented minutes (gotta let me know that they're reading & I have to read to the 5 YO since he can't yet) at the end of July gets $10 to spend at the bookstore. 13YO wasn't excited about it ("JUST at the bookstore?") but the other 2 are stoked. We don't buy much at the bookstore because thrift store books are much cheaper. My only limit was that it had to be appropriate-they can get drawing books, dictionaries, princess fairy tales (they're boys, that got a laugh). I'm just hoping it gets him to read.

Do you read to them at bed time? Reading a great chapter book with a plot is a great way to expand their enjoyment and introduce him to longer books. And if you get him immersed in a great series, he'll want to read ahead.

You might want to start out with books that seem like the shorter books he's used to but are chapter books, like The Stinky Cheese Man (a long time favorite in my house.) Captain Underpants is also a great series for boys in that age range.

I second the graphic novel idea, especially with the super hero fad that's going on right now, though you want to be sure that you approve of the content before giving them to him.

My son will be 8 in April also and he has just started reading chapter books. He has trouble with some words but he usually just brings them to me and we sound them out. He LOVES the Junie B. Jones books. Maybe your son and daughter could read together. Hope you get some good ideas!

I am kind of past that stage so it is harder for me. My 10 year old boy is in fifth grade and reading at 9.4 level. I think you have to find something he is interested in. I don't know if the Box Car books are not advanced enough for him or if the Hardy Boys would interest him or not. I know we read the Transformer books, the Bionicle books, like Big Red. He was really interested in Dinosaurs and Dragons so I looked hard for those type of books at the library for him.
You could kind of make it into a contest/game for the two of them. Whoever reads their chapter or two first gets to pick out the bedtime snack that day so she feels she is being rewarded as much as he is. Whoever finishes their book first gets to pick out a movie to watch or a special game or dinner for the family on Saturday or Sunday but you would have to be sure the books had approximately the same amount of pages in them and were read only at certain times.
Like I said, my grandson and I even have reading contests where we both sit down at the same time and see who has read the most pages by the end of the 1/2 hour. If I am reading a paperback and he isn't we make 2 of my pages count as one. The one who reads the most pages gets to pick out the bedtime snack for the night.

Hi my son is almost 8 and loves "puppy place" chapter books and "the magic treehouse" both are easy to read chapter books with easier reading levels. Also my son loves the summer reading clubs at the library. You can sign up for free and go to the reading program once a week where they read and do cool themed activities for an hour. They also have a cool reward system where you earn prizes for the more time you read and you get a grand prize if you finish the whole chart over the summer. Both your son and daughter could do it and work at their own pace. They would both be rewarded but by a nuetral source.

My son is 9 and he has a few choose your own adventure Star Wars books. They are interesting. You choose what to do and you turn to different pages. I was also told to check out "the Diary of a whimpy Kid" I hear they are great! I have ordered 3 for my son and I have read so many good reviews on them. I heard adults even enjoy them. They don't seem too hard to read and they sound hilarious. They have about 4 different ones out now. Thanks

A.,
What is important is that he learn to enjoy reading what ever that may be. I suggest you take a trip to the library and let him explore. Magazines are wonderful! There are several nature magaziness designed for young readers. Check out Discover and National Geographics (believe it's called Kids National Geographics).

HTH~

Peace <>< ~ B.
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My son is almost 8 years old and he loves the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He finished each of the Diary books in 24 - 36 hours because it was all he wanted to do when he got a new one. He also likes the Captain Underpants books.

My son is turning 7 in a couple months. Some of his favorite books are anything Star Wars (there are dozens of chapter books aimed for at the 8-12 year old age group), Ready Freddy, The Littles, Magic Schoolbus and the Magic Treehouse. The Magic Treehouse ones are his favorite and he's on book #4. We're getting them in order from the library. He also loves non-fiction and will read anything about astronomy and spaceflight. He recently started getting interested in weather so we've borrowed a few books about that, too. Also, he'll read any books dealing with ice hockey - fiction or non-fiction. Our library has a bunch of chapter books about hockey. Most are fictional but many are non-fiction about 1 specific player or team.

They have story/craft time for 1st/2nd graders at the library every Monday afternoon. I'll take him to it (he LOVES it) as long as he finishes reading the book he checked out the Monday before (a chapter book) on his own. We read other chapter books to him at bedtime, but he needs to finish one on his own each week.

A big help is setting a good example. I love to read. I'll finish a novel in less than a week so he sees me reading. We also read to him and his younger sisters at bedtime every evening.

As for a reward system, most libraries have a summer reading program. You register and get a poster and everytime you read a book (or 15 min for the younger toddler books that take 2 mintues to read) you mark a square. Every so often you get to a 'prize' square, take teh poster to the library and claim your prize. My kids earn free books, ice cream and smally toys like bouncy balls every summer and love it. My son's elementary school also does a summer reading program. They challenge the kids to read a chapter book every week - they write down the title/author and turn it in the first week of school for a prize from the school's media center. Usually it's a free Pizza Hut pizza and a book. Speaking of which... Pizza Hut still does their Book It! reading program. You read so many books in a month and your teacher gives you a coupon for a free personal pan pizza. I don't think you need to go through your school to participate, though. Those are reward ideas you could do for all your children and it won't cost you.

Check out your local library. Here is Cols., the library has a reading program just for summer. I believe that they can win prizes for reading books. I don't know a lot about it, but plan to look into this summer for my own kids. And, both kids can join and read at their own pace.

While this books is not in a series - or a 'chapter book' - I think he will love it. "The Dangerous Book for Boys" by brothers Conn and Hal Iggulden is an amazing book. Not only will it have him turning the pages - plus- he'll be learning factual, useful information at the same time! Also - the book stresses the 'get out and try it for yourself' attitude which is sometimes hard to do in our tv/internet/video game society. Our son is only 3 - and we bought this book for him when he was like 18 months so we would have it for him when he hit your sons age! Good luck - I hope this helps!

I don't have any specific books to recommend but I just wanted to encourage you to let him read anything he wants to. When my girls were young, I had friends and a sister-in-law who were reading specialists. I asked if I should just let them read specific things or make them finish books they start but don't really want to finish -- everyone said "it doesn't matter much WHAT they read; it matters that they ENJOY reading!"

Hello A.. Just a quick idea, I teach fourth and fifth graders and they still love to be read to. I read them a chapter a day and find them checking out the books I am reading, or books by the same author during library time. Or you could get two copies of the same book and talk about the book each night after reading seperately. All of the boys in my class are very excited about "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series, they can't get enough of it. Some of the read alouds I have done that boys have liked are "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli, "A Long Way From Chicago" and "A Year Down Yonder" by Richard Peck, "Skinnybones" by Barbara Park, and "Because of Winn-Dixie" and "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo. Hope this helps, a love of reading is such a wonderful thing to have. Good luck!!

My brother was very anti-reading anything "long" as well, so I can relate. I got him a book I knew he would enjoy and read parts of it to him. I'd always stop my read aloud at a section I knew he'd want to continue with - then stop and say we'd get to it later. He started picking it up and reading for a while to find out the answers. Eventually he finished the book.

I too have 8yo boy/girl twins and what a difference there is in the interest of reading. The girl reads any and everything, will get a chapter book and finish in one day. The boy, not so much. Boys are always much harder to get interested in reading, that is nothing unusual. You've got to let him read things that interest him. I understand in school they have to read what they are given, but for the summer let him read things that are of interest because he will be more apt to read them all the way through whereas if it's something he doesn't care about he'll be more likely to fight you and give up on it. For example, my son loves history, sports, etc. We will go to the library and I let him pick what he wants. Alot of these books are obviously above his level so I just make sure it's ones I think he'll be able to handle. Goodluck

read with him.

books on cd.

library!

narnia books are really cool. my 4 year old likes us to read them to him. cs lewis the chronicles of narnia
also loved the happy hollisters-- some kids who solved mysteries in the early 1900s, (but not too violent...)
roald dahl books are fantastic and funny! (charlie and the chocolate factory, james and giant peach, the twits, fantastic mr. fox, the BFG, etc... you might start with the short stories to get him interested before you give him the longer books)

Many public libraries have summer reading clubs. I know the Columbus Public Library always has one. The kids get stickers for reading a certain amount and other prizes for higher amounts. It's definitely worth checking into!