Anonymous wrote:None of my 3 kids (now teens and older) are readers like my sister and I were (waaah!).

My favorites:

All-Of-A-Kind-Family - there were my favorite childhood books, and I still reread them when I am in the mood. Read some of these aloud to my children. It's coming out in a movie and I'm reading the author's biography now. Wish my kids would love these like I did.

Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself - my favorite Judy Blume book!

Encyclopedia Brown books - such fun books when I was a kid. When my children were little I would get the audio books of these for the car, and my kids liked listening to them. They were the perfect length for short car rides to try to figure out the puzzle.

Trixie Belden - never expected my kids to read these, but I saw others mention them. I loved these books as a kid. They were 99 cents paperback (dating myself!), and every time we'd go to the mall, I'd ask my parents for a dollar to buy a new book. I still have them all!

I am 60 and loved these books- beautiful, heart-warming and it was really the first time I had read anything about people who were Jewish.

A Little Princess, ( I know there are problematic bits about Colonial India and the like) I could not interest my daughter in a book I have practically memorized.

Ferdinand. When I bought it for my kids, the skinny, pimply guy at the counter who sold it to me said it made him the man he was. That gave me pause. But, my kids loved it and I hope their kids do too.

None of my 3 kids (now teens and older) are readers like my sister and I were (waaah!).

My favorites:

All-Of-A-Kind-Family - there were my favorite childhood books, and I still reread them when I am in the mood. Read some of these aloud to my children. It's coming out in a movie and I'm reading the author's biography now. Wish my kids would love these like I did.

Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself - my favorite Judy Blume book!

Encyclopedia Brown books - such fun books when I was a kid. When my children were little I would get the audio books of these for the car, and my kids liked listening to them. They were the perfect length for short car rides to try to figure out the puzzle.

Trixie Belden - never expected my kids to read these, but I saw others mention them. I loved these books as a kid. They were 99 cents paperback (dating myself!), and every time we'd go to the mall, I'd ask my parents for a dollar to buy a new book. I still have them all!

Anonymous wrote:Louis Sachar, anyone? I loved the Sideways Stories from Wayside School books and Holes. Laugh out loud funny!

My DD was stuck on the fairy books, which were great, and some other easy chapter books, but she wasn’t inclined to try more complex material. We read a lot to her, but she wouldn’t branch out. Then her teacher had her read Holes and her literary universe shifted. She suddenly realized that books with more depth could be gratifying in ways her other reading wasn’t. She became eager to try all sorts of books.

The Wayside School series, while generally on the lighter side, was much loved by both my kids. We even enjoyed the book of math puzzles.

Louis Sachar is definitely a new favorite.

Louis Sachar, anyone? I loved the Sideways Stories from Wayside School books and Holes. Laugh out loud funny!

Anonymous wrote:I have two boys 5 and 7 and I have tried practically every book on this list....The only real home run hits have been Dr. Seuss (read one of his pretty much every night), the Gingerbread Man, and the Peanuts treasury which my son likes to read with a night light in bed. I thought Roald Dahl would be perfect but they can take or leave him. Anything to get away from Dog Man...but I'm afraid my kids just aren't bookworms the way I was, since my husband wasn't one either.

Don’t give up on them yet. There’s a lot of range between Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl. You’ve had some hits, so they are bookworms. You just need to find the books they want to get excited about. It sounds like they may still want lighter books, which is great.

Bookworms can love picture books too. You might try books by Jez Alborough like Fix-It Duck, Laura Numeroff like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Amelia Bedelia, Mark Teague’s LaRue books, Doug Cushman’s Seymour Sleuth, Jon Sciezska’s series of fairy tale adaptations, Magic School Bus picture books

In fact, you might want to do some that have minimal text, like No, David by David Shannon or 10 minutes till Bedtime by Peggy Rathmann. The I Spy books by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo are great. C-D-B (See the Bee) is fun to read, Where’s Waldo, etc.

Where the Sidewalk Ends has fun, quirky poetry, so it’s easy to do in small chunks

For longer books, you might try:
Flat Stanley
Boxcar Children
Secrets of Droon
Time Warp Trio
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Beverly Cleary
Frindle
Wayside School series by Louis Sachar

You might try reading to them while they play or eat. Storytime doesn’t have to be formal. Build on whatever they like.

Anonymous wrote:Roald Dahl, Chronicles of Narnia - they like them both so far. I also loved Asterix comics and they love them too.

I read lots of Enid Blyton books as a kid growing up in India and contrary to the others, I'm not introducing them to my kids! So much casual racism, sexism and xenophobia.

Sigh, I have a few like that on my bookshelf too. I was torn about showing them to my kids when younger, but there were so many other good books to read, that I decided not to. I have so few years left to suggest books and sometimes read together, I wanted to focus on the books I didn't have any hesitation on.

Anonymous wrote:I have two boys 5 and 7 and I have tried practically every book on this list....The only real home run hits have been Dr. Seuss (read one of his pretty much every night), the Gingerbread Man, and the Peanuts treasury which my son likes to read with a night light in bed. I thought Roald Dahl would be perfect but they can take or leave him. Anything to get away from Dog Man...but I'm afraid my kids just aren't bookworms the way I was, since my husband wasn't one either.

You tried the Goosebumps books? They are a bit formulaic, but that age boys might like them. My kids liked them for a while.

I posted most of mine earlier, but I forgot about How to Eat Fried Worms.

I loved Harriet the Spy. My son didn’t get into it.

Roald Dahl, Chronicles of Narnia - they like them both so far. I also loved Asterix comics and they love them too.

I read lots of Enid Blyton books as a kid growing up in India and contrary to the others, I'm not introducing them to my kids! So much casual racism, sexism and xenophobia.

I have two boys 5 and 7 and I have tried practically every book on this list....The only real home run hits have been Dr. Seuss (read one of his pretty much every night), the Gingerbread Man, and the Peanuts treasury which my son likes to read with a night light in bed. I thought Roald Dahl would be perfect but they can take or leave him. Anything to get away from Dog Man...but I'm afraid my kids just aren't bookworms the way I was, since my husband wasn't one either.

Anonymous wrote:I still reread The Witch of Blackbird Pond. It is so good.

This was one I loved but my kids didn't get into...

I still reread The Witch of Blackbird Pond. It is so good.