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I thought maybe you guys would have some suggestions! I've been trying to get DS6 interested in some more challenging books, he inhales "Magic Treehouse", "Ready Freddie" and "My Weird School". I didn't actually realize how quickly he was reading them until he told me that he had read 4 books since we got home from the library yesterday. I've suggested "Harry Potter" and he started it, but it just didn't grip him. He's also started "Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", but it's also not really doing it for him. He likes the deeper books fine when I read them to him, he loves discussing them and really seems to get a lot out of them. I think though the combination of the smaller type and the more complex sentences makes it harder for him to physically read and also mentally comprehend.

So, I'm thinking maybe what I need to try with him is are books that are just funny, light stories since that really seems to be the theme with the books he enjoys on his own, but at a higher reading level. I'm mostly ok with him picking his own reading materials and I'm not looking to replace them since he enjoys them so much, but I'd really like to see him have to stick with a book for more than 30 minutes to finish it.

Any suggestions for either books or ways to get him more interested in reading books that are a bit challenging at least some of the time?

I would recommend Homer Price books--good short mysteries with a good sense of humor.

DS also liked the Animorph series.

DS5 reads Geronimo Stilton, math story books and science books these days. Magic School Bus both chapter and regular books are well liked as well.

I will have to check the other recommendations. I think he needs something new.

I second the Geronimo Stilton books. My dd9 still loves them and she began reading them around age 6. Another nice thing about about Geronimo Stilton is that it is a big series so there are lots of books to read. DD9 also likes Hank the Cowdog, another extensive series. Both series are good for both girls and boys.

My son loved Geronimo Stilton. Another great series for him a year ago was The Spiderwick Chronicles. Fun, quick reads and beautifully illustrated. Good luck!

Dotti, DD loved American Chillers as well. I never read them myself, but she thought they were harder than Magic Tree House, but still an enjoyable reading level.

Mine likes the Time Warp Trio books and Melvin Beederman, Superhero. He also liked Geronimo Stilton for a while. Plus any Beverly Cleary, especially "The Mouse and the Motorcycle". I've heard good things about The Boxcar Children series and the A to Z Mysteries, but my son wasn't interested in them.

My ds8 enjoyed the Wimpy Kid series when he was 7, there are only two books so far, but they are apparently really great.
After much trial and error to find something else gripping, he is finally settled on the spiderwick chronicles; the font size is nice and large and I think that does help but mainly I think it is the illustrations which help pull him along through a book.

My DS7 read and enjoyed some of these when he was 7 and rereads some of them now: Franny K. Stein series by Jim Benton, Ghosthunters series by Cornelia Funke, Lemony Snickets Series of Unfortunate events,and Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey.

My DS7 also likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Both of my kids have really enjoyed the Tales of the Wayside School books by Louis Sachar. My DD9's all-time favorite is The Phantom Tollbooth.