7 New Chapter Books to Encourage Reluctant Readers

Time Dogs: Balto and the Race Against Time, by Helen Moss
Animal lovers will adore this new series. Illustrations keep the text easy to follow. And the creative premise (dogs travel back in time! What?!?) makes for fun historical adventures. In the first book, the pack travels to 1925 Alaska, and you KNOW there’s going to be a sled race. When your kids are ready for the next book, the dogs will be waiting with their next adventure, where they meet Lewis and Clark, and of course, their dog Seaman. Yip, yip!

Little Lunch: Triple Threats, by Danny Katz
These bite-sized stories are all about the best part of any student’s day: snack time! It’s only 15 minutes, but each chapter is a full story. Wacky details, silly characters, and a truly kid-friendly take on the world make this breezy series a favorite of new readers. And it’s a great bridge for fans of the TV show who aren’t sure if books can compete with screens.

Fly Guy Presents: Space, by Tedd Arnold
Fly Guy fans won’t notice a little nonfiction content when it’s slipped in with their favorite character. In this book, Buzz and Fly Guy visit a museum and learn about space. Illustrations and photographs combine to make the information easy to follow, while keeping it silly and engaging for young readers. These short chapter books are a great introduction to the genre.

Jada Jones: Dancing Queen, by Kelly Starling Lyons
This earnest series features a lovable girl who’s trying to be the change she wants to see in the world. Jada might not know how to dance, but she’s willing to give it a try to raise money for her community. Purple line art will draw young readers in. A story that pulls at the heartstrings will give them the same proud-glad feeling we feel when we finish a book with a heroine we admire.

Franny K. Stein: Bad Hair Day, by Jim Benton
This popular series is for readers who like their stories weird and a wee bit scary. In the latest book, Franny has a hypothesis. If she was more glamorous, her mom would love her more. So she experiments with glamming up her look—emphasis on experiments. The results are wild and wacky, but also very lovable.

Cool School: Drew Pendous Travels to Ancient Egypt, by Cool School
If your kids are obsessed with YouTube, this crossover series is an easy way to encourage independent reading. These full-color mini graphic novels are all about friendship and adventure. In Drew Pendous Travels to Ancient Egypt, Drew uses his magic pen to draw a time machine and find the Sphinx’s missing nose. In Drew Pendous and the Camp Color War, he saves the world from a black-and-white villainous. Readers will quickly understand why Drew is so stupendous.

There Was an Old Astronaut Who Swallowed the Moon, by Lucille Colandro
This book puts a new spin on the popular the Old Lady series, pairing silly rhymes with facts about outer space. Kids will laugh and learn as they read this full-color book. When they’re done, they can play the search-and-find game at the back of the book. And maybe you can talk them into some stargazing at night!