I think I’m going to have Ian start a list of all of the chapter books he’s finished on his own. So far, that isn’t any, but the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is going really well. (Up to this point, he’s mainly read comic books and magazines, parts of books, or I have read out loud to him; although, maybe we can count the New Testament when he finishes that.) I am hoping if we make a really neat, bright banner that he will really enjoy adding his books to it.
But now, as I am typing this out, I am wondering if there is a way to get really creative with it, such as have him draw a picture of the main character and write a sentence each about the setting, the plot, etc. Then he could have a binder that contains a little bit of info about a bunch of different books. That would be a big book of short book reports.
Hmmm, thinking some more. What about that game Super Smash Bros. Have any of you all ever played it? (Why does everything have to be video-game related? If you’d ever met my family, you wouldn’t have to ask, lol.) In that game, you choose a character from a video game to fight a character from a completely different video game. I’m wondering if Ian and I could brainstorm some “stats” for each main character, include a little about the setting, and create a book of players. We could record how we think each player would stack up against the competition, and try to give everyone a bit of an edge in their own right, based on personality, super powers, etc. The setting could help or hinder certain characters.
Ah, me and my far-out ideas. I will talk to Ian and see which idea he likes. Maybe he will even have a better one! I just need to balance the fun factor with how much time the project will take. If it’s going to take two hours every time he finishes a book, we will probably never do it. A quick fix for that would be spending an hour creating a form, and then just filling it out after every book.
And then there’s always this page: More Ideas Than You’ll Ever Use for Book Reports.
How do you all motivate your non-readers? How do you record accomplishments of any type? I need ideas that will work! I am willing to do whatever it takes, even silly, crazy projects with my 10-year-old.
Full Circle Homeschooling 
I love the stats idea! In the past I have had students fill out an Elements of Plot chart as they read a book. It is not a particularly exciting idea, but it does help to keep up with what happened in each book. As part of a book report I have had students choose a quote or two from the book and then explain how that quote would or would not be a good motto by which to live their life and explain why. I am always amazed at what they come up with.
If he likes The Diary of a Wimpy kid series, maybe try The False Prince (http://www.jennielsen.com/books/ascendance-trilogy/the-false-prince). I believe it is trilogy, but I have only read the first two. My male students seem to enjoy them.
Awesome! Thank you so much for the ideas! I will have to try that quote idea with my son as well. Anything to make the process more enjoyable and stick with him. I can also see how maybe it could be humorous as well sometimes – depending on what quote they pick. That’s what my son would like, lol. I will certainly look into The False Prince. I really need to find more quality books that he likes. What grade are you teaching?
I teach 8th grade but taught 6th grade for a few years before I moved states and switched grades.