Reading is Magic, Pass it on! A guest post by PJ Gardner

Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with reading? The moment you understood the alchemy of words on a page? The joy of holding a book in your hands and knowing you were holding magic?

For me that moment came when I was four-years-old. I was staying with my abuela and she wanted to read a book before going to bed. A grown-up book. One just for her. Instead of turning the TV on for me she pulled out a pile of early reader books and set them next to me.

“Let’s read, hijta,” she said.

So we lay side-by-side on the bed, she reading a political thriller, me reading Frog & Toad, both caught up in the delight of books.

Of course, this was before cable TV was common, before gaming systems took up residence in every household, before the internet and smart phones. I’m not saying it was a better time, but rather a time with fewer demands for one’s attention.

Unlike today.

Creating a love of reading in children is much harder now. Parents have little time to read to their kids, let alone model reading by picking up a book themselves. Teachers are required to teach to tests, with little room in the day to do read-a-louds or quiet reading time. School districts are eliminating librarians on a massive scale. To top it off, everyone is burnt out, even the kids.

And it’s showing.

The seventh edition of Scholastic’s Kids & Family Reading Report, published in 2019, found some concerning shifts in the habits and attitudes of the students transitioning from eight to nine years of age.

Reading for fun 5-7 days per week

8 year olds: 57%

9 year olds: 35%

Children who say they love reading

8 year olds: 40%

9 year olds: 28 %

This has become known as the Decline by Nine, and it’s getting worse.

The drop in numbers is alarming for several reasons. First, it’s rare for kids to come back to reading as they grow older. Once lost, they appear to be lost forever. And second, reading is vital to long term academic success. A study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation discovered that academic achievement can be surmised from early reading proficiency, specifically by third grade, or age nine.

Having inundated you with doom and gloom, let me give you some hope. Children know reading is important and they want to do it. We just need to make that easier for them. In my opinion, the best way to do that is to let them read what they want.

Every kid should have time to read whatever and however they want. Don’t worry if a book seems too young for them? That’s okay, it’s still reading. Adults read younger material like middle grade and young adult novels all the time, kids should be able to do the same. This goes for rereading as well. I have certain books that I return to because I love them and their familiarity gives me a sense of stability. Kids are no different.

Also, allow your student/child to enjoy graphic novels if that’s what gets them to sit down and read. The visual elements actually help emerging readers to understand plot, gain vocabulary, and develop much-needed critical thinking skills. As well as the ability to analyze images. All of which makes them less susceptible to ads and propaganda.

Lastly, connect them with books that make them laugh. If we want reading to be fun we have to be comfortable with them reading fun stories. Not every book needs to expand their horizons or make them think. Don’t get me wrong, those books are absolutely necessary and important, but they can’t be the only books we push.

I say worry less about what they read and more about how long they read. Thirty minutes of something silly or familiar is better than ten minutes of something that makes them dread reading.

Now look,  your students may know what they like, but not what’s out there. Fortunately, there are several resources and places you can look. Websites like https://readingmiddlegrade.com and https://whattoreadtoyourkids.com can give you ideas. Plus, you can always go to publisher websites. HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and others list many of their available titles. Local indie bookstores are another excellent resource. The best way, of course, is to talk to a children’s librarian. No one has a better knowledge of what’s out there than them.

Here are a few recommendations of my own (And yes I know they’re all animal books. What can I say, I love animals!):

The InvestiGators series by John Patrick Green

The Imaginary Veterinary series (Wedgie & Gizmo) by Suzanne Selfors

The Animal Rescue Friends series by numerous authors and illustrators

And, of course, my own books, the Horace & Bunwinkle series and The Great Zoodini

There’s more good news, too—you’re not in this alone. Publishers have realized how important this age group is and they are acquiring more early middle grade books than ever. In the next few years we’re going to see an explosion of stories for 8-10 year olds. I, for one, can’t wait!

Sources:

Lesnick, J., Goerge, R., Smithgall, C., & Gwynne J. (2010). Reading on Grade Level in Third Grade: How Is It Related to High School Performance and College Enrollment?Chicago: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 

Scholastic. (2019). Kids & Family Reading Report: 7th Edition.https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/home.html

Meet the author

PJ Gardner has never met a talking animal, but that hasn’t stopped her from writing about them. She’s the author of the middle grade Horace & Bunwinkle series and The Great Zoodini. She lives in Southern California with her husband and sons, a mischievous cat named Kaiju, and two delightful Boston Terriers named Rosie and Rocky. She also writes under the name PJ Switzer.

About The Great Zoodini

From the author of the Horace & Bunwinkle series comes this hilarious and heartwarming story of forgiveness, trust, and found family, perfect for fans of A Boy Called Bat and Wedgie & Gizmo.

The Great Zoodini—aka Radar the fennec fox—has never fit in. In fact, his only friend is a stuffed rabbit. Ever since his first family abandoned him, he’s had one goal: become world famous and show everyone how wrong they were about him. But no matter how many daring escapes Zoodini’s tried, he’s never even made the Association of Animal-Themed Attractions newsletter.

When his latest escape goes wrong, Zoodini winds up at the Twin Buttes Animal Sanctuary and Drive-In Movie Theater. He can’t believe his bad luck. How can he get famous in the middle of nowhere? But the residents—ranging from a pink-obsessed flamingo to an astrology-loving river otter to a grizzly cub who thinks he’s a superhero—all seem to like Zoodini. Even more surprising, he likes them too.

Then Zoodini overhears a plot to sell the sanctuary and sees his big chance—breaking out by himself would go unnoticed, but breaking everyone out? That would make him world famous. But what if being famous means losing the only family who’s ever accepted him?

ISBN-13: 9780063134713
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 07/23/2024
Age Range: 8 – 12 Years

Filed under: Guest Post