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Reluctant Readers > Winning Back Your Reluctant
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WINNING BACK YOUR RELUCTANT READERS
In 1985, the Commission on Reading (funded
by the U.S. Department of
Education) issued a report called Becoming a Nation of Readers.
The purpose of this small book was to address issues related to
literacy in the nation’s schools. Two decades later, educators
and parents are still trying to figure out how to deal with reluctant
readers—those who can read but don’t. I have worked
with a number of reluctant readers over the course of my career,
and it is obvious to me that it isn’t always books, or even
the act of reading, that reluctant readers are rejecting.
The real problem seems to be with the methods we, as educators,
use to get our students to read and with the requirements that
we place upon them. For example, millions of dollars are spent
by school districts each year to purchase computerized reading
programs; these programs test students on the novels they have
read and reward them with points that ultimately lead to prizes
and other incentives. Often, however, there is very little personal
attention offered to readers in schools that use such programs.
Students who are naturally competitive may thrive when such techniques
are used, but for the most part, these programs do little to make
students lifelong readers. Computerized reading programs simply
turn students into reading robots with one goal—winning
points for themselves and for their classes. Winning is not a
bad goal, but the question remains: What are we attempting to
win?
Almost all of my friends are readers, but in a recent conversation
with a college friend, I found that although she is a reader now,
she didn’t enjoy reading as a child or as a young adult.
When I asked her why, she related a dismaying story. The librarian
at her school laughed at her, in front of her peers, when she
chose to read The Bobbsey Twins in sixth grade. While my friend’s
choice may have seemed immature to her librarian, it was still
a personal choice, and she shouldn’t have received that
type of response from a professional whose job it was to inspire.
A negative response to a reader is far more damaging than no response
at all. My friend was certainly capable of reading a much more
challenging novel, but the truth is that no adolescent wants his
or her immaturity or reading taste made public to others, especially
in a disapproving way. A better conversation might have gone something
like this: “I see you like The Bobbsey Twins. I
would like to suggest a similar book when you finish that one.”
Approaching young readers in such a way validates their desire
to read and often serves to pique their interest in other related
titles.
How should teachers and librarians respond to students who have
little motivation to read and who therefore do not ask for guidance?
The answer is simple: Know the students, know the books, and seek
creative ways to connect the two. Some students are more challenging
than others, but all students respond when they think an adult
knows them well enough to suggest just the right book. Find out
what movies the students watch, and lead them to books that deal
with similar themes or topics. If they like war movies, give them
The Gift of Valor by Michael M. Phillips or Flags
of Our Fathers by James Bradley with Ron Powers. Then lead
them to The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.
If they are caught up in fantasy movies, give them Christopher
Paolini’s Eragon or Donita K. Paul’s DragonSpell
and DragonQuest. If they like horror movies, give them
The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg. Perhaps they
prefer movies and novels that deal with the realities of life—stories
to which they may relate in some way. Suggest The Book of
Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring, Maybe a Miracle by
Brian Strause, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld., The Great
Santini by Pat Conroy, or The Chocolate War by Robert
Cormier. When a student has a positive response to a book, it
is the role of the teacher or librarian to supply another similar
title. In this way, we are guiding the reluctant reader on a journey
toward success.
I have spoken with middle and high school students who say that
they have never liked a novel that they studied as a class. Sometimes
they react to the length of time that a teacher spends on a novel
study. At other times it is the actual novel that they don’t
like. Reluctant readers may respond better to a short book (such
as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou or
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck) so that
the reading and the literature analysis can be completed in one
or two weeks. Allow students the opportunity occasionally to make
a personal reading choice for a novel study. Provide them with
a list of novels from which they may make their selections. The
emphasis should be placed on what we want students to gain from
a novel study rather than on what book is read.
Reluctant readers should be turned loose to explore genres until
they find just the right book that pulls them into the story.
Some readers will discover historical fiction, such as Michael
Shaara’s The Killer Angels, which describes the
four most important days in the American Civil War. Other readers
may seek contemporary young adult fiction: How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff is a story of love and hate set during a fictional
war in England. Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis tells
the story of 14-year-old Luther, a boy who seeks to better his
life and to escape the corruption of the projects in Flint, Michigan.
Sittenfeld’s Prep is a contemporary novel that
will attract girls, whereas boys may migrate toward a book like
My Losing Season by Pat Conroy.
Perhaps some students will discover that they like reading about
other cultures. These readers will look for books like Snow
Flower and the Secret Fan (set in 19th century China) by
Lisa See; Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas; or Burnt
Bread and Chutney: Growing Up Between Cultures—A Memoir
of an Indian Jewish Girl by Carmit Delman.
Mysteries and crime novels like Dead Men Rise Up Never
by Ron Faust, Don’t Look Behind You by Lois Duncan,
and The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
are enormously accepted by both avid and reluctant teenage readers.
Nonfiction is especially popular with reluctant readers. Many
are drawn to sports books like Bat Boy: My True Life Adventures
Coming of Age with the New York Yankees by Matthew McGough;
to chronicles of science expeditions like Carnivorous Nights:
On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittelbach
and Michael Crewdson; to technical books like Electric Universe
by David Bodanis; to tales of personal journeys like Sonia Nazario’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning book Enrique’s Journey;
to stories of social struggle like Last Chance in Texas: The
Redemption of Criminal Youth by John Hubner; and to books
about war heroes like the aforementioned Flags of Our Fathers.
These high-interest books will almost always lure adolescents
into reading and will send them to seek similar titles. The key
is, give reluctant readers a choice; they will then begin trusting
us to help them make book selections.
Reluctant readers want to win. They need us to help them win.
They can only win if educators alter the ways in which we guide
and teach them. Only then can we expect to become a nation of
readers.
* Offer reading choices
* Refrain from being judgmental of students’ reading
selections
* Tap into students’ outside interests
* Use shorter, high-interest books for novel studies
* Link novels to other types of reading materials, such as newspapers,
magazines, and nonfiction books
* Read aloud the first chapter of a novel to get readers hooked
* Include a variety of genres in the English curriculum
* Instruct students to stop reading a book if it doesn’t
interest them by the second chapter
* Allow students to help shape a reading list for the class
* Ask students to suggest books for you to read. Read as many
of the books as possible. Let students know when you read their
suggestions.
1. Discuss the following quote by Raymond
Chandler: “A good title is the title of a successful book.”
Ask students to browse the library or a book store and to write
down the ten best titles they see. Have them bring their lists
to class and discuss why they chose these particular titles. Then
have each student read the book that most appeals to him or her.
2. Ask students to read both I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou and A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert
Newton Peck. Then have them write a short essay that compares
the voices in the two novels.
3. Everybody has a different sense of humor. Some like sarcasm;
others respond to farce. Some like funny characters; others prefer
absurd plots. Have students discuss the funniest novel they have
ever read. Encourage them to read a novel like 10th Grade
by Joseph Weisberg or Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road
Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania by Warren St. John. Prepare
an interview with one of the authors that highlights the humor
in the novel.
4. Have students try their hands at writing. Ask them to write
a description of a funny scene from their own lives or of something
they have seen on television. Ask for volunteers to read aloud
what they have crafted. How difficult is it to capture humor on
the printed page?
5. Engage the class in a discussion of some classic adventure
stories, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by
Mark Twain or Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Then ask
the students to read a modern adventure, such as Robert Kurson’s
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked
Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II.
Have the students write a brief paper that explains why the novel
they selected is considered an adventure.
6. Engage students in a discussion about the meaning of courage.
Divide the class into small groups, and ask them to read the newspaper
and identify articles about a person or a group of people who
have shown courage. Share the articles in class. Then send the
students to the library to find a biography or an autobiography
about someone who has demonstrated courage.
7. C. S. Lewis once said, “We read to know we are not alone.”
Ask students how this is especially true when we read realistic
novels and memoirs. Discuss how a memoir is similar to realistic
fiction. What are the differences? Introduce students to books
like Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir by Neely
Tucker or Polite Lies: Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
by Kyoko Mori. Ask students to write a brief paper that discusses
how the emotions in these memoirs are similar to emotions expressed
in realistic novels they have read.
8. Encourage students to keep a year-long reading journal in which
they can record the names of the books that they have read for
recreation; have them comment on the books that they have abandoned
and on the books that they have enjoyed. Once a month, give them
a chance to share some of their journal entries.
9. Ask students to think about all the novels that they have read
in school. What character would they most want to engage in conversation?
Have students write a brief essay called “A Conversation
with. . . .”
10. Introduce students to the genre of graphic novels, then ask
them to take a favorite short story and develop it as a graphic
novel. Bind the book and place it in the classroom so that other
students will be able to read it.
11. Ask students to share the names of books that were their favorites
when they were young children, then have them find those books
and bring them to class. Invite each student to read his or her
book aloud and to discuss why it was a childhood favorite. Have
them read the book to a young child (perhaps to a family member
or a neighbor). Ask them to write a very brief account of how
the child responded to the book.
12. Share six or eight books with the class. Divide students into
small groups and ask them to select one of the books for the group
to read. For example, one group might read Miss Black America
by Veronica Chambers, and another might read Donorboy
by Brendan Halpin. After reading the books, each group should
be given three minutes to sell the book to the class. The sales
pitch must include every member of the group.
13. Bring sample book reviews to class and discuss the elements
of a good book review. Encourage students to write book reviews
for the school newspaper or simply for the classroom bulletin
board.
14. Engage the class in a discussion about how much fact is in
fiction. Introduce students to good historical fiction. Have them
record the facts that they learn from reading the novel, then
send them to the library to verify the facts. Ask them to cite
their sources.
15. Most schools require middle and high school students to read
during the summer months. Invite young readers to participate
in shaping a summer reading list for their school. Make sure that
the list includes different genres to accommodate the varied reading
tastes of students. Ask students to develop writing prompts for
responding to summer reading.
 Pat
Scales is an independent consultant and freelance writer who has
recently retired as Director of Library Services at the South
Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities, Greenville.
I
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Also available in Audio: Read by Maya Angelou
Electric
Universe: How Electricity Switched on the Modern World by
David Bodanis
WINNER 2006 - New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Flags
Our Fathers by James Bradley with Ron Powers
WINNER - ALA Alex Award
Miss
Black America: A Novel by Veronica Chambers
The
Great Santini by Pat Conroy
My
Losing Season by Pat Conroy
WINNER: ALA Alex Award
The
Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
The
Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
WINNER 1974: School Library Journal Best Books of the Year; ALA
Best Books for Young Adults; ALA the Best of the Best Books for
Young Adults
Bucking
the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
WINNER 2005: ALA Best Books for Young Adults; ALA Notable Children’s
Book; Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List; School Library Journal
Best Book of the Year
Burnt
Bread and Chutney: Growing Up Between Cultures—A Memoir
of an Indian Jewish Childhood by Carmit Delman
WINNER: School Library Journal Adult Books for Young Adults
Funny
in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh
Dumas
WINNER: School Library Journal Adult Books for Young Adults
Don’t
Look Behind You by Lois Duncan
Dead
Men Rise Up Never by Ron Faust
2005 Edgar Award Nominee
Donorboy:
A Novel by Brendan Halpin
WINNER - ALA Alex Award
Last
Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth by John
Hubner
WINNER 2006: New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
The
Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring
Shadow
Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything
to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert
Kurson
WINNER: ALA Alex Award; 2005 Book Sense Book of the Year Award,
Non-Fiction
Also available in Audio: Read by Campbell Scott
Bat
Boy: My True Life Adventures Coming of Age with the New York Yankees
by Matthew McGough
Moby-Dick
by Herman Melville
Carnivorous
Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittelbach
and Michael Crewdson
One of the New York Public Library’s “25 Books to
Remember from 2005” WINNER 2006: New York Public Library
Books for the Teen Age
Polite
Lies: On Being a Woman Caught Between Cultures by Kyoko Mori
Enrique’s
Journey by Sonia Nazario
WINNER 2006: New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
The
Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
WINNER: YALSA Best Books for Young Adults; New York Public Library
Books for the Teen Age; A Booklist Best of the Best; Winner of
France’s Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger; Finalist, Pulitzer
Prize; Finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award
Broadway, TR, 978-0-7679-0289-2, 272 pp., $14.95/$22.95 Can.
Eragon
by Christopher Paolini
WINNER 2005: Colorado Blue
Spruce Young Adult Book Award
WINNER 2004: Texas Lone Star Reading List; Texas TAYSHAS High
School
Reading List
DragonSpell
by Donita K. Paul
A
Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
WINNER 1973: School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Library
of Congress Children’s Books of the Year; ALA Best Books
for Young Adults.
WINNER 1972: Colorado Children’s Book Award
The
Gift of Valor: A War Story by Michael M. Phillips
WINNER 2006: New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
How
I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
WINNER 2005: Michael L. Printz Award Winner; ALA Best Books for
Young Adults
Snow
Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See
WINNER 2006: New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Also available in Audio: Read by Jodi Long
The
Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
The
Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
Prep:
A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld
WINNER 2006: New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Rammer
Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania
by Warren St. John
A Chronicle of Higher Education Top 10 Best College-Sports Books
Ever
Also available in Audio: Read by Warren St. John
Maybe
a Miracle: A Novel by Brian Strause
WINNER 2006: New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Love
in the Driest Season : A Family Memoir by Neely Tucker
Also available in Audio: Read by Neely Tucker
The
Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
10th
Grade: A Novel by Joe Weisberg
NOMINEE: ALA Alex Award
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