Gateway books
A reminder that the readergirlz are focusing this month on book of a thousand days, bless them. We'll be doing a live chat on their forum Thursday, May 22 at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST.
Perhaps the biggest honor I've ever had, the most flattering feedback I've ever received as a writer, is when I hear that one of my books was a gateway book--that is, that someone who didn't like to read read my book and decided that she/he liked to read after all. I've heard that most often with goose girl and austenland. I met a gorgeous young girl at the book festival this past week. I'm sorry I've already forgotten her name, but she told me she never liked to read, never read a book all through elementary school. In fact, they put her in special ed. Then a teacher (6th grade, I believe) gave her the goose girl. She read it. She loved it. She's in middle school now and is an avid reader. I've heard this story more than once. This is a 383 page novel, not the typical book one would give to a girl who had never read a book by herself and was put in special ed. Further evidence, I think, that every kid is a reader--reluctant readers are just those who haven't found their ideal book yet. This is one reason why I do author interviews here, hoping to spread word about other books and authors. Perhaps there's someone in your life who doesn't like to read and my books just aren't right--but Hugo Cabret might be. Or The True Meaning of Smekday. Or Bone.
I had another wonderful experience speaking to the PTA last week. I mentioned rapunzel's revenge and why I thought graphic novels are such an important medium, especially for certain kinds of readers who need a visual hook in order to process information and read a book. A lovely mother came up to me after to share. She has a girl in middle school who has autism. She didn't read, and specialists told her parents that she would never read. Her mother bought her some manga because she thought she could look at the pictures. The girl taught herself to read by reading graphic novels and now has an insatiable appetite for reading ever since. I get goose bumps again just by retelling that. How marvelous!
Don't give up--on yourself, on that reluctant reader in your life. There's a book out there, a gateway book, that will help that reader fall in love with stories, with the written word, and that will lead to more and more books. It's worth the search. The pay off is huge.