Kids and Reading--Part 1

It's an epidemic!

Well, maybe not an epidemic, but I see it happening quite a bit--kids who do not like to read.  Several of my son's friends flat-out tell me they don't like it.  In fact they would rather do almost anything else.  Several of my mom-friends say the same thing--they cannot get their kids to read.  They've tried the library, Barnes and Noble, kid's magazines, but the kids have a definite aversion, and they cannot get passed it.

I am not anti-school at all, but I think maybe school may have something to do with this.  Our kids are told to read about endless battles in history (and remember the dates), the number of protons, electrons and neutrons in an atom, how our government functions, and endless other important facts and situations. They are then told to write about what they read so they will never forget what they learned.  This is followed by reading books like Great Expectations, The Diary of Anne Frank, and The Red Badge of Courage.  Wonderful books, but heavy stuff.

Are there any books out there that are fascinating to children, yet worthy to be on a school's reading list?  Is it worth it to have them exclusively exposed to only masterpieces at the expense of their love of reading?  I would love to see some books added to the reading list that all the kids can the thrilled about, that they cannot wait to read and talk about in school.  Harry Potter has been bashed by everyone from the Catholic church to local school systems, but kids were reading.  

I hope we can be more open-minded and add a larger variety of books to our kid's reading lists.  Because if we want our kids to like to read, we need to give them something they might enjoy.

Here are a few books I think are terrific and should be read for school:

*  Anything by Roald Dahl
*  The Harry Potter Series by J.K.Rowling
*  Stephen King's books for the upper grades in high school
*  Thomas the Tank Engine books for little ones
*  Shel Silverstein books

Please tell me if there are any books you think would be great for kids to read, I would love to do a series of posts featuring the books you suggest.  Thanks!!

I am in no way comparing myself to any of the above-mentioned authors, just adding a shamless plug for my own kid's book ----------------->

Heather Adkins added a great comment below that does not show so I am adding it here because they are such great suggestions--thanks Heather!! 

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume(Actually, ANYthing by Judy Blume)

The Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

The Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Babysitters Club by Ann M. Martin

That's all I can think of off the top of my head :) All favorites from my childhood,   Heather.

Is Nano a Useless Process? Maybe Not...The Psychology of Writing

Nano can be a grueling, exhausting, and exhiliarating experience--and I hate it.  Sometimes.

I signed up last minute and regretted it almost immediately.  I do not like to NOT finish something.  But, I don't think I will finish Nano.

I had a million internal reasons to not finish:  it is a terrible month to start Nano--why not summer?  Who chose November?  It is a waste of time--the writing is forced.  To busy, too tired, too whatever.

So I looked up authors who write everyday.  Seems Roald Dahl did it, Stephen King does it, and many others feel it is the thing to do. 

Why does it suddenly feel very hard to write for two hours?

I see people who have already written 30, 35, 40,000 words--and I am happy for them, but uninspired.  And aggravated. 

But I am still in it and my competative nature is rearing its ugly head so I had better get writing.  Wish me luck...

Read an article on the psychology of writing from Psychology Today below.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/untangling-lifes-complexities/201003/so-you-want-be-writer