Painless Reading Comprehension - Darolyn “Lyn” Jones Ed.D. 2021
How do i find a good book to read?
Books, books, and more books
When my students tell me they don’t like to read, I tell them that’s because they haven’t found the right book yet! And I have some tried-and-true strategies that will help you find a book you love, too, or more books to love.
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 you hear about good books. Your friends talk to you about a good book they just finished and tell you that you 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 by this same author. I know that many of my students are currently loving books by writer Rainbow Rowell and have read both of her books, Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, and are looking forward to more of her books.
If you like Angie Thomas’s books, like The Hate U Give, you might check out books by Jacqueline Woodson or Rita Williams-Garcia, who also write about strong young adult black females in their books, or new author Jay Coles. I’m proud to say that Jay Coles was one of my students, and he started writing his now popular book Tyler Johnson Was Here in my classroom! And he has two new books coming out soon.
Visit a library or bookstore or go online
Take a walk through your English teacher’s classroom library shelves or your school or public library or even a local 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 them and tell them that you need help finding some good books to read. Tell them what your interests are and books you have loved. Hopefully, they can point you in the right book direction! And if you don’t see books on their shelves that represent you or your interests, then search online!
If you search online, check out the following sites that have excellent book recommendations for students: Epic Reads, YALSA Book Finder, Reading Rants, Readgeek, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon are also other ways you can browse. All these sites allow you to search by topic, interest, and even your current mood! On some of these sites, you can also read what other teens and reviewers say about the books.
If you aren’t directed to books that you want to read, 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 inside flaps to see if this lonely book sitting on the shelf could turn out to be a wonderful tale. You can even do this online now!
TIPS FOR BROWSING
✵ Decide on a topic. Do you want to read a love story about a forbidden romance, a story about a teen who transitions to a different gender, a story about a teen sports hero, a story about a deadly game of truth or dare, a book that is in a series or part of a sequel, a dark fantasy, or a story about a teen who has autism? If you aren’t tied to any topic or you aren’t sure what you want to read, browsing works!
✵ Move up and down the aisles or search some of the sites listed above. Stop and check out the book covers. Does the cover art appeal to you? Next, read the title. Does it sound interesting? Why does the art and title catch your attention? For example, I checked out a children’s book for my son at the library simply because the title was Walter the Farting Dog. It sounded funny because in my family, we laugh about farts and we like dogs!
✵ Read the back of the book or the flap, which often has a quick summary or reviews.
✵ Flip or scroll through the pages and look at the print. Does it look like something you can read with ease?
✵ Read the first page. Does it make you want to continue reading?
✵ Check out the table of contents. Is it broken into chapters or sections?
✵ If after looking at the art, the title, the print, the summary, the first page, and the table of contents, you are sold—then get it! If not, keep on browsing. Get more than one book in case you don’t like one as well as you thought you would or if one turns out to be too hard to read. I always tell my students to read those first few pages and give it a chance. After reading three to five pages, if you aren’t interested or hooked, then forget it and browse or search for another book to read.