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Original poster

BOYS READING: How to move them on from 5-8s books to more demanding novels?

108 replies

roisin · 29/08/2007 23:06

OK, as many of you know I'm passionate about children's literature, and children reading.

Both boys became very fluent readers at a very early age. DS1 was precocious and read very advanced literature at a very young age (not necessarily an approach I would advocate.)

DS2 has equally precocious reading age scores, but is very reluctant to read novels full stop (reads endless non-fiction).

I am aware that he has not yet become a lifelong reader and IME if he doesn't get there soon society/culture will take over and he will not become one.

Atm he will not read anything more demanding than the likes of:
Horrid Henry
Astrosaurs
The Grk books
Cressida Cowell
Beast Quest
Ghosthunters

Nothing wrong with any of this I know, but how do we bridge the gap to Horowitz, Charlie Higson, Michelle Paver, Georgia Byng, Jenny Nimmo, etc?

OP posts:
ScummyMummy · 30/08/2007 00:12

Thought getting you to out yourself might be a longshot. Can we guess?

ScummyMummy · 30/08/2007 00:11

lol @ your Blytonphobia.

slowreader · 30/08/2007 00:11

Yes have kept wolf from door thus these last 12+ years in fact should be doing it now. (Wolf licking paint as we speak I mean type). Cannot out myself because don't want anyone looking me up on Amazon. Should add have virtually (by human standards) non reading son (rebellion) and have made all the mistakes. Let it go this last year and he is actually spending hard earned pocket money on fairly good books.

ScummyMummy · 30/08/2007 00:10

Wasn't there some research that suggested that using a public library regularly was the best predictor of something or other? Lifelong reading or success at school or somesuch?

Original poster
roisin · 30/08/2007 00:09

you lot will be very amused at how difficult I am finding it to bring myself to put an EB book into my Amazon shopping basket.

And yes I must use libraries more too. I just love buying books - it's my major vice
Fortunately both boys think spending time in a bookshop is a treat, even if it's only a little one.

OP posts:
ScummyMummy · 30/08/2007 00:06

Out yourself, slowreader! How exciting.

Original poster
roisin · 30/08/2007 00:06

slowreader - are you a published author?

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slowreader · 30/08/2007 00:04

No not a teacher a children's writer. Spend quite a lot of time in schools especially with reluctant readers.

Clary · 30/08/2007 00:03

I loved the phanotm tollbooth but I'm sure I was a lot older than 8 when I read it...

Original poster
roisin · 30/08/2007 00:03

Slowreader - you crack me up. I love your style. What psychology!
Are you a teacher?

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KerryMumbledore · 30/08/2007 00:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
roisin · 30/08/2007 00:01

Ha! Crossed again!
Yes, absolutely guilty of projecting passions - definitely.
I'm not as stressed/concerned about it as I may come across on here; I certainly don't spend time agonising about it.

But I do often wish he were a keener reader, and wonder why he isn't, and whether there is something I could do to change that.

OP posts:
Bink · 30/08/2007 00:01

It's called The Forests of Silence.

KerryMumbledore · 30/08/2007 00:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
roisin · 30/08/2007 00:00

Bink - do you know what the first Deltora book is called?

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Original poster
roisin · 29/08/2007 23:58

Scummy - sorry crossed posts.
Yes in a word. There has been a lot of research coming out recently linking boys' success at school with their fiction reading habits.
It's also very much part of our family culture - I like to have times when we all just curl up with our books. And if ds2 isn't interested, and wants to play endless Gameboy or whatever, then ds1 wants to play computer too, and ...

OP posts:
ScummyMummy · 29/08/2007 23:58

Yes- I know what you mean. i do worry about that too, especially with the son I mentioned earlier. i just wondered if you were projecting your own passions onto your boy a tiny bit (as we all do). Sorry if i was out of line.

Bink · 29/08/2007 23:57

... and of course that (reading the excerpt on screen) made him desperate to know what happened next - so ready to fall on the book when it appeared. Clever marketing device, & poss quite useful in your case!

AlwaysWatchingCastawayAt2am · 29/08/2007 23:57

Roddy Doyle has written 3 books for children,starting with The Giggler Treatment, which is funny and fab and available on audio book. My kids have listened to it loads and today i found a paberback copy in a charity shop so i bought it for my ds who is nearly 8 and reads very little, but listens endlessly to harry potter. anyway, he was enthralled to own it and immediately started reading it - unprecesdented - and now wants to read along as he listens. Very excited....

slowreader · 29/08/2007 23:56

Well do it cheaply. Go to the library. Select at least 8. Flick through them saying ' unsuitable, unsuitable AND rude, unsuitable AND rude AND scary' and leave them lying about.

Bink · 29/08/2007 23:56

Do have a look at the Deltora books too - you can read a good bit of the first one on the "search inside" function. Ds read it over my shoulder and I swear he stopped breathing till we got to the end of the excerpt.

Original poster
roisin · 29/08/2007 23:55

Scummymummy - the lifelong reader thing comes from seeing children at 11-13 at secondary school, who are fluent, capable, keen readers; but haven't ever read anything more demanding than ds2 has now - and it's very hard to get them to progress.

..Says she who at the grand old age of 38 spends more time reading children's/teenage novels than adult ones

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ScummyMummy · 29/08/2007 23:55

Would it be an utter and total disaster if he didn't become a lifelong reader? Or became a lifelong reader of graphic novels and non-fiction rather than long novels?

RosaLuxembourg · 29/08/2007 23:54

Roisin you probably already do this, but I find with DD2 (7) who is not quite as fluent and voracious a reader as DD1 that if I have a book she doesn't want to read but which I think she will enjoy what I do is to read the first couple of chapters aloud to her and she will very often then just take the book and finish it off herself.

Original poster
roisin · 29/08/2007 23:52

slowreader - [snort] Do you know that is exactly the sort of thing that might just work for him.

I could write a list of books I want him to read and say those are the ones he can read when he's a bit older, and instead give him a list of easier books to work through, and see what he does!

I just remembered someone mentioned the Phantom Tollbooth much earlier on: what a peculiar book - ds1 adored it when he was tiny and has read it several times. I just thought it was bonkers. But then ds2 loves Lewis Carroll too - I never really got that.

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