RAR #84: Books for Kids Who Don’t Love Reading (Yet)
What can we do about our kids who don’t love reading?
Today I’m sharing a few ideas, as well as a few books that just might turn your reluctant reader into a reader who stays up past bedtime, sneaking books under the covers with a flashlight.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- what’s more important than helping our kids fall in love with reading (it’s not what you think)
- what we can do when a child says he’s not a reader
- some books that are bound to grab and hold even the most reluctant readers’ attention
Click the play button below:
Listener Guide
Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast:
- 2:08 First, what qualifies as a story?
- 4:50 Helping your child find the books that will light them up
- 7:18 Book recommendations for your kids who don’t love reading (yet)
- 8:40 The Edge of Extinction books by Laura Martin
- 10:40 Books by Andrew Clements
- 13:10 The Chronicles of Narnia
- 14:38 The Fablehaven Series by Brandon Mull
- 16:25 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Sarah recommends this for teens)
- 20:17 Let the Kids Speak
Quotes to remember:
- We want to help our kids fall in love with stories, not to fall in love with the act of reading. Enjoyment of reading doesn’t ever come first. It’s a love of stories that propels us to read. Focus first and foremost on nurturing a love of stories, rather than worrying too much about getting your child to love the actual act of reading.
- Reading from a page is not better or preferred to hearing books read out loud. It’s true. Audiobooks and read-alouds count as “real reading” every bit as much as reading words from a page. If you need more encouragement on this, listen to episode 66.
- Use the strategy of reading aloud the first chapter or two before handing a book over to your reluctant reader. It helps your child feel like you’re on the same side, rather than feeling at odds with you. It helps them get into the story without much effort. And then the impetus to keep reading comes from within themselves and not from you, which is what we’re going for.
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
Links from this episode:
- RAR # 82: Why Fidgeting is a Good Sign (and what brain science has to say about reading aloud), Dr. Michael Gurian
- Series That Will Turn Your Struggling Reader into a Voracious Reader
- RAR #64: Helping Resistant Readers Fall in Love with Books, Laura Martin
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http://stephen.blogs.telrock.org
The librarian saw my son looking around with no books. She asked him what movies and cartoons he liked to watch. She took us over to The Ranger’s Apprentice. He went home and reluctantly started reading it. He came out of his room the next morning asking me to take him to the library to get book two. The next day when I went looking for him, he was in his room and blurted out, “I love reading!” then covered his mouth because he couldn’t believe what he said! That was 5 years and many books ago :)
Agree with a previous commenter. Wings of Fire, by Tui T. Sutherland, made my 10 year old son a crazy varocious reader! I always say he swallows books whole because as soon as he has a new book in his hands he’s finished it and is begging for a new one! Thanks for several new recommended series!
Thanks for your podcast. My 8-yr-old boy transformed overnight from a non-reader into a stay-up-at-night-with-a-flashlight-in-bed book devourer. My question is, do you have recommendations for more graphic novels that are not spiritually dark or otherwise questionable? He has demolished all the Jedi Academy, Catstronauts, and Secret Coders books in a couple of weeks. I need more!
My 9 yr old likes Dragons Beware and Giants Beware by Jorge Aguirre. The third installment comes out very soon. He loves Scott Chantler’s Three Thieves series, and there a bunch of them. I’ll admit I haven’t read them- I only screened the pictures and read the reviews on Amazon, but they look appropriate for kids. They are the only books that can compete with computer games (so far). Our library does not have the complete set, and he’s read them completely out of order, but still loves them.
Thanks, Sarah! My reluctant reader (4th grade girl) was actually a graphic novel compilation: “The graphic canon of children’s literature the world’s great kid’s lit as comics and visuals”. Changed her world!
The books that turned my son into a reader (and that turned me into a mom who loves to read middle grade books alongside and/or to my kids) is Smells Like Dog and the next two Smells like Treasure and Smells like Pirates by Suzanne Selfors. Great stories whose characters stick with you.
My son, now 13, is really enjoying The Ranger’s Apprentice series which exemplifies courage, honor and healthy relationships.
P.S. Sarah – You are my daily hero! Having 6 kids myself, the youngest of which are 3 yr old triplets, I tell myself, “Sarah can do this! So can I!”
My son is a struggling reader, but I know he has unlimited potential to become the best reader. I am seeking resources/good books to provide for him. I listened to a few of your podcasts and am inspired. Want to continue to grow our someday list for him.
Love this episode. Will you please tell me what age you recommend to read the Mother Daughter Book Club series? Same question for Andrew Clements books….is six years old, almost seven too young for this author?
I absolutely won over many of my students especially boys with Gary Paulson’s Harrison and me. Funny stories of boys being boys on a farm. And also thankfully Gary wrote so many many books so if they loved that one you got a few more.
Ok, this one is total twaddle, but my just turned 8 year old twins loooovvveeee Geronimo Stilton books. These have turned them into voracious readers. We do substantial books for read aloud (currently: Wind in the Willows), but they are reluctant to read good solid books on their own. This is where the twaddle comes in. :)
Licorice jellybeans are the only ones I eat! ;)
Heehee! Love it!
My kids love, love, love The Green Ember!
Thanks for all the great ideas:)
All of my kids (ages 5,7,9 and 10) devoured the The Kingdom of Wrenly book series! My 9 year old is a struggling reader and she loved these because she felt like she accomplished something each time she finished one. They are easy to follow and the plots are fun. A few of my nieces and nephews also read the entire series and loved them just as much. Highly recommend!
I agree with How to Train your Dragon, it really started my daugher on the path of reading good books….of her interest. My second one loves all the Ramona/ beezus/ Henry books from B. Clearly. She even wanted it for her Birthday and loves to re re read it. My 8 years old son doesnt read well yet, but I wanted him to start listen to books while i do other things, and Hank the cowdog was a huge hit, and after a whole summer of it, he moved on to Henry books from B. Clearly and many more. He even listens to some of them several times in a row. He loves to tell me the story back to me and I can tell his vocabulary is increasing when he pops words from the book I never heard him say before.
So many great books….just keep trying, your kid is sure to find one of his or her liking.
Hey Sarah – I don’t have a book suggestion but my strategy that got my 8 year old to read was to let him stay up for an extra 15-30 minutes to read. Not only did it help him read fluently but it also helps him calm his brain before sleep.
For a struggling reader, I really recommend the Wings of Fire Series by Tui T. Sutherland. My 11 year old son has ADHD and has always been a struggling reader who would never voluntarily read in his free time. Just this past November, I had him try the first book in the Wings of Fire series. Something clicked! He loved it! He read it in his free time, he read it at night, he couldn’t put it down. When one was finished he asked for the next book in the series. The story had him hooked from the first book. There are at least 12 books in the series, I believe. These were instantly available from our library via e-book on my Kindle, which was helpful, I think, in satisfying that instant gratification to check out the next book and start it right away. The novelty of reading on a Kindle, rather than a paper book, also intrigued him. He has since asked to own all these books in paperback, and we are working on that collection. What a win!!!
Here’s what i want to know (being a book loving mom with reluctant reader children): how often does it really work that a certain book “flips the switch” and then the child loves reading all kinds of books? As opposed to loving that certain book, but going right back to being a reluctant reader with everything else? I would REALLY LOVE your thoughts!! Loved the episode! Thank you- I have “the mother-daughter book club” on my daughter’s shelf to read with her soon.
One series that has helped my children fall in love with stories is the How to Train Your Dragon series. We all listened to these on audiobook – it has a fabulous narrator. It is a great example of a crafted story. The series builds but you remain unaware of how it’s building until you are in the last third of the series. We kept paper copies to follow along while we listened and loved the artwork as well.
Check out Giants Beware and Dragons Beware by Jorge Aguirre, if you haven’t already, when you research graphic novels. My 9 year old boy really enjoyed them and we are eagerly awaiting the third in the series. (Sidebar- he didn’t realize the hero is a heroine! When I told him that was a girls name he said he was just going to keep pretending it was a boy.) He reads easily but rarely chooses to read on his own. But these he did. He also likes the Dogman series, which is more picture than reading, but it’s a story, right? I am very interested to find better quality of content and character in graphic novels and I hope that publishers hear the cry.
Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone, Saddles, Stars and Stripes series by Deborah Kent, Spunky’s Diary (unabridged version), Christian Heroes Then and Now by Geoff and Janet Benge–love the audiobooks!!
Definately agree about graphic novels! My girls love reading “my little pony” comic books especially (if you like the show then these are more of that) and more recently my 12 year old who doesn’t love the act of reading, but is wanting to try more and more because of some books she has gotten into and one new graphic novel is a minecraft one. Basically if you like the game then it is more of that. Some disney movies have been made into comic books and again if you are okay with the movie then those are good choices. :) One plus about graphic novels is that you can quickly flip through to see if the pictures are appropriate and that makes choosing which ones easier. I also like the tinkerbell books as well. Granted, these are all twaddle, but doesnt everyone need a little twaddle sometimes? ;)
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This is so fantastic! My 8yo still can not read on his own, but he loves stories like The Green Ember, Harry Potter, etc. He loves The Magic Treehouse series as well, so I’m going to hop on some of these new series. He would probably the Edge of Extinction series as well. You always have such great recommendations and content. Thank you!
My son loves “The How to Train Your Dragon” series. These books keep my 8 year old up at night in bed reading.
Just wanted to comment how much I love that you put the time stamps on this podcast. Brilliant!
Awesome- thanks for letting us know you like them! :)
Loved this episode! We wanted to share that the series that turned my reluctant (second grade boy) reader into a voracious reader was the 13 Story Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths. Great mix of a really fun, imaginative story and amazing artwork!