What got your 8th grader back into reading?

[Anonymous]

My 8th grader stopped reading books about a year ago - much to our frustration. Still has a solid A in ELA but reading for pleasure is an essential life skill I think. Any suggestions for books that got your kid back into reading?

She's not into sci-fi/dystopia which seems to be a lot of YA fiction.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone reads books for pleasure

[Anonymous]

I buy my kid with dyslexia a small junk food treat if he reads 15 minutes a night every night for a week (in additiontolisteningtoaudio books). Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

I think you are wrong that reading for pleasure is essential--most people don't.

DH and I both read for pleasure, and we read constantly to our kids and always had tons of reading material around. Both kids learned to read relatively easily and were always above grade level. But I have one DS who reads constantly for pleasure, and one DS who did as a young kid but then stopped in middle school and never really started again.

But here's the thing: They're both interesting people who pay attention to current events; both did well in high school and college; both went to good colleges, with the non-pleasure-reading one going to the higher-ranked school; both now out in the world and working good jobs. DS2 reads a lot on-line (newspaper, etc), but never any fiction (that I'm aware of).

For a kid your DD's age, my question is: what is she doing when she could be reading? If the answer is that she is on her phone, etc., then I would put limits on that. You can't make her read in her free time, but you can make it so that she isn't using all her free time looking at her phone.

[Anonymous]

If you have any remaining guardrails on what would be appropriate for her to read, perhaps take them off. And then take her to the library and let her pick out whatever. At this age I was reading pretty adult material and that subject matter is what kept me reading, along with the sense that I was getting away with something I would not have been allowed to see if it were in movie form. You may not want your kid reading whatever equivalent to VC Andrews is out there these days but it's certainly a hook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have any remaining guardrails on what would be appropriate for her to read, perhaps take them off. And then take her to the library and let her pick out whatever. At this age I was reading pretty adult material and that subject matter is what kept me reading, along with the sense that I was getting away with something I would not have been allowed to see if it were in movie form. You may not want your kid reading whatever equivalent to VC Andrews is out there these days but it's certainly a hook.

OP here - I have no guardrails and in fact the last book she was really into was "It ends with us" by Colleen Hoover in sixth grade. I got her "Flowers in the Attic" and "The Shining" and recently suggested "The Thorn Birds" - all things I enjoyed in 8th grade. The PP with the two kids might have a good point...

I guess to be more specific I was looking for book suggestions that your 8th graders liked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you are wrong that reading for pleasure is essential--most people don't.

DH and I both read for pleasure, and we read constantly to our kids and always had tons of reading material around. Both kids learned to read relatively easily and were always above grade level. But I have one DS who reads constantly for pleasure, and one DS who did as a young kid but then stopped in middle school and never really started again.

But here's the thing: They're both interesting people who pay attention to current events; both did well in high school and college; both went to good colleges, with the non-pleasure-reading one going to the higher-ranked school; both now out in the world and working good jobs. DS2 reads a lot on-line (newspaper, etc), but never any fiction (that I'm aware of).

For a kid your DD's age, my question is: what is she doing when she could be reading? If the answer is that she is on her phone, etc., then I would put limits on that. You can't make her read in her free time, but you can make it so that she isn't using all her free time looking at her phone.

OP here - thank you! Thoughful points..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I buy my kid with dyslexia a small junk food treat if he reads 15 minutes a night every night for a week (in additiontolisteningtoaudio books). Just a thought.

15 min? This should be at least 45 min if over 10 yrs old. Especially if they are getting rewarded

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you are wrong that reading for pleasure is essential--most people don't.

DH and I both read for pleasure, and we read constantly to our kids and always had tons of reading material around. Both kids learned to read relatively easily and were always above grade level. But I have one DS who reads constantly for pleasure, and one DS who did as a young kid but then stopped in middle school and never really started again.

But here's the thing: They're both interesting people who pay attention to current events; both did well in high school and college; both went to good colleges, with the non-pleasure-reading one going to the higher-ranked school; both now out in the world and working good jobs. DS2 reads a lot on-line (newspaper, etc), but never any fiction (that I'm aware of).

For a kid your DD's age, my question is: what is she doing when she could be reading? If the answer is that she is on her phone, etc., then I would put limits on that. You can't make her read in her free time, but you can make it so that she isn't using all her free time looking at her phone.

Agree, mostly with this. But I would still do my best to encourage reading. “Kids these days” are reading less than ever before and school instruction, specifically on writing, is worse than ever before/non existent. The combination has made this generation of kids terrible writers. You need to consistently read good examples of writing over years in order to be able to learn and form your own toolbox to pull from when it comes time to do your writing.

[Anonymous]

My DD was ever a reader. Just no interest. But she likes horror movies and in high school started reading the older Stephen King novels (Carrier, The Shining, etc).

[Anonymous]

Paying her for finishing books. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 8th grader stopped reading books about a year ago - much to our frustration. Still has a solid A in ELA but reading for pleasure is an essential life skill I think. Any suggestions for books that got your kid back into reading?

She's not into sci-fi/dystopia which seems to be a lot of YA fiction.

Beat her

[Anonymous]

I’m a school librarian. Here are some books that are popular with my eighth-grade girls: Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter (along with her other books), Nobody in Particular by Sophia Gonzales, My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller, Powerless by Lauren Roberts, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus, Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi, and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

[Anonymous]

A lot of kids stop reading for pleasure when academics ramp up in high school and college. Many do come back to it as adults, once they aren't buried in school work anymore.

[Anonymous]

It is not an essential life skill. I have not read a book for pleasure since elementary school. Maybe middle school. I have college degrees and a career.