5 short books that turn an 'I hate reading' kid into a bookworm

The trick with a reluctant reader isn't a longer book — it's a shorter one they can't stop. These five are quick, gripping, and the gateway to loving books. Teachers swear by them.

Best for grades 2–6 · all 200 pages or fewer.

1. 
   1Stone Fox

   by John Reynolds Gardiner · Grades 3th–5th · 96 pages · 1980

   96 pages. A boy, a dog, a sled race to save the farm. They'll finish it crying — and ask for the next one.

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2. 
   2I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912

   by Lauren Tarshis · Grades 2th–5th · 112 pages · 2010

   112 pages of pure survival. The series that hooks 'I-don't-read' kids for life.

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3. 
   3The Hundred Dresses

   by Eleanor Estes · Grades 3th–5th · 80 pages · 1944

   80 pages on bullying and regret that land harder than books four times the size.

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4. 
   4Sarah, Plain and Tall

   by Patricia MacLachlan · Grades 3th–5th · 58 pages · 1985

   58 pages. Won the Newbery Medal. Finished in a single sitting.

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5. 
   5The Mouse and the Motorcycle

   by Beverly Cleary · Grades 2th–4th · 192 pages · 1965

   A mouse, a toy motorcycle, and pure fun. The gateway to a lifelong reader.

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