Bad Books Make Good Reading

As a middle school librarian I often hear parents lament the fact that their children won't read "good books." I remind them that when that reading slump occurs with their children to remember that reading "good books" isn't the only way to keep up those reading skills. Read Francie Alexander's article for her thoughts on this subject and some helpful tips for parents and teachers/librarians.


Bad Books Make Good Reading
Does your child want to read silly romances or stacks of comic books?
By Francie Alexander

Reading Interests

Just talked with a friend who has a 15 year old reluctant reader in her house - her oldest son. She is just amazed that he has suddenly started reading. Guess what he is reading? - nonfiction books about building skateboarding ramps. Guess what he is interested in? - yup, skateboarding. She had to stay on him during school to read his assignments...which most of the time unfortunately he didn't do this year. Remember this summer to get some hobby magazines, graphic novels, guitar books, etc. into the hands of your reluctant reader and they just might surprise you. Oh, yeah, don't forget web sites...google some sites about their hobbies and share with them. I reminded my friend that reading web sites does count as reading. LOL

Scary Places

With all the recent interest in the paranormal as evidenced by popular tv shows, movies, and best book sellers, Bearport Publishing's Scary Places series will attract lots of young readers. The publisher's web site says - "Places with dark and disturbing histories exist throughout the world. Some of these locations are apparently so fraught with horror that many visitors experience paranormal activity at the sites. In this frightening new series, readers will learn a great deal about the past as they read nonfiction accounts of what happened in historical places and how the happenings are tied to tales of ghosts, poltergeists, and other unexplainable phenomena. The fabulous photographs and chilling text will have readers lining up to visit Scary Places. Not for the faint of heart!" Spooky Cemeteries by Dinah Williams explores the myth of the last American vampire in the section about the Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island. Reading level - 4 / Interest level - 4-8 These books are best suited for middle school and mature upper elementary. Other titles in the series include Abandoned Insane Asylums, Creepy Castles, Ghost Towns, Hunted Hotels and Haunted Houses. For those readers who enjoy the horror genre, these books will definitely lure them to read the complete series.

Update: Just named the 2009 Book of the Year in the Third to Fourth Grade category of the
Children's Choice Book Awards!

Extreme Cuisine

Bearport Publishing's series Extreme Cuisine has just the right amount of "gross" factor to attract boys to pick up these books. One of the series' titles - Bug-a-licious written by Meish Goldish - includes the great quote "One eater's 'yuck!' is another eater's 'yum!' " Full-color pictures with lots of close ups of the bugs will entice students to read about who actually eats wasp crackers, grasshopper tacos, and spreadable stink bugs. We have lots of water bugs here in Louisiana, but no way am I ready to try battering, frying, and eating them with plum sauce like the people in Thailand. I've got the shivers right now just thinking of it! Interesting note on the title page - Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel, served as one of the consultants for the book. Other titles in the series include Shocking Seafood, Slithery, Slimy Scaly Treats, Spider-tizers and Other Creepy Treats, Baby Bug Dishes, and Mammal Menu.

Never enough snake books!

I have found that you can never have enough snakes books in the library! If you need a fresh new series for your snake collection, take a look at Capstone Press' First Facts: SNAKES series...Interest level 1-3 / Reading level 1-2. Corn Snakes by Van Wallach is one of the newest additions to the series. Just the right amount of text for the younger boys and great photographs of the snakes up close and personal. I like the Fun Fact boxes that are sprinkled throughout the book. Do you know that one out of every 5,000 corn snakes is born with two heads? Other titles in the series are Anacondas, Black Mambas, Boa Constrictors, Cobras, Copperheads, Garter Snakes and Rattlesnakes.

Fast Cars

I got a chance to look at one of Capstone Press' books in their Fast Cars series this week. Jaguar by A.R. Schaefer is a sleek little book that I know would interest boys. The interest level is 3-9 and the reading level is 1-2. The books in this series are bilingual - Spanish and English. The full color photographs are what make the book. Other books in the series are Aston Martin, Corvette, Viper, Ferrari, Mustang, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, and Porsche. This series would be a great addition to your school library.