Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 09:36     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hi all, I really need some suggestions for my 7 year old DS. He can comfortably read the dragon master's series (to give an idea on reading level) but he gets bored. We have also tried Boxcar kids (no interest), A to Z mysteries (no interest), Magic Treehouse (was really into first dozen then suddenly lost interest), Amelia Bedelia (only enjoyed one of them). I'm at a loss what to suggest for him to read. He can't pinpoint what he is interested in but it certainly is not non-fiction or animals or mysteries or fantasy/dragons/magic. I think he might enjoy funny books (he enjoyed the frog and toad books back when he was reading those), and he likes anything robots (I am reading wild robot to him and he loves it) and scary stories. Please give us some suggestions!


So many people are suggesting fantasy and non-fiction!


Well OP said not animals or mystery or fantasy, but Wild Robot involves a lot of animals, elements of mystery and fantasy. It sounds like her son just likes good stories! Amelia Bedelia isn't a great plot, it's predictable and kind of one note. Magic Treehouse can also be pretty boring. Boxcar Children is pretty simple and old fashioned.

My pics would be Flat Stanley, Junie B, Captain Underpants, Investigators, Boris series, Judy Moody, My Father's Dragon. Dairy of a Wimpy kid might be too challenging but could be a stretch book. Wild Robot is a series! The One and Only Ivan is also a good readaloud.
And I wouldn't discount well written picture books.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 09:30     Subject: Re:7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Keep reading to him! If you begin reading a series he loves, maybe he will want to pick up later volumes in the series on his own.
Mine wasn't a huge reader at that age, but he got into funny books in 1st and 2nd grade and now I can't get him to put books down.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 09:18     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hi all, I really need some suggestions for my 7 year old DS. He can comfortably read the dragon master's series (to give an idea on reading level) but he gets bored. We have also tried Boxcar kids (no interest), A to Z mysteries (no interest), Magic Treehouse (was really into first dozen then suddenly lost interest), Amelia Bedelia (only enjoyed one of them). I'm at a loss what to suggest for him to read. He can't pinpoint what he is interested in but it certainly is not non-fiction or animals or mysteries or fantasy/dragons/magic. I think he might enjoy funny books (he enjoyed the frog and toad books back when he was reading those), and he likes anything robots (I am reading wild robot to him and he loves it) and scary stories. Please give us some suggestions!


So many people are suggesting fantasy and non-fiction!

Oops! I was thrown by not non-fiction. Too much for my brain. But I would still suggest the Who Is/What is series. Not all non-fiction is the same. These are very readable versus a more textbook like non-fiction.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 09:09     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
My son was just not excited to read, until we found Press Start. I saw someone else recommend the series too. But he LOVES them. It really kick started his love for reading. He read dog man, but didn’t love it as much as press start.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 09:01     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Anonymous wrote:If he's a reluctant reader, why are you trying to get him to read chapter books? I'm not familiar with Dragon Masters and see they have about 96 pages.

Maybe he is in over his head. Smart kids can also mask their reading struggles pretty well especially if reading silently.


You might be right. Dragon Masters is pretty great IMO because there are pictures on every page so it's like a picture book but it's got chapters and it's long so you don't have to keep getting new books. My issue with picture books is that he goes through them fast and then what? We either have to re-read them over and over and/or keep going back to the library and it's a hit or miss what he finds (if any) each time. So i guess for selfish reasons, i would love for him to find a series and just stick with it.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 08:59     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Anonymous wrote:Have you tried audiobooks just to get him hooked on the idea that stories are great even if the act of reading is not?


We have the Yoto and tons of cards and he does not listen to them unless they are scary stories, which are hard to find and he then gets scared and I pay for it at bedtime.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 08:54     Subject: Re:7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. I will look into all of these.

It seems some may be harder on the lexile level than he is used to. The problem is, he is not a book lover, yet. He has never read a book on his own free will. So when something is even a little harder than he is used to and he sees a couple words he doesn't know, he just doesn't want to do it. Makes it very hard to find books. When I take him to the library he just picks out a bunch of pictures books OR huge chapter books meant for upper elementary kids. And then won't read any of them once he is home. I have just been forcing him to read dragon masters because it is on level and easy to find.


He may not be ready for chapter books yet at age 7. One of mine just started them at that age, and the other kid a year later. Reading the more advanced easy readers, and you reading harder books to him, may be fine for now.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 08:52     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Wayside school
Bunnicula
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Flat Stanley world adventures (or something like that)
Here’s Hank series
Geronimo Stilton series
Roald Dahl books
Mr. Lemoncello books (might be too hard right now)
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 08:34     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Have you tried audiobooks just to get him hooked on the idea that stories are great even if the act of reading is not?
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 08:31     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
My picky reader enjoyed the I Survived book series at this age. She also enjoyed the Oregon Trail choose your own adventure book series. The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob were also hits.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 08:16     Subject: Re:7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Anonymous wrote:McBroom books by Sid Fleischman
Wayside School books by Louis Sachar
Beverly Cleary
Flat Stanley
Danny Dunn books by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin
Jon Scieszka
Choose Your Own Adventure Books
Magic School Bus picture books
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Ben and Me

Goosebumps? I have NO experience with these, so I don’t know if they’re good books, much less would be good for him, but if he likes scary books you might check into them

Where the Sidewalk Ends (quirky poetry)
Novelty reference type books like Guiness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe-It-or-Not
Joke Books (if you have the patience for riddles and Knock-knocks)
Magazines


This is a great list. Frindle and McBroom especially are hilarious.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 07:45     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
If he's a reluctant reader, why are you trying to get him to read chapter books? I'm not familiar with Dragon Masters and see they have about 96 pages.

Maybe he is in over his head. Smart kids can also mask their reading struggles pretty well especially if reading silently.
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 07:28     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
At that age my son was obsessed with dogman, books about athletes and those animal versus books (who would win - tiger vs lion)

How about the John Jory series? The big cheese, couch potato, sour grape, smart cookie etc. my kids loved those!
Anonymous
Post 09/04/2025 06:19     Subject: Re:7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Thanks all. I will look into all of these.

It seems some may be harder on the lexile level than he is used to. The problem is, he is not a book lover, yet. He has never read a book on his own free will. So when something is even a little harder than he is used to and he sees a couple words he doesn't know, he just doesn't want to do it. Makes it very hard to find books. When I take him to the library he just picks out a bunch of pictures books OR huge chapter books meant for upper elementary kids. And then won't read any of them once he is home. I have just been forcing him to read dragon masters because it is on level and easy to find.
Anonymous
Post 09/03/2025 21:39     Subject: 7 year old boy book recs don't like popular books
Anonymous wrote:Let him browse a bookstore for at least an hour. Nothing beats finding a book that way


Browsing a library is better. And free.

Scholastic Branches has lots of early chapter book series. He might like Eerie Elementary, Notebook of Doom, or Press Start

Or you can browse / search by genre: https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/series-and-characters/branches.html?p=1&n=20

I know you said no non-fiction, but how about joke books? National Geographic has a series called Just Joking. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GW7PHN8?binding=paperback&searchxofy=true&sr=1-8