Almost all of Gary Paulson’s books are great for this.

I would avoid Pippi Longstocking and other books that are very much aimed at younger readers since the older readers are already quite sensitive to the fact that they can’t read books for “older kids.”

The entire Animorphs series is good and also great for discussion: eg: If your brother had been taken over by an alien being–and you would rather be dead than be in that state–and he is a danger to your entire family–should you allow him to be “taken out”? (The answer is finally, no, but what a topic for discussion!)

Stick with easy reading sci-fi and the kids won’t feel the author and teacher is talking down to them.

While there is a part of me that agrees with Tim-10-ber regarding social promotion, there are also a lot of studies that show that kids who are held back are much more likely to drop out. If we don’t catch them at a very early age – say before the end of second grade – then retaining kids can backfire. When I first started teaching, my district retained kids in junior high rather than passing them on to high school, and my personal experiences showed that they did not do any better in 9th-grade English the second time around than they did the first. It’s a very difficult and complex issue – especially when we look at the reasons that the kids are behind academically.

I also appreciate Margo/Mom’s concerns about stereotyping. Because the school I work in is 68% minority, and more than half qualify for free and reduced lunch, this is a demographic that I know well. And one of the major lessons that a successful teacher learns is to not judge a book by its cover. And now comes the big “BUT…” Every year, I start out by doing a large unit on learning styles. We don’t just look at modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), we examine brain hemisphericity, group personalities, and multiple intelligences. (It’s a really great way for me to get to know the kids.) I keep this information in my grade book, and use it over the year as I am creating lessons. Of course, not all of my minority boys in need of remediation are kinesthetic learners, but a large number of them are. I have found that if I can just get them hooked; if I can get their interest early on, then they will buy into almost anything I ask them to do. The sad fact is, that most of the kids who end up failing my class are kinesthetic learners. Is that stereotyping? I have all the diagnostic materials I need to find their specific weaknesses, but I refuse to “drill and kill” their interest by just focusing on the exercises that will remediate. I actually want to stimulate their interest in learning.

I read it when I was in school, and I still think it’s a great book.

My son, for instance, is African American, male, been educated in largely low SES schools, and, at the end of the day, has no interest what-so-ever in basketball. Go figure. It has been years since we had a video game in our house. But, I have sat through many sessions with adults trying to “get through” to my son in stereotypical way and walking away with the impressions that he lacks affect and may be retarded. One of his English teachers apologized to me that they “had” to do Shakespeare–he understood how boring it is. On the otherhand, I recall my son explaining to a friend on the phone what a “wet nurse” is. “Didn’t you read Romeo and Juliet?” he asked.

He has generally been regarded as a reluctant reader, and yet, profoundly interested in story. And, a book that deals with a topic in which he is interested can become an obsession.

This is not to reject any of the suggestions offered here–the second topic, presented by Joanne. Certainly there are readers at varying ages who will be drawn to any of them. I recall the category of “high interest, easy reading” being hot for awhile. Certainly a good concept. When I was teaching adult GED classes, I hit upon the technique of reading aloud the first chapter of a book that I had several copies of, and then offering the book to anyone who wanted to take it home and follow up. It worked pretty well–sort of a hook. But, I think that overall, the search for books to engage low-level readers should be as broad as possible–just as with any other level of reader. I would also recommend varying ways to use digital text–which can frequently be enabled to provide supports (read-aloud with or without highlighting, hyperlinks to definitions, click on read-aloud help for discrete words), as well as writing supports that can read back student writing so that they are able to experience their own work.

Maybe some of the students and parents could provide helpful information on their favorite books or reading experiences.

You may find a list of educational resources helpful in locating the kinds of materials you seek.

For information, see:

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/guides/Education/Teaching-Resources.pg_04.html#04

If the students are already behind on reading and writing, how in the heck is wasting time by moving and dancing around going to help them catch up?

Pippi Longstocking (4th grade, maybe).

I think very highly of this the “Graphic History” series from Capstone Press: http://www.capstonepress.com/aspx/pOverview.aspx?TreeGUID=63510784-8d61-48c3-b3af-3b20b7be5ecd

They also do the Max Axiom series, I think.

The Great Brain series of books is good (4th grade-ish).

Chronicles of Narnia series is good (4th grade-ish).

Another series that comes to mind is “Max Axiom, Super Scientist”. They’re written in graphic novel form, but the science content is actually quite good.