We all want our children to become confident and fluid readers who actually enjoy reading. It sets them up for success as students (since so much reading is involved) as well as for many careers which will also rely on reading regularly.
When they are little it’s easy to sit with them and make sure they regularly spend time reading. As they become tweens and are increasingly independent, it becomes a bit harder to pull off. Here are some tips to keep them developing their reading skills.
Check with teachers and librarians or just online to see what’s out there either as a classic or a new work that they might like. Some must-read books for tweens include the Harry Potter series, The Unteachables, The Bookwanderers, The Dog Man Series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Percy Jackson Series, Matilda, The Hobbit, Charlotte's Web, and Guts.
According to Barnes and Noble’s website, here are some of the books people are buying right now:
- Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
- Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger
- Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer
- The Flames of Hope by Tui T. Sutherland
- Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
- The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
- The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo
- The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
- Lightfall by Tim Probert
- The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
- Big Shot by Jeff Kinney
- Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B.B. Alston
You can also go a completely different route and capture their reading attention by getting non-fiction books for them. The photo below shows what was my daughter’s favorite book when she was a tween. It was a gift from a family friend and she read cover to cover 2 times! She enjoyed fiction but she LOVED non-fiction.
Non-fiction books offer historical or scientific knowledge that is helpful for students. They are just beginning to realize there’s a great big world out there that goes way beyond home, their school and the local fun play places! Whether it is a biography of a President or Presidents of the U.S., a science book about animals or the earliest humans—there is much to be learned that can be just as interesting to your child.
Go online and search words like “Non-fiction for Middle School Readers”. You will be rewarded with an eye-opening list of books that may be just the thing to capture the imagination of your child and get them to willingly read. Here’s one such list to get you started: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/middle-grade-non-fiction/
Whether it is a historical collection of women writers, a scientific array of medical discoveries, crazy facts about the ocean, or just a simple explanation of how the U.S. Constitution came to be written—your child will be learning information from these books, improving their reading skills, and increasing their vocabulary.
Once you have found a genre your child likes, the hard part is over! Knowing what catches their attention and captures their imagination will help you to find other similar books so you can keep them reading willingly and regularly.
And one last suggestion. As a parent, be sure to model good reading habits! Children will notice if you tell them to read but don’t do it yourself on a somewhat regular basis. The next time you head to the library or bookstore to get them some reading material, don’t forget to get a book or magazine for yourself too!
This article was crafted for you by your MacaroniKID publisher working with Dr. J who has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Arizona. The inspiration is to help YOU become the best parent you can be!
