Painless Reading Comprehension - Darolyn “Lyn” Jones Ed.D. 2016
I can’t find a good book to read!
Books, books, and more books
The book publishing world is on fire these days. More books are being published than ever before, which means you have more books to choose from than your grandparents or parents ever had when they were your age. And now you can read them in print or electronically.
Remember in Chapter One when I asked you what your favorite book memory was? What was your favorite picture book when you were young?
Name a book you have read within the last two years that you would say is your favorite.
My latest favorite book is Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. I love history, and this book is a fiction tale of a real event, the yellow fever that hit Philadelphia in 1793 and wiped out ten percent of the city’s population, over 5,000 people in just three months. The main character, Mattie Cook, is a typical teenage girl. She thinks her mother is old fashioned, a boy down the street is cute, and that working every day is a real bore. But, when the fever comes and her family and friends begin to get sick and die, Mattie has to learn to survive and take care of the business and her family. Mattie writes about her experiences in diary format which makes it fun and interesting to read. I got lost in the story while learning history—what a deal!
REFLECT ON WHAT YOU DO!
How and where do you find good books to read?
Does that work well for you? Are you happy with the choices?
How do I find a good book to read?
If you don’t have any ideas about how and where to find a good book to read or your methods haven’t worked with much success, just keep reading. One of these methods will work for you!
Talk to your friends
First, talk to your friends. If you and your friends like the same things, chances are you will like to read the same books. That’s how most of us hear about good books. Our friends talk to us about a good book they just finished and tell us we just have to read it! Ask your friends what they are reading and check out the book. It might be one you want to read as well.
Check out an author or topic
Another way to find a good book is to check out an author. If you liked a book by a certain author, chances are you would like another book he or she has written. I know that many of my students love author Gary Paulsen and read all of his books. Many students read Hatchet first and then read more of his books, like Brian’s Winter or Guts.
You may just like a certain topic. For example, Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet is a survival and wilderness tale. If you liked reading about survival in the wilderness, you may want to check out other books that are on the same topic like Ben Mikaelsen’s Rescue Josh McGuire.
Visit a library or bookstore or go online
Take a walk through the library or bookstore, or search an online site. The search can be overwhelming because there are so many books! You start this adventure with the librarian or teacher or a bookstore worker. Approach that person and tell him or her that you need help finding some good books to read. If you go online, do a search with words or phrases that describe your interests, such as, “teen vampire” or “football stories” or “World War II.” You can read the summary and other readers’ reviews to help you as well.
If you aren’t directed to some good books or you don’t want to ask, then you will have to browse. Browsing is actually my favorite. I love looking at the book covers and reading the flaps to see if this lonely book sitting on the shelf could turn out to be a wonderful tale.
Use the web
A final suggestion for finding good books is to use the web! I use the Internet often, accessing it from my phone and laptop. I look up books and book reviews online before I head to the library or bookstore so I have some ideas as to what I want to look for or buy. Below are some of my student’s favorite teen book web sites. Every site listed below includes all the different genres—from graphic novels to fantasy series to historical fiction and everything in between.
✵ Reading Rants: Out of the Ordinary Teen Book Lists—http://www.readingrants.org This web site, compiled by a school librarian, offers racy reviews by teens of what teens are really reading!
✵ Teen Reads—www.teenreads.com This web site includes news and feature articles about books, authors, and pop culture.
✵ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)—http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm This American Library Association (ALA) web site highlights the teen award winners and voted best teen picks by year.
✵ Young Adult Reads—http://www.yareads.com—This web site offers teen book reviews written by and for teens. The reviews are monitored and can be submitted on a forum using multiple social networking tools.