"Reluctant reader" rarely means "can't" — more often it means the books on offer haven't matched the child.
Start with interest, not level
A book about something they already love — dinosaurs, football, a video game, horses — beats a "good" book they feel nothing for. Interest carries a reader past the effort; obligation doesn't.
Count every format
Graphic novels, comics, joke books, non-fiction, magazines, and audiobooks all build reading. Snobbery about format is the fastest way to lose a reader — a child devouring comics is reading, full stop.
Make it short and winnable
A finished short book beats an abandoned long one. Momentum — the satisfaction of completing something — matters far more early on than page count or "reading level."
Give them the choice, and drop the pressure
Autonomy turns reading from a chore into a decision they own: let them browse, pick, and abandon a dud without guilt. Read aloud together, skip the comprehension quizzes, and don't force the "classics." The goal isn't this book — it's that they want to come back to the next one.