Teen Fiction for Reluctant Readers. A Parent s Guide

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1 Teen Fiction for Reluctant Readers A Parent s Guide My child just doesn t read. This is something that every teacher and parent across the land is familiar with. Some may have dropped off as they moved into secondary school, others may feel that it s not an activity that fits in socially, whereas one or two will simply have never been keen. If this is the case, you are not alone and, believe it or not, the investment of a bit of time into what switches teenagers on can really pay off. Teen fiction advice Page 1

2 Why bother? Reading brings a whole host of benefits to children, beyond the simple pleasure they will take from losing themselves in a good story: 1) Giving your brain a workout. People tend not to have a problem understanding the idea that physical exercise makes us fitter, but we often struggle to apply that idea to our brain. Reading exercises the brain in a way that simply watching or listening does not. The mind can pause and construct ideas in a way that is unique. Throw in the added benefits of enhanced concentration and attention and it becomes clear that a child who reads a lot tends to be a smarter child. 2) Building vocabulary. Words are the greatest key to success any child can have, whether they want to be a lawyer, a plumber, a hairdresser, an accountant or an electrician (the list goes on). You win people over and work your way up using words, so it makes sense to go out there and grab as many new words as you can. Reading is one of the very best ways to do this. 3) Being creative. Building new ideas through processing more information stimulates the creative elements of our brain and, in any line of work, the ability to be creative is absolutely crucial. 4) Improves memory. Remembering storylines, characters, key events, themes and details flexes our memory muscles, strengthening our capacity to retain information. 5) Reduces stress. Reading is a proven stress-buster, providing a sense of calm escapism that simply does not come from more instant forms of entertainment, which can often have the opposite effect. Do they have to read books? The short answer to that is no. Reading is not just about fiction; children can read webbased blogs, newspapers, magazines, or anything else that requires them to process new information from words over a period of time. However, for sustained benefits, nothing can really rival a good work of fiction. If you re struggling to engage your child, the next few pages may give you some handy hints about what young people are reading at the moment. Many of the recommendations have come directly from our students! Teen fiction advice Page 2

3 The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) Now a best selling trilogy of books, The Hunger Games has captured the imagination of teenagers around the world. In that respect, it s the best thing to happen to children s reading for a very long time and many students at Longdean have had their heads buried in these addictive novels. Although they are aimed at teenagers, the fact that many of our staff members have also been bitten by the bug is testimony to the broad appeal of the series. In an unpleasant and bleak future, what was once North America is run as a dictatorship, which is administered from the shining streets of the Capitol, where law is imposed upon twelve impoverished districts. The districts then rose up in a rebellion, which was brutally suppressed. As a reminder to the people that they should never step out of line again, the government forces each of the twelve districts to offer two children between the ages of as tributes. These tributes are then whisked away and trained intensively, before taking part in the annual Hunger Games : a brutal fight for survival in a vast outdoor arena. Whether it s fast-paced action of a simmering love plot, these novels offer broad appeal to boys and girls (and adults, if we re honest!) alike. Teen fiction advice Page 3

4 ZOM-B (Darren Shan) When news reports start appearing of a zombie outbreak in Ireland, B s racist father thinks it s a joke but even if it isn t, he figures, it s ok to lose a few Irish. B decides it s easier to take out his father s hateful tendencies on his fellow classmates, until zombies attack the school. As a result, B is forced on a mad dash through the serpentine corridors of high school, making allegiances with anyone with enough gall to fight off their pursuers. Missing Me (Sophie McKenzie) Sophie McKenzie s ability to tap into the teen psyche is second to none and here yet again in this the third in her Missing series (the first and second were Girl, Missing and Sister). Madison s big sister Lauren is pregnant. She knows she should be excited and thrilled for Lauren but she isn t. In fact she s a bit jealous of the baby, even though it isn t born yet. To make things even worse, Madison finds out the man who raised her wasn t her real dad, so she sets out on a mission to find him. Where will this search take her? It certainly won t bring all things good Teen fiction advice Page 4

5 Viking Warrior (Judson Roberts) In 9 th century Denmark Halfdan, the illegitimate child of the Viking chieftain, is raised as a slave in the household of his father. When Halfdan turns sixteen his freedom is bought with his mother s death and he must battle for his inheritance. As destiny decrees, Halfdan trains to be a Viking warrior and prepares for an epic war to claim his rightful place in the kingdom. Teen boys will enjoy the classic elements of war, honor, and betrayal in this first book of The Strongbow Saga by Judson Roberts. Starters (Lissa Price) In a world ravaged by war and genocide, when a virus has wiped out all adults aged 18 60, becoming someone else is now possible. Callie and her little brother are on the run, living as squatters, fighting off unclaimed renegades who would kill for a cookie. But with the Body Bank comes a promise of much-needed cash, and with it, hope. And then despair. The Bank allows teenagers to rent out their bodies to those who want to be young again. But Callie's renter intends to do more than party in her body. She intends to murder... Teen fiction advice Page 5

6 Rot and Ruin (Simon and Schuster) Fifteen year old Benny is angry. His parents are dead, his brother is a zombie hunter, and now Benny must find a job in order to keep his food rations. Patrolling the borders of Rot and Ruin is not what Benny wants to do, but it will keep food in his belly and help him understand the decisions his brother made the night zombies invaded their home. Although this novel by Jonathan Maberry is full of gruesome zombie violence, the underlying coming of age story is what readers will remember. We ll always have Summer (Jenny Han) It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college - only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever got over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever. Teen fiction advice Page 6