The question I get asked the most often is — can you recommend something my 5, 6, 7-year-old boy will actually want to read?
It’s a tough age, for both boys and girls, because they’re used to being read to and frequently haven’t quite gotten into the habit of reading on their own. Or they want to read, but get frustrated because the material that interests them is too difficult for their reading level.
Here are three different series, each of which has lots of books in the series so if he likes it you can get more. I’ve included a sample page from each series so you can gauge for yourself if the reading level is appropriate for your little man.
The Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold is adorable fun with quirky cartoons and zany plots that keeps kids reading and laughing. In the first book we meet a boy who goes out searching for a smart animal to take to The Amazing Pet Show and bumps into a fly that is intelligent enough to say the child’s name, Buzz. Although his parents and the judges feel at first that a fly is only a pest, not a pet, the insect puts on a performance that astounds them all and wins an award.
Got a little superhero at home? 
It doesn’t matter if his favorite crime-fighter is Superman, Batman, Spiderman or even, gulp, Wonder Woman, there are tons of these “I Can Read” books in which good always defeats evil. This series will have them reading without even knowing that it’s good for them.
The P.J. Funnybunny series is a very sweet series that deals with problems that feel relatable to kids. For example, in this book P.J. thinks that camping is not for girls. At least, that’s
what P.J. and his pals tell Donna and sister Honey Bunny when they want to tag along on a camping trip. But when two mysterious ghosts frighten the boys all the way home, only the girls know the real story.
Next time, I’ll tackle the same topic except we’ll switch genders and talk about girls as emerging readers.
The Book Mama 