12 books for children who think they don't like reading

The reluctant reader problem

Reluctant readers aren't children who can't read. They're children who haven't yet found the book that makes them forget they're reading. The job isn't to convince them that reading is good for them — it's to find the door. The books below have been chosen specifically because they tend to work: they're fast-paced, they're funny or surprising, and they respect the intelligence of their readers.

The shortlist

Dog Man (Dav Pilkey) — part comic, part novel, entirely absorbing for ages six to ten. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Jeff Kinney) — the hand-written format and self-deprecating humour disarms children who find 'proper books' intimidating. The Treehouse series (Andy Griffiths) — pure escalation, each book adding thirteen more floors of absurdity. Captain Underpants (Dav Pilkey again) — irreverent, silly, and exactly right for eight-year-olds who find rules funny. The Bad Guys (Aaron Blabey) — graphic-novel adjacent, rapid dialogue, and enormous fun.

For older reluctant readers

Skulduggery Pleasant (Derek Landy) — detective-plus-magic with a dry wit that rewards readers who feel they've outgrown children's fiction but aren't ready for adult books. Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan) — mythology as action, with a narrator who constantly breaks the fourth wall. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — for reluctant teen readers who respond to humour; the comedy is the entry point, the ideas come free. Holes (Louis Sachar) — deceptively simple prose, genuinely surprising structure, stays with readers long after they finish.

Non-fiction is reading too

Horrible Histories (Terry Deary) — history that doesn't patronise and doesn't get bored of being interesting. Guinness World Records — technically a reference book, effectively a reading gateway for every child who likes facts, extremes, and photographs. Ripley's Believe It or Not — same principle. The goal is reading; the genre is irrelevant.