All posts in Reluctant Readers

boys and reading, Guys Read, chapter books for boys aged 9, chapter books for boys,

Books for Boys: EXCLUSIVE Cover Reveal and GIVEAWAY

Chapter Books for Boys: Guys Read Series

The Guy Read series edited by Jon Scieszka always intrigued me. Chapter books that entice boys to read are much needed and I will happily promote them until the cows come home.

Walden Pond Press was kind enough to send me the first book to review, Guys Read: Funny Business and it delivered on its promise. It’s a series of short stories written by well known authors. You can tell that they all had fun with this.

The short story by Jon Scieszka and Kate DiCamillo about a boy reluctantly doing a author book project was particularly memorable but all the stories were fun to read!

I’m thrilled to give you a sneak peak at the lastest soon-to-be-released Guys Read book, Guys Read: Other Worlds edited by Jon Scieszka sure hand.

Welcome to Other Worlds, the fourth volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading. Prepare yourself for ten trips into the unknown, as ten of your favorite writers spin tales of fantasy and science fiction the likes of which you have never imagined. Compiled by National Ambassador for Children’s Literature (and Secret Ambassador for the Intergalactic Alliance) Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Other Worlds is the most exciting collection of stories on this-or any-planet.

Contributors to Guys Read: Other Worlds are …


Rick Riordan
Tom Angleberger
Rebecca Stead
Shannon Hale
D. J. MacHale
Eric Nylund
Kenneth Oppel
Neal Shusterman
Shaun Tan
Ray Bradbury

Even better, the nice folks at Walden Pond Press are letting me give away an ARC (Advanced Release Copy)! Yep, be sure to tell your son (or daughter) that he is the FIRST to read this book! No one else will be able to get their hands on it for a while. Read more…

Lego YouTube channel

Ninjago on YouTube Lego Channel!

Lego YouTube Channel

I just found out that Lego has a new YouTube channel and the first thing I saw was NINJAGO! My son had a Lego Ninjago obsession last year. My husband I welcomed it though it took me a while to figure out what exactly Ninjago was. Ninjago, as it turns out, is many things:

  • Ninjago animated TV show series
  • Ninjago chapter book series
  • Ninjago graphic novel series
  • Ninjago lego games
  • Ninjago lego kits
  • Ninjago branded items. We own the lunch box!

I quickly became an expert in all things Ninjago. We bought the lego kits after he received the first lego Ninjago game for his birthday. I was thrilled that he would play with  legos instead of screens. Pretty soon, I was finding and saving little tiny plastic swords that popped up in various odd places. The floor of my car. The kitchen table. In my bed. Read more…

ideas to get kids reading

7 Fun, Easy and FREE Ideas to Get Kids Reading

Get Kids Reading with 7 Easy and Fun Ideas

If your New Year’s resolution is to get your kids reading more (mine is for myself too!), then I’ve assembled some free, easy and fun out-of-the-box ideas to get kids reading whether they are new to independent reading or reluctant readers.

I also like that these ideas are hands on and unexpected. A full body experience. It’s meant to make kids sit up and take notice. And then hopefully, this giddy feeling will become associated with reading and reading will be associated with a pleasant experience. How about you? Please share your ideas of how you get your kids reading! Thank you!

 

1) Hold a BOOK TASTING in the library! Book speed dating for the younger set.

I found this idea on Pinterest from the Barrow Media Center. Get a group of kids together and hold a “book tasting.” Select a books to be sampled and provide a menu sheet and pens or pencils. Each kid reads each book for 2-3 minutes and marks the menu sheet of each book with happy face, prozac face, or frowny face. It’s a fun way to have kids try out new genres of books.

Another idea to figure out what books to supply is to ask each child for 2 or 3 of their favorite books and draw from those. Then, at the end of the book tasting, kids who chose a book that was recommended by a friend can get encouragement to read their book choice. I always find that peer-to-peer recommendations are the most persuasive! Read more…

YA graphic novels, Young Adult graphic novels, graphic novels for young adults, graphic novels for teens, gritty graphic novels for kids

ABCs of Graphic Novels, U through Z

Graphic Novels from A to Z

Many teachers are turning to comic books as a tool to develop reading skills as well as a deeper love for reading. 

Authentic Education

This final collection has some Young Adult (YA) graphic novels that are not Manga (I didn’t cover Manga simply because I haven’t read any. My son is not old enough yet). From gritty to fantasy, YA graphic novels cover the gamut.

Thank you for reading my collection of posts covering the ABCs of graphic novels. You must love graphic novels too!

Day 1ABCs of Graphic Novels, A-E

Day 2ABCs of Graphic Novels, F-J

Day 3ABCs of Graphic Novels, K-O

Day 4ABCs of Graphic Novels: P-T

Day 5ABCs of Graphic Novels: U-Z

 

U is for Underpants. Captain Underpants that is! And now there is Super Diaper Baby too! Read more…

best graphic novels for girls, girls graphic novels, girls and graphic novels, graphic novels and girls

ABCs of Graphic Novels, P through T

Graphic Novels Get Kids Reading!

Graphic novels are great to kids to realize that reading is fun. While most graphic novels seem geared for boys, I’ve found a few great ones for girls. Check out the trailer at the bottom for Smile, our very favorite graphic novel for girls!

Day 1ABCs of Graphic Novels, A-E

Day 2ABCs of Graphic Novels, F-J

Day 3ABCs of Graphic Novels, K-O

Day 4ABCs of Graphic Novels: P-T

Day 5ABCs of Graphic Novels: U-Z Read more…

ABC of graphic novels, best graphic novels for preschool, best graphic novels for boys, best graphic novels for kids

ABCs of Graphic Novels, K through O

Graphic Novels Get Boys to Love Reading

Research has found that graphic novels address the needs of multiple learning styles, and that the visualizations help readers to understand the story first and the text after. 

Journal of Classroom Research in Literacy

My son is an example of how graphic novels help to solidify the concept that reading is fun! This collection of graphic novels are all books he loves.

My favorite graphic novel is the mystery series Max Finder. You have to use both the words and images to solve the short mysteries — about 5 pages each and they’re hard! What are your favorite graphic novels? Please share! Read more…

ABCs of graphic novels, best graphic novels for kids, kids favorite graphic novels, graphic novels for preschool, wordless graphic novel

ABCs of Graphic Novels, F through J

Graphic Novels Teach … Everything

Graphic novels offer a means for representing complex material in ways that reduce the cognitive demand of reading dense text while portraying sophisticated concepts. 

Education World

I’m excited to be posting on the ABCs of Graphic Novels, an ABC series with a great crew of compatriots who also blog on education. We are all posting the ABCs of (fill in the blank). Read more…

books to get kids reading, books for reluctant readers, books for boys, books to get boys reading, best books for boys

Exceptional Books for Picky Kids

Great Newly Published Books for Reluctant Readers

My 2nd grade son and I have been reading most of these books together. I do the heavy lifting but he will read a half page here and there. I think that’s ok. We’ve especially enjoyed the challenge of trying to make it through the Worst-Case Scenario adventures with getting ourselves killed or sent home. Read more…

Book Love, how to get your kids reading, Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

Are All Kids Reluctant Readers? Mine Are! And What to Do

How to Get Kids Reading with Book Love!

Now that I’ve gotten all three of my kids reading, I realize that they were all reluctant readers at some point. Which made me wonder. Are all kids reluctant readers? Is reading like learning to ride a bicycle? A milestone skill that comes to kids at a different points in their life? And, like learning to ride a bike, if we keep at it as parents, can we get all kids to love reading? Read more…