Have you seen the headlines? Boys aren’t reading. Again.
Still?
It seems as though the topic of boys and reading flares up in a media tsunami every couple of years and then subsides, and 2025 has definitely been one of those years. In fact, in 2025, we’re focused not just on the fact that boys aren’t reading, but the fact that the men in their lives aren’t reading either.
New research shows more support needed to get parents reading with children (Australia Reads)
Australians, especially men, are reading less than ever before (ABC)
Have men really stopped reading? We take a deeper dive into the data (The Guardian)
In episode 222 of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast, Megan Daley and I invited Dr Justin Coulson and author Matt Stanton in for a discussion about boys and reading. Why they’re not reading. What the effects of that are on their literacy levels (hint: not good). How we can encourage boys to read more.
The episode comes with the caveat that while recent research reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics discovered that only around 10 per cent of Gen Z boys participated in ‘reading for pleasure’, it also found that only 13.1 per cent of girls did the same.
So the decline in reading is not just a ‘boy’ problem, and the wider discourse on kids and reading is something that Megan and I dive into every single week on the podcast.
But.
It feels different this time
Somehow, in the light of world events and consistent messaging around the effects of a steady diet of social media and screens on boys, this time those stats around boys and reading feel different.
Hence our decision to have that discussion on the podcast.
Of course, understanding some of the ‘why’ boys aren’t reading and getting some advice on ‘how’ to encourage it is only part of the equation.
Knowing which books to give them is the key.
How do you find the book that might make a kid who doesn’t identify as a ‘reader’ change his mind?
How do you make sure you have the ‘next’ book on hand for a kid who might have begun the journey?
To help, I asked the 38,000 members of the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community to tell me about the books their boys – of all ages – have read and loved this year. Tried-and-tested books.
And then I compiled a list to help you figure out what might work for your young reader. As you work through it, keep two things in mind:
• Understand your young reader.
Not all eight-year-old boys are alike – what does your particular young reader like to do? What level are they comfortable reading at (you’ll note some books appear in two different age groups for this reason)? Which books have they enjoyed in the past?
• Don’t be afraid to try something different.
If you’re not sure, head to your nearest library and borrow a selection of books to try out. The great thing about many of these recommendations is that they are series – which makes it easier to keep going if he loves the first one.
This list consists of recommendations from Your Kid’s Next Read members. Click the link to find out more about the title and its suitability for your young reader.*
125 books that boys are reading right now
5+
Ebb and Flo (series) by Laura + Philip Bunting
The Bad Guys (series) by Aaron Blabey
Minecraft (Young readers series)
Rainbow Magic Fairy (series) by Daisy Meadows and Georgie Ripper
Frog Squad (series) by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Shiloh Gordon
Shower Land (series) by Nat Amoore, illustrated by James Hart
Zoe’s Rescue Zoo (series) by Amelia Cobb, illustrated by Sophy Williams
Detective Beans (graphic novel series) by Li Chen
The Super Adventures of Ollie and Bea (graphic novel series) by Renee Treml
7+
Fluff (series) by Matt Stanton
Little Lunch (series) by Danny Katz and Mitch Vane
Bunny vs Monkey (series) by Jamie Smart
Showerland (series) by Nat Amoore, illustrated by James Hart
Specky Magee (series) by Felice Arena and Garry Lyon
The Bad Guys (series) by Aaron Blabey
Frog Squad (series) by Kate and Jol Temple, illustrated by Shiloh Gordon
Animorphs (graphic novel series) by Chris Grine and K. A. Applegate
Wings of Fire (series and graphic novel series) by Tui Sutherland
‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’ by Kate DiCamillo
‘The Enormous Crocodile’ by Roald Dahl
The Oddmire (series) by William Ritter
8+
The Worst Week Ever (series) by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove
Zombie Diaries (series) by Guy Edmonds, Matt Zeremes, Jake A. Minton
Funny Kid (series) by Matt Stanton
Tom Gates (series) by Liz Pichon
Bravepaw (series) by L.M. Wilkinson, illustrated by Lavanya Naidu
Max and the Midknights (series) by Lincoln Pierce
Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling
Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C. S. Lewis
The Wingfeather Saga (series) by Andrew Peterson
‘Mr Bambuckles Remarkables’ by Tim Harris
The Last Kids on Earth (series) by Max Brallier and Douglas Holgate
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series) by Jeff Kinney
Zoo Crew (series) by Matt Zeremes, Guy Edmonds, Peter Popple
Cowboy and Birdbrain (series) by Adam Wallace and James Hart
‘The Remarkables’ by Clotilde Perrin
Dog Man (series) by Dav Pilkey
Frog, Log & Dave (graphic novel series) by Trent Jamieson and Brent Wilson
Ducky The Spy (graphic novel series) by Sean E. Avery
Animal Ark (series) by Lucy Daniels
‘The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Peculiar Pairs In Nature’ by Sami Bayly
‘Creature Clinic: A Graphic Novel’ by Gavin Aung Than
Horrible Histories (series) by Terry Deary and Martin Brown
Terrible True Tales (series) by Terry Deary
9+
Nerd Herd (series) by Nathan Luff and Chris Kennett
Nanny Piggins (series) by R. A. Spratt
The Naughtiest Girl (series) by Enid Blyton
Impossible Creatures (series) by Katherine Rundell
‘The Midwatch’ by Judith Rossell
Specky Magee (series) by Felice Arena and Garry Lyons
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series) by Jeff Kinney
The Girl and The Ghost (series) by Jacqueline Harvey
The Famous Five (series) by Enid Blyton
How to Train Your Dragon (series) by Cressida Cowell
‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’ by Brian Selznick
‘Super Sleuth’ by David Walliams
Exploding Endings (series) by Tim Harris
Garfield (series) by Jim Davis
Skulduggery Pleasant (series) by Derek Landy
10+
City Spies (series) by James Ponti
‘We RunTomorrow’ by Nat Amoore and Mike Barry
The Land of Stories (series) by Chris Colfer
Skulduggery Pleasant (series) by Derek Landy
Magicalia (series) by Jennifer Bell
‘Two Wolves’ by Tristan Bancks
Keeper of the Lost Cities (series) by Shannon Messenger
Deltora Quest (series) by Emily Rodda
The Mapmaker Chronicles (series) by A. L. Tait
Rowan of Rin (series) by Emily Rodda
‘The Christmas Pig’ by J. K. Rowling
‘Small Wonder’ by Ross Montgomery
I Survived (series), various authors, various formats
The Ranger’s Apprentice (series) by John Flanagan
Brotherband (series) by John Flanagan
Football Superstars (series) by Simon Mugford and Dan Green
The Crossover (series) by Kwame Alexander
Alex Rider (series) by Anthony Horowitz
Once (series) by Morris Gleitzman
‘We Are Wolves’ by Katrina Nannestad
Adventures in Time (series) by Dominic Sandbrook
Manga: Jujutsu Kaisen (series) by Gege Akutami
Manga: Naruto (series) by Masashi Kishimoto
Eragon (series) by Christopher Paolini
Manga: One Piece (series) by Elichiro Oda
Adventure Collection (series) by Enid Blyton
12+
‘The Locked Room’ by Adam Cece
Asterix (series) by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Peanuts (series) by Charles M. Schultz
Calvin and Hobbes (series)
Villain (series) by Adrian Beck
‘Refugee’ by Alan Gratz (and other Alan Gratz books)
CHERUB (series) by Robert Muchamore
Spy Academy (series) by Jack Heath
‘Inked’ by Karen Wasson and Jake A. Minton
‘Ghosts’ by Raina Telgemeir (and other Raina Telgemeir graphic novels)
‘Chicken Pox’ by Remy Lai (and other Remy Lai graphic novels)
Alex Rider (graphic novel series) by Anthony Horowitz, Antony Johnson, Kanako, Yuzuru
Sunderworld (series) by Ransom Riggs
Loki (series) by Louie Stowell
Elston-Fright Tales (series) by Reece Carter
The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins
‘The Girl With All The Gifts’ by M. R. Carey
‘Rescue’ by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Adventures On Trains (series) by M. G. Leonard, Sam Sedgman, Elisa Paganelli
Young Bond (series) by Charlie Higson
Lockwood and Co (series) by Jonathan Stroud
Thedore Boone (series) by John Grisham
Tomorrow (series) by John Marsden
The Maze Runner (series) by James Dashner
Skyward (series) by Brandon Sanderson
14+
‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens
‘The Hobbit’ by J. R. R. Tolkien
Red Rising (series) by Pierce Brown
Dungeon Crawler Carl (series) by Matt Dinniman
He Who Fights With Monsters (series) by Shirtaloon
Dune (graphic novel series) by Brian Herbert
‘The Happiest Man on Earth’ by Eddie Jaku
*This post contains affiliate links. See contact page for details.
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YKNR Fave Reads 2024: Young Adult
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog!
I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of 11 middle-grade novels, including adventure fantasy series such as The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries, and contemporary stories including THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE, WILLOW BRIGHT’S SECRET PLOT and DANGER ROAD.
You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and sign up for the Your Kid’s Next Read newsletter.
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