Bernice Cullinan, former president of the International Reading Association, disagrees. But, she adds, “if children never read or hear a really good book by the time they are teenagers, they’re not likely to become readers.”

Here are seven ways to turn your preteen into a reader:

1. Give your child’s friend a book you want your child to read.

2. Send a book to the teacher to be read aloud to the class.

3. Subscribe to a magazine. There’s a magazine for almost any interest your child has.

4. Get books about their heroes. Find books about someone your child admires—General Norman Schwarzkoff or Kristi Yamaguchi. Then, says Cullinan, “sprinkle them in your child’s path.”

5. Start your child on series books. These books can be like potato chips. When you finish the first, you want to reach for the next one.

6. Read a book to your child. Kids are never too old to be read to. Or check out an audio version of a book and enjoy it together.

7. Find movies based on books. Many good movies were based on famous books.
   

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