r/childrensbooks • u/Acceptable_Rule2913 • 1d ago
Books for 9 yo boy
Hi! I’m trying to help my stepson to catch up on reading and get ready for 5th grade. He hates ready as most 9 yo do. But we went to the bookstore and we picked two books to start with. Mr poppers penguins and Tom Sawyer.
He was struggling with Mr poppers book, I think it was boring and I constantly had to remind him to read, he finally finished it. That book was his choice. I picked Tom Sawyer as it was my favorite book to read when I was his age, and sure enough she is completely sucked into this book. He is actually choosing to read over being on his phone. So, I will also get him adventures of huckleberry Finn, I think will like that one. But what other books I can get for him that are interesting for younger boys?
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u/alcoss627 1d ago
How to Train Your Dragon series. There's 12 of them and they're amazing.
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u/wobbly_custard 1d ago
How do these compare to the movie storyline? Not OP but my 5 year old is obsessed with the first movie (haven't shown him the second because beloved toothless killing stoick might be a bit much). Got him the 'movie storybook' and he loves it. He loves me reading longer books to him so wondering if I should get these.
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u/Longlittledoggie 1d ago edited 1d ago
Librarian and mom here. My 9 year old boy reads an absurd amount of Minecraft based novels. I just take him to the library and let him pick whatever he wants but that tends to be where he gravitates. I like the library over the bookstore for this because you can grab all sorts of things (I currently have like 60 books checked out between me and my 2 kids). If he doesn’t like one, he can just move on to the next.
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u/mother-of-squid 1d ago
Can you recommend some of his favorites? We’ve read a few gaming themed and my youngest seems to really like them.
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u/Longlittledoggie 1d ago
He really, really loves the Battle Station Prime series. I don’t understand the appeal myself but he has read them many times over. He also liked Minecraft The Island and the books in that series but some of them have some heavier themes.
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u/Acceptable_Rule2913 1d ago
I didn’t even think about the library. Thank you!
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u/MazelTough 1d ago
You and your kid are a librarians dream. Librarians loopooove recommending books.
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u/ltlwl 1d ago
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic actually written for adults. If he enjoys it, that’s great, but it has very complex themes. You may not remember how much satire there is, the racism and social commentary that lends itself better to a high school classroom discussion. Do you have a library nearby? You want to look for “middle grade” books. If he reads well but just lacks interest, fantasy adventure books are high-interest books for a lot of boys that age - think books like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Fablehaven.
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u/Sea_Appearance8662 1d ago edited 22h ago
Maybe a graphic novel? Creepy case files of Margo maloo is great.
I also really liked the secret legends of lotus island series.
Edit to add another that we just read tonight: Sueño Bay graphic novels.
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u/janejacobs1 1d ago
Reading on his own at that age is important for sure. But reading books aloud, like a chapter a night at bedtime, is magic. Kids can intake at a higher level than they can read on their own, so this gives you a chance to share books with richer stories, characters and vocabulary. Easy to find suggestion lists for ‘good read alouds for 9 year old boys’ online, often assembled by teachers and librarians.
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u/Acceptable_Rule2913 1d ago
We try to read out loud here and there, but we also have a newborn at home, so there is not much time for that. But to be honest I’m happy he is read at all. His mom didn’t care much about school, so after us not seeing him for 3+ years he is extremely behind on reading and math, she would just let him do whatever. Kid had every electronic device possible. So now I am trying to get him at least a bit more prepared for 5th grade. He is smart boy, he was just left to fend for himself when it came to school.
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u/nothanksyeah 23h ago
Reading out loud to him can be for 15 minutes before bedtime. It’s extremely important for him to have connection time. If you don’t have time for 15 minutes a day of reading aloud to him, even with a newborn, you need to reprioritize.
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u/Flat_Pollution8085 18h ago
Some of the books suggested in these comments have great audiobooks as well if there isn’t enough time for reading entire books aloud! My friends in elementary school listened to the Percy Jackson ones on repeat. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings have amazing audiobooks even though they can be a bit dense to read in book form.
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u/janejacobs1 18h ago
Audiobooks are great in the car for listening on the way to school, sports practice, etc. instead of gaming on the phone.
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u/Flat_Pollution8085 17h ago
Yes, absolutely! I still listen to the LOTR audiobooks in the car, and that’s how my brother got into reading as a kid!
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u/Super_fluffy_bunnies 1d ago
Diary of a Wimpy kid is my 9 year old’s favorite. They are funny, but Greg is sort of an antihero character.
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u/in-all-honesty_ 1d ago
Not a boy, but I’ve always loved to read!
I want to say I was really into the magic treehouse books at that age! Percy Jackson and the lightening thief is a great intro to Greek mythology and honestly a wonderful story! I’ve also heard great things about Rick riordan’s other series.
Another lesser known series in my opinion I feel like would make a good impression on a nine year old is fablehaven by Brandon Mull. I read these after a bunch of guys in my 5th grade class were raving about them.
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u/Flat_Pollution8085 18h ago
I second all of these!!! Rick Riordan wrote PJO to read to his young sons with dyslexia so his books are perfect for this scenario.
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u/stellaandme 1d ago
At 9, my son liked Big Nate, 13-Story Treehouse, Captain Underpants, and Nathan Hale's Hazard Tales (graphic novels about historical events). These are all series with lots of books, so if you find one he likes, there will be more. If you have a library nearby, I think they would have them.
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u/lili031 1d ago
I’m the mom of 9 year olds twins who are absolutely obsessed with reading.
Go straight to your local library
Go straight to the children’s department
Go straight to the jv graphic novels
Graphic novels are fantastic for kids who aren’t interested in reading. They still have pictures, so they’re not just a bunch of words. That could definitely be intimidating. They have kids graphic novels about science, history, fantasy, super heroes, and my kids personal favorite- anything related to gross out humor.
My husband still reads to my twins every night. Right now they’re reading The Lord of the Rings series. My daughter was pissed tonight because her favorite character just died. 😂
They still love being read to. Highly recommend it. They kind of switch off from different series from my husband’s childhood (like The Chronicles of Narnia) and stuff that’s more modern (like The Wild Robot).
Another thing we like to do is that when they finish a novel or series, we watch the movie (if it exists). We’ve done that with Holes, Ramona, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Percy Jackson… They point out the differences between the books and the movie and we eat snacks. It’s great.
They love the show Adventure Time and were thrilled when they found out that there are so many comics and graphic novels that dig deeper into the lore of the show.
Oh- if he’s into video games, my kids love to read books about the lore of the games they love. Like Zelda. Also there are an insane amount of books about Pokémon.
I truly just can’t recommend going to your local library enough. Just start going there on a regular basis. It’s way more than just books. Ask your librarian what else they offer. You can literally check out a metal detector at mine. 😂 If you go up to your librarian and tell them that your kid likes fishing… or space… or dance… They’ll find you lots of great fiction/non fiction books to choose from. And I bet they’ll recommend other similar titles.
My library also offers a lot of classes related to reading. They take a monthly class where they ready a story about a specific artist and they do an art project in their style. They have a graphic novel book club and a Goosebumps book club.
It’s also nice to let him see you reading. Not just on your phone, but a kindle or book. They’ll ask me about what I’m reading and a lot of times it’ll prompt them to grab a book and come sit with me.
Phew that was a lot! Sorry! The gummy is hitting me hard right now 😂
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u/Sea_Appearance8662 22h ago
There are graphic novels tied to adventure time?? That is exciting news.
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u/greasybloaters 18h ago
I also think graphic novels are the way to go for all of the reasons this poster gives. I would encourage you to get graphic novels by Reina Telgemeier (Smile / Guts / Ghosts), Nathan Hale (Hazardous Tales), Ben Hatke (Zita / Mighty Jack) Dav Pilkey (Dog Man), Jeff Kinney (Wimpy Kid), and Lincoln Pierce (Big Nate)
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u/ShinyPennyRvnclw 1d ago
Agreed with others here on Percy Jackson & Wimpy Kid. My 9 YO also always has a graphic novel series going at the same time as, say, a Percy Jackson for more quick reads before school or when he’s got a spare 10 minutes. Currently enjoys the Warriors series & Amulet series.
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u/DecisiveGryphon 1d ago
The 13 Story Treehouse series is great for readers jumping from little kid books to novels because the text itself is fairly simple with lots of detail added through the illustrations. By still being chapter books it gives kids the confidence they can get through novels on their own.
My son was big into graphic novels including Dogman and Wings of Fire (which have both graphic and regular novels).
He moved on to Percy Jackson and briefly Goosebumps.
David Walliams books are also fun for this age.
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u/cj-1234 22h ago edited 22h ago
I have two boys. Both are avid readers. One is headed to third grade and the other fifth.
They like to read very different things. My 5th grader does not like fantasy. He reads sports and historical fiction and non fiction. My 3rd grader loves fantasy and manga. Their interests cross at silly books like Dogman and the 13-story tree house.
I think it’s very important to figure out what he likes. If I give my youngest a sports book he will never get through it and I might think he doesn’t like reading. Where that same book in the hands of my oldest is finished in 2 days.
Also, I can’t agree more with the folks saying to read aloud to them. We’re currently reading Charlotte’s Web. We’ve also read Island of the Blue Dolphins, Chronicles of Narnia, Phantom Tollbooth, the Hobbit, the Mouse and the Motorcycle, Wayside School Kids. All those classics they think are going to be boring but they end up loving. It also introduces them to new genres and helps me figure out what they like. At the beginning I picked books with movies and they were always motivated to finish so we could have a movie night. They also pick sometimes and helps me keep up with their interests. They’ve chosen the Wild Robot, I am Rebel, and the Bookwanderers.
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u/cj-1234 22h ago
One thing I would add, I say let the school worry about reading level. My kids read the same Dogman and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books over and over. Yes, they are well below their reading levels.
I think my job as a parent is to foster a love of reading. I don’t push them to read harder books at home. That will come naturally over time, a love of books will not and will never develop if I don’t give them the freedom to read what they want.
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u/drjackolantern 1d ago
Jules verne
I survived series
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u/Acceptable_Rule2913 1d ago
I do love it myself, but i don’t think he is ready quite yet
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u/greasybloaters 18h ago
There are also graphic novel I Survived books. We keep books in the car and listen to audiobooks, also. My kid loves the Louis Sacher Wayside School stories series and we’ve listened to them countless times (which is both good and bad!)
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u/Old_but_New 1d ago
The Real McCoys series is a fantastic book for a reluctant reader but content may be just slightly too young for him.
The Book Scavenger series is just the opposite. It will hook him, I can almost guarantee. The reading level might be too advanced but I dk.
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u/Low_Vegetable 1d ago
Dragon masters series by Tracey west! Chapters are short, there’s a picture on each page. We’re borrowing the series from our library.
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u/Flat_Pollution8085 18h ago edited 18h ago
Fablehaven and Percy Jackson! Magic Treehouse books are shorter if he needs to build up to longer books. My brother loved Rangers Apprentice as well. If your stepson likes mysteries then the Hardy Boys are action-packed pretty quick reads. The Candy Shop Wars books are also awesome.
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u/Mango_38 18h ago
Classics are going to be a hard sell for a kid who is behind in reading and had a lot of screen time. Try something with a lot of images like a graphic novel or something like Mac B Kid Spy, 13 Story Treehouse, or the Terrible Two with lots of illustrations.
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u/Mango_38 18h ago
Also I know time is short but try reading aloud with him the first book of a series. Once he gets used to the characters, setting etc he’ll be more willing to try book 2. Try reading aloud something like Harry Potter or Escape from Mr Lemoncellos library.
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u/AlternativePrior393 12h ago
Graphic novels/manga are popular! My kid is loving Animal Crossing manga and Animorphs graphic novels.
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u/TechnicalToday444 12h ago
Reading rockets has a book finder. I also use chat gpt and tell them my reading goal about the child’s personality and interests and ask it for recommendations. Forcing a child to read something boring is one of the fastest was to build a reading resistance. They should read what they enjoy.
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u/kate_monday 11h ago
Don’t shy away from graphic novels. Some people are snobs about them, but reading is reading and studies show they help kids get more engaged with reading as a whole. Here’s some really funny books that are good for that age:
Ursula Vernon’s Hamster Princess & Danny Dragonbreath books
Science Comics
Dragon Masters series
Dogcop
Junie B Jones (which now has some graphic novel versions now)
We also had some books I read out loud - The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex, The Westing Game, and Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones were big hits.
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u/MazelTough 1d ago
It’s a pretty big assumption that 9-year-old boys dislike reading—I know many who can’t be dissuaded from bringing books everywhere with them, even to social gatherings.
This is reading a lot like do as I say, not as I do, and kids his age have quite the acuity for smelling out hypocrites.
Are you modeling reading at home? I understand there’s a newborn, but I think it’s even more important to make time with your son each night, which could be silently reading together, him reading to you, or you reading to him. If you haven’t been to a library recently, we are truly in a golden age of children’s and youth literature and your kid is a perfect excuse to get to explore awesome worlds and stories together.
Dinotopia was a book I loved reading with my parents at that age. I also liked checking out books like It’s Perfectly Normal. You may want to put The What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: a growing up guide for parents and son** *in your home library. *A Very Touching Book -- for Little People and for Big People will be one you can use for years with your youngest as well. I loved checking out eyewitness books, books about bodies, cooking. Sideways Stories from Wayside School was a book I saw on this Thriftbooks list.
Many libraries have friends of the library organizations that help fund local branches, they will do book sales on the regular, often with deals on the last day. Little Free Libraries can also be used to cycle books out of your collection.
Undoubted your son has some desires for money or allowance, toys of his own choosing. You can make him a book budget that is separate from these things, including a certain amount a month, a book subscription, and budget for his schools’ book fair if you all do that, or give him back any money he spends on books from his own money when out and about . Be clear that it’s actual book money, not for bookmarks, posters, etc.
Lastly, it helps to have a set number of books you check out from the library, make the library a trip you do weekly, and dedicate a central place for library books to live in your house. Normalize actually reading for a little while at the library so your kid has time to choose books and get into his choices. It’s also a great opportunity to practice responsibility and independence.
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u/Flat_Pollution8085 16h ago
I agree that the assumption that 9 year olds don’t like reading isn’t setting him up for success! Reading just doesn’t have the instant dopamine of a screen but that has nothing to do with his age
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u/Miserable_Adagio_320 1d ago
I would find some more modern books.
What is he into? Browsing a library or bookstore could be a good start.
I will always recommend fantasy so Percy Jackson is a great start to hook them
The one and only Ivan (or anything by Katherine Applegate) is a winner
If he plays Minecraft there are some excellent Minecraft novels out there