To become a reader, your child needs that one story that makes him or her fall in love with reading. That story that transports; one that he can’t put down.

But, finding that story can be hard.

ALL of these books are series that I’ve read and highly recommend. See if one will be that perfect book for your child!

And, feel free to ask me questions in the comments — it’s my FAVORITE thing matching kids with books. 🙂

FIND BOOK SERIES FOR EVERY AGE GROUP HERE!

Irresistible Book Series for Kids

Never Girls by Kiki Thorpe (ages 6 – 9)
My 8-year old daughter whizzes through this book series and loves them. She only hates that there aren’t 20 books in the series yet. (YET.)

Rescue Princesses by Paula Harrison (ages 6 – 9)
Princesses who love and want to save animals who are in trouble.  This is another great book series option for your daughters who are ready to get hooked on a good book series.

Galaxy Zack by Ray O’Ryan (ages 5 – 8)
What a fun concept for a new reader, illustrated chapter book series — moving to a new planet! I enjoyed reading Galaxy Zack. It’s fun and relatable. Boys (and girls) are sure to devour this far-out series.

Captain Awesome by Stan Kirby (ages 6 – 9)
Can Eugene aka. Captain Awesome, comic-book and superhero fan, save the town from villains without revealing his secret identity? Totally funny — and a good action-packed adventure series.

The Imaginary Veterinary by Suzanne Selfors (ages 7 – 10)
I totally love this entertaining adventure series! It’s got action and fantasy with both boy and girl main characters who discover the secret veterinary when trying to help a baby dragon and capture an escaped Sasquatch in the first book. As apprentices to the veterinarian, they encounter more mythological creatures — some nice and some not so nice.

Spirit Animals by various authors (ages 8 – 12)
Our main characters are some of the rare children who when of a certain age, can summon a spirit animal. These heroes must use their new bonds with their animals and each other to save the world from a dark and evil force.  I haven’t read this chapter book series yet but my 11-year old says it’s awesome and highly recommends it.

Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja by Marcus Emerson (ages 8+)
Sarcastic and funny, this is one diary, er, chronicle, that totally rocks. There’s never a dull moment for a ninja. Even in sixth grade. Love it.

Stick Dog by Tom Watson (grades ages 7 – 12)
Stick Dog is hilarious. Why is he called Stick Dog? Because our author / narrator can’t draw. And also, because he likes sticks. The funny cartoonish illustrations make this story of stray dogs easy to read, and very entertaining series for kids.

Ever After High by various authors (ages 8 – 12)
We love this clever, new series about characters from fairy tales in school together! Follow the children of fairy tale legends as they make their own way in the world (eg. the evil queen’s daughter rejecting her mother’s evil path.) Excellent!

The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick (ages 8 – 12)
Action from the first paragraph of the first book, these stories draw you in immediately. First, Megan sees zoo monkeys on the rooftop. Then, she disappears. Her brother Noah and their friends find that something IS going on at the zoo. And the fate of the world is at stake. Your kids will love this series.

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (ages 8 – 12)
Middle school. Is weird. Even weirder when Dwight’s paper-folded Yoda finger puppet begins giving sage advice with dorky Dwight seemingly clueless. Before long, Jabba the Puppet, Darth Paper, and the Fortune Wookie get involved in middle school life, too. (I told you middle school was weird.) Excellent books for kids!

All Four Stars by Tara Dairman (ages 8 – 12)

The Last Dogs by Christopher Holt (ages 8 – 12)
In this dystopian world, dogs rule and humans have disappeared. This chapter book series is full of action, adventure, mystery, and danger. I loved it — and I don’t normally like books with animals as main characters. Great writing!

A Tale of Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (ages 8 – 12)
The first and third book ARE dark and creepy, at least for me. Maybe for your kids, too. The second book is one of my all time favorite books EVER. That being said, this is a series that will engage kids with compelling writing and a unique and very Grimm-like life lessons.

The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (ages 11+)
This is one of those can’t put-it-down book series! Michael Vey’s mom has been hiding him because of his powerful electrical abilities — like zapping people when he gets mad. When his mom is kidnapped, he and his friends discover the Elgin Academy where other electric kids are either held as prisoners or are helping the evil men who seek world domination. A fantastic adventure!

Psion Gamma by Jacob Gowans (ages 11+)
I generally dislike self-published children’s books. But not self-published YA books. This is one of those book series — self-published and excellent! A dystopian world where some have unique powers (psion powers) that he can use to fight the ongoing battle for a better world. Loved it!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (ages 11+)
I loved this series . . . mostly. I didn’t love the last books and how the story ended — but that often happens with series doesn’t it? Series are hard, especially when the first book starts out so strong. In this dystopian world, kids are either killed or must kill to survive. There are tons of plot twists which I loved.

Above World by Jenn Reese (ages 11+)
I love this series and can’t wait for the third book. The world’s humans have been genetically modified into part-human, part animal species — horses, snakes, mer, and birds. Aluna must convince the different to band together in order to fight the evil man who started the genetic modifications and controls the tech.

Dead City by James Ponti (ages 11+)
You’ve been wondering when I’m going to get to the zombies, right? Well, here you go. Non-stop action, this is a fantastic creative series — that isn’t too creepy. Molly’s recruited to hunt zombies in New York City, just like her mother, who is either dead or a zombie. I am looking forward to this book series.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry (ages 11+)
I’m a total wimp with scary books but I really liked this book. Even though it did creep me out. But, the writing was stellar – and the plot kept me engaged and in suspense. The world is infested with zombies, cities are barricaded. At age 15, Benny must either fight zombies like his brother Tom or find a different job, or else his rations will be halved.  So many of the “zoms” are people he once knew – and loved – and soon Benny learns there are people in the world who are worse than the zombies.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (ages 11+)
Loosely based on Cinderella, we follow the story of a half-android, a second-class citizen in a futuristic China threatened with intergalactic war from the Lunar queen who wants to marry Prince Kai, who Cinder meets and falls in love with when she helps repair his android. It’s Cinder mysterious past that might be the key in saving Kai and the world. Fantastic!

Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee (ages 11+
Angels (not the friendly kind, the warrior kind) rule the world using humans for experiments, and disposable arm candy. Penryn’s sister is kidnapped, and she is determined to rescue her. On her journey, she meets Raffe, an angel whose wings were brutally cut off. The two work together and what they discover at the angel compound will make the world even worse off than it already is. I couldn’t put this book down — totally mesmerizing!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (ages 11+)
Probably THE most creative fantasy series I’ve ever read, this isn’t your normal angel vs. beast story. At all. Forever enemies, what would happen a chimera and angel fell in love?  And when their betrayal was discovered? I don’t even want to give away anything – but let me just say that even my non-fiction reading husband loved this book series!

Any other best book series you’d to add to this list?

Want more ideas? Read “24 Chapter Books in a Series.”

Adventure Books for Kids

Fantasy Books for Kids

Funny Books for Kids

Historical Fiction Books for Kids

Mystery Books for Kids

Nonfiction Books for Kids

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