Kids: Reluctant readers

If your tamariki haven't caught the reading bug yet, the books on this list may pique their interest! Here you'll find books that are funny, large text, pictures, cartoons, and maybe something short and sweet.

Updated July 28, 2025
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Madeline
Bemelmans, Ludwig
Paper Book
"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines the smallest one was Madeline." Nothing frightens Madeline-not tigers, not even mice. With its endearing,...
Ted rules the world
Cottrell Boyce, Frank
Paper Book
Hilarious spot-on comedy from the award winning and bestselling Frank Cottrell Boyce.
The snake who came to stay
Donaldson, Julia
Paper Book
Polly has set up a pets' holiday home for the summer and with a house full of greedy guinea pigs, pesky parrots and slithering snakes, mum is getting more fed up by the day Especially when Doris the snake goes missing. Can Polly find Doris before the snake finds the guinea pigs?
Super sub
Gibbons, Alan; Shephard, David
Paper Book
Bengo is the best player Smithy's ever seen, so why is he always left on the bench? An action-packed football story accompanied by fascinating facts and historical detail about famous substitutes. New boy Smithy can't understand why everyone is so excited about a player on...
The 13-storey treehouse
Griffiths, Andy
Paper Book
Andy and Terry live in a treehouse. But it's not just any old treehouse, it's the most amazing treehouse in the world! This treehouse has thirteen stories, a bowling alley, a see-through swimming pool, a secret underground laboratory, and a marshmallow machine that follows you around...
The worst witch
Murphy, Jill
Paper Book
Catch up on Mildred Hubble's magical adventures at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches with these reissued editions featuring energetic new covers. Mildred Hubble is starting her first year at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches -- and making a mess of it! She can't ride her...
Big Nate : in a class by himself
Peirce, Lincoln.
Paper Book
Now an animated series from Paramount + & Nickelodeon! For fans of the hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid series: Get ready to meet Big Nate! In the very first novel in the New York Times bestselling series, Big Nate is in a class by himself! Nate knows he's meant for big...
Sideways stories from Wayside School
Sachar, Louis
Paper Book
Meet the delightfully eccentric and unusually gifted pupils of Wayside School in this instalment of the brilliantly quirky Wayside School series - from Louis Sachar, author of the bestselling novel Holes As recommended on Radio 4 Kids Book Club, August 2024 ...
Horrid Henry
Simon, Francesca.
Paper Book
Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 to 5 Horrid Henry is the very first collection of stories about the master of mischief (and the funniest kid in the universe) including: Horrid Henry is dragged to dance class. Horrid Henry competes with Moody Margaret to make the...
The invasion of Crooked Oak
Smith, Dan; King, Chris
Paper Book
Stranger Things meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers in this thrilling sci-fi adventure with an ecological twist. Something sinister is happening in Crooked Oak ... Ever since the fracking site closed, Nancy's parents have been acting weird. Their eyes are blank, they...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.