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Getting started
School Library Journal November 2001
“Why We Are Kids Best Assets”
One in your face: “I hate to read” – what does it mean, why did he say it, and what you can do about it
One fact: “Reading ability is positively correlated with the extent to which students read recreationally.” -National Center for Education Statistics.
One story from JDC One book from your life
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Why They Aren’t Reading
By the time many students reach high school, they equate reading with ridicule, failure or exclusively school-related tasks.
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Students are not excited by ideas. They prefer to experience life directly rather than through reading.
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Many active adolescents are unable to sit still long enough to read for any prolonged period of time. .
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Why They Aren’t ReadingTeenagers are too
self-absorbed and preoccupied with themselves, their problems, families, sexual roles, etc., to make connections between their world and books.
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Books are inadequate entertainment compared to other competing media such as television, video games and the Internet.
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Persistent stress from home and school to read constantly is counter-productive for some adolescents.
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Adolescents may grow up in non-reading homes void of reading material with no reading role models. There is no one to pass down the value of reading..
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Some adolescents may consider reading solitary and anti-social.
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Reading is considered “uncool” and something adults do.
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Why They Aren’t Reading
Can’t find the good books
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers
Cover - catchy, action-oriented, attractive, appealing, good "blurb"
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers
Print style - sufficiently large
for enjoyable reading
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers
Format - appropriate and appealing balance of text and white space
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers
Artwork/illustrations - enticing, realistic, demonstrated diversity
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers
Clear writing without long convoluted sentences of sophisticated vocabulary
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers
Acceptable literary quality and effectiveness of presentation
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction High interest
"hook" in first 10 pages
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What do you think makes a good book for a reluctant
reader? Gail Giles. It has to start fast from
the giddy up. These kids won’t give you more than a sentence to snag their attention. You have to have a great first sentence. And a really good second sentence. And third, And ninth and twenty seventh and maybe if you’re lucky they will cut you some slack and let you have just an okay two thousand and third sentence, but you better pick it back up on the two thousand and fourth. These kids don’t have time to mess with a sloppy writer. They only read the good stuff so everything in the book has to be good.
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Well-defined
characters and not too many of them
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Sufficient plot to
sustain interest
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When you write, do you think about the potential book's appeal to non-
readers?
R.L. Stine: Almost all of my books are designed for reluctant readers. When I wrote and edited educational magazines, I learned how to write for different reading levels. I try to keep my scary books at a 4th-grade reading and vocabulary level. In addition-- short books, fast-paced, lots of surprises and twists, cliff-hanger chapter endings to force them to go on to the next chapter, and plot-driven books with little description to slow down the action.
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Familiar themes
with emotional appeal for teenagers
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Young adult fiction emotional appeal:
1. Show YAs being independent from adults. 2. Reassure YAs they are "normal". 3. Present role models. 4. Demonstrate problem solving in action. 5. Allow to feel like winners/overcoming
odds. 6. Display relationships of all sorts. 7. Capture intensity and uncertainty of
their life. 8. Help develop of socially responsible
behavior 9. Explore lives of other teenagers. .
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Plot lines
developed through dialog and action rather than descriptive text
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction
Believable treatment (that does not preclude speculative fiction however)
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Single point of
view / nothing tricky / just tell the story /
Clear mirrors not pretty pictures
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Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction
Touches of humor when appropriate
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25 things to do to reach reluctant readers
tomorrow
1. A library card:
2. Booklists: 3. Booktalking :
4. Build relationships:
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25 things to do to reach reluctant readers
tomorrow
5. Celebrate Teen Read Week: 6. Contests: 7. Displays:
8. Follow-up:
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25 things to do to reach reluctant readers
tomorrow
9. Get an author:
10. Get input:11. Get out of
the library:12. Get over
yourself:
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25 things to do to reach reluctant readers
tomorrow
13. Get them in the building :
14. Go the shelves:
15. High visibility merchandising:
16. Honesty:
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25 things to do to reach reluctant readers
tomorrow
17. Keep current :18. Listen: 19. Non-judgmental
attitude:20. Reader's advisory:
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25 things to do to reach reluctant readers
tomorrow
21.Samples: 22.Wave goodbye
to just fiction 23.Weed the
collection: 24.Zowie! Get
graphic
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For More Information
Connecting with Reluctant Teen
ReadersPatrick Jones, Maureen L.
Hartman, and Patricia Taylor
Neal-Schuman, 2006