And more book recommendations, particularly for reluctant readers

Here are some great books for reluctant readers, ages 9 to 12.  With male protagonists, these stories may be particularly appealing to boys. If your kids have already read the usual suspects -- the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series -- then these are good books to keep them reading.

Wonder, by R.J.Pallacio

Transall Saga, by Gary Paulson

Shadow, by  Michael Morpugo

Land of Stories (series), by Chris Colfer

Frindle, by Andrew Clements

Axxis and the Golden Medallion, by Tim Murari

Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld

The City of Ember, by Jeanne Du Prau

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Easier Reads:
And here are some easier reads for reluctant readers. These are great for kids ages 7 to 9, but also work well for older readers who need some easier reading material.

The Sherlock Sam series, by A.J. Loh

All About Sam, series by Lois Lowry

The Year of Billy Miller, by Kevin Henkes

The Chocolate Touch, by Patrick Catling

George and the Big Bang (series), by S. Hawking

I would also encourage kids to read non-fiction. If your child is not wild about fiction, find him/her some books about a subject that he/she is very interested in -- this could be anything from a book about great white sharks to Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography. The ideas is just to get your kids reading, one way or another!