Making Readers and Keeping Them

When I changed schools in fifth grade, the principal asked my parents what I liked to do. They said, “She reads a lot,” and the principal smiled and said, “I could tell.” I was the kid who checked out an armful of books from the library and had a rotating stack of them on my nightstand. It wasn’t all great literature (a glance at the Friday Fifteen would tell you that), but it meant I wasn’t fearful of reading in any way. As a result, I was always a little surprised to hear from friends who weren’t big readers as kids. And these aren’t just people who had trouble in school when they were young. They were bright and talented kids who didn’t find reading that appealing.

So I was interested in a couple of recent blog posts about fostering a child’s love for reading, even if the child in question doesn’t naturally gravitate towards books. The first is by David B. Crowley, who talks about how to spark a child’s interest in books. He suggests making reading time special (I love the idea of reading together in the morning, not just before bed), going to the library, and letting a child get interested in reading things that aren’t books (like manuals). Lots of David’s tips were things my parents did, which I think helped maintain my love of books. A few tips I’d add:

  • Don’t be judgmental of a child’s reading. Maybe The Baby-Sitters Club or Goosebumps isn’t exactly A Wrinkle in Time, but you don’t need to read all the classics all the time to be a good reader.
  • Encourage books as gifts. I love giving/getting books as presents, and it helps foster the idea that books are special.
  • Don’t pit books against the television. Granted, my home was pretty lax in terms of TV rules, but most of the time I wasn’t just watching TV anyway. I’d put on cartoons and then grab a volume of Childcraft to browse through. Making TV totally off-limits can make it more appealing, and as a result reading can seem like a chore.

But what happens when you want an older child or teen to read more? At Co.Exist, Michael Coren looks at the Uprise Books Project, which endeavors to get banned or challenged books in the hands of low-income students. Obviously there are a lot of excellent books that have been banned or challenged, including those by Judy Blume, Sherman Alexie, Chris Crutcher, Toni Morrison, and John Steinbeck. But usually these books are touted with the suggested that kids should read them because they’re classics–while really, these are gritty, real stories that have major potential to connect with teen readers. Justin Stanley, founder of Uprise, says:

“Pushing banned/challenged books provides those kids with a shield to use against that pressure. Instead of reading a great work of literature, they’re breaking the rules and discovering what they (parents, adults, the establishment, etc.) don’t want them to know.”

I’m very curious to see how the Uprise Books Project does. A lot of times, reading is pushed as something teens should do because it’s enriching and educational–which it is. But saying that doesn’t exactly grab the average teen reader. I suspect a lot more teens would be interested if they knew these books were about tough, relevant issues and were subversive in some way. At the very least, I think it will get reluctant readers to think differently about what books can be.

Were you always a reader? Have you had success with a reluctant reader?

ALA Monday

In case you weren’t at the ALA Midwinter meeting or listening in on the livestream, check out the winners/honorees for this year’s ALA awards. Lots of great choices, some surprises. I wasn’t really pulling for any particular book or author, so overall I’m pleased with the results.

I was excited to see Susan Cooper win the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, winner of the Belpré Author Award, sounds fantastic too.

What are your initial reactions to this morning’s award list?

 

Printz Stats

While we’re gearing up for this year’s Printz Award, the Hub takes a look back on previous winners. Emily Calkins has put together some great stats like: authors by gender (pretty even split), debut winners (25%–more than I’d expected), and genre (mostly contemporary–heck yeah!).

One thing I was surprised to see: so far, no Printz winning novel has featured a LGBTQ protagonist. There’s been other diversity in protagonists, which is great, but I feel like this is one aspect of YA lit that could get a little more recognition. Or maybe it’s indicative of the percentage of LGBTQ narrators in the general in general–maybe we just need more of these narrators for teens. (Of course, I’d also like to see an LGBTQ narrator whose story isn’t necessarily defined by his/her sexual identity. We need those stories, too.)

Click through to check out all the Printz stats. What are you most/least surprised about?

How Many Frequent Flyer Miles Would This Require?

I’m looking forward to going to my first SCBWI conference later this month. I’ve been to AWP before, but that veers to the literary fiction side and I also attended with my fellow grad students. I’ve heard fantastic things about the SCBWI conferences and I’m psyched to attend a weekend of kid lit-related events.

In case I get bitten by the conference-bug (and find a huge amount of expendable income), I’ve got this fantastic list of 2012 conferences over at A Fuse #8 Production. Lifetime goals? Hit the ALA conference, Comic Con, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

What conferences or events are on your calendar this year?

Best in (YA) Show

We’re almost at the end of the year, which means we’re almost at awards season. No, not just the Oscars. The Awards for Awesomeness in YA. (YALSA, can you make that the official title of your collection of awards? The Hub has a roundup of what these awards are and which books can be nominated.

One I need to check out more is the Alex, which honors books technically for adults but which will appeal to teens as well. Sometimes I get caught up in the YA world and forget that there are good books out there for adults, too.

Also, I would like to hang out with everyone who has ever won the Margaret A. Edwards Award. Seriously. Guys, I will bake for you.