Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

 Some kids (often, but not always, boys) only really want to read non-fiction. Others are only drawn to the stories in fictional novels. There are good reasons for reading both, though, whether it is expanding your child's exposure to different types of writing or whether it is required for school reading. To help ease the crossover, it may be helpful to find something that is similar to what they have already enjoyed. After all, if we're to grow readers, we need to find the right books to get them hooked!

For a lot of kids, also often boys, a wild adventure or a madcap series of mishaps is just the thing. For the reader of funny stories about the antics of boys, stories by Gordon Korman or Richard Peck, for example, there are some wonderful memoirs about growing up by premiere authors of kidslit. 

How Angel Peterson Got His Name, by Gary Paulsen

Twelve year old boys, Paulsen assures, do some things that reflect questionable judgment, if any judgment at all. Sometimes, it's just to find out what will happen, and the consequences aren't pretty. Like peeing on that electric fence, just to see if it really will hurt? Not smart, but he tells us he just saw his son hobble back inside after doing the same not-so-smart thing he did at that age – and goes on to tell us about a whole lot of borderline-insane and -suicidal misadventures that he and his friends got up to in their own tween years, including the story of how Angel Petersen came to be called Angel. Funny? Extremely. Also eye-opening, mildly frightening, and for boys, instantly recognizable.

 Knucklehead, by Jon Sciesczka

Scieszka is well know to middle grade readers as the hilarious author of favourites like Stinky Cheese Man. This is a man with a proven track record of hitting kids' funny bones, and his stories of growing up in a family of rough-and-tumble boys where humour was a virtue make for a really fun look at how he grew up to be who (and how) he is. He'a a really engaging writer, and Knucklehead is also a great example of how, in the right hands, a story well told is magic whether fiction or fact. 

Readers of survival stories and tales of the wilderness like those by Jack London or Gary Paulsen's Hatchet series will be fascinated to read this one: 

Guts, by Gary Paulsen

Guts is Paulsen's real-life account of his own rugged life of hunting, dogsled racing, and growing up in the bush. He's a fantstic storyteller, and explains along the way how his own experiences were wound into Brian's ordeal of survival in Hatchet.There's a lot in this book, it really is for a kid who won't be much put off by hunting, tense struggles for survival, and even occasional death, which Paulsen has encountered more often than you might expect. Though not for the faint of heart, Paulsen doesn't dwell on the gruesome, but focuses on the respect he has for the forces of nature and the deeply valuable lessons he has learned along the way. Guts is a book full of powerful stuff, but it truly is fascinating for the right reader.

And then there are those occasional book, like this years' new one by Jack Gantos, that blend autobiography and fiction into a book that make you wonder just how much really is true even while you are laughing at how ridiculous it all is!

Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos

Jack Gantos, a young boy in a small town set some way back in history, spends the summer of this narrative balancing between getting into trouble, trying to avoid the resulting chores, and helping out an older neighbour, who teaches him a lot about history and his town over the course of the summer. There's something for everyone for everyone here – suspense, as a murder plot is discovered, scary moments with a biker gang and various sightings of dead people, instruction on the lessons of history and on social justice, and a healthy bit of good old mayhem and avoiding the wrath of mom to make it a lot of fun.