Reluctant readers. Real classrooms.

Get kids loving to read.

Practical book recommendations (ages 7–14) and quick classroom routines for teachers, librarians, and anyone trying to get kids reading again.

Created and curated by an educational author of 25 years, currently doing a PhD on using stories in schools.

1. Choose short stories by accomplished authors.

2. Aim for chapters you can read in under five minutes.

3. Look for big ideas that provoke debate, but with simple language.

4. Bonus if there’s an audiobook too.

This is an art, not a science.
Humour is great with younger years, and bright, detailed illustrations are good for talking about.

1. Start with one big question, a quick prediction, or “What would you do?” Keep it light. The aim is curiosity, not right answers.

2. Read the opening to set pace, mood, and meaning. If there’s audio, use it sometimes too.

3. Stop early on purpose. Pair chat, quick share, a bit of wondering and disagreeing.

4. Do a fast, friendly check so nobody’s lost. A quick quiz is good. Or a two minute discussion.

5. Treat images like text. What do you notice first? What’s missing? How does it make you feel?

6. Once they’re hooked, keep momentum. Read the next chunk, pause, then continue.

7. Creative Boom! After reading, turn it into something of theirs. Haiku, comic, new ending, diary entry, hot seat interview, mini drama. Fun stuff that reinforces the learning and encourages more reading for pleasure.

If you want a solid free starting point, use Viking Kite. It’s a curated set of short stories written for reluctant readers and for students who are still getting fluent in English.It’s free because it’s funded by Swedish educational grants and stipends from the Swedish Educational Writers’ Union (SLFF), so teachers can just use it.What makes it useful in the real world is that it’s not just “stories”. You also get free audiobooks and teacher friendly resources you can just run with. So it works for reading, listening, discussion, and those quick creative booms that actually make the story stick

Nice reading and listening materials organised by level, with exercises built in. Handy for EAL learners and for kids who need shorter, supported texts.

A big library of short, illustrated books with audio, often in multiple languages. Reasonable for confidence building and for learners who need that extra language support.

If you want classic stories without paying, Project Gutenberg is the big free ebook library, and LibriVox is the matching “free audiobook” world (public domain, volunteer read). Useful when you want a story fast and you do not mind it being older.

Can I submit a book to recommend?
Yes, please do. Teacher recommendations are gold because they come from real students and real classrooms.Send the title, age group, rough level, and one sentence on why it worked. If you can, add what kind of class it suited, for example very mixed, lots of reluctant readers, or new arrivals.What if my class is extremely differentiated?
That’s normal. The easiest move is to keep the story shared, then let the tasks flex.Everyone reads or listens to the same chunk, then you offer two or three routes: short answers, talk it through, or a creative response. Same story, different doorways. Viking Kite is good at this.What about homework?
Keep it small and properly doable. Homework works best when it does not depend on help at home.Try: listen to the audio again, choose three new words and use them, write a six line summary, or pick a favourite line and explain why. Ten minutes, done.How about other languages?
Use them as a bridge into English. A quick “How would you say that in Spanish?” can unlock meaning and confidence fast.The trick is to switch briefly, then come back to the English text so the story stays central. And, you can always use AI to translate for you if you have permission.Should I use AI in class?
You can, but keep it in the “support thinking” lane, not the “replace thinking” lane. It’s great for planning, differentiation ideas, and quick question generation. Plus, fun if the kids want to create cartoon strips or songs about the story.For students, it works best for prompts like “Give me three interpretations of this line” or “Help me improve my sentences”, rather than “Write my answer for me”.

Perfect books for 7-8

TitleAuthorYearNotes
Frog and ToadArnold Lobel1970Tiny stories, simple sentences, loads of warmth. Brilliant for EAL and reluctant readers. Great for “read a bit, pause, talk”.
Speed of WinterViking Kite2025A beautiful winter story with lots of vivid imagery and illustration support. Gently touches on loss and how we live with it, without getting heavy or gloomy.
Mercy Watson to the RescueKate DiCamillo2005Big print, funny, fast. Feels easy without feeling babyish. Lovely confidence builder.
Flat StanleyJeff Brown1964Short chapters and a silly hook. Very clear language. Easy to turn into quick writing or speaking tasks.
The HodgehegDick King-Smith1987Warm animal story with heart and humour. Reads well aloud and works nicely for discussion about problem solving.
LawlessViking Kite2024A fresh take on Robin Hood. A short, punchy story about a young girl joining the Merry Men. Fast moving, easy to follow, and great for “what would you do?” discussion.
The Magic Faraway TreeEnid Blyton1943Episodic wonder and imagination. Great as a class read aloud. Language is older, but the story momentum carries kids.
WhippersnappersViking Kite2025Perfect for younger readers. A longer story, but split into easy chapters with full colour illustrations throughout. Magical creatures living in a forest, lots of wonder, and very friendly for reluctant readers.
Horrid HenryFrancesca Simon1994Short chapters and high motivation. Slightly more idiom, but kids love the attitude. Good for talking about behaviour and choices.
Dog ManDav Pilkey2016Massive “I want to read” factor. Visual support, quick wins, builds reading habit fast. Perfect for very reluctant readers.
The Worst WitchJill Murphy1974Friendly magic and a clear voice. A gentle bridge into longer fiction for kids ready to step up.
InvisibleViking Kite2024A ghost story with a big question, but it’s not scary. It’s about a lovely cat, and it gets kids properly thinking and talking, without feeling like a “lesson”.

Perfect books for 9-10

TitleAuthorYearNotes
HolesLouis Sachar1998Short chapters and a proper mystery engine that drags reluctant readers along. Big ideas about fairness and belonging, but it still feels like fun.
Razor SharpViking Kite2025Monster story with a big twist, set on a beach in Thailand. Spooky fun, but it opens into surprisingly big questions.
How to Train Your DragonCressida Cowell2003Very readable, very funny, and the chapters keep things moving. Great for kids who like humour and action, and it’s forgiving for EAL learners too.
Bilious BlueViking Kite2024A strange story that gets kids thinking. A girl’s imaginary friend turns out to be the whole of evolution. Great for identity, perspective, and “how do other people see the world”.
The Wild RobotPeter Brown2016Short, bite sized chapters that make it easy to keep going. Big ideas about belonging and what it means to be alive, but it’s still an adventure story.
WonderR.J. Palacio2012Readable, warm, and it hooks kids fast because they care about the characters. Brilliant for discussion without feeling like “work”.
Bee Bop and ZeeViking Kite2025A boy on a beach in Sweden meets an alien gas being living inside a green balloon. Cosmology and our place in the universe, in a way young minds genuinely love.
The Boy at the Back of the ClassOnjali Q. Raúf2018Short chapters, clear voice, and lots of heart. Big themes handled gently, with warmth and humour.
The Invention of Hugo CabretBrian Selznick2007Feels like a big book, but the illustrations carry so much of the story that reluctant readers often fly through it. Great confidence builder.
The 13 Storey TreehouseAndy Griffiths2015Ridiculously fun and very readable, with loads of cartoons and quick payoffs. Great when you just need them to actually enjoy reading.

Perfect books for 11-12

TitleAuthorYearNotes
Skulduggery PleasantDerek Landy2007Witty, fast, and packed with action. Great momentum, proper laughs, and just enough darkness to feel exciting without turning grim.
The Magesmith TrilogyViking Kite2025This is the “next step up” series for readers who are starting to feel confident and want something bigger. It nudges them forward without losing them, then rewards them with an amazing journey through time and space, from the building of Stonehenge to human colonies on other planets. Big imagination, big heart, and loads of friendship and wonder.
Artemis FowlEoin Colfer2001A smart, twisty adventure with humour and gadgets, and a main character who is brilliantly cheeky. It’s a great hook for kids who like clever plans and high stakes.
The Still FeatherViking Kite2024A beautiful, lyrical story about a girl who becomes friends with a winged alien who looks almost like an angel. It’s gentle, moving, and quietly mind opening, brilliant for talking about different kinds of consciousness, animals, and the future of what humans might become.
The GiverLois Lowry1993Short, clean writing with a huge idea underneath. It pulls kids into a strange world very quickly, then sets up brilliant discussion about memory, freedom, and what a good life even is.
Forgotten FutureViking Kite2025A ghost story with a twist, mixing crime and time travel in a way that stays very readable. It’s a satisfying, entertaining quick read, with a “wait… what?” moment that makes kids want to talk afterwards.
The Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad BeginningLemony Snicket1999Short chapters, dark humour, and constant forward pull. It’s funny in a slightly twisted way, and kids love the voice and the pace.
Fantastic MeViking Kite2024Set in an English school, so it feels instantly familiar. It follows a new kid dealing with status, cheating, and the pressure to perform, then pushes into the real question: who are you when nobody’s watching? Funny, sharp, and very discussion friendly.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning ThiefRick Riordan2005A modern, funny voice with non stop adventure. Mythology becomes a playground, and it’s one of the best “I actually want to read the next one” series starters.
The London Eye MysterySiobhan Dowd2007A gripping, very readable mystery with a brilliant main voice. Great for kids who like puzzles, clues, and proper “let’s work this out” thinking.
CoralineNeil Gaiman2002Creepy but not gross, and very hard to put down. It reads like an adventure with a shadow behind it, which is exactly why kids love it.
MalamanderThomas Taylor2019A seaside mystery with odd secrets, funny moments, and a strong story engine. Great atmosphere, lots of curiosity, and it’s very easy to keep turning pages.

Perfect books for 13-14

TitleAuthorYearNotes
The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins2008Short chapters, big stakes, and a proper “just one more chapter” pull. Brilliant for talking about power, propaganda, courage, and what people do when the world pushes them.
Sound of DrumsViking Kite2025A boy stays with his gran in the middle of nowhere in the English countryside and slowly gets pulled into real music, real attention, and a calmer kind of life. It’s a story about switching off the noise, escaping social media pressure, and finding out who you actually are when nobody’s watching. Lovely for discussion.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night TimeMark Haddon2003Fast to read because the voice is so clear and direct, with short sections and a strong mystery thread. Great for empathy, perspective, truth, and how different minds make sense of the same world.
LegendMarie Lu2011Action driven, quick chapters, and a slick near future plot. Easy to fly through, but with big ideas about loyalty, systems, and who gets to write the “official” story.
Star PlayerViking Kite2024A girl who loves football gets tangled up in the pressure to achieve and the weight of other people’s expectations. It’s about ambition, identity, and the price of being seen. Properly readable, and it sparks loads of real conversation about parents, performance, and confidence.
DivergentVeronica Roth2011Short chapters, strong pace, and that satisfying mix of danger and discovery. Great for big questions about belonging, labels, bravery, and what happens when you don’t fit the boxes.
A Monster CallsPatrick Ness2011A quick read that hits hard in the best way. It’s about grief, truth, and the stories we tell ourselves to cope. Deep, but still accessible and very discussion friendly.
BurnViking Kite2025A scary adventure story set in the mountains of Poland, with a poltergeist vibe and a real sense of creeping tension. Under the thrills, it opens up big questions about the modern world and how fast everything changes, and what that does to people living through it.
Refugee BoyBenjamin Zephaniah2001Short, punchy chapters and a direct voice that keeps it readable. Big themes about identity, belonging, and bureaucracy, but told through a story that moves.
StormbreakerAnthony Horowitz2000Fast, punchy spy adventure with short chapters and constant momentum. A brilliant hook for 13–14s, and great for “read a bit, pause, predict” lessons.
Frozen MiracleViking Kite2024Set in 1700s Canada in the frozen north, where a fishing community discovers mermaids trapped in ice. It’s haunting and beautiful, but also very readable, and it opens up big talk about miracles around us, the commodification of beauty, and what people do when wonder turns into “value.”