I teach 7th grade reading in a Multicategorical classroom and many of my students are reluctant readers. I think because many of them struggle and are not independent readers they give up on reading altogether.
I use novels, along with other materials, in the classroom to try and “hook” the students on reading. The problem is I have only found 2 novels that the students really enjoy, “Where the Red Fern Grows and On My Honor.” The students verbalized their opinions about the other books we read in class, and it was not a pretty sight.
If anyone has read any interesting books in the upper elementary or middle school classroom, I would really appreciate some suggestions.
Thank you!
Re: Novels for Reluctant Readers
Try some classics. Middle-school kids like action and plot, and some blood and guts. The books I’m listing here may or may not be above your kids’ reading level, but this *type* is suitable to the age and got the attention of my kids at that stage:
White Fang
Call of the Wild
Treasure Island
Moonfleet
various historical novels by Geoffrey Trease — Word to Caesar, etc.
more modern but in the same vein:
Julie of the Wolves, and its sequel
also of course Harry Potter
other fantasies, Lord of the Rings, books by Lloyd Alexander
Sometimes it’s a good thing to take some time — half an hour a day, say — and read a good book aloud. I have read Treasure Island aloud to a middle-school class of non-readers and they were very interested.
Bunches of them
If you go to “reading comprehension” on my site at http://www.resourceroom.net I”ve got a bunch of books I’ve read with kids and summaries, etc.
However, in addition to trying to “hook” them on reading… it’s just as important to take the time to teach them how to do it. Osmosis just doesn’t work.
Re: Bunches of them
Books that my kids have really enjoyed are:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Stranded by Ben Mikaelson
Rescue Josh McGwire by Ben Mikaelson
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare (?) - not sure of that author
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
The first, third, and fourth ones listed have been favorites of my class, even the kids who are not thrilled about reading. They are a lot of fun to read to the kids.
Re: Bunches of them
My 13 year old son is a reluctant reader. He reads his required 25 books per year, but always says, “It’s OK, not great.” Yesterday, he told me he actually likes the book he’s reading—“When Zachary Beaver Came to Town.” He also liked “Holes.”
Hatchet is kinda hard...
… at least for some kids; Gary Paulsen has written a bunch of easier-to-read, quicker-paced books with similar themes that are worth checking out.
Re: Hatchet is kinda hard...
I responded earlier but forgot to mention The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The first one is “The Bad Beginning,” and there are several more to follow. They are in the same tone as Harry Potter, but they are not about magic. My 11 year old loves them. I think they are at about a 6th grade reading level. And to get them hooked on a series…yes!
Mark,
I’ve had great success with Freak the Mighty, Scorpions (Walter Dean Myers), James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl), Maniac Magee, and The Outsiders.
This summer I discovered Holes by Louis Sachar, which is a gem. Some of these I used as read aloud or follow alongs. Many of my LH reluctant readers wanted to read these books for themselves after hearing it read aloud. Freak the Mighty (which was made into a movie called The Mighty) and Holes can probably be read independently or with some guidance, discussion.
To hook your students, you could pick one of these novels to read aloud or use in guided reading, and add various other books, fiction and non-fiction, poetry, all related to the novel. Add books at different reading levels. DK publishes great picture books with tons of expository information. Also check out DK’s easy readers which are leveled, topics are non-fiction.
I hope this helps you.