So many of the insights offered are true, but I especially think that some children do wait till later in life to read more... such as my own sister who did not read for pleasure until she was an adult. My young son likes to read but only on his terms and that means very little fiction and I suspect he skims even that. I agree that you must offer (but not overtly) a variety of reading material and see what she "bites" on. Magazines are good since the stories are shorter and pictures can grab their interest and spur them to try the story. National Geographic and the kid's version of same, American Girl, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian and US Catholic are all magazines to which we subscribe and I find one of my children reading. I wouldn't worry about it being a magazine necessarily aimed at her age group but would make sure it isn't something like Cosmo or Seventeen unless you want her to read in-your-face sexual content. Capitalize on any interest she has; son enjoys "reading" NFL and astronomy books which deal primarily with statistics and the library is a great resource for books like this.

One trick which works with my son, especially for reading fiction, is for us to read together silently. We turn the page when he is ready and at the end of a chapter (or sooner if I suspect he isn't really reading) I ask a question or two. I'll ask factual questions and "why do you think..?" questions. Keep it light and maybe she'll enjoy it as much as my son does and you can feel good that she is using her reading muscles.

book mom - I see how your reading together might help because I did a similar thing for one of mine with math. He could do the work, but needed some help, and was "lazy" about it. So he would ask for help...even when he didn't need it. So we started having races doing each problem to see which of us could get the answer first. Now, you need to know that this is my fiercely competitive child...who hates to loose at anything! And that Mom is good at math and not shy about beating a 9 year old.

Isn't it fun when you find the secret for each child...and don't you wonder where the inspiration comes from...prayers answered, I guess.

I was a fifth grade teacher (now a librarian in an elementary school) and I think the secret of getting someone to read is to find a "hook." I used Hank, The Cowdog as my "hook" for reluctant readers. However, when I was a young girl, I wasn't that keen to read. I would just rather be doing something else. I didn't become an avid reader until I was grown.

I think the "hook" is important. I know of two instances when the right book made all the difference. My daughter lent Goodnight Mr Tom (Michelle Magorian 1981) to a class mate and it changed her life, not only her reading ability. We let her keep the book, it was completely ruined anyway. I met this girl years later when she was a philosophy student and she said the book had helped her to cope with her serious problems and made her a reader at the same time.

I didn't know the other girl personally, I just happened to sit at the same café table as a Finnish woman who had just bought the second Harry Potter for her non-reading 14-year-old daughter and I commented on it. The first volume was the first book ever for this girl. Because Swedish was not her first language reading a book of this size was an even greater feat.

The Harry Potter books have improved the English language skills of a generation of Swedish children who have not been able to wait for the translations.

If your daughter really doesn't want to read - I'm assuming this is reading for pleasure, rather than learning to decipher words (which is of course essential) - let it be.

I met a couple with a delightful, eager, intelligent and hugely likeable 8-year-old son some time ago. They agonised about his reluctance to read, especially as he had actual problems with the mechanics of reading and writing. - I advised them to enjoy and support what he was good at, rather than constantly focus on the one area he was 'failing' in. He enjoyed learning, was highly curious about geology in particular, and I felt that it was best to support his interest in those areas and leave the read/write dilemma to the school...

I also suggested trying comic books.

Finally, I had one daughter with reading difficulties. The most important service I did her was to not allow her to turn on the tv without permission and good reason! She loved stories, but found it difficult to read until she was about 8 or 9, so we got lots of audio books from the library. I also encouraged her particular preferences, i.e. horror books. Aged 16, she now walks around clutching Anne Rice novels, rather fat tomes for a once reluctant reader, and is getting A's in English!

As a retired teacher, I have some theories about avid readers. It is my suspicion that these children are very imaginative. As a consequence reading is an adventure into this realm of the mind. Are we "hard-wired" to really enjoy reading? I suspect that we are. Just as some love crossword puzzles and others find no sense in them at all, there are those people who love reading for many reasons and others who find it a chore and waste of time.

Rejoice if you have enthusiastic readers! They are usually better writers and certainly have a greater vocabulary than non-readers.

But the old saw applies here: "You can lead a kid to a book, but you can't make him/her love it!"

I find a lot of this difficult to understand. I started reading when I was three and loved every minute of it. But it caused troubles when I began kindergarten at four and first grade at just short of six. Children of my age weren't expected to read, and I experienced some teachers who actually took books away from me. What was I supposed to do? I greatly resented the fact that I was ostracized for reading Mark Twain when all the other kids were struggling through Dick and Jane. Of course, this was more than 60 years ago, and teachers of that period were categorically stupid. Even in my first grade school years, when I was in the education department laboratory school at the local university, teachers were afraid of my ability to read.
I went on to a masters degree and since then have acquired a number of hours toward a doctorate (in molecular biology).In all those many, many years I have found practically no teachers who were any good at all. In high school, just one (math). In college, two (English and biology). In grad school, none at all (just post-doc students who were bored in teaching students at my level).
It seems to me that there's a great failure of teachers, period. As an undergraduate,I belonged to a sorority in which, of approximately 100 girls, almost 70 percent were majoring in elementary education. Of that group I should say that fewer than 10 girls were fitted for elementary education and fewer than 5 achieved any capability in it. And such people are supposed to teach children to read?
Now, here's a story from my time in high school. The teacher of senior classes in literature, English, and journalism was an old bat named Mrs. Wilson. One day she announced to the class that we would be going down to the auditorium. One student asked, "Are we going to see a movie?" To which Mrs. Wilson replied, "No, we are not! We are going to see an EDUCATIONAL FILM."
Need I say more?

I suggest buying her every "teen" magazine that she is interested in. Gossip magazines are trash, but they have words in them.

If she likes fashion, subscribe to age appropriate fashion mags. Just about every type of pet or hobby has magazines designed especially for those interests.

She may be a bit old for comic books, but there are plenty of humor magazines out there. I was raised on MAD magazine and although some of my friends weren't allowed to read it, we had stacks and stacks of them that we read over and over again. In 7th grade I had a 12th grade reading level....I attribute that and my sick sense of humor to MAD magazine!!

I still love to read and I think reading the comics when I was younger certainly attributed to it as well.

My oldest daughter refused to let me read to her as a child. At two years old she would slam the book shut and want to do something else. She is now a Senior in college and her reading is still mostly just for school, but when she was a lifeguard she read just about every "hip" literature book that is out there.

Oldest son likes mostly non-fiction sports books, but will read books for his lit class. He will actually pick up a newspaper that is sitting around and start reading it. So yeah, there's always a newspaper laying around somewhere.

Youngest son (13) reads his accelerated reader books with no prompting from me, but hasn't read for his own enjoyment yet. His joy reading is mostly gaming magazines.

My youngest daughter, who is 4, is on the verge of reading by herself, loves to be read to and is definitely going to be a book lover like me. One out of four isn't bad!!

so, captain...fess up-what have you done?

I don't think that there is a right technique whereby if you use it your child will love reading and if not, you're a failure. Some people think that reading is a passive activity, they'd rather be doing things. I sometimes sense implicit criticism from others when they find out I read so much, like - don't you DO anything?

My husband enjoys reading, when he can, but he enjoys playing guitar more. My father cannot sit still and is too restless to enjoy a book. He's always getting up to do something and putting his book down and can't really get into a story because of his attention span. My sister only liked to read Fear Street and V.C. Andrews when she was young, and now she pretty much only reads airport thrillers. My mom loves to read, but for some reason her reading doesn't evolve; all the books she takes out of the library have a movie-of-the-week feel to them. If someone reads a lot, but only Harlequin novels, is that such a great thing?

I think magazines lead you quite opposite to books. They seem to cultivate a short attention span. In fact, I tend to read magazines when I'm too restless to sit down in front of a book.

There is a sort of deep-seated internal great feeling that avid readers feel when they read, but not everyone has the capacity or makeup to feel it. I do think you need to be a little more of a dreamer to enjoy reading.

Pushing a child that age to read who doesn't want to is going to make her resent having to. Its like the reverse of what my mother tried to do - anything in her power to keep me from reading, which made me dig my heels into any thing she thought worthwile. Keep the options open, follow her interests and let her develop her own passion. Everyone needs to be able to read, but not everyone has to love it. Tho I agree with the above, it makes us readers crazy when others don't share our passion! Which is why we are here!

However, if we are talking about young children - the best thing a parent can do is read! Show your children that reading is important to YOU. So aside from reading to your child, he learns that its not just for kids, and that it gives you pleasure. They might just want to model after you.

I agree with the above post about there not being a magical cure. I have three good friends who are readers like me. Of their five children, only one reads for pleasure. The other four are delightful young people, intelligent and curious. They read when they have to. Thats ok. Their parents did all the 'right' things, but it didn't take. They respect those who loe reading, but its not for them, and thats ok.

Cindy, your post reminds me of something Steinbeck said about his parents - they encouraged him to read by locking the bookcase, which made it irresistible!

There's actually a very interesting story about him that is very appropo here. He was not an early reader, and he did not want to read. When he was 11 or so, a relative gave him Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table. Thats all it took. He read it over and over and read everything else about Arthur he could get his hands on and discovered that reading opens up worlds. The rest is history, as they say.

Another thought here,,,,she is at that age where a lot if girls (and boys,too) don't want to be anything like the parents. You may not be aware of it yet, but most kids go through a stage where if Mom or Dad like to do THIS, then she will pretend to not want to, even though she' dying to. It's just one of those things. If Mom loves to dance or sing or read......then the child doesn't want to. The child is asserting the beginnings of independence. You just happen to have picked out the thing, reading, that she doesn't care to do anyway.

Keep worrying her about reading and there is a very good chance that she will get even more set against it.

I would not disdain comics and graphic novels, some of which are tremendously subtle, original and mature. A good tie-in for this can be the movies (X-MEN, SUPERMAN). And anime is another window into words. Take her into a comics shop and browse around.

If you want a specific recommendation, ask the clerk for WE 3, a graphic novel about a cat, a dog, and a bunny. The military-industrial complex turns the animals into superweapons, with ensuing angst and bloodshed. I defy any teen to put it down.

Brenda

I just read to my boys and read in front of them... They just picked it up.. My youngest son is on an anime jag right now... But he read Clancy at a young age and loved it... He just read Cynthia Voight's Homecoming in a 24 hour period.. (Great book by the way) My oldest is really into Sci-Fi..

I am the only of three children who is a reader of any sort.. I don't ever remember my older sister reading ANY book ever... I started with Mary C. Jane mysteries.. And progressed from there pretty rapidly...

I just think it really comes down to a preference...

My sister's kids are all great readers. She thinks this came about because when they moved to England, there was nothing on TV that appealed to them and they didn't understand British humor. There were no PCs or nintendo, either.

I'm limiting computer to 1 hr per day and that's AFTER they practice piano and read for one hour. We'll see how it goes.

My 8 yr old son enjoys reading and goes well beyond the hour if my daughter leaves him alone. She has a vision problem (we are addressing through Vision Therapy) having to do with convergence insufficiency, which causes letters to fly around on the page and makes it hard to find the next line in the text. Frustrating to say the least.

I love reading for pleasure, but this darn internet really cuts into my time! I think I like reading because when I grew up there was only one TV and only three channels, we didn't have any afterschool activities (oh yeah, Great Books one night a week), and a pretty boring life. No cruises or trips abroad, few visits to the movies. You get where I'm going with this!

Another mama chiming in. My kids are readers. My 8-year-old is especially voracious, never without a book, would give up chocolate before she gives up reading - we are so alike!

Anyway, my daughter's best friend was a non-reader. She struggled all of the time and as a result, did everything BUT read. When my daughter approached her and said, "I want to start a book club with my best friends and you are one of them." The non-reader friend signed up right away. There are now 6 girls in the reading club - all readers except the one. They are extremely organized, keep records of their books and meet every two weeks. The non-reader friend is so happy to be a part of the club that she happily reads everything. Her mom said being in the club made reading fun again. Now when the non-reader girl comes to my house, she always has a book. Maybe a little peer pressure in the form of a fun book club would work. My daughter's club spends half of their meeting time munching on junk food and discussing the book, and the other half they run outside to play tag. Reading is now very cool to do with friends.

PAM

Mary for your son in vision therapy-I also went thru years of therapy as a child, and some as an adult. I also grew up when there was less on TV, so read anyway, and was as my best friend told me, "the only kid she knew that got headaches." ONe thing that helped when I was teaching learning disabled students was a highlighter bookmark called "EZC reader strip." It came from the "REally Good Stuff catalog." It's a plastic bookmark with a thin highlight strip in the middle in the color of your choice to place over the line of text. Was helpful for those with vision problems and learning disabilities. Books on tape also helped, either listen to first, and then read, or listen and follow along at the same time.

After his LA arts teacher wrote in his evaluation that "he doesn't have a clue," (2years ago and it still rankles) we began homeschooling. My son falls into the category of being able to read, but not comprehending/visualizing the text at the same time. As an experiment, I first had him read a chapter of Johnny Tremain then tell me everything he could recall -- the two main characters' names were all. Then he listened to an audio book and read along -- perfect recall. It would be fascinating to see research on what's happening in the brain of such children -- there's nothing wrong with his intelligence, just a difference in the way that he gets information. I hope that eventually, all books (college texts esp.!) will be available in audio for learners like my son. Given current technology, it seems a realistic goal.

I also agree that finding a "hook" is vital -- my son will read anything in the NYT or WSJ about cars or electronics. Some would say (and have) that this proves that he can "read just fine" and is simply lazy with fiction. However, it takes him several slow readings of any text to "get it" -- a practice most students don't have time or the patience for in every subject.

>After his LA arts teacher wrote in his evaluation that "he doesn't have a clue,"

I do hope, before you took him out of school, that you had a serious discussion with said teacher and her principal. Some people really don't belong in this honorable profession.

Good for you for discovering what good teachers have known for years - all children learn differently. You try and try to see what works until it does. When I taught LD kids, I tried taping all of the texts. I managed a few, then they changed textbooks, argh! Yes, nowadays this would be much easier.

Many practical and imaginative ideas shared here! I appreciate them all. I understand much of what has been stated about forcing a kid to read, and as a result creating a lifelong hatred of the activity. I don't think I am doing that.

I think there is some merit to the notion that when there is limited tv access, reading is not drudgery. The oldest of my 3 kids is the one who reads the most. He was directly impacted by the fact that we had 3 stations and poor reception when he was very small.

As #2 and #3 came along, we had moved into the VCR and satellite tv era. These 2 had no need to read. It broke my heart when they didn't want to read Charlotte's Web with me! They preferred the cartoon/movie.

To this day, #1 child asserts that his sisters would have been better off without the satellite and VCR. I think I agree.

Now, to my evil plot, which is not working, BTW. Two weeks into the summer and she has not even gotten halfway into one book. I made a deal to pay her for reading. Yes, you read that correctly, PAY. If she would read 10 books, I would pay a set amount of money. I wouldn't pay partial for reading only a few of the books, however. It was to be all or none. My theory was that if she would just get interested in the "right" book, then she'd just take off on her own and read, read, read.

So much for that theory...

I don't know about TV watching. We grew up before TV, and my sister and I are avid readers, as was our mother; but one brother reads some--mostly studious type stuff--and the youngest doesn't read anything he doesn't have to. Both boys loved comic books when they were little. In fact, they give my sister a bad time because she used to throw them away when cleaning and now, of course, they would be worth a lot of money.

By the way, bribing with money works with my grandson's summer reading program.

My TV-age daughter didn't read until she was about 12, although she loved to be read to. I was afraid she would not be a reader, thinking that TV filled her need for stories, but she loves books now.

smallcoffee: Thanks for the tip about the EZC reader strip. I'm going to ask about it at the next VT session.

juliana-your son and my son...same problem.

captain-I prefer to think of it as awards...the library in our county has a summer reading game where the kids earn points to trade in for coupons for free baseball games, free visits to the amusement park, free meals...which all cost $$$. You are just cutting out the middle man.

Hee, and when I was a kid the library summer program gave us stars on a chart for each book read, and we thought that pretty cool.Ah, progress :)

I do think tv as well as computers have made books less interesting to kids. If nothing else, they provide more options for entertainment, so books don't seem as exciting - until of course one hooks a kids interest. So if it takes a bit of positive reinforcemnt (aka starts or $s), to get that interest started, so be it.

I would make one suggestion tho - along with paying a child to read, include spending time with said child in a conversation about what he read. Don't just ask yes no or factual questions - encourage analysis of characters and main ideas and talk about the issues that the book brings up. I still remember some of the conversations I had with my dad, the only other reader in the family. They not only expanded my comprehension, but we got closer as well. That attention may be just as much as a reward to your kid as the actual money (or, close, anyway :)

I didn't think my son was going to be a reader. Could not get him to sit down and read and he would never finish a book, not even a mystery. However, he loved being read to before bed, which we still do. He also does not like going to bed and is a bit of a night owl. So, he started reading in bed and now, after we read a chapter of whatever book we're reading, he gets in bed and picks up a book and reads for at least another hour.

He usually doesn't read fiction nor does he usually read a book from cover to cover, but loves non-fiction and books he can dip into and put aside for something else the next night. He also loves Calvin and Hobbes, Tintin and anything about airplanes. I have even given him some more adult books on subjects he's interested in. For example, Ask the Pilot by Patrick Smith is not written for children, but is one of his favorites. He now has a bookshelf by his bed that is overflowing with books. I was quite surprised the other night to find him in the middle of 2000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Since she's not interested in books much this summer just make sure she has plenty of other reading material around. What are her hobbies?

Although I was a good reader, I don't think I was actively reading long chapter books for my own entertainment until 17. I do remember reading a few smaller chapter books along the way during the summer, but it wasn't a requirement. We were just stuck in a cabin, because of rain, with no television.

Yes, we reward kids all the time...as parents and as teachers, and librarians, etc. Thanks for making me feel not so low-down and devious.

I try to make her read for a certain amount of time each day - 20-30 minutes. She could pick any book she wished - we even went to B&N and bought 3 - Nothing works. Most of the books she collected were books I'd read or would be willing to read. And, yes, discussing them would be part of the plan. I'm big into having literary conversations - do it all the time with students and others.

I do believe she is mildly dyslexic. I know it must be difficult for her to make sense of words and letters. I would just prefer not to do it, too, if I had difficulty reading, pronouncing and comprehending most of the words.

I'm not giving up hope. I've had h.s. juniors who began the year with little reading experience and ended the year being voracious readers. Emma could be one of those kids.

I wonder how much disabilities play into children not enjoying the passtime. In my experience, this has been a big cause of frustration and non-enjoyment of reading.

I have always been a reader. My parents never had to try to get me to read, as I was doing so as soon as I learned to read. I do remember hearing a girl was getting paid $10 to read Gone with the Wind (her mother was attempting to bribe her to read). I asked my mother if I could get $10 for reading it..the answer was no, as I was already a reader and I was told if I really wanted to read it, I would without getting paid for it. Still haven't read it to this day.

I think one of the best things my parents did for me was limiting us to one tv in the house...controlled by my mother. If I didn't want to watch what was on, I grabbed a book and read. This occured often, as I'm not a fan of sitcoms, and my mother is a fan. The one tv also increased family time for those instances when I wasn't off reading.

First, if my son hadn't gotten interested in reading on his own, I have no doubt I would have offered money to get him going! In my area, Pizza Hut also has a program called Book It! free pizza for reaching teacher set reading goals.

I also wanted to mention that if a child is identified with a disability (learning, vision impairment) they are eligible for Tapes for the Blind and Dyslexic. There's a yearly fee, $60 I think. You send them the title, author etc. for any school book you need, they send you the tape to keep as long as needed. The material is read at a slower rate than those you find commercially, which can also be helpful for comprehension.

Captainbackfire, if she doesn't take to reading books this summer, do you think it would be worth trying recorded books? I ask this based on some of the suggestions made here from other parents' experiences.

Captain, I have always said that effective parenting is a combination of bribery and blackmail!

VTChewbacca, your mention of 'only one' tv in the house makes me smile - we are a very very odd family in our social circles because we only have one telly, and my girls (14 and 16) still have to ask permission to turn it on when we are at home, because Martin & I hate the noise!

We have little compact hifis in every room though, as well as three guitars and two electric pianos... There is almost always music playing somewhere in the house.

If I handled the tv situation more liberally, older daughter would not have read half as many books.

Ah I have fond memories of the Book It program. I was at a Pizza Hut the other day and was reminded of the thrill in 1986 when I wore my badge with 5 stars and received my very own personal pan pizza. The challenge of that program contributed to my interest in reading.

PAM I really love the idea of your daughter hosting a book club with her friends. Her best friend may become hooked on reading for life through this. I agree that the peer challenge is positive and combined with fun food and play it sounds like the perfect combination for having a blast.

Hip-hip-hooray! Emma has finished a book! Number one of many more for her this summer, I hope. It was Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. I've not read it, so I will need to get going on it soon. She told me at breakfast this morning that she liked it. I asked her if she thought it would be a book I'd like, and she said yes. That's the sum of what I've been able to extract from her. Not a real conversationalist about books, just yet, obviously. Gim'me time!!

Wonderful! A few suggestions for questions to ask:

>Tell me about the book

>What made you like it? (give her some choices - the charactes, the story, the action, the theme)

>Would I like it? Why?

more: (even though I know you teach....we do individual conferences with each student once a 6 day cycle or so-so I've got a store of leading questions)

which character is most like you? why?
which character reminds you of someone at school?
Is there a description that made you want to see that place? eat that food? hear that music?
tell me about a choice a character made. did you agree with the choice? what would you have done differently?
how would you have solved that problem?

ccr, I know, in fact I was hoping you'd pop in! Remember, I teach preschool. The questions I posted were what I've used with my nieces. Yours are quite excellent and I think I'll add them to my repetorie.

and captain teaches high school! we've got them covered from start to finish!

Congratulations, Captain! With any luck you have just opened that whole other world to your daughter.

A word of caution re 'leading questions': judging from my personal experience, too many questions about the content may jeopardise future reading, depending on how contrary the girl is! I would be inclined to just be pleased that she's reading, and maybe tell her what you liked about the book when you are through with it, leaving it up to her to respond or not.

Congrats! (raising my early morning coffee) Here's to many more book discussions between the two of you!

When my bibliophile daughter finishes a book, we try to talk about it. And occassionally, I ask too many questions. When she starts to clam up, I say something along the lines of, "Oops, sorry. I was getting kinda nosy and excited because it sounds like a book I may like to read I'll stop now...hey, can I borrow it?" That usually gets me out of the "teacher quizzing the kid" dilemma.

Keep us posted!
PAM

I'm with Anyanka--the same kind of girl lives in my house. It drives her nuts when I read her library books, left lying around the house, before she does so now I have to do it on the sly.

Another good question is "which character would you want to be and why?" Be forewarned--this can result is some surprising answers.

We moms have to "tippy-toe" around our kids, sometimes, don't we?

Some of the discussion questions you all mentioned are really good ones! A favorite of mine is "Can you try to predict the ending?" This is to ask as the reader is getting really into it, about half way through. I also like to ask questions that force the reader to make connections between his/her own experiences and those in the story. With Out of the Dust, I wanted Emma to picture her grandma as a girl, because my mother was a child when the story is taking place. So I asked her several times "Can you picture Grandma doing those things?"

Next for Emma, she told be this morning, is either Jacob I Have Loved or My Side of the Mountain. I really want her to read So B. It, but I'm not pushing it. (tippy-toe, tippy-toe!)

Captain Backfire,

I've read all three of those. She might want to read My Side of the Mountain as it features a boy who survives on his own, living in a tree and taming a wild falcon (at least I think it's a falcon). I think many kids fantasize about surviving on their own, sans adults and this one made it seem very feasible (at least, looking back from many year distant from my last reading of it, I thought it sounded feasible). That being said however, I also liked both of the other books!

>We moms have to "tippy-toe" around our kids, sometimes, don't we?

Hee, sometimes husbands too, but thats a different thread :)

>Can you try to predict the ending?"

When I started in education, I had a very exciting teacher for my Reading Methods class. One of the first things he taught us to do, before even opening the book, was to ask the students what they thought the book was about just based on the title, and then based on the cover. I suspect those kind of questions pre-reading my get a reluctant reader to check out if his predictions are right (or not...)

Ya know anayka, you're right. I have a bad habit of playing teacher when I'm not at school, when I just need to enjoy the fact that a young person is reading. I try to just ask a few questions. If they lead to a discussion, great. If not, I should just ask what she will read next.

Someone upthread mentioned kids doing a kid reading group. Great idea - but I have heard of mother-daughter groups. Has anyone had experiences with that before? I suspect like anything else, it depends on the participants.

Oh captian, those two first books were long time faves of mine. Also in the same vein - Summer of my German Soldier. I don't know why but the three of them seem to fit together for me.

I remember "My Side of the Mountain", she'll like that one.

My daughter read "Quest for a Maid" by Frances Mary Hendry some years ago and loved it. Not on the usual list for kid's reading but it's great historical fiction. Strong female characters.

"From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-- Adventure, derring-do, and magic keep the plot of this historical novel rolling along at the brisk pace set by the opening sentence--"When I was nine years old, I hid under a table and heard my sister kill a king." The king is Alexander III of Scotland. The time is the late 13th century. How the fight for succession affects Meg's life; her betrothed, who is the youngest son of Sir Patrick Spens; and her family is the heart of this tale that spans seven years. The rightful heir to the throne is an eight-year-old Norwegian princess, known as the Maid of Norway, and Meg is part of the entourage sent to accompany her home. The fateful trip and unnatural storm that climax in death and disaster has been recounted in the famous Scottish ballad. The likable heroine and the two lively men in her life are young, hopeful, and inventive enough to make a fresh start out of their sorrow. Hendry takes a few liberties while vividly recreating a turbulent historical period. The author's note in the beginning puts the story in perspective and the glossary at the end is helpful, but not crucial. An intriguing and well-told tale. --Amy Kellman, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh"

"Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls was also another favorite. Scienc Fiction: "A Wrinkle in Time"
by Madeleine L'Engle. A newer book that Ive heard good things about is "Souls of the North Wind" by Chrissy Mcvay (mystical).

My, we're creating quite a reading list for her aren't we?

anayaka-you're right-I didn't mean to rattle through the whole list-but one might start a discussion that could free-range for a while.

Don't get me wrong, Cece, I'm all for discussing, I just think that it's easier to do when you've read the book yourself, which opens up questions unique to that story.

After reading the 'Dark Materials' trilogy, no 2 daughter and I had a discussion point that went on for weeks: what kind of daemon would you have?

On the other hand, I don't share no 1 daughter's reading material, but as I recently bought the first few Anne Rice 'Vampire Chronicles' books for her, I could then ask her whether they were any good, and how they compared to the movie (which I have seen). To be honest, I now know a little bit more about Lestat than I actually wanted to!

True. After about 30 years in el. ed, I have read a lot of what they read-especially the "Accelerated Reading List" books...and as I share what I am reading with them (when appropriate) because I read when they read for SSR and then we sometimes have "sharing discussion time", I can always ask..."You know something about what I like to read-would I like this book? Why or why not?"

If you haven't read Steve Johnson's book "Everythign Bad is Good For You"--it's a must. He explains the attraction and benefits of new media--ie, video/computer games. I have one kid who loves to read and another who's not into it. There's a whole generation of people (not just kids) who are abosrbing sorytelling in different ways. While I wish both my kids loved books the way I did, I also know that they aren't rotting their brains just because they're not reading.