I had a daughter like that – really was into running/playing! I always said she read with one eye on the clock and when her 20 minutes were up she would close the book – even if there was one page left!!! She is now 23 years old, graduated with honors from college and loves to read for fun! Hang in there!

He seems intimidated by bigger books but he can read ‘well above grade level’ according to his teacher. He’s in second grade but ‘older’ since his b-day is 1 day after school cut off…so he started second and turned 8 the very next day. I try to find lists I think are interesting but he never likes them. His teacher suggested Redwall series but he seemed intimidated by the size of the books. I’ve never heard of any of your list other than Wayside School so going to give them a try. His fave animals are BEARS and has collection of bear stuff (sheets, toys and such) so I’ll have to check out the bear ones. Thanks!

Wow – it sounds like you’re trying everything you can! What is his reading level, do you know? It sounds he could be reading harder books if he’s blowing through the Magic Tree House that fast.

What does he think about audio books that are a little bit harder? I’m wondering if a more complex story line would be interesting to him. If that were the case, he would try one.

If he likes unusual stories, I’d try Neil Gaiman’s books, Erin Hunter has great books about cats and bears with very elaborate societies, Maryrose Wood’s Incorrigible Children books are so interesting (kids raised by wolves), A Whole Nother Story by Cuthbert Soup is a wild, wacky story, and maybe he’d like Louis Sachar’s Wayside School books which are pretty humorous and enteraining, too.

Interesting. He seems to know what goes on in the chapters, my son, but never asked him to project what happens next and he is very negative on what will happen next. I feel like I stuck to read alouds too long…of books with same types of situations. Like in Boxcar kids he explained to me how they hid in woods in on chapter so the baker’s husband wouldn’t find them but then said ‘it is so boring. I wish the uncle would have got them and tied them up and they had to escape’. I said, ‘well, maybe he does, keep reading’. He said something like ‘yeah that never happens in books’ and when finished the book said ‘told you nothing exciting ever happens in books’.

Gonna try this idea!

Very true! When kids really want to read a book beyond their level, I encourage them to buddy-read with parents, and that’s been a great source of success with kids — boys and girls — up through 7th grade.