But many kids simply don’t do this. They don’t read. Or they read material parents don’t think is good quality.

It’s better to take a more active role to help your child find interesting reading material. Middle schoolers particularly like books written for adolescents and young adults. Ideal books will have characteristics like these:

• Characters who are well-developed and a year or two older than your child.
• A topic that reflects your child’s particular interests.
• An author who doesn’t preach. Middle schoolers don’t want to be talked down to.
• A quick start. The beginning of the book can’t be boring.
• Realistic relationships. The characters “live” the issues of adolescence.
• A story told from the point of view of an adolescent.
• Simple, easy-to-read writing. There are few unfamiliar words or complex sentences.
• Short chapters.

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