seem to get their sons into reading and enjoying books for pleasure.
early childhood as well.
indulging his interest in video games. We got him his first starter game console
in first or second grade and between that, and online games, it was a wrap.
he couldn’t play games. He’d bug us when we were out to hurry and go home so he
could get his Xbox fix. His grades and interest in school slipped. It got out of hand.
Suzanne Collins “The Underland Chronicles” are great for boys |
our other two kids of not playing video games or watching TV during the school
week. It was a tough transition, and
they all put up much resistance but it worked to wean our son off the video
game dependency.
know kids who read regularly have a higher vocabulary, do better at composition
and reading comprehension exams and generally fare better in standardized
tests.
of Sci-Fi and fantasy series and his nose is constantly in a book.
do it?
summer reading a book that featured a boy our son’s age that had similar
awkwardness and was equally shy: “The Liberation of Gabriel King” by K.L. Going. He could relate to the main character which was a kid during
desegregation 70’s who was socially awkward but had to endure middle school. He
got through it with his best buddy, a little black girl integrated into his
school. Their ups and downs and school
yard antics entertained our kid and he could relate to the characters. He read
the book even when not asked.
other parents about “Mrs. Frisby and theRats of NIMH”, another book Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier was about an 11-year old blind thief.
at Barnes and Nobles to try Jeanne DuPrau’s “Book of Ember” series, which featured an 11 year old girl as the
protagonist. Our son was in the 5th grade then and 10-years old. Again, the relatable main character was the trick! It was also a little longer than The Wicket series but still under 500 pages each, about 350.
By then, the “Hunger
Games” series was hot and all the rage. We gave him that book but he couldn’t get into it so we tried another Suzanne
Collins series where a boy was the protagonist, Gregor. That worked!
Our kid
really enjoyed “The Underland Chronicles”
and quickly got through it thru the summer before his 6th grade year.
characters with ensemble support characters were the trick and thus quickly and
easily introduced Rick Riordan to
his life.
he’s going through the 3-book series in Riordan’s “The Heroes of Olympus” and each of those are about 500 pages each!
You can go with the books and series we used or ask your local or school librarian or local book store clerk for suggestions. But certainly test out various books until you get the right one. Definitely do some trial and error.
the book on tape versions and listen on the way to school or during long trips.
Then cut him off and tell him to find out what happened next, he’ll have to
read the book version himself.
parents. It works out in the end if you don’t give up.
Wrap Up:
1. Go with a book where the main character is a boy
2. Adventure series are great way to go as are sci-fi or fantasy adventures
3. Start with shorter series with large lettering and short chapters and gradually move up to books with more pages.
4. Get recommendations from librarians, book clerks and online reviews by other parents and readers, especially if the review is coming from a kid himself.
5. Don’t give up. Keep introducing different books until you figure out a series or topic he can get into and want to follow up on.