So when I had kids, I started envisioning lazy days just sitting on the sofa with the whole family reading.  Well, that dream didn’t last long. My kids just did not like to read.  They would read the minimum required by homework, and that was it.  I spent money on books and time at the library picking different types of books and different authors hoping that I would find the “right book” that would just awaken their love of reading.  All my efforts failed.  That is until we found Rick Riordan.  He has written a series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  Think Harry Potter but instead of the kids being children of Sorcerers and Witches, they are children of the Greek Gods.  The books are amazing.  The adventures are so much fun, and the kids learn all about greek mythology in such a fun way that they don’t realize they are learning.  They are also easy to read. So even young children who have already mastered the reading of chapter books, can easily transition to these books.

My 9 year old son was the first to start reading them.  Then, I joined him and we read the first 4 books of the series in a matter of days.  Then my 7 year old daughter started browsing one of the books and she also got hooked.  I have to say these books changed my children’s lives.  They went from thinking reading is boring, to thinking reading is absolutely wonderful, and to understanding that books are the doors to all sort of magical worlds.  So if you are looking for a way of getting your kids to read, I would recommend you try these books.  And be prepared, because once they start reading these books, they won’t want to do anything else but read.  These books are just absolutely engaging.  The first 4 books of the series are:
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)
The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4)

But hurry up because the 5th book is coming out in May.  Our dilemma in our house is who will get to read it FIRST!