Posts Tagged reluctant readers

Bridging the Gap – Magazines for Kids

By on March 9, 2016   /   Book Lists, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents  

While many children in the 8-12 age range read voraciously, others are still reluctant or still hitting their stride with reading longer works. For both groups of children, magazines for kids can be an excellent alternative. The voracious readers learn about a variety of topics (possibly while they wait for the next book in their favorite series to become available at the library) and the tentative readers will find a variety of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, all presented with color photos and shorter chunks of information that can be less intimidating that a full-length novel.

So with that in mind, here is a great list of magazines for kids aged 8-12, along with a short blurb from each magazine’s web site.

Cover art - American Girl(c) magazineStories, crafts, and so much more–it’s what makes American Girl(c) magazine a favorite for girls.

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have a budding archeologist in your life? Open his or her eyes to the world of ancient history with award-winning DIG INTO HISTORY magazine, your child’s entry into all things archeology. With engaging and vivid text aimed at 9 to 14 year olds, each issue is stuffed with articles on the latest archeological finds and chock-full of spirited word games, and hands-on projects. Designed to boost their appreciation for the scientists who explore the ancient world and increase their excitement about world history and human development, DIG INTO HISTORY will have your kids yearning to get out and discover the secrets buried beneath their own two feet.

Cover art - Cobblestone magazine

For over 35 years, COBBLESTONE magazine has been transforming history from a dry classroom exercise into a living, breathing guide to how Americans live, work, play, and eat from the 1600s to today. Filled with fascinating true stories from all decades of our country’s history, augmented with dramatic photographs, and beautiful illustrations, COBBLESTONE introduces young readers to important American events and places, from colonial Williamsburg to famous battles of the Civil War to the Gold Rush to the Korean War. COBBLESTONE takes kids on a journey through history, designed to excite their imaginations and bring the past to life!

Cover art - Creative Kids magazineCreative Kids magazine is the nation’s largest magazine by and for kids. The magazine bursts with games, stories, artwork, and opinions, all by and for kids ages 8–16.

In the pages of Creative Kids you also will find fun activities such as brain teasers, contests, stories, poetry, mysteries, and much more! This interactive magazine also includes activities that stimulate and encourage the creativity of readers.

The most exciting aspect of Creative Kids is that it is written by kids.

Cover art - Cricket magazineCRICKET Magazine, our flagship publication, is the world leader in providing the highest-quality fiction and nonfiction to children ages 9 to 14. Since its premiere in 1973, CRICKET has delighted and entertained generations of kids with contemporary stories and classic literature from the world’s best writers, paired with illustrations so beautiful they take your breath away. CRICKET delivers storytelling in its purest form.

 

Cover art - Faces magazineFACES magazine takes young readers around the world and back to get an honest and unbiased view of how children in other countries and world regions live. Young readers ages 9 to 14 learn about the important inventions and ideas from other cultures through articles, folk tales, recipes, illustrations, and hands-on projects. Be it games from Samoa, maps of the Kalahari, Palestinian folk tales, or Australian animals, FACES magazine will help kids discover it! Packed with breathtaking photography and authentic local voices, FACES is the next best thing to being there.

Cover art - Girl's World magazineIn addition to a magazine published seven times per year, Girl’s World also has an interactive lifestyle web site with lots of activities for tween girls.

 

 

 

 

MUSE magazine is the science and arts magazine for kids that’s spot on with the facts, but off-kilter with the jokes. Kids who can’t help wondering whether video games really kill their brain cells, or what a gentleman ladybug is called, will find the answers here, in articles written by award-winning authors and accompanied by high-quality illustration and photography. MUSE magazine makes a perfect gift for readers who are outgrowing ASK magazine or are interested in science, history, and the arts. Explore the world in a fun (and funny!) way with MUSE!

Cover art - Make magazineMake: Magazine is loaded with exciting projects that celebrate your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will. We’ve shown you how to make a wide variety of projects, including: a Twittering cat toy, a video camera stabilizer, a cigar box guitar, a hydrogen-oxygen bottle rocket, and a five-in-one cable adapter for connecting to networks. Some projects are strictly for fun, others are very practical, and still others are absolutely astounding. In addition, we keep you informed about groundbreaking new DIY technologies, like Arduino microcontrollers and 3D printing.

 

Cover Art - New Moon Girls magazineGet the BEST magazine by and for girls. Your choice of paper or e-magazine.

Meet interesting girls your age in our unique online creative community. Some are like you and some are different.

Adult moderators keep our online safe and respectful for you and all the members.

Get and give support, help and your best advice to make it through tough times.

Have fun together sharing your art, writing, photos, opinions, creativity.

Cover art - Stone Soup magazineStone Soup is the magazine of creative writing by children ages 8 to 13. Stories and poems written by kids make Stone Soup unique. It inspires creative children. Once called “The New Yorker of the 8-to-13 set,” Stone Soup is a longtime favorite of teachers and homeschoolers. Founded in 1973.

 

Back to Top

A Reason to Read

By on December 4, 2015   /   Book Lists, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, MUF Contributor Books, Nonfiction  
Obie

My daughter and her horse, Obie.

It’s often said if you want to befriend a horse, you earn its trust by standing still, then turning and walking away. The hope is that the horse will follow.  When my oldest daughter had no desire to read, I was at a loss-what books would entice her to follow me down the literary path? She loved hearing me read aloud, but bucked when it came to reading for school or on her own.

Then my family’s horse genes kicked in, with all four hooves. My grandpa on my dad’s side had worked on a ranch, and my maternal grandpa had raised ponies. I’d grown up in the saddle and obsessed over all things equine as a girl. So of course I was delighted when my daughter’s tween years became “the barn years.”

HorseClassics

Hoping this new-found passion would lasso her into reading, I offered her my favorite horse books. And even though it was hard as a homeschooling mom, for an entire year I left my daughter alone-no book reports, no quizzes, no pressure. Just a girl and her horse books. She began to devour them and beg for more. I signed her up for monthly book clubs, and she galloped through the pages. Recently, she was helping her younger sister pack before her wedding, and my daughter grabbed up her horse books and hugged them. “I’m taking these home,” she declared, and I couldn’t help but smile remembering the little girl who had once hated to read. (Two of my favorite books that aren’t pictured above are National Velvet by Enid Bagnold and Misty of Chicoteague by Marguerite Henry.)

HorseSeries

Now my daughter’s dream  job (besides being a professional barrel racer) is to become a librarian. On average, she says she reads five novels a week.

I’m convinced that the way to get a child to befriend books is simply by finding the right hook, whether that be sports, humor, or horses.

For more great horses and reading posts, check out this MUF post by Jen K. Blom and this MUF post by Jaye Robin Brown.

What are your favorite horse books? What books were the “hook” for you or your reluctant reader?

stacks_image_46Louise Galveston is the author of BY THE GRACE OF TODD and IN TODD WE TRUST (Penguin/Razorbill). She grew up on horseback in Oklahoma. This is not one of her more sensible moments.

Back to Top

Encouraging Young Readers, A Librarian’s Perspective

By on March 11, 2015   /   Book Lists, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers  

What goes on behind-the-scenes in a library is a mystery to most of us. Some, who perhaps haven’t visited a library since their childhood, envision grumpy librarians sitting behind a desk shushing rowdy library-goers. Others imagine all sorts of secrets and adventures, leading such fabulous books as Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians, and The Haunted Library series.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

In the real world, today’s librarians work their magic for our children every single day. This winter, I had a great talk about inspiring kids to read with Joanna Nelson, Teen Services Coordinator and Librarian for the Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With 14 locations, PPLD serves a community of almost 600,000 people.

Joanna’s job includes:

  • determining the vision and goal of the teen team
  • planning district-wide programming (summer reading programs, author visits, etc.)
  • teaching students how to research using library resources
  • conducting 1-3 minute booktalks in the classroom

MUF’s own Dori Butler writes this great middle-grade mystery series.

Q: Have you noticed any differences in the types of books that get read or in the popularity of reading since the explosion of ebooks?

A: Surprisingly, teens generally prefer paper books to ebooks. We have more than 640,000 eMaterials (ebooks, audiobooks, emagazines, movies) titles for all ages, but that is just 9.1% of the total number of items that check out. So, since the beginning of 2014 we have checked out 6,434,522 physical items. Since the beginning of the year 647,797 ebooks/audiobooks have been checked out.

Q: Do you have a recent favorite middle-grade book?

A: Wonder by R.J. Palacio blew me away. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman was written in 2012 and I really enjoyed that story. Another series I love, but is older is Alcatrez vs. the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson.

Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians

Q: Have you noticed any recent trends in children’s literature?

A: There are a couple of trends I’ve noticed in teen literature. First, teens LOVE series! They can’t get enough of the characters and stories that authors create. The characters become their friends and they want to know more. Second, dystopian is incredibly popular right now. I think this is because teens overcome huge challenges that they have to work to solve – and it makes their lives seem relatively better.

Q: You’re also an adjunct professor for the University of Denver Masters of Library and Information Science program. – What advice do you give your students about connecting with teen readers?

A: The class I teach at DU is the Young Adult Materials and Services class. Most of the students are going to work in libraries (school or public), but I do get a few students who will be English teachers.

Connecting with teens is about being honest – with them and with yourself. Teens can tell when someone isn’t genuinely interested in what is important to them. Teens appreciate straightforwardness and it is fun to banter with them, but it can be good to avoid sarcasm (not in all cases, but sometimes teens take things quite literally).

As far as Readers’ Advisory goes, it is really important to not pass judgment on what anyone (no matter the age) is reading. My opinion is that if someone is reading, that is excellent! Finding someone’s next good book isn’t necessarily about what they’ve read in the past. It is important to use a variety of interests to get teens a book they will enjoy. I encourage my students to read a variety of genres, watch teen movies, play video games – and know about books that are about sports, graphic novels, difficult issues and more. It is so important to welcome teens to reading no matter where they are coming from.

Q: How has the recent “We Need Diverse Books” campaign come up in your work and does it influences how you choose books for your classes?

A: Diversity in books is a huge issue. It does come up in our work regularly – even before this campaign started. The collection development team here at PPLD makes every effort to get good quality, diverse books. In teen services at PPLD, we create displays for minorities for Black History Month in February; Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15); and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month in May. We highlight fiction and nonfiction written by or about people of the respective ethnicity. For non-ethnic specific celebrations (Poetry Month, Women’s History Month, etc.), we include people of all ethnicities. We’re also working on building and updating more book lists that are diverse.

For my class, I try to focus on diverse issues and diversity. I only get to assign 5 books per class, which makes it difficult to touch on everything. So, the assignment requires that they read a variety of books on a variety of topics geared towards a diverse audience.

Thank you for your time, Joanna! And thank you to librarians everywhere who help us celebrate and appreciate books!

Back to Top