Keeping Older Kids Hooked On Reading by DreamTeamTracy of 'Disney Family.Com'

Over the five years my older girls were in primary school, one message came through loud and clear: Kids will become better readers if they read, read, and read some more. So you can imagine my dismay when Caitlin, who was struggling a bit in this department, gradually found it harder and harder to find books she enjoyed.

In the picture book stage, it was a snap to find something appealing. And if you met a book that didn't hook you? Heck, you've only invested a few minutes -- on to the next. But then Caitlin moved on to short chapter books, then longer ones. The illustrations vanished, the vocabulary grew steadily steeper, and reading wasn't so fun anymore.

I referred to all sorts of children's booklists, figuring that would guarantee hits. But the stacks of books from the library only brought occasional success.

So I turned to the local experts. Caitlin's fabulous teachers and insightful librarians were ready with a run of strategies, all of which make her happy to curl up and turn some pages.

Start short. Though they can be tough to find, short stories are less intimidating. If one doesn't snare you, the next is only a couple of pages away. Try: EVERY LIVING THING by Cynthia Rylant; SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK by Alvin Schwartz.

Think thin. Some of Caitlin's favorites shorter books, also recommended by the children's librarian at our public library: THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE by Roald Dahl; THE HUNDRED DRESSES by Eleanor Estes; WINNIE, DANCING ON HER OWN by Jennifer Jacobson; SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL by Patricia MacLachlan; THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCY by Susan Patron, and THE INVENTION OF HUGE CABRET by Brian Selznick (Confession: This is a thick book at 544 pages -- but it uses long illustrated sequences to break up the prose).

Get glossy. Try magazines for young readers. With varied topics, lengths, and genre -- not to mention a healthy dose of illustrations and photographs -- there are lots of entry points. Favorites: Ask, Spider (both at www.cricketmag.com) and American Girl (www.americangirl.com/agmg/).

Go graphic. Graphic novels may look suspiciously like glorified comic books, but they lure many a reluctant reader, reports our middle school librarian. It's hard to tear Caitlin away from the adventures of Tin Tin, who turns 79 this year. You might also have luck with edgier fare like Jeff Smith's BONE, folklore like THE LEGEND OF HONG KIL DONG, adaptations of classics like BLACK BEAUTY or historical titles like THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG.

How do you get your kids hooked on reading? Click here to find and share ideas or simply post them here as a comment.

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Theresa Twogood is Executive Director of OLIN e-Publishing Company, Denver Colorado- http://olin.tk . This article re-posted with permission. To respond to the author of this article please click the article's header. To re-post this article please ask the author first before publishing. Thanks

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