Marilyn Reynolds has brought many disaffected, school-hostile, and wholly unmotivated students into the ranks of lifelong readers. In this concise, practical book, she shares techniques she has used and personal anecdotes that reveal much about reluctant readers and teachers who struggle daily to engage them. Among many other key topics, Reynolds discusses: the importance of respect for students' attitudes, experiences, perceptions, and choices regarding reading tips for motivating reluctant readers classroom management issues tudent/teacher/program accountability. In addition to insightful analysis, Reynolds devotes a good portion of her book to practical, immediately usable resources, including answers to frequently asked questions, prompts for teaching, and a separate section of "Tricks of the Trade" with logs, forms, an extensive list of "hit" books, and much more. Read Reynolds and offer your reluctant readers the gift of a reading habit.

'I hate reading!' is a statement that librarians and teachers frequently hear from young adults. In this book, the author addresses the issue of aliteracy - when one has the ability to read but chooses not to - in young people aged 10-15.

More than simply a vital collection development tool, this book can help librarians help young adults grow into the kind of independent readers and thinkers who will flourish at college.

Reaching Reluctant Young Readers features 150 middle-grade books. Each profiled title has the potential to hook the reluctant reader and lure them to read the entire book. To specifically encourage elementary and middle-school-age reluctant children to read, there is first a pitch to get the reader’s attention. That is followed by a short reading passage to “set the hook” and encourage the young person to read the rest of the book on their own. Further, the book contains several hundred additional recommended titles. The books selected for this collection were chosen following the criteria of reluctant reader books created by the Quick Picks committee sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association. While these guidelines were designed for young adult books, they also work well for middle-grade books. The criteria include: clear writing (no convoluted long sentences with sophisticated vocabulary), high interest “hook” in the first few pages, well-defined characters, interesting plot, and familiar themes.

"If thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number...you would think a civilized society could come up with a way for us to skip it." -- from "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" by Bruce Coville No one will want to skip any of the twelve short stories and one poem that make up this collection by some of the most celebrated contemporary writers of teen fiction. The big bar mitzvah that goes suddenly, wildly, hilariously out of control. A first kiss -- and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A crush on a girl that ends up putting the boy who likes her in the hospital. A pair of sneakers a kid has to have. By turns funny and sad, wrenching and poignant, the moments large and small described in these stories capture perfectly the agony and ecstasy of being thirteen.

Willow has never had a place she can call home. With two parents in the military and a nomadic childhood, finding a place to make her own has become a total pipe dream. And when the family arrives at their latest stop—the historic Hadleigh House—Willow encounters something that doesn’t help her chances of staying put...GHOSTS! Hadleigh House’s spectral occupants have been scaring off would-be residents for decades, and they intend to keep the house to themselves. But Willow’s not about to let some nagging spirits force her to move for the millionth time. It’s just a matter of convincing Willow’s parents that this old house is the one for them—ghosts and all... Acclaimed cartoonist Jenna Ayoub (Adventure Time) presents a heartfelt graphic novel about discovering new friends and new happiness in the place you least expect it.

Anna Quindlen offers deep truths from her life to motivate and inspire you to become your most authentic self. “Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion. . . . What is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” In Being Perfect, Anna Quindlen shares wisdom that, perhaps without knowing it, you have longed to hear: about “the perfection trap,” the price you pay when you become ensnared in it, and the key to setting yourself free. Quindlen believes that when your success looks good to the world but doesn’t feel good in your heart, it isn’t success at all. She asks you to set aside your friends’ advice, what your family and co-workers demand, and what society expects, and look at the choices you make every day. When you ask yourself why you are making them, Quindlen encourages you to give this answer: For me. “Because they are what I want, or wish for. Because they reflect who and what I am. . . . That way lies dancing to the melodies spun out by your own heart.” At the core of this beautiful book lies the secret of authentic success, the inspiration to embrace your own uniqueness and live the life that is undeniably your own, rich in fulfillment and meaning.

Representing views on many facets of reluctant readers, the chapters in this book provide suggestions for working with students who function at a frustration level and those who have an aversion to reading. Specific topics discussed in the book's nine chapters are: (1) building language experiences for reluctant readers, (2) home remedies, (3) using popular music as a motivation device, (4) recent adolescent literature as an alternative to serial books, (5) starter shelves in content area classrooms, (6) using student publishers to promote book sharing, (7) motivating children to read through improved self-concept, (8) the camera as a tool for teaching reading, and (9) services that can be provided by the reading laboratory or resource room. (FL)

In Book Love: Help Your Child Grow from Reluctant to Enthusiastic Reader award-winning educator and parent Melissa Taylor gives busy parents of kids ages three to ten engaging, playful, out-of-the box ideas for growing a reader, assisting kids who are learning to read, and gently encouraging reluctant readers. Just a few of the many helpful insights and strategies she shares include: - The most common reasons why kids find it hard to learn to read or may hate to read (too boring, too tricky, too blurry, too "sitty")-and what to do about them. - Activities and product recommendations to facilitate letter recognition, rhyming, sight word skills, phonics, and fluency. - Approaches for improving word attack and reading comprehension. - Book lists organized by kids' interests. - Printable sight word flashcards and word strategy bookmarks. Packed with practical, bite-sized ideas that get children reading and loving books, Book Love can be your go-to guide for reading help for kids.