First, let’s start with this fact: I’ve taught in an elementary school for over a decade. In my classroom, reading is encouraged, supported, and abundant. Teaching a kid to love to read will eventually lead to a kid who reads well and ultimately becomes a well-read adult. I believe this wholeheartedly.
Now, here’s another fact: I hate graphic novels. Have you ever stopped and picked up one of the books your child was reading? (I’m talking about those huge comic book stories that have exploded onto bookshelves over the last ten years.) If you haven’t, give it a whirl. They’re horrible. Minimal character development and plot, often full of immature jokes of the poop and fart persuasion and riddled with grammatical atrocities. Yep, I abhor them. About seven years ago, I even banned them from my classroom.
So, here’s the plot twist: When my daughter hit third grade, her reading skills began to stagnate. She started to struggle due to the less-than-stellar teacher she was given and the mix of kids in the room, which made her not want to be in school or just an academic plateau. With her abilities slipping and sliding, she went from an above-average reader to below grade level in less than a year.
What happened? Books got longer and harder. Her stamina, maturity, and attention had not met grade-level requirements. Sound familiar? Many kids around this age start to feel this slip and, when faced with reading challenges, get turned off and begin to (gasp) hate reading.
So What’s The Solution?
If you’ve ever found yourself in the same boat with your children, you know that as a mom, you’ll try anything to support your child’s academic success. I did just that. There were sticker charts, and we read together; I tried tough love (“Just sit there and read it!”), but all were not helpful. I brought home dozens of popular books and even tried bribery (“If you read this book, I’ll bring you to the store to get the next one in the series”). Yet, no matter what I tried, her interest kept dwindling, and her grades slipped too.
Enter the Wimpy Kid.
Then one day, after a trip to her school library, she came home, nose in a book. I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t get her to put the book down! To say that I was optimistic would be an understatement. Yet, it was a graphic novel. I was torn. Do I let her go because at least she is reading, or try to redirect her to an actual novel that might have some brain stimulation? I let her go.
It was the best decision I could have made, maybe. I’m still not in love with those books. However, she read the whole thing in a day. Then she read another one and another. She tried another similar series and another. Fast-forward two years, she is back reading at above grade level. She loves to read and does so without hesitation daily. Yes, she still reads a lot of graphic novel-type books, but she is reading.
Let them read. Whatever it is. Give them magazines, online books, picture books, graphic novels, sides of cereal boxes. Who cares what it is, as long as they are reading. You might find that reading something less than Newberry Medal-Worthy may still have its place. They can be a good stepping stone or jumping-off point for your reluctant reader. Eventually, their love (and some peer pressure from other kids reading chapter books) will bring them back to the literary world of novels.
