These books are ideal for kids who are reluctant in making the transition from picture to chapter books. With a relatable protagonist and a lot of humor, these books have moved many a child over the hump into chapter books.
Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide To Not Reading (4.5/5 stars, ages 8 and up, currently priced at $5.98)
Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.
Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he’ll go to get out of reading a book.
REVIEWS
“In author Tommy Greenwald’s raucous debut…this comedy of comeuppance shows its true colors, and, irony of ironies, is impossible to put down!” –Disney’s Family Fun
“A perfect book for the non-reader or reluctant reader in your life…Laugh-out-loud funny, clever, and relevant, I believe Tommy Greenwald has written a book that will appeal to kids of all reading tastes.” –ReadKiddoRead.com
“This is a fun, fast-moving look at middle-school life through the eyes of a kid who would rather clean his room than pick up a book. Reluctant readers will be pleased.” –SLJ
“A delightful choice for reluctant readers…Tommy Greenwald’s writing style is breezy and accessible without being too easy. It is also extremely funny and hard to put down. If the book’s cover showed something blowing up, every reluctant boy reader in middle school would be proud to carry it around while secretly enjoying the nonviolent, straightforward story. Bookworms won’t care; they’ll love it either way.” –BookPage
Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide To Extra Credit (5/5 stars, ages 8 and up, currently priced at $5.98)
Charlie Joe Jackson, the most reluctant reader ever born, made it his mission in the first book to get through middle school without reading a single book from cover to cover.
Now he’s back, and trying desperately to get straight A’s in order to avoid going to academic camp for the summer.
In order to do this, he will have to betray his friend, lose the girl of his dreams, and end up acting in a school play about the inventor of paper towels.
Charlie Joe’s not exactly the “school play kind of guy”, but desperate times call for desperate measures.