Books for Reluctant Readers: "I Like That They Are Just Like Me."

 

"I Like That They Are Just Like Me." What Reluctant Readers Actually Want (And Why Nobody's Listening)

"I like that they are just like me."

Eight words. Said quietly by a boy at a school visit who had just finished The Viking's Apprentice. He wasn't talking to the class. He wasn't putting his hand up. He said it to his teacher, almost as an aside, while the other children were queuing to get their books signed.

I've been visiting schools for thirteen years. I've spoken to over 2000 children about books and reading and stories. And in all that time, no child has ever said to me, "I loved how the main character was a chosen one with magical powers who could fly." Not once.

What they say over and over, in different words but always the same message, is this: I liked that the characters felt like me.

That one sentence tells you almost everything you need to know about why some children won't read and what it takes to change that.

 

The Characters Don't Feel Like Them

The number one thing reluctant readers aged 8–12 tell me they want from a book is a main character who feels like them

When a reluctant reader picks up a book and the main character is already special, already gifted, already destined for greatness something switches off. They can't see themselves in that story. It doesn't belong to them.

Peter, George and Charlotte aren't like that. They're normal kids with normal lives. They have a family. They have a dog. They want to go on adventures with their friends. They didn't count on the adventure being quite so big, but that's the point. When they're thrown into an extraordinary situation, it's their ordinary qualities that save them. Courage. Teamwork. The strength of friendship. No superpowers. No magic wands. Just three children discovering what they're capable of when it matters most.

That's why reluctant readers stay with them. Because when a child sees a character just like them doing extraordinary things, fighting trolls, facing down witches, even taking on dragons, they don't just read it. They feel it. They put themselves in Peter's shoes. They imagine themselves alongside Charlotte. They think, "If they can do that, maybe I could too."

That's not a small thing. For a child who has been told they're not a reader, who has sat through book after book that felt like it was written for someone else, that moment of recognition is everything. It's the door opening.

Even Jake the dog matters more than you might think. I used to take Meg, my late Jack Russell, the real-life Jake, on my school visits, and the effect is immediate. Children who won't make eye contact will crawl across the floor to say hello to a dog. Jake does the same thing on the page. He's one more anchor. One more thing that makes a reluctant reader think, "This story is about someone like me."

 

"It's Boring by Page Three"

The second thing reluctant readers tell me, just as consistently, is that books are too long and too slow to hold their attention.

But here's the thing, relatable characters alone aren't enough. Because the second thing reluctant readers tell me, just as consistently, is that books are too long and too slow.

I hear versions of this at almost every school visit. "It takes ages before anything happens." "There are too many pages." "I got bored and stopped." These aren't complaints from lazy children. They're honest feedback from children who live in a world of fast cuts, instant rewards and constant stimulation. A book that takes fifty pages to get going has already lost them by page five.

This is why pace matters as much as character. Short chapters. Cliff-hangers that make it physically difficult to stop reading. Action that starts early and doesn't let up. A reluctant reader needs to feel like the story is pulling them forward, not asking them to wait.

I wrote The Viking's Apprentice with both of these things working together. Characters who feel familiar and a pace that never lets them go. Every chapter ends on a moment that makes a child think, "Just one more." And "just one more" is how reluctant readers become readers.

 

It's not the child, it's the book. 

This is the part I wish every parent and teacher could hear. When a child says a book is boring, the problem is almost never the child, it's the book

When a child says a book is boring, we tend to hear a problem with the child. They're not focused enough. They don't have enough patience. They'd rather be on a screen. But when I listen to what reluctant readers tell me, and I've been listening for thirteen years, I hear something very different. I hear children describing exactly what they need and nobody giving it to them.

They need characters who feel like them. Normal children in extraordinary situations, discovering their own courage and strength.

They need stories that move. Fast paced, short chapters, constant stakes, a reason to turn every single page.

They need to feel like the story was written for them, not at them.

That boy at the school visit wasn't telling me something unique. He was telling me what thousands of reluctant readers already know. They don't hate books. They just haven't found the right one yet.

And when they do? They don't just read it. They live in it.

 

If your child is waiting for the right door to open, the free Viking Quest Kit is a good place to start. No reading targets. No pressure. Just a map to explore, an exclusive short story, colouring sheets and the first chapter of The Viking's Apprentice, waiting quietly until they're ready.

Download the Free Viking Quest Kit

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Reluctant Readers

Q: What do reluctant readers actually want from a book?

After thirteen years of school visits, the two things I hear most from reluctant readers are that they want characters who feel like them, ordinary children, not superheroes, and stories that move quickly with short chapters and constant cliffhangers. When both of those things are present, reluctant readers engage.

Q: Why does my child say books are boring?

In most cases, the child isn't the problem, the book is. Children today are used to fast-paced digital content, and a book that takes fifty pages to get going simply cannot compete. Reluctant readers need stories that hook them from page one and never let go. Short chapters, high stakes and characters they can see themselves in make an enormous difference.

Q: What makes The Viking's Apprentice good for reluctant readers?

The Viking's Apprentice was designed from the ground up for reluctant readers aged 8–12. The main characters, Peter, George and Charlotte, are ordinary children thrown into an extraordinary adventure. There are no superpowers, just courage, teamwork and friendship. Combined with short punchy chapters, constant cliffhangers and a pace that competes with screen time, it gives reluctant readers the two things they ask for most: characters like them and a story that moves.

Q: How do I get my reluctant reader to start without pressure?

Remove the pressure entirely. Instead of setting reading targets, put the right story in their path and step back. The free Viking Quest Kit was designed as a no-pressure entry point, a map to explore, a short story to discover and the first chapter of The Viking's Apprentice. Let your child find their own way in, in their own time.

Q: Are reluctant readers just lazy or not interested in reading?

"No. After thirteen years of working with reluctant readers aged 8–12, the pattern is clear, children who refuse to read are almost always children who haven't been given the right book. When they find a story with characters who feel like them and a pace that competes with screen time, they read. The issue is never the child."