8 Chapter Books for Reluctant Readers Ages 8-10
A reluctant reader is not a bad reader. They're a kid who hasn't found the right book yet. The right book for a reluctant reader has short chapters, something funny or gross on every page, and a reason to keep going that doesn't feel like homework. These books clear that bar.
In this guide
For the kid who likes comics more than books
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey is the number one book in most elementary school libraries for a reason. It's a comic, it's absurd, and it's made by the same person who created Captain Underpants. The format is half comic, half flip-o-rama, and kids who say they don't like books will read every Dog Man in a weekend. Don't worry about whether it's "real reading." It is.
Hilo by Judd Winick is a graphic novel series about a robot boy who falls from the sky. The art is kinetic, the story has real stakes, and the humor is sharp. For the kid who burned through Dog Man and needs something with more plot.
Wings of Fire: The Graphic Novel by Tui T. Sutherland (adapted by Barry Deutsch) bridges the gap between graphic novels and the thick chapter book series. Kids who read the graphic version often migrate to the prose novels on their own. The dragons help.
“A reluctant reader is not a bad reader. They're a kid who hasn't found the right book yet.
For the kid who wants to laugh
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is the gateway drug of chapter books. Greg Heffley is not a role model, and that's the point. He's selfish, he's scheming, and he's hilarious. The diary format with cartoon illustrations means there's never a wall of text. Fifteen books in the series, so once you're in, you're in for a while.
Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce has the same diary-format appeal as Wimpy Kid but with a slightly more likable protagonist. Nate is a terrible student and a confident artist, and the school setting is relatable. The comics sections break up the text in a way that reluctant readers appreciate.
Wayside School Is Falling Down by Louis Sachar is structured as thirty short stories, one per floor of a very strange school. Each chapter is its own self-contained weirdness, which means a reluctant reader never has to commit to more than five pages at a time. Louis Sachar's humor is smarter than it looks.
For the kid who wants action
The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier is the book for the kid who wants video games more than books. Post-apocalyptic setting, zombie-fighting, monster-battling, heavily illustrated. The chapters are short, the text-to-illustration ratio is generous, and the plot moves fast. There's a Netflix series too, which can motivate a reluctant reader to try the source material.
Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey is about villains (a wolf, a snake, a shark, a piranha) trying to become heroes. The format is almost entirely dialogue, which means the page count is high but the actual reading load is low. Kids tear through these. The humor is physical and silly and works perfectly for