Magic Marks the Spot (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates Series #1) by Caroline Carlson

 The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates, Magic Marks the Spot By Caroline Carlson

Target Audience; Boys and Girls 8 - 12yoa

Summary:Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.

There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.
But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.
Written with uproarious wit and an inviting storyteller tone, the first book in Caroline Carlson's quirky seafaring series is a piratical tale like no other.

Pirates! Magic! Treasure! A gargoyle? Caroline Carlson's hilarious tween novel The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #1: Magic Marks the Spot is the perfect combination of action, adventure, magic and humor (and even a bit of romance).

This is a VERY enjoyable action-packed book which will appeal to both Boys and Girls. Boys will like the swash-buckling adventures on the High Seas complete with secret treasure maps and sword fights (although no one actually gets hurt) and other mysteries. Girls will like all of those attributes PLUS the main character is a smart adventurous girl who will not settle for a life in a finishing school. Kids will also enjoy the short chapters and other interspersed letters, illustrations, forms and announcements. I enjoyed the colorful characters and the twists on the traditional stereotypes! . A truly enjoyable book to read! I can't wait to see what further adventures await! 

Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell by Gary Urey

Super Schnoz and the Gates of Smell

by Gary Urey

Target audience – Boys 8 - 12yoa

Andy Whiffler is your average eleven-year-old boy. . . except that his nose is so big he can use it to fly and his sense of smell is a hundred thousand times stronger than any human. In the first book of this hilarious new series, Andy moves to a new school and is instantly picked on because of the size of his nose. But when his classmates discover how powerful his nose is, they decide he is more of a comic book hero than a nerd. One day Andy's school is shut down due to toxic gasses. Andy discovers that it's all a secret plot for an evil corporation called the ECU (Environmental Clean Up) to take over the world. Andy and his friends decide that this is a job for Super Schnoz, Andy's alter-ego. The rag-tag group of kids team up to take on the ECU and ensure school gets back in session (otherwise summer vacation will be ruined!). (Summary through Amazon.com)

This  book definitely was written with boys in mind! The author, Gary Urey,  writes about superpowers, evil villains,  and lots of snot and gross scenarios that come from having an exceptionally large nose. However, the book also deals with topics like fitting into a new  school,  and bullying and discovering new friends as well. Written in easy-to-read chapters with lots of slapstick humor, this book will be a great pick for reluctant readers, especially boys.

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald

 Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald

Summary:
Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact.This is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he’ll go to get out of reading a book. Amazon.com


Review:
Need I say I was a bit reluctant to recommend this book. It's hard enough to get some kids to read without having a book to give them ideas about NOT reading. However, this may be a really great choice for the reluctant readers out there. Charlie Joe keeps his chapters short (Charlie Joe's Tip #1) and interesting (Charlie Joe's Tip #19). It also has a story kids can relate to (shh.... yes, I said there's actually a story line too!).