As you probably know by now, I love to read. I was the kid who sat on Santa’s lap and asked him to bring me Tunnel in the Sky by Heinlein, or more books in the exciting saga of John Carter, the fighting man of Mars. I still ask for books for Christmas, but Santa doesn’t let me sit on his lap any more.
You’d think I’d be one of the first muggles to jump on the Harry Potter train, but like any avid reader, I always have a pile of books perching. As well as the three or four books I’m currently reading. You can never have too many books—just not enough bookshelves. A few years ago, my sister told me of this magical new series with a boy wizard with a lightning shaped scar, and she insisted that I had to read it. Sound familiar???
Needless to say, I’m a fan of the series, and a little sad to see it conclude. I’m going to savor this last volume. Who am I kidding? I’m going to rush through it in an all-night bender of cellulose and glue, and then read it all over again. What I am elated to see is so many people excited about a book--any book--especially children.
According to the National Institute for Literacy, 89 to 94 million American adults—nearly half of the U.S. adult population—are functionally illiterate. They “lack a sufficient foundation of basic [literacy] skills to function successfully in our society.” Of these, 17% to 20% can read just a little. That means they cannot fill out a job application, understand food labels, read basic instructions
In fact, many college bound students haven’t developed an effective vocabulary. Kaplan, which sells prep courses to subvert the SATs--vocabulary lists, drills, that kind of thing--peddles comic books. Only now called “graphic novels” so you can’t tell they’re comic books. Hoping to fertilize the vocabularies of the borderline literate.
I love comic books and books of all genres. I read voraciously, omnivorously and without discrimination. Sometimes without aim or plan or a good reason. eyHHey, it’s a book. Books are to read. I learned to read at an early age, and there wasn’t a darn thing that the school system could do to stop it.
So what of the “Harry Potter Effect”, when this kind of reading urge rises in a child, it’s great news! Smart parents will rejoice and foster it. So, what do you do when your child asks what to read after all the Harry Potter books? You may enjoy science fiction or “gonzo journalism”, but are they right for your child?
Before offering reading advice, ask a few questions and listen carefully. Why did they enjoy reading Harry Potter, or the Hobbit, or ‘Goosebumps’ books? Maybe it’s the magical world? Is it the characters or the adventure or maybe the quest against dark forces? You can recommend books with similar elements once you know why they enjoyed their favorites. Beyond the enchanted world of Harry Potter, what are your child’s interests? Movies? Sports? Music?
Does your child’s enjoy comic books? Suggest, Soon I will be Invincible by Austin Grossman. Loves Harry Potter? Propose The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper. Does your child enjoy spooky stories? Then recommend tales by Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft.
Whatever the direction, the two most accessible browsing places are the library and the bookstore. Booksellers these days have their youth sections organized with picture books, classics, teen fiction and displays for literary super series like Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter. Some shops have a shelf devoted to Newberry Prize winners, where you’ll find titles like Island of the Blue Dolphins or The Giver.
Finally, you may find your child pleading to stay up that extra half hour to read. You may find yourself reluctantly agreeing, only to have the voices inside your heading yelling, “Hooray!” because you know that books may be the only real magic left…
Kevin Coolidge
Comments, questions, your favorite Harry Potter book, email me at frommyshelf@epix.net
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