Reluctant GIRL readers

[AuntPol]

It seems most reluctant reader lists are geared toward boys. It appears that boys seem to be more reluctant to read than girls. However, I have the opposite problem. My son is an avid reader. My 10 year old daughter could care less about reading. She is very social and would rather play with her friends, watch tv, or play Wizards 101 or Ponybox or Webkins.

 

We have had a few successes that she liked:

Mandy-Julie Andrews Edwards (my childhood book that I gave to her so it was meaningul)

Rainbow Magic Fairy books (which is way beneath her ability)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series

Harry Potter (hasn't finished because they are so long -she puts them down and never comes back)

Warrior series

 

We read aloud a ton but getting her to read herself is like pulling teeth. Anyone have any suggestion? I bought her the History of Horses books from Beautiful Feet -the whole thing since she loves horses but she won't read them. I bought her Lightening Thief since she loves the Greek Gods and Goddesses but she won't read it. I require 30 minutes of reading a day and she mostly sits there and stares at books, finds ways to get up and have to go bathroom, start a conversation, etc to eat up her time, or rereads same book over and over and over. She likes American Girl dolls but doesn't want to read the books. She won't even open the Nancy Drews we have and hates the Little House books though she loved the picture books as a child.

Edited November 20, 2009 by AuntPol

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

Have her pick out a book a week from the library. It is okay if it is a picture book. Have her read aloud to you some and have her read alone some. Just keep up the regular reading. Not everyone LOVES to read. Make sure she can read, and then take the pressure off. My dd, now 16, hated reading. The Junie B Jones books were the first books she enjoyed. She was about 10 or 11 when she read those. Now she is reading Classic literature for FUN. Go figure.:001_huh:

[abreakfromlife]

my dd was reluctant for awhile....I finally got her a Boxcar Children book and she went crazy. Finally, lol. She just started Nancy Drew, and I just looked up Trixie Belden on ILL and they have them all, so I'm getting those for her......I loved Trixie when I was a kid. I found a bunch on ebay that I'm thinking about getting for one of us :D for christmas, lol. I still can't get her to read most typical kids books...she doesn't like the Ramona books, but she'll listen to them on cd. She just wants mysteries. Oh, since your dd is a little bit older, they have these cooooooool beans American Girl mysteries. Our library has a ton of them. The reading level is a little bit above my dd. But they're not about The Dolls - they're just random 'American Girls' at a lot of different points in world history. They look so so so cool.

[prim*rose]

My 8 yr old just started going crazy when she found the Jedi series of books (Last of the Jedi, etc), and The Sisters Grimm series. She also enjoys Marguerite Henry books, and the Fairy Chronicles are also a favorite.

[Ellie]

The truth is that many people just don't read for enjoyment. That doesn't make them "reluctant." :-)

 

I didn't make a big deal about my dc reading on their own. We went to the library every week, and they were allowed to check out as many books as they wanted to...or none at all (but all books had to be returned the following week, finished or not; it's the only way I was able to avoid overdue fines!). I read aloud to them every day at lunch, and they could read to themselves...or not.

 

You could try reading books aloud that are a series, and have the other books in the series available; sometimes dc will be so interested in what is being read aloud that they'll start the subsequent books on their own. There are many good series: Mrs. Pigglewiggle, Chronicles of Narnia, The Borrowers, All-of-a-Kind Family, Mary Poppins, the Rescuers (not Disney), and more.

 

So my recommendation would be not to push, and for goodness' sake, don't be frustrated. It's *her* issue, not yours, and it isn't a character issue or anything else that needs to be dealt with. Just let her be her.

[Chris in VA]

Another vote for Sisters Grim. Clever and funny, and about a 4- 5th grade reading level.

[kewb]

My dd is the same. She will read but it is not usually her first choice. We go to the library every week and I let her pick what she wants to read. It has also helped that she goes to the Library Book Club once a month. She loves reading the book for the meeting. She has even gone on to read the next book in a series on her own.

[Lori D.]

You might also want to get her eyes checked, not only for a potential vision problem, but for also a hidden mild dyslexia or visual tracking issue. Having physical difficulties in reading, or having a brain processing issue with reading, makes reading so much work that it is not an enjoyable pursuit, even if you enjoy the subject matter of the book.

 

 

Other ideas:

- for free time reading, how about books on tape

- how about fascinating factual books (Eyewitness series, etc.) with lots of photos/illustrations and snippets of info in lots of captions; makes it easy to pick up and put down, and to come back to

- make a gentler transition into those longer books like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson by reading aloud together "popcorn" style: "you read a page, I read a page"

- it is actually very helpful for younger students to read books below their reading level for free reading, as a way of continuing to gain confidence and familiarity, and developing a habit of reading (just make sure most of it is quality, not "twaddle" or "snack food" books)

- we never had a set time or a set amount of free reading for our DSs; just let them take an armload of library books they had picked out to bed and let them stay up an extra 20-30 minutes winding down in bed with lights on and books to flip through

- be patient, as some children mature into solo reading later than others; eventually, somewhere about age 12, our younger DS who was a late bloomer in learning to read and who wasn't "into" reading on his own (other than Calvin & Hobbes, Search & Find books, and DK visual Star Wars books) finally started to enjoy reading longer books; he's still pretty picky about what he's interested in reading on his own time and will never be a voracious reader, but he can and does read longer works now

 

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited November 20, 2009 by Lori D.
added info

[Greta]

AuntPol, thanks for starting this thread. Your post could have been written by me! My dd is the same age, many of the same interests, the same resistance to the whopping 30 minutes a day I make her read, the same starting Harry Potter and never coming back to it. Uggh. So I really appreciate everyone's suggestions here!

 

She liked the Animal Ark books for awhile (about a girl who helps at her parents' Veterinary clinic) but they didn't exactly light a fire or anything. I think she read two of them.

 

She is so into Webkinz right now I'm thinking of resorting to bribery! A new Webkinz in exchange for 5 chapter books, or something like that. Someone tell me if you think that's a terrible idea.

[LittleIzumi]

Fairy Blossom books?

[ssexton]

How about Kate Klise's books, beginning with Regarding the Fountain? These are delightful books that incorporate visual clues and wonderful illustrations. There are quite a few in the series, too. My dd9 is devouring them.

[AngieW in Texas]

I have an 11yo reluctant reader who also loved the books you have on your dd's list. She is dyslexic and wasn't able to read on grade level until midway through 4th grade. I require her to read for 30 minutes from a book of her choice every day. I also require her to read for 20 minutes from an assigned book (although I usually have 2-3 books for her to choose from for the assigned book).

 

Other books she has enjoyed in the past two years:

Five Ancestors series by Jeff Stone

Samurai Mysteries by Hoobler

Pillage by Skye -- single book, not a series

Bran Hambric by Kaleb Nation -- only 1st book published so far

Mysterious Benedict Society by

The Sherwood Ring by Pope

 

She loved the Animal Ark Pets series, but tried two different Animal Ark books afterwards and then refused to touch the series. Both of the Animal Ark books she tried had the animal die.

 

My dd has read through all 3 of the Warriors series and all the extra books like Cats of the Clans and Bluestar's Prophecy. The first book in the new Warriors series is supposed to come out later this month.

[Kfamily]

My dd went through this reluctant reader stage around the same age. I knew she was capable of reading more and could handle books more appropriate for her age but she was not convinced of this. She had a serious confidence issue. So I let her read books below her level to let her build up her confidence. She also had a serious problem with feeling pressured with my rules about how and when and what she should read. As soon as I dropped all of this she improved a lot! What we do now has progressed over what we started with but the rules are the same. I wanted her (when she was ten) to read 6 books and she had the entire school year to accomplish this. I also said she can read when and where she wants. All I needed to see or know was that she was making good progress with her book. So I don't keep tabs on how much she reads and/or what time of day she reads. She can skip a day and then read two chapters and then skip a day and then read a couple of pages and then read another chapter. It doesn't matter as long as she is consistently (not going more than a couple of days or so without reading) reading and making progress in the book. I made it clear she couldn't abuse this like taking two months to read a small or easy book etc. but I just wanted to see her making an effort. This worked wonders for us since she really did not like the pressure of being told to read at a certain time and for a length of time. My dd can read at night, in the morning, or whenever it suits her. She has over the last couple of years really come a long way from where she was. The first year we did this (the year she was ten and I said 6 books for the whole year-I kept track of her books when finished on an index card) she not only read those 6 but went on to read 7 more. I was thrilled. Also, I allow her to try a book to see if she likes it. If she has read at least the first three chapters and really doesn't like it then I let her trade it in for a different one. This year she has 4 required books ( I choose these) and 4 choice books for the year. If you read aloud to them and allow some flexibility with what they read and when, you will be surprised how many books you can accomplish in a year. I've also learned to pick the best and not to be overly concerned with giant booklists for each year. I really wanted my dd to read Alice in Wonderland, Amos Fortune Free Man and The Witch of Blackbird Pond but we couldn't fit it in our school schedule and she wouldn't read them on her own. Two years go by and we have read all three. She decided on her own to read Alice in Wonderland. She could have read it sooner but she picked it up in 6th grade and finished it in a couple of days. We have read the latter two books as read alouds.She reads all the time now for pure pleasure.

 

Sorry this is long...hope this helps a little. We've been there too.:001_smile:

[creekmom]

My 8 dd is not an eager reader either. This year, she did devour the Pippi Longstocking books. She is also enjoying our current read together- A Lion to Guard Us.

[sweetsouthern]

my dd is the same. she is 9 and refuses to read anything but junie b jones books. its beneath her reading level, but she loves them. so i finally gave up arguing and just let her have them :) eventually she will find something else im sure....

 

i take her to the library or bookstore at least every few months and offer to buy her or borrow almost any other book she likes. i give her plenty of time to look around too. one day it will change ;)