Get kids reading this summer! Amazon's 18 best books for reluctant readers

If your child approaches summer reading like it's a poisonous snake (or in fact would happily wrestle a poisonous snake BEFORE doing the summer reading), this list is for you.

"Reluctant readers" are a category that publishers are now actively courting, and there are more choices than ever before. Of course, you don't want your child to lose ground academically — the dreaded "summer slide" — and even more importantly, you want them to grow up loving reading.

Amazon's FreeTime team put together a list of their top recommendations to bring out any kid's inner bookworm, below. And Seira Wilson, Amazon's senior book editor and mom of an 11-year-old, offered her best advice for parents of reluctant readers:

Read with your children

Curl up with a book together on a rainy day. When you're reading a book or article on your Kindle or phone, let your child know that you're reading (not just playing games or scrolling Facebook). If your children see you enjoy reading, they're more likely to view it as something fun and not a chore. Bonus points for reading the same book together, which can spark some fascinating discussions as well.

"Have a family book club," Wilson suggests. "When kids see parents and older siblings reading for pleasure, they see it as a leisure-time activity rather than (stern voice) 'You need to go read for 30 minutes!'"

Try audio books

Listening to a book may seem opposed to reading one — but it's not, Wilson explains. Audio books are a great way to get kids hooked on narrative structure, storytelling and characters and are especially great for car rides. Once that book or that ride is over, they're more likely to dive into the next chapter or the next book in the series. Audio books can also help kids discover a new genre of book, or move up to a more difficult level of reading that they might be hesitant to try at first. "I'm a huge fan of audiobooks," Wilson said. "On a family road trip or while they are doing chores, it does make time go fast."

Seek out series

It may take some experimentation to find a series that resonates with your child (see suggestions below), but once you do, you've got a reader who will likely devour everything in the series, and then move on to the next book by that author. Be ready with suggestions for "more like this" once they finish one series, which will happen sooner than you may expect! Series are also another great way to get a child to "level up" their reading — if they just want to keep reading the same books over and over again, let them do that, Wilson says, but also offer a slightly more challenging series in the same genre.

Check out movie releases

There are some awesome book adaptations coming to the big screen this summer and fall, Wilson notes, like "The House With The Clock In Its Walls" and "Mortal Engines." You can entice a reluctant reader with the promise of a movie after they've read the book; or show them the movie ("A Wrinkle in Time" is another great choice) to pique their interest in a great book.

Ready to inspire your readers? Amazon's FreeTime team reviews thousands of children's books, movies, TV shows, games and apps, and they curated this list of their favorite titles for reluctant readers:

Graphic Novels and Comics

1. "Angry Birds Playground: Animals: An Around-the-World Habitat Adventure" by Jill Esbaum (Ages: 3 to 5), $10, Amazon

Also available for $10 at Barnes and Noble.

2. "Breaking Cat News: Cats Reporting on the News that Matters to Cats" by Georgia Dunn (Ages: 6 to 8), $9 (normally $13), Amazon

Also available for $11 (normally $13) at Barnes and Noble.

3. "Tiny Titans and the Science Fair" by Art Baltazar (Ages: 6 to 8), $3, Amazon

Also available for $5 at Barnes and Noble.

4. "Ace (DC Super-Pets Origin Stories)" by Steve Korte (Ages: 6 to 8), $4, Amazon

Also available for $5 at Barnes and Noble.

5. "Pranks and Attacks!: Book 1 (Tao, the Little Samurai)" by Laurent Richard (Ages: 6 to 8), $7, Amazon

Also available for $7 at Barnes and Noble.

6. "I Smell a Pop Quiz!: A Big Nate Book" by Lincoln Peirce (Ages: 9 to 12), $13, Amazon

Also available for $13 at Barnes and Noble.

7. "AAAA!: A FoxTrot Kids Edition" by Bill Amend (Ages: 9 to 12), $9, Amazon

8. "Phoebe and Her Unicorn" by Dana Simpson (Ages: 9 to 12), $8 (normally $10), Amazon

Also available for $8 (normally $10) at Barnes and Noble.

9. "Charlie Brown: POW!" by Charles M. Schulz (Ages: 9 to 12), $3, Amazon

Also available for $10 at Barnes and Noble.

10. "Secret Diary (Lou!)" by Justin Neel (Ages: 9 to 12), $25, Amazon

Also available for $9 at Barnes and Noble.

11. "Lio: There's a Monster in My Socks" by Mark Tatulli (Ages: 9 to 12), $6 (normally $10), Amazon

Also available for $10 at Barnes and Noble.

Sports

12. "I Broke into Gymnastics Camp" by Jessica Gunderson (Ages: 6 to 8), $5 (normally $6), Amazon

Also available for $6 at Barnes and Noble.

13. "Jinxed! (Topps League Book 1)" by Kurtis Scaletta (Ages: 6 to 8), $6, Amazon

Also available for $6 at Barnes and Noble.

14. "Zeke Meeks vs the Stinky Soccer Team" by D.L. Green (Ages: 6 to 8), $6, Amazon

Also available for $6 at Barnes and Noble.

Adventure

15. "Sleepover Sleuths (Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew Book 1)" by Carolyn Keene (Ages: 6 to 8), $4 (normally $6), Amazon

Also available for $5 (normally $6) at Barnes and Noble.

16. "The Joker's Dozen (You Choose Stories: Batman)" by Laurie S. Sutton (Ages: 6 to 8), $7, Amazon

Also available for $7 at Barnes and Noble.

17. "The Fright at Zombie Farm (You Choose Stories: Scooby-Doo)" by Laurie S. Sutton (Ages: 6 to 8), $7, Amazon

Also available for $7 at Barnes and Noble.

18. "The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1)" by Rick Riordan (Ages: 9 to 12), $8 (normally $10), Amazon

Also available for $9 (normally $10) at Barnes and Noble.