FF - Books for Reluctant Readers

I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about what makes readers and how to create readers.  It saddens me tremendously when I hear my kids MOAN and GROAN about having to READ yet ANOTHER BOOK.  (Part of me wants to point out that I do teach English, what'd they expect?!  But, for the most part, I hold my tongue). So, I perused through my previous postings under "middle grades" and "young adults" to find five books that I could recommend to those that run for the hills when they hear the word b-o-o-k... BOO!

No really, he's my BOO Bear

1. Touching Spirt Bear - Ya'll this is such an amazing freakin' read.  I teach it every year and all of my students dig it.  And let me tell you what, it is hard to find books that both 7th grade boys AND girls dig.  Delinquent Kid who gets into one to many fights goes through a Native American judicial process called "Circle Justice".  Delinquent Kid gets shipped off to remote area in Alaska to live off of nature for a year and learn about himself.  And, you know, change his ways... #redemption

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kids - Come on peeps, you would have to be living under a rock to not know about our lovable protagonist, Greg.  He went through major hardships and growth spurts and battles with his brother and HE TOUCHED THE CHEESE.  Plus, this series is not so wimpy in its series-ness.  The drawings are hysterical (I am quite the fan of the stick figure drawings...) and it's a total LOL experience. #middleschoolantics

3. Schooled - I have to admit that I haven't read anything else by Gordon Korman because I'm terribly afraid that all of his brilliance went into THIS BOOK.  Hippie lovin' granny raises kiddo on a commune that only consists of the two of them until she falls and breaks something.  Hippie kid must now brave the hallways of school and general population.  Sure they look upon him strangely when he does his yoga exercises before classes and wear his tye-dyed clothes.  But heck if there isn't a lesson to be learned here for us all.  #warmfuzzies

4.  Thicker Than Water - Okay...prepare yourself...I'm going to say the V-word.  This book is about Vampires.  I'll wait for you to stop rolling your eyes.  This book will get all of the girls.  Goth chick living with parent issues and sickness issues starts hanging out in underground clubs and begins dating a vamp.  But there's a catch.  And it's a huge GINORMOUS one that makes this novel much more enjoyable right when you get to that last page.  #realitybites

5.  Football Hero - This is a new read for me, as in I read it this year and I'm not a huge football fan.  But it was still good plain fun.  The sports fans are going to love the athletic aspect and everyone else will be rooting for our protagonist, the underdog.  Oh, plus, evil Fake Parents and the Mafia almost always intrigues twelve year olds.  #touchdown

So, I'm curious....you tell me what you would add to this list.  


[1]So I might have gone a wee bit CAP-overbored. I can't help it.  I'm #bi-winning right now man!
[2] Oh yeah, I so just through out a Charlie Sheenism.