battlemaiden Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Normal? It's an age thing, right? Please say it is an age thing. He used to be a great reader, reading high above his grade level. Pride goeth before a fall :glare:. So now it is like pulling teeth to get him to read. I think perhaps because he is exercising his independence and not wanting to read what he isn't particularly interested in. Tough toodles. Some books are assigned for school. Fine. I have tried to feed the fire of his interests....um....he would need to *have* a genre or topic of interest for me to cater to for this to work. :confused: I get nothing, nada, zip suggestions from his highness. I'm dying over here. Where did my reader go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamnkats Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Normal? It's an age thing, right? Please say it is an age thing. He used to be a great reader, reading high above his grade level. Pride goeth before a fall :glare:. So now it is like pulling teeth to get him to read. I think perhaps because he is exercising his independence and not wanting to read what he isn't particularly interested in. Tough toodles. Some books are assigned for school. Fine. I have tried to feed the fire of his interests....um....he would need to *have* a genre or topic of interest for me to cater to for this to work. :confused: I get nothing, nada, zip suggestions from his highness. I'm dying over here. Where did my reader go? My 14yo has been going through this this summer. I'm not sure what is going to happen but we do read a lot of books aloud, so that helps. I just backed off - he read a LOT up to this point - and I'll let him gauge his interest. He seems to be picking up books a little recently... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Need a genre that interests him, perhaps, buy five books from different genres and see what peeks his interest, than it will be like wildfire. My dd likes historical fiction, go figure and other dd likes fantasy. Its all about taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 I assign books for my children to read. if they give the book a good go , but don't enjoy it, then they can stop reading it. I just tell them they have to read for an hour a day. it is part of their school work here is the book , go read. The older 2 have decided that they will read in bed after their bed time.( they think they are 'staying up late" but they don't realize that I have factored this in, and that is why their bed time is still at 8.30) I assign books from the WTM reading lists. and some historical fiction /biographies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Its hasn't happened here.....crossing fingers, touching wood.....but until recently i was still reading a fair amount aloud. Often when I start a book aloud, ds will be willing to continue on his own, once his interest is piqued. This happeed with Pyle's Robin Hood recently- the language is heavy going to read aloud, but after he heard me read it aloud a few times he gave it a go and was fine. Maybe your son needs to prodding, some tempting, some tantalising with some juicy read alouds during school time. I also don't insist on completely books they despise, usually. Like Melissa, they have to read for a certain amount of time each day- about an hour usually- for school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 My now 15 yo read voraciously until he was about 12, then pretty much stopped until the last 6 months. He's read all kinds of interesting stuff, challenging, adult books now. Today at the library book sale, he picked out at least a dozen books, everything from Martin Gardner to Freud and Fermi, with some Linux guidebooks thrown in for good measure. Not much fiction... He'll come back! Just keep going and read to\with him, assign some things, and let it go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa R. Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 series by Brian Jacques. They are full of description and imagination. If he likes one of the books, there are many more in the series to enjoy. I'd find a good series for him. This way, if he finds something he likes, there's many more just like it. Then, I'd tell him I'd pay him a certain amount after he finishes it. Basically, bribery. Have you heard of the series The Great Brain? It's an easier read, but really funny and a story most anyone would enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieAir Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 If he is a good reader, perhaps he isn't challenged enough by what he's been reading. Or maybe the books he's been finding on his reading level are above his maturity level or not of interest to him? I don't know. I remember having a hard time at that age. I often didn't like books that were recommended for kids my age. Either they were too easy or they kinda freaked me out (Are You There God? It's Me Margaret) or both. Nancy Drew was appropriate for my age and social maturity, but I had figured out that they were formula books and lost interest. There was something about Sherlock Holmes that didn't click for me. I didn't "get" those stories although I was perfectly capable of reading the words. Agatha Christie fit the bill. I knew I liked mystery stories, it was just a matter of finding the right fit for who I was and what I needed at that time. Have you had his eyes checked lately? I've been having a hard time getting almost 12yodd to read. She's been a bit of a reluctant reader anyway, so I didn't really think much of it. The other day she told me her eyes have been hurting when she reads. The quick exam at school said she has 20/20 vision, but it sounds like it's time for a visit with the optometrist. If he's just having trouble finding books he's interested in, I would suggest looking at things he likes to do. Oldest ds loves camping and wilderness survival, so My Side of the Mountain, the Hatchet series, and Tom Brown's books were all good fits for him. Youngest dd is very athletic but she is getting into that pre-teen girly stage too. She recently found a series about girl surfers that have just a little teen romance and suddenly she's more into reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 Does he have a favorite author? Can you find out who his favorite author's favorite authors are? I was in a slump this summer, and read that both John Irving and Stephen King love Charles Dickens. So, I read Dickens. It might work for your son, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamnkats Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 series by Brian Jacques. They are full of description and imagination. If he likes one of the books, there are many more in the series to enjoy. I'd find a good series for him. This way, if he finds something he likes, there's many more just like it. Then, I'd tell him I'd pay him a certain amount after he finishes it. Basically, bribery. Have you heard of the series The Great Brain? It's an easier read, but really funny and a story most anyone would enjoy. thanks so much for this suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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