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Check It Out: Roping in the reluctant reader

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As a librarian, one of my favorite things to do is to recommend books to children. There is something exciting about connecting a young person with the perfect book. This is not as easy as it sounds. Everyone’s tastes are different. Sometimes it is difficult to explain what you like about a book — and I can’t read your mind.

At other times, there are specific requirements such as “I need a book over 100 pages that is on a third-grade reading level” or “I need the latest Wimpy Kid novel” or the dreaded “I don’t like to read.” In this last instance, you know the child in front of you is only asking for help at the insistence of a parent or teacher. Despite the difficulty of recommending a book for a person who dislikes reading, there is still something satisfying in the challenge of finding something that catches their interest.

Kids who dislike reading are also often kids who struggle with reading. They haven’t mastered skills for their age level and don’t have the confidence or desire to improve. Sometimes they don’t understand what they are reading, get frustrated with a book and give up. But all hope is not lost — these kids just need to find the right books to help spark their interest.

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Here are some ways to help reluctant readers discover the voracious reader hiding inside, and a few resources to use when looking for book recommendations:

Comic books: Also known as graphic novels, comic books are a great way to engage reluctant readers. Maybe it is the open layout or bright colors found in many comics, but reluctant readers are drawn to this format. For visual learners, comics provide many visual clues to help decode the written text. The amount of text on each page is decreased, giving reluctant readers a break from a page full of text, and giving them confidence when they can read a chapter or book on their own.

High-interest fiction and nonfiction: Publishers today are very aware of creating books with kid appeal. They do this in several ways. First, they create books with interesting formats such as nonfiction books with many colorful photographs and illustrations, or chapter books with illustrations to break up the text. In nonfiction books, the text is in smaller paragraphs, and page layouts are eye-catching and easy to understand. Publishers are great at following trends, creating books that include topics that are fun and exciting to kids (or gross and strange to parents).

Nothing makes your kid want to read a book more than you not wanting them to read it. If your child has interests and tastes that do not match your own, consider giving them the opportunity to choose anything they want. And then really let them choose. Or pick two books — one kid’s choice and one parent’s choice. When it comes down to it, wouldn’t you rather your child read and gain an interest in something than be forced to despise the task at hand?

Electronic/audio books: Books these days come in many formats. Reluctant readers can be helped along by listening to an audio version of the book they are reading. As they listen to a narrator, they can follow along in the print version. This gets rid of the frustration of not recognizing words and helps keep a steady reading pace. Electronic readers or tablets almost always allow you to choose the text size. Maybe the reluctant reader just needs a larger point size to make them more comfortable with the text.

Novelist K-8: The library database Novelist Plus K-8 has a wealth of information. The site offers read-alike suggestions, genre reading lists and more for fiction and nonfiction titles. Do you have a favorite book? A search on Novelist will lead you to similar recommendations.

NBPL children’s book lists: The children’s staff at the Newport Beach Public Library has researched and compiled many children’s book lists. These lists are categorized by grade level, genre, read-alikes and various other topics. All of these lists are available online and link directly to the library’s holdings so you know exactly where to find specific titles.

Help a reluctant reader today by using any of the previously mentioned methods and resources. You will soon be on your way to creating a lifelong reader.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, please contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.

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