Avi
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Since I write fiction, I am delighted that research has shown that one of the most powerful ways to learn, gain, and practice empathy is by reading fiction.
Breakfast Serials, at its peak in 2005, gave thirty-three million readers access to seventeen stories written by twenty-seven celebrated writers, with art by top-notch illustrators. The serialized story held the attention of a large number of dedicated readers.
This past summer I asked my writer friends / colleagues to answer this question: “What’s your favorite strategy for encouraging young people to read?” Here’s my sense of what I felt each author suggests.
In the 19th century, novel serialization made the cost of book reading much lower for the general public. Moreover, it transformed reading from an individual endeavor to a social phenomenon, with huge numbers able to simultaneously share a text.
Author Kekla Magoon shares, “One of the most gratifying things that’s ever happened to me in my career occurred after a school author visit, signing books at the front of the auditorium. A young man hovered at the back of the line. … As he held out his copy of the book for me to sign, he said quietly, ‘This is the first book I ever finished.’”
When writing nonfiction I try to keep in mind that many young readers (and adults too) prefer fantasy, realistic fiction, mysteries, or science fiction. So I try to use the tools of fiction to engage readers of all ages, even when the subject matter is challenging or disturbing.
Whatever your aspirations for a book or story are, it will not have any effect if you can’t get kids to read it! To make that happen, you need to start where the readers are, not where you want them to end up.
To encourage kids to read, I deepen my relationship with each child to find out their interests and then pair them with books they will find irresistible.
Let young people reach their own answers to the question: how does this poem make you feel?
Teachers and parents often tell me that my novels are great for getting reluctant readers to love books. I have a lot of strategies for keeping even the most reluctant of readers on the edges of their seats.