Recent Popular Series to Hook Middle Grade Kids on Reading

Very Easy
Franny K. Stein, Jim Benton
My Weird School, Dan Gutman
Mijos, David Gonzales
Zack Files, Dan Greenburg
Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey
Stink, Megan MacDonald (Judy Moody's little brother)

A Little Harder
Dear Dumb Diary, Jim Benton
Shredderman, Wendelin Van Draanen
Animal Ark, Baglio
GhostHunters, Cornelia Funke
Judy Moody, Megan MacDonald

Book Lists for Teachers and Parents

Partner Books
One way to get kids reading for entertainment is to make it a social activity they can do with their friends. Humor and joke books are great for this. These books are great for getting kids to read with one another:
Garfield
Calvin & Hobbes
Guinness Book of World Records
Kids Discover Magazine
I Spy (good for EL kids as they learn more vocabulary)
Simpsons Comic Books
DK Books
Oh, Yuck!: The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty, Joy Masoff
Oh, Yikes!: History's Grossest Moments, Joy Masoff
Kat Kong, Dav Pilkey
Dogzilla, Dav Pilkey
The Big Book of Boy Stuff
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Jon Scieszka
Squids Will be Squids,Jon Scieszka
Ugliest: Amazing Facts About Ugly Animals
1000 Facts on the Human Body
Animals Nobody Loves, Seymour Simon
Question & Answer books or cards
Top Ten of Everything, Russell Ash
Animalia, Graeme Base
More sophisticated alphabet books like those by Jerry Pallota
MIstakes that Worked
Eat Your Words
Monkey Business, Wallace Edwards