Learning | Dude! Read Any Good Books?

A friend asked me for a quick recommendation for a 7th grade boy who's more interested in Legos and guns than reading stories.  This sounded very familiar to me; neither of my boys liked fiction much until they were older.  (It's interesting to note, that I caught each of them reading classic adult literature in their late teens. Even though they were not currently in school, and had no assignments. You could have knocked me over with a feather. The only reasons they gave were things like, "I heard this is a good book," or "it looked interesting.")

I recommended Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember off the top of my head.  It's the beginning of a series that takes place in the future, after a huge war has destroyed civilization. The City of Ember is an underground settlement that has relied on a water-powered generator for hundreds of years. When it fails, the residents of Ember will be in darkness, day and night. It's up to Lina and Doon to solve a number of mysteries and technical problems to save the city, because nobody else seems to know the danger they face.  You may have heard of the movie based on this book.  Sometimes a reluctant reader is more inclined to pick up a book if (s)he knows a little bit about the story.

Later, I thought about books for boys who like guns. There are quite a few classic books that are perfect for grades 5 through 8. I always loved Fred Gipson's books, like Old Yeller, because they invariably featured dogs, but I do recall that the main characters needed to know how to shoot.  The same thing with Jack London's books, like The Call of the Wild, and Jim Kjelgaard's books, including Big Red.












I'll have to think a little harder about books that might have an appeal for those who love building with Legos. If you have any ideas, feel free to comment below.  

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So, this week, I was already pondering the idea of books to recommend to young men, when I heard a cool idea from a customer.  She's a (grownup) musician who plays with the Stockton Youth Chorale.  She struck up a conversation with a fifth grader; they talked about reading. Pretty soon, she came up with a list of twenty of her favorite books from her childhood; the fifth grader composed a list of his twenty favorite books from today.  Now they each have a list of titles to read and discuss with each other. Sounds like a win/win plan to me!

Learning | You Can Lead a Horse to Water....

I really don't remember a time when I did not like reading.  Even today, I still keep a book near my bed, a book in the car, and one in my tote bag -- just in case I have some time to read.  That is not necessarily the case with all of us.  

Teachers require young students to read for a certain amount of time every day.  I recall occasions when it was difficult to get my own children to focus on the task -- they would say the available books were boring, or they just didn't feel like reading.  Gradually, I learned that my sons preferred nonfiction books over stories.  They didn't mind reading facts about trains or animals. They didn't even need to be encouraged to read about video games; I learned that having the strategy guide of the latest role playing game lying around would catch their attention.

 

The library has numerous books to help you encourage young readers.  Give the Gift! 10 fulfilling Ways to Raise a Lifetime Reader is told in a comic book style.  It's full of helpful suggestions, like showing a teenager an article about his favorite band.

 

 

The Ultimate Teen Book Guide has suggestions for more than 700 books for teens to read, everything from classics to science fiction.  The reading requirements for middle school and high school classes are more demanding; if a teacher has given your child a list of approved books, you can check this book for a summary and description, to see which ones you might like better.  (Note: it's always good to come to the library as soon as you know what's on the list, because everyone else in your child's class is going to want those titles, too.)

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading is simply full of ideas (birthday clubs, magic shows and book plates!), observations (Potato Power: the art of using what you've got), activities (including music and poetry!) and, last, but not least, lists of books for young readers. 

Give these books a try, and let me know what you think -- and what your budding readers think.