I was a reluctant reader until 7th grade. In fact, I hated reading. I had my reasons, but what matters here is not why I hated reading, but how my life changed once I finally started to come to peace with it. So what shifted? Yup! You guessed it! Harry Potter. I come from the Harry Potter generation that literally grew up with Harry as the books were released. And with each book, my love for reading deepened. It was a struggle at first. My mom literally had to play the book on tape to force my 12-year-old self to listen (it was a start to reading, anyway). I was pretty well hooked after that, but I will also mention that what really made the difference from that point on was that my mom took the time to sit and read with me. That became sacred time to me and created a foundation for both my love of reading and my friendship with my mom. And now… try to catch me without a book. I read for fun every day and have an absolute passion for the transformative powers I know reading can have in a person’s life. Not only does reading open up worlds of adventure and imagination, but numerous studies prove that with increased reading, comes an increase in intellect in all subjects. Want your kids to improve in Math? Or Science? Help them become better readers! Read for fun, but read for comprehension and meaning. Just read and I promise that lives will change! As I now work in a classroom with students and see what books have the most powerful impact on the children, here are 10 suggestions for kids who think they hate reading.
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