The Best Books for Reluctant Readers
Reluctant readers usually aren’t reluctant readers — they’re kids who haven’t found their book yet. These ten have the highest hit rate for unlocking that book.
- 1
Dog Man: From the Creator of Captain Underpants
by Dav Pilkey
Why it works: Graphic novel king. Has converted more reluctant readers than any other series.
- 2
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney
Why it works: Illustration-on-every-page format makes long books feel doable.
- 3
The Bad Guys
by Aaron Blabey
Why it works: Heist humor + comic-style art = instant series binge.
- 4
Big Nate
by Lincoln Peirce
Why it works: Sixth-grade humor with cartoon panels woven through the chapters.
- 5
Investigators
by John Patrick Green
Why it works: Two alligators in the sewer system. Pun-packed graphic novels.
- 6
Captain Underpants
by Dav Pilkey
Why it works: Silly, bathroom humor, comic interludes — it works.
- 7
Bone (graphic novel series)
by Jeff Smith
Why it works: Beautifully drawn epic fantasy in graphic-novel form.
- 8
Roald Dahl: The BFG
by Roald Dahl
Why it works: Quentin Blake illustrations break up the text and pull kids in.
- 9
Wings of Fire (graphic novel adaptations)
by Tui T. Sutherland
Why it works: Dragons + politics + gorgeous art. Hooks fantasy-curious kids.
- 10
I Survived series
by Lauren Tarshis
Why it works: Short, high-stakes historical adventures. Great for kids who like action.
Save this list to your Readloops library
Add any of these books to your child’s Readloops library in seconds — search the title, scan the cover, or barcode-scan the back. Then log every read together.
Start your free reading log