10 Books to Get Kids Reading Again

2012 JANUARY 18

by Ken

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Kids are constantly bombarded with visual images from television, movies, video games and the internet. All this vivid imagery can make reading books seem dull and boring. Unfortunately, children who don’t read much suffer in other academic areas as well. Spelling is the area where kids who don’t read suffer the most. Reading exposes children to a wide range of words and just knowing what the words look like helps them with their spelling skills. If you know children who don’t show and interest in books, here are 10 books that could help get those kids reading.

1. Killing Lincoln – This recently released book by Bill O’Reilly is highly recommended for middle school aged kids. Killing Lincoln gives an in depth and realistic depiction of the last days of President Abraham Lincoln in a way that will not only get kids interested in reading, but American history as well.
2. Being George Washington – Another historical book that could capture a kid’s imagination is Being George Washington by Glenn Beck. Textbooks just don’t do justice to the amazing life of our first president. Young people can gain a real appreciation of our early American history by reading this riveting book.
3. Harry Potter – For children who are more captivated by fantasy, the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling will get them hooked on reading. What kid can resist a story about a young wizard coming of age. Get the box set of all 7 because once your child finishes the first book, he’ll want to dive right into the next.
4. Just So Stories – An ageless classic, Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories is great for getting children interested in reading. The fanciful stories include How the Elephant Got His Trunk and How the Leopard Got His spots that will get kids giggling with glee.
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Set in the fantasy land of Narnia, this book by C.S. Lewis will get your kid hooked on reading. Recommended for ages 8 and up, even though The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was written over 50 years ago, it will hold your child spellbound.
6. Sherlock Holmes – Another classic that could get your kids reading is any of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Children will be fascinated by how Holmes can solve mysteries without DNA or any of the modern scientific methods used in shows like CSI. They will not only hone their reading skills, but their powers of observation as well.
7. Treasure Island – Young boys have been enthralled with this book for generations, but that doesn’t stop young girls from loving it too. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is the classic pirate story about Long John Silver and his crew of rogues who lead young Jim Hawkins on an adventure of a lifetime.
8. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – This timeless classic by Mark Twain is another novel that gets children interested in reading. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a humorous and captivating way for kids to learn about life in America during the pre-civil war era of the 1800’s.
9. Gulliver’s Travels – Although it was originally written as a political satyr, kids will be enchanted by this classical fantasy by Jonathan Swift. Gulliver’s Travels is about a shipwrecked traveler who ends up in various imaginary lands with strange inhabitants from the very tiny Lilliputians to the huge giants of Brobdingnag.
10. Oliver Twist – No child’s appreciation of the classics would be complete without reading Dickens. The orphan Oliver Twist endures a miserable existence in a workhouse until he escapes to London and is caught up in the criminal underworld of the notorious characters Artful Dodger and Fagin.

For children who are resistant to reading, the secret is to find books that they are interested in. Stories about young people help them identify with the characters and relate to the plot. Fantasy and humor are also good ways to get kids hooked on books. Giving them a variety to choose from will help determine what genre captures their imagination. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempts don’t succeed. Once kids find the wonders available to them in books, they’ll be ready to devour every one they can get their hands on.

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