Best Books for Reluctant Readers

There will always be some students that are revolted by the prospect of reading, and reluctant readers certainly have their reasons. Perhaps they haven’t found a book, author, or genre yet that they like, and they don’t know where to begin. Maybe they would prefer to occupy their time with different forms of media or more kinesthetic activities. Or they could find reading boring — not long after they start reading, they lose track of their place, get annoyed by having to reread difficult passages, or tune out when the author goes on and on about seemingly insignificant details. They could have been “forced” to read books in middle school that they didn’t enjoy, either because the books weren’t interesting, relevant, or accessible.

Here’s the thing — all of these reasons are valid. It can be physically and mentally challenging to decode a text that may be full of difficult vocabulary, unfamiliar cultural references, background or historical knowledge, and more. It can be emotionally straining to tackle controversial or sensitive topics. Additionally, teachers who engage students in reading through whole-class novels alone (as opposed to including independent reading or smaller book club groups) risk isolating and turning readers off. At some point between elementary school and high school, many students fall out of love with reading, an act that used to involve play and imagination and risk and creativity and fun. Add in multiple-choice exams and reading timelines and annotations and the magic is understandably less apparent.

The more a student can find and read books that are enjoyable and meaningful, the more confident they will become in identifying books they think they will like. We hope these books for middle schoolers are catalysts for students and their families, who might benefit from venturing outside of the traditional canon and experimenting with new ways of fostering a love of reading with reluctant readers.

1. Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie. Fast-paced, action-packed, and full of themes that teens are grappling with in the present, dystopian novels tend to be a popular genre with reluctant readers. In this dystopian setting ‘the Society’ makes choices for its citizens: what to read, what to watch, what to believe, and the person with whom they’re most compatible. When Cassia witnesses a glitch in her matching ceremony, she becomes determined to find out what is going on.

2. Maze Runner Series by James Dashner. Readers get hooked with Maze Runner, a dystopian novel where a teenage boy named Thomas wakes up in a strange place with unfamiliar boys, and a towering maze full of deadly predators. The only want to get out is through the maze, but no one has ever made it out alive. Readers will quickly become hooked to the engaging plot — thank goodness there’s a series.

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Books 1-4) by Jeff Kinney. If you ask a group of high school students who don’t like to read what books they enjoyed in middle school, it’s likely that Diary of a Wimpy Kid will come up. Greg is an extremely relatable protagonist attending middle school and dealing with bullies, hormones, puberty, and social dynamics. The novel features funny drawings on each page, making it an accessible selection for students who are intimidated by longer prose novels.

4. This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. Many reluctant readers enjoy books with multiple narrators — especially unreliable ones. This is Where It Ends is set in the middle of a school shooting and is told from multiple perspectives over the span of 54 minutes. While there’s no happy ending, students will be captivated by this gripping, emotionally charged selection.

5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Eleanor and Park are two 16-year-old misfits who meet on a school bus. Brought together by a bullying incident, they begin to connect through their mutual interests. As they grow closer, Eleanor fears that Park will realize what she deals with at home. Readers will enjoy getting to know these well-developed characters and following what happens to Eleanor after Park attempts to rescue her from her abusive home situation.

6. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Natasha and Daniel are two teenagers living in New York City who meet on the day Natasha finds out her family is being deported. Daniel is additionally struggling to meet the rigid and high expectations of his parents. In this case, opposites attract, but how can they stop Natasha’s family from being deported to Jamaica, where Natasha has never stepped foot?

7. Restart by Gordon Korman. Ever since Chase fell off the roof, odd things are happening. His memory is wiped out. He can’t even remember his own name, at first. People at his school start to treat him differently upon his return, and Chase sets out to discover who he was before the fall, and who he wants to be now that he has a second chance.

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services