School Family

Students entering 4th grade have to pick two books from the summer reading list. I’m worried. It’s my son’s reading habits. He has none. He won’t pick up a book unless I force him.

Oh, I’ve tried to make reading fun. We’ve had charts and we’ve set goals. I’ve given him rewards and prizes; I’ve bought him interesting books. Captain Underpants, for instance. I figured he’d appreciate the cartoonlike drawings and the mildly subversive message. He read the first book, so I bought him two more.

But last night when I handed him Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, he said he’s bored with the series. I nearly pulled out my hair. (I really wanted to pull out his.) I mean, come on! Two boys who hypnotize their school principal into stripping down to his skivvies and flapping around like a superhero? Rampaging toilets that eat the lunch lady and assorted other school personnel? What could be funnier? Honestly, I don’t know where I went wrong with my boy.

I desperately want him to love to read. I surrender hours at a stretch to good books. My daughter absorbs Newbery Award-winning books and trashy teenage novels indiscriminately. My husband falls asleep with a book on his face every night. My parents read. My brothers not only read, they also listen to books in their cars. This is what we do. We read. It never occurred to me that I would have a child who could open a book and not be hooked.

I hope my son will eventually stumble onto the joy of reading. I guess the only way that’ll happen is if I continue forcing him to pull out a book every night. But really, I don’t know where to go after Captain Underpants. That was my ace in the hole.

For someone who makes a living with words, it’s a little embarrassing to admit that I wasn’t always a big reader. As a kid, I spent most of my free time with friends or toys, not books. Still, each summer I
looked forward to the children’s reading program at the library.

I can’t recall a single book I read, but I remember having fun with the other kids and thinking the teenage volunteers were way cool. Looking back now, I realize it was during those afternoons that the library transformed from a grown-up place where I got shushed to a place I still love to go.

If your child is a reluctant reader, too, she may be more motivated to dive into a book if she’s around other people who are doing it. In addition to the great summer reading programs offered by public libraries and bookstores, kids’ book clubs are sprouting up all over.

If you can’t find a kids’ book club in your area, consider forming one or joining an online club. Children read “real” books, then go online to talk about the stories. Here are just a few of the online book clubs I found with special activities for kids:

Al’s Book Club for Kids

After reading the selected book, children can watch Al Roker chat with book club members on the Today show or play video of the discussion on the website. They can also submit questions to authors and listen to audio excerpts.

In2Books

Parents help kids choose an adult reading mentor, such as a relative or family friend. Children correspond with their mentors about selected books, developing friendships and writing skills.

Scholastic’s Summer Reading Buzz

This site has videos of celebrities talking about favorite books, games and contests, and message boards. For every four books a child reads, Scholastic donates a book to