Reply to What does your 4th or 5th grader like to read that isn’t complete crap?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Also, the crap is crap. I was at the library recently and the dad specifically told his kids, no graphic novels, and I wish I had known to do the same when my kids were younger.[/quote]

Seriously? There’s literally no reason to limit.[/quote]

Yes, there is. Graphic novels don't require the same level of focus as novels do. It's that whole Lucy Calkin thing - "just look at the pictures!" When you try to make the leap into reading books that require sustained focus, have longer sentences and no pictures to explain the plot, it's hard, particularly for older children.[/quote]

Uh sure.  But forcing a 9 year old to read something they are not interested in is WAY MORE damaging than allowing them to read anything for fun.  You could certainly suggest novels or denser reading.  But to force it will make ALL reading harder.  If your kid looks forward to library time because they know they can read a silly graphic novel, that is much more valuable than forcing them to read Harry Potter in 4th grade.

My 5th grader was a reluctant reader, especially for pleasure.  I have never limited her.  She had read many many graphic novels.  To help her, we read thicker novels together, with me doing most of the reading out loud.  She loves it.  And now, finally, she is picking up novel to read on her own more than graphic novels.  But we are a judgement free zone about it.  Her reading time is allowed to be magazines, graphic novels, picture books, the dictionary, I don't care.  As long as she's turning through a book and seeing what's inside.[/quote]

Not PP, but I imagine this depends on the reader. My 3 kids are voracious readers. When they don't want to read a book I think they should read, I just read a few chapters out loud to them and they are hooked and take it from me to finish the plot. Obviously a kid who finds it to be torture turning the pages wouldn't do that. Assuming OP's kid actually likes to read, picking something that OP finds to have literary value and OP's kid will likely like is a [b]good[/b] thing for the kid. And there are really easy ways of hooking them. For a kid who doesn't like to read as much, it's a lot more work. But you yourself are putting in the work to get there.

I'm always shocked at the parents who judge those of us who want our kids to build their brains when they read some times. My kids read for hours. It's OK for me to want that to be time well spent. And I'm hardly causing them to hate reading.[/quote]

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