By Rita Platt
If we want reluctant readers to read we have to give them books they want to read. That means helping them find interesting, engaging, books that are within their reading level but don’t look or feel babyish.
The more kids read, the better they read.
High/Low books to the rescue!
High/Low books in the strictest of definitions are books that are hi interest/low vocabulary. At one time they had a bad rap because, well, they weren’t very good. These days that is just not the case and the definition has expanded to include books that:
- are high interest.
- are a lower reading level than the targeted grade.
- have short chapters.
- have lots of dialogue.
- have lots of white space on a page.
- have less complicated text structures ad are in the first person.
- sometimes have pictures.
In a nutshell they are books written for lower-level readers, but that, by all outward appearances look like the books that their on and above-level peers read.
The idea is that if we give students books they want to read and can read they will read them. Once reluctant readers finish one book, their confidence grows. Increased confidence and a great library can lead to increased reading. As any reading teacher knows, the more kids read, the better they read.
In a nutshell they are books written for lower-level readers, but that, by all outward appearances look like the books that their on and above-level peers read.
Below is a toolbox for finding that just-right book for your reluctant reader. The reading level is shared as a grade equivalent. Please let us know what we should add to the list!
Books for 4th – 6th Grade
Junie B. Jones By Barbara Park
Reading level: 1-2
Students love Junie B. She is naughty and her stories are laugh out loud funny. The new covers make them look good for older readers.
Judy Moody & Stink By Megan McDonald
Reading level: 3-4
Judy Moody goes on all kids of adventures. Since one was made into a movie, this is an easy sell to reluctant readers. Start with Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer. Stink Moody, Judy’s brother has his own series as well.
Magic Tree House By Mary Pope Osborne
Reading level: 2-5
This series keeps expanding and getting better as it grows! There are now 52 books in the fiction series (they get harder and harder), 29 high-interest, nonfiction companion books called either “Fact Trackers” or “Research Guides.”
Clueless McGee By Jeff Mack, Timmy Failure By Stephan Pastis, Dork Diaries By Rachel Renée Russell (this one has a female protagonist) and Big Nate by Lincoln Pierce
Reading Level: 2-5
These books fall into the “if you liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid” category. They are hilarious, full of cartoons (some all cartoons), and have middle school-aged characters.
My Weird School Series By Dan Gutman
Reading Level: 2-5
Follow A.J. and friends as they meet the weirdest teachers in the world. These books are so funny that my own kids once asked me to read more quietly!
I Survived Series By Lauren Tarshis
Reading Level: 4
Gripping short historical fiction reads. Once kids read one they can’t help but read the entire series. Middle-grade aged characters survive everything from Hurricane Katrina to the Nazi Invasion to the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks and more.
Reading Level: 3-4
A truly incredible series about every sport you can imagine. The books have both male and female protagonists and are highly engaging.
Who Would Win Series By Jerry Pallota
Reading Level: 3-4
Non fiction paperbacks with fact-filled imagined battles of the beasts. Who would win? Crab versus Lobster? Tiger versus Lion? Great White Shark versus Killer Whale? Find out the answers to these and many more questions is the fun series.
Bad Kitty By Nick Bruel
Reading Level: 3-4
These funny books are a fix of facts and fiction, text and cartoon, and have lots of pictures. Follow the naughty (I mean really naughty) cat on adventures in life.
Books for 7th – 8th Grade
I Survived Series By Lauren Tarshis
Reading Level: 4
Gripping short historical fiction reads. Once kids read one they can’t help but read the entire series. Middle-grade aged characters survive everything from Hurricane Katrina to the Nazi Invasion to the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks and more.
Clueless McGee By Jeff Mack, Timmy Failure By Stephan Pastis, Dork Diaries By Rachel Renée Russell (this one has a female protagonst) and Big Nate by Lincoln Pierce
Reading Level: 2-5
These books fall into the “if you liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid” category. They are hilarious, full of cartoons (some all cartoons), and have middle school-aged characters.
Who Would Win Series By Jerry Pallota
Reading Level: 3-4
Non fiction paperbacks with fact-filled imagined battles of the beasts. Who would win? Crab versus Lobster? Tiger versus Lion? Great White Shark versus Killer Whale? Find out the answers to these and many more questions is the fun series.
Reading Level: 3-4
A truly incredible series about every sport you can imagine. The books have both male and female protagonists and are highly engaging.
HIP (High Interest Publishing) Book Series
Reading Level: 2-6
This Canadian publishing house offers six series of low-level/high interest books for students in junior and senior high. Read engaging page-turners from myriad genres.
Townsend Press Library & Bluford High Series
Reading Level: 4-8
Townsend Press is low cost ($2 per book!) and junior high/high school students LOVE the books! The TP Library includes adapted classics, memoirs, biographies, and historical accounts that kids can’t put down. Even better is the Bluford High Series wish features diverse characters in real-life situations. In my 19 years as a reading specialists I’ve seen more reluctant readers finish a Bluford as their first novel than any other book.
Anything By Deborah Ellis
Reading Level: 4-5
Deborah Ellis is amazing. Her books are based in fact and are set all over the world. These page turners help young readers experience life in modern-day Afghanistan, India, America, and Bolivia. Follow her characters as they live through hard times and help their families to survive.
Anything By Gordon Korman
Reading Level: 4-5
Gorden Korman gets his readers. His books whether stand-alone or series engage readers in the antics and adventures of characters from a dog detective to high school football stars to bullies and the bullied.
High Noon Books & Orca Publishing
Reading Level: 1-6
Two more Canadian publishers that get it right for struggling readers. Tales of danger, sports stories, young romance, mysteries, horror stories, and fantasies at multiple reading levels promises something for everyone.
Saddleback Publishing & Perfection Learning
Reading Level: 2-9
Similar to the publishing houses above, these two American companies offer specially written, carefully leveled books that students can and want to read.
Reading Level: 2-9
These novels look long. They are on gripping teen-related topics. They are in verse, a simple poetic prose that makes for quick page-turning and deep thinking.
Books for High School
HIP (High Interest Publishing) Book Series
Reading Level: 2-6
This Canadian publishing house offers six series of low-level/high interest books for students in junior and senior high. Read engaging page-turners from myriad genres.
Townsend Press Library & Bluford High Series
Reading Level: 4-8
Townsend Press is low cost ($2 per book!) and junior high/high school students LOVE the books! The TP Library includes adapted classics, memoirs, biographies, and historical accounts that kids can’t put down. Even better is the Bluford High Series wish features diverse characters in real-life situations. In my 19 years as a reading specialists I’ve seen more reluctant readers finish a Bluford as their first novel than any other book.
High Noon Books & Orca Publishing
Reading Level: 1-6
Two more Canadian publishers that get it right for struggling readers. Tales of danger, sports stories, young romance, mysteries, horror stories, and fantasies at multiple reading levels promises something for everyone.
Saddleback Publishing & Perfection Learning
Reading Level: 2-9
Similar to the publishing houses above, these two American companies offer specially written, carefully leveled books that students can and want to read.
Anything by Sharon Flake
Reading Level: 3-7
Flake writes realistic fiction with African American protagonists facing the problems of modern youth. I have never read a Sharon Flake book that I didn’t love!
Reading Level: 2-9
These novels look long. They are on gripping teen-related topics. They are in verse, a simple poetic prose that makes for quick page-turning and deep thinking.
Reading Level: 2-9
This list, prepared by the Multnomah County Library offers a treasure trove of titles that reluctant readers love. To find a reading level, go to Scholastic Book Wizard, type the title in the box and click “find books.”
Happy Reading!
Rita Platt (@ritaplatt) is a Nationally Board Certified teacher. Her experience includes teaching learners of all levels from kindergarten to graduate student. She currently is a Library Media Specialist for the St. Croix Falls SD in Wisconsin, teaches graduate courses for the Professional Development Institute, and consults with local school districts.
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I was a “Reluctant Reader” as a boy. Reading never held my attention for very long. So, I decided to write the “Popcorn Kelly Adventures” to appeal to the new generation of “Reluctant Readers” ages 7 to 14.
The first book in the series, “Mis-Adventures of a Boy Named Popcorn,” is only 36 pages long (E-Book version) and 56 pages long (Physical book). It has 6 short action filled chapters. The story is about a boy and his friends as they go looking for adventure and treasure in their own neighborhood. However they discover much more than they bargained for.
The second book in the series, “Popcorn at the Movies,” is slightly longer at 62 pages (E-Book version) and has Popcorn making a new friend whose family has been cursed by Vampires. Popcorn and his friends decide to break the curse and have to face an actual age old menace.
By increasing the length of the books, the children will be reading a little more each time, and will soon realize that books are fun and the length is not as important as the story. The stories I write have values I believe in, Friendship, Perseverance, Overcoming fears,
My hope is that your “Reluctant Reader” will have fun, discover adventure and learn to appreciate reading through my stories.
Thanks for sharing!