Great for reluctant readers!
936936
My nine year old is what I would describe as a "sometimes struggling,but always reluctant" reader and I am always on the look out for exciting reading material for him. I've purchased loads of reading material, taken many trips to the bookstore, library, etc. and have never found anything that he really loved. Well, these are perfect for him as an animal lover! They are a short read for him, but a thoroughly enjoyable read. We have since acquired quite a few of the books in this collection and this is the one series that he asks for and that he is willing to read over and over. I definitely recommend these if you have a child who is an animal lover. The storyline is engaging and educational and the images are visually appealing. Great little read for struggling/reluctant readers.
3205057
This is a fun book, my son who is a pretty reluctant reader enjoyed it a lot.  If you have a little boy who isn't crazy about reading but likes monsters and gross stuff, this is a good choice.
3760421
This is a quality title that is accessible for reluctant readers. The premise will capture their interest and the fast-paced action will hold their attention.  It may not be a Printz contender, but it's well-written, engaging and definitely serves a purpose. I'd highly recommend it for teen readers.
3131666
I am always trying to find books for my reluctant reader 9 year old.  I found this book (actually the first in the series) on a list of "best books" created by kids.  It is a winner! The level is good for 2nd to 4th grade.
483229
My nine year old is a "reluctant" reader.  I've bribed and cajoled him into reading his allotment that his teachers have asked.  His reading picked up with A Diary of a Wimpy Kid and a few Star Wars books this year. However, it wasn't until the first of these books that he actually carried his book with him everywhere.  He talks about the characters and the plot.  It's fabulous!  I'm online to get the next book as he's on page 200!
818258
My 6 yr old daughter is in the 1st grade and absolutely LOVES these stories!  These are the first books we've read that are mostly words with only a few pictures.  She started reading on her own fairly early in kindergarten and had begun complaining that reading was boring.  I wanted to find something with an age appropriate topic that was more detailed than your typical children's early readers.  At first I was worried that it was going to be too big of a change but clearly that was not the case.  The format of the books and relative shortness of each section/chapter are perfect for her.  If I sit with her, she will usually ask me to read to her as she is relatively slow with reading these on her own.  She also will not take the time to sound out words or figure out words from context when she can ask me to tell her.  However, as we read before bed, I often have a lot to do to help her younger sister.  While I am busy, she will sit on her own and look through a few pages.  It is clear she's started to read the next section as she already knows what it's about and is asking questions to better understand what she read.  She is so excited there are more books in the series and I'm glad to see her enjoying reading again!
4245057
I bought set 2A, 2B and 3A.  I used them with my first grade son (who is not a super strong reader) to practice reading over the summer and try to at least avoid the 'summer slide'.  It is hard to get my son's interest when we use these types of readers that are set up to teach certain phonetic lessons, as the stories can sometimes be quite boring.  I felt these were interesting enough that he was reading to me and wanting to hear the story as opposed to just sounding out word by word to get it done.  I was very pleasantly surprised and plan to buy another set to keep up the extra practice.  Oh...I also LOVED that we got it on the kindle app for iPad because we always have my iPad, so any time we had 10 minutes I was able to convince him to read to me and get it over with (as I said he is not strong so sometimes can be painful for him to try reading), and allow him to play an iPad game after as a reward
2665392
This book is very well written and will entice reluctant readers. Children will love the references to underwear and "sleeping bare".
2200366
My kids love this!  The illustrations were really neat and the storyline compelling.  The kids who enjoy gothic writing will love this.  This is a great way to get reluctant readers involved in literature.
2172894
I teach first graders and use this book in reading groups. I've been pleased because boys who usually seem to dislike reading tell me they like this book and that it's funny. Gotta love when reluctant readers get excited about a story! It's about a big pig digging a small pool the hard way and a small pig digging a big pool. This book is level D (end of kindergarten, beginning of first grade). It is short, but it's less intimidating for students who find reading stressful.
1333855
As a teacher at an alternative program, I enjoy finding books that might appeal to my students to get them to read!  This book is absolutely perfect.  Heres why!  First, the book is a quick read, it is set up with fun text and written as a bunch of poems.  Nearly each page is poem that tells the story in a sequence.  Second, the poems are very short-perfect for students who don't want to read and see a bunch of words on a page and refuse to think they might be interested.  A student could read one poem and think, wow, what are they talking about and continue on.  Next, the book is about basketball, girls, a famous basketball dad, family and a few topics Ill let the readers be surprised with.  These topics are what I hear kids talk about every day, so this is perfect appeal to reluctant readers.  Lastly, I feel as though if kids like this they will read it and finish quickly because although the book looks long, the series of poems are easy and quick to read.  But students will only hold the medium sized book and say, I read that! and ultimately be proud!  This, is pure genius!
2058763
I got this book because I intuited that my students would enjoy it. They took to it like ducks to water; as reluctant readers, I was pleasantly surprised. Monster speaks to issues which concern many urban youth. The vocabulary is not challenging, except parts of courtroom dialogue, which many children know from television. The narrator, who narrates between journal entries and a film script he is composing of his trial, is a relatable, yet not transparent character. I would heartily recommend it for 7th-10th grade, as high-interest reading.
3222146
When my son started reading this at school, I decided to encourage him by reading the book as soon as he was done. I loved it! He couldn't read fast enough for me to be able to read the next book in the series, so I borrowed a second set from the library. The story is interesting enough to keep the attention of adults but the plot is simple enough for kids to follow. Even my 4th grade daughter got into the series! Fast paced and exciting! Highly recommend all the books in the series!
3214083
My thirteen year old loves these books and looks at them for hours. It's good for readers and to rope in reluctant readers. It has a lot of interesting and unusual facts with plenty of pictures.
1106202
I just finished reading this aloud to my children and we all declared this is a keeper!  My kids range in age from 8 to 14, and each of them enjoyed it.  Richard Peck is one of our favorite authors, and this sweet little story reminds me of some of his books.  Kids who like to read will love this, but so will reluctant readers.  Do them a favor and curl up with them over this book.  Grandpa, Trille and Lena's adventures will win over even a video-game hardened heart with a dull imagination!  Looking forward to more from this author.
2486536
My reluctant reader loved it. It was a bit above her reading level and probably better for 5th grade readers but she loved reading about something she knows. We partnered read this book and it was the first book she actually followed along without losing her place.

Great for Minecraft lovers. Full of action just like they like it
4795354
My 11-year-old reluctant reader can read at grade level, but hates to, and his comprehension isn't always great due to some language processing delays. These books are the only ones he'll willingly read. His comprehension is fantastic with these, and there are PLENTY of opportunities to expand vocabulary. He reads aloud to me so I know whether he's "getting it." We pause often to check comprehension and to be certain he is following the sometimes fast-paced action (fast-paced for elementary school), and he nearly always can follow it. There is danger, adventure, and a dose of learning about people, geography, and science skillfully woven in so that he doesn't even know he's learning. These books really should be getting way more attention in the US than they are. And don't worry, there aren't a lot of UK spellings to confuse early readers (at least not in the 2 we've read so far). In fact, I'm pretty sure there aren't any. Perhaps these are US editions. Either way, they are fun for action-driven kids. There are lots of gadgets, a gadget guide, maps, and engaging plots. One library website lists this as Lexile score 750. I would love to find more info on reading level for all the books in the series. There are challenging words and phrasing - enough to make it educational, but not so much that it feels like work (else my son would be reluctant to read it). The books are a non-intimidating length, but still chapter books. The chapters run from 4 pages to 9; also not intimidating. I highly recommend these, and hope they sell well so that they will stay in the market long enough for us to get through them all!