tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post115680756074207479..comments2023-10-05T06:28:29.938-07:00Comments on Bookseller Chick: SB Day: The Guy Edition (Part Two)Bookseller Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16740546395821645741noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1157110862748356312006-09-01T04:41:00.000-07:002006-09-01T04:41:00.000-07:00In Australia we have some fabulous male authors wh...In Australia we have some fabulous male authors who write books emminently suitable (indeed aimed at) reluctant young readers. Andy Griffiths, author of the fabulously named 'The Day my Bum went Psycho' is one, as is Morris Gleitzman (author of too many to name. John Marsden's 'Tomorrow when the war began' series is also very popular and anything written by Jackie French (who is not a bloke, but there you go) is also good for the middle school age group - good as in kids like them, as well as grown-ups. Just a thought, for people looking for ideas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1157039665004357542006-08-31T08:54:00.000-07:002006-08-31T08:54:00.000-07:00I'm male. Unfortunately at the age of 33, with no...I'm male. <BR/><BR/>Unfortunately at the age of 33, with no kids myself, and as someone who, ever since they finally worked out that the page a word was on had no bearing upon it's meaning (that was the big hurdle for me learning to read) has eaten any book I've had available to me alive, I'm afraid that's probably where my insight ends.<BR/><BR/>Random thoughts.<BR/><BR/>- I am by nature, a quite antisocial hermit, and was so even as a toddler, so being able to stick my head in a book and not have to talk or do anything with anyone who was actually like *real* was a huge relief. This is probably not any sort of recommendation.<BR/>- I'm weird enough that it's Hero's who tend to put me off -- gods, spare me the manliness -- give me Heroines every time.<BR/>- My family read *all the time*, like in public, in front of each other, with people freaking out about their library books being overdue, and shelves coating the walls stuffed with books, piles and piles of them in less occupied rooms littering the floor in little half-foot high stacks for tripping over. Simple osmosis and 'not now, I'm reading a book' from parents may have something to do with picking up the habit.<BR/>- I have no experience at all with age-appropriateness, I read 'The Naked Lunch' and 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' at about 11 or 12 just because they were there on the shelf -- almost certainly *not* a good idea -- however I also read a lot of age inappropriate stuff that probably was a good idea. I don't think I read anything that was actually targetted for kids or 'Young Adults' after about nine. I read adult books, for actual adults, damnit! Matter of pride.<BR/>- One of my brothers just doesn't read fiction, he reads non-fiction only. Baffling, but there you are. Get some non-fiction in. I remember we had this big Time Life series on all sorts of stuff, Volcanoes, Gemstones, Storms, Plate Tectonics etc. (I think it was 'Planet Earth') those all got heaviliy read and re-read too.<BR/>- Reading set books inside school. Yeah I guess logically that must of happened, but I don't remember any of it. My reading memories are all about what I ended up reading in my own time.<BR/>- Your proverbial trashy romances, such as those ones the Smart Bitches (and I) read, tend to have sex scenes in. Quite likely several, and even *more* detailed today than they were back in my day. Oddly, I suspect many teenage boys may well not be aware of this highly significant fact, otherwise they would be raiding their mother's stocks of mantitty for the good stuff, however embarassing the covers.<BR/>- I am currently typing this missive to a blog upon the internets -- as brought to you by a series of tubes(tm) -- which is just competely chock-full of text. Do boys not use the internets anymore?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1156985768489670342006-08-30T17:56:00.000-07:002006-08-30T17:56:00.000-07:00I'm not sure girls have an advantage in encouragem...I'm not sure girls have an advantage in encouragement. My grandmother -- an old-school Southern belle -- always told me if I didn't stop reading so much, no one would ever marry me.<BR/><BR/>(As it turned out, I married a writer.)Lisa Hunterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16273391238820872246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1156917624213913762006-08-29T23:00:00.000-07:002006-08-29T23:00:00.000-07:00Yes, yes, yes to finding what they like and steer ...Yes, yes, yes to finding what they like and steer them to that book that meets that interest.<BR/><BR/>Whenever I hear a parent say their son doesn't like to read, I suggest Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and soon that kid is asking for more.Jill Monroehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12917867670224368810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1156902184537431112006-08-29T18:43:00.000-07:002006-08-29T18:43:00.000-07:00I have to weigh in here as a middle school teacher...I have to weigh in here as a middle school teacher. I just hate it when people over generalize about teachers & schools. I love reading. I do everything I can to promote reading in my class and I know my other teachers do also. After all we have those reading scores for NCLB. For some reason reading stops becoming important to many middle schoolers, not all. I think this is where we see people beginning to make choices about what they are like and their interests. We do need to have a combination of reading books that are good for us and books that are fun. After all I am sure that all of us do the same thing, I couldn't read all of Oprah's choices. It is the hooking the kids with the books that are fun for them. Of course my struggling readers don't want to read baby books but don't have the ability for the other books they might actually like. <BR/>We do have to push our schools to make reading a priority, a class in and of itself. Students that are having difficulties reading need to be taught at their level and have remediation, one good thing about NCLB. There are many of us caring teachers out there who are doing all we can to promote reading no matter what the grade level. We need help from parents and booksellers to get and keep these kids reading. Let us all work together and not play the blame game. Push for reading in a positive pro-active way. We could use your help.Diane Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02372257372993167544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1156878913778650072006-08-29T12:15:00.000-07:002006-08-29T12:15:00.000-07:00BSC, thanks for the call to arms.Anonymous, love t...BSC, thanks for the call to arms.<BR/><BR/>Anonymous, love that Reader's Bill of Rights! Especially the right to not finish. I think that one is important to people of all ages. And the right not to defend your tastes--thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1156865264714575932006-08-29T08:27:00.000-07:002006-08-29T08:27:00.000-07:00Are you familiar with Pennac's Better Than Life? H...Are you familiar with Pennac's <I>Better Than Life</I>? He writes about trying to interest teenagers in reading. He offers a Reader's Bill of Rights:<BR/>The right to not read. <BR/>The right to skip pages. <BR/>The right to not finish. <BR/>The right to reread. <BR/>The right to read anything. <BR/>The right to escapism. <BR/>The right to read anywhere. <BR/>The right to browse. <BR/>The right to read out loud. <BR/>The right not to defend your tastes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1156861723502082642006-08-29T07:28:00.000-07:002006-08-29T07:28:00.000-07:00I have two boys. I have one reader who will read a...I have two boys. I have one reader who will read anything but especially loves fantasy (where the other son hates fantasy). <BR/><BR/>As Teacher Chick said, schools really (REALLY) push reading up to grade 6 and from Kindegarten to 5th grade #1 son was a reader. He also played video games, rode his bike and played outside. So when he came to me in 6th grade and said he hated reading I was very distressed. <BR/><BR/>He's in 7th now and he still won't read much outside of magazines, and the internet =( but he's also in honors classes and because his TAKS scores were so high they want to him to participate in some program through Duke (TIP) that involves taking the SAT. <BR/><BR/>I'll encourage him to do this, just as I'll continue to encourage sports, but I won't push him to read. Why? I know my son. The more I push, the more he won't do something--he's nothign if not bullheaded (and he comes by it honestly). Here's what else I know about my son--he HATES to be challenged, he HATED being in Honors classes last year but if he is not challenged in some form or fashion, he'll end up an incredibly bright underachiever (and yes I know this because he's just like me).Amie Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14145328243563702260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13002022.post-1156854310683726932006-08-29T05:25:00.000-07:002006-08-29T05:25:00.000-07:00I have two boys. I have two readers.They aren't ne...I have two boys. I have two readers.<BR/>They aren't nearly as avid as I was at that age, but there are times when I can find one of them off on thier own reading.<BR/>I read. Voraciously. Always have. Always will.<BR/>My husband reads.<BR/>I've done several things to encourage reading with my boys. They can read anything they want as long as it is age appropriate.<BR/>One summer, my older son read every non-fiction plane book the library had.<BR/>Now he reads science fiction/fantasy. He's read 6 books this summer. That's 6 more than he read last summer.<BR/>The other thing I've done is that they can both stay up later at night if they want to read. I've also taught them that if they can't sleep they can read.<BR/>Was this all work? Yes in a way. It took until last year to figure out what the older one wanted to read. Now he's more likely to try something new if it is along the same lines as what he's read before.<BR/>In fact, both of their fave authors had books come out this month. They were itching to get to the bookstore.<BR/>Make a mom proud.<BR/>Oh and maybe if the kids didn't have to read such depressing stuff all the time in school, they'd want to read more.<BR/>My 2 cents.<BR/>cmrAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com