Maybe they’ve tried various times to get into reading without success, or perhaps they’re so convinced that reading isn’t for them that they’ve yet to properly give it a go!
While of course literature isn’t for absolutely everyone, here at Listening Books we have seen time and time and again that audiobooks can make reading enjoyable for those who never would have considered themselves bookworms before trying audio. That’s why we know first-hand that sometimes all it takes to conquer an old issue is to approach it from a new angle!
With that in mind, we’ve compiled some lists of creative book ideas for kids who don’t like reading! Read on for buckets of brilliant titles that we’re sure will get the young folks in your life hooked on a good book.
The following book suggestions include both children’s and young adult titles. Please make sure that any book you recommend or give to a young person is appropriate for their age!
If you have a kid or teen in your life who enjoys films and TV shows, but is not so sure about reading, why not introduce them to books featuring stories they already know and love from the screen? The familiarity of the characters and plot is likely to pique their interest, while making them more comfortable with exploring stories through a different medium.
Young minds are constantly hungry for knowledge, and some kids actually prefer to read non-fiction! If a young person in your life has a hobby or special interest, introduce them to a book that feeds them facts in a fun way - here are some of our favourite educational titles for young people.
Who Are Refugees and Migrants? What Makes People Leave Their Homes? and Other Big Questions
Author: Michael Rosen, Annemarie Young
What Is Race? Who Are Racists? Why Does Skin Colour Matter? and Other Big Questions
Author: Nikesh Shukla, Claire Heuchan
Young people are much less likely to enjoy reading if books don’t reflect their lived experiences in some way. If you know a child or teen who belongs to a group that is frequently underrepresented in literature, introducing them to books featuring characters and experiences with which they can identify could open up a world of reading that had previously seemed closed off to them.
Author: Nicola Yoon, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nic Stone, Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson
A bit of mindfulness is good for all of us! Modern life is incredibly stressful, and an increasing number of young people of all ages are experiencing high levels of anxiety. If a child or teen you know sees no point in enjoying books for fact or fiction, they may still find them to be a useful tool for de-stressing and learning healthy ways to process worries. Studies have shown that audio is especially helpful for this - being read to has a calming effect that children can find very soothing.
For some young folks, reading or listening to stories is boring because the constant stream of words can get quite monotonous. That’s where audiobooks with music, sound effects and full casts come in! A more diverse soundscape brings a story to life, in a similar but more immersive way to books with lots of illustrations - children can experience a story unfolding around them as if they are in the room with the characters.
We would listen to an audiobook of an oven user manual if Stephen Fry were narrating it! By the same logic, we figured that kids and teens may be more interested in a book if it’s being read to them by a voice they know and love. Here’s a list of some of our favourite audiobooks with famous narrators.
