Realistic Tween Fiction: How Realistic is it?

The Secret Language of Girls. By Frances O’Roark Dowell. Atheneum, 2004. 256 pages. Tr. $17.99 ISBN - 978-0689844218

Eleven-year old Kate and Marylin have been best friends and neighbors since nursery school, however, their relationship soon hits a snag. Flannery, an older girl on their block is partly responsible for this rift. Marilyn, now interested in makeup and boys, no longer wishes to spend time with her unsophisticated friend, Kate. Marilyn’s snub hurts Kate. With time Kate becomes accustomed to the changes in Marilyn, though a part of her still longs for her friend. Is it possible for Kate and Marilyn to renew their friendship, or is this rift merely a normal part of development?

Frances O’Roarck Dowell’s prose is relatable to tweens’ lives. In writing about the rift between lifelong friends, Dowell poignantly explains the difficulties that come with development. Thinking back to your own middle-school years, you’ll remember how cruel girls can suddenly become to one another. In middle school it suddenly matters what girls wear, whether they wear makeup, and who they choose as friends. Uniqueness isn’t valued, and those that don’t fit in like Kate are often shunned. When the story begins Kate isn’t interested in boys or makeup; she’d much rather read, write, and play basketball. The story outlines Kate and Marylin’s growth. Kate decides that she likes boys, and agrees to a relationship with one, but soon learns that love is complicated. By turning this boy into her boyfriend, she experiences a range of new emotions. She desperately wants to confide in Marylin, but they aren’t on talking terms. Marilyn, in contrast, develops a crush on her teacher, and decides to join the cheerleading squad. Marilyn's young brother, Petey, wise beyond his years, notices that her new friends are actually a bad influence on his sister, and longs for the old-times to return. In acquiescing to her friends’ cruel plans, Marilyn exemplifies the poor choices tweens often make in order to fit in. Paisley, Kate’s new friend, poignantly illustrates how you can choose to be yourself, and still get others to appreciate you. Finally Marilyn learns this lesson, and it appears that Marilyn and Kate will return to being friends again.

Interpersonal Interactions: The Importance of Developing a Relationship with Each Tween

Lesesne demonstrates that often half of the battle in the process of encouraging tweens to read is getting them to recognize that reading material is omnipresent. In our jobs as librarians, we must work to disabuse tweens of the belief that reading books and textbooks is genuine reading, while reading magazines, blogs, and comics is not. We need to assure young readers that whenever they pick up that beloved magazine or comic book, they are engaged in the process of reading. Tweens need to understand that all readers choose from a variety of genres, and that it is perfectly acceptable to read lighter fare. In our work with tweens, we must ensure that we provide them with the same level of respect and opportunities to grow in their identity as readers that we afford to other more advanced readers.

As a group, tweens are far from monolithic. They encompass disparate levels of maturity, reading levels and passions, avocations, social intelligence, and informational requirements. Collections that serve this group, therefore, must consist of a variety of engaging material that addresses the developmental needs of tweens. Selectors should engage tweens in the selection process, getting them to weigh-in on purchasing decisions. Series books often play an influential role in turning kids into readers, and should play a fundamental role in each collection. Moreover, collections must ensure that chosen books appeal to a range of ages, tastes, and reading levels.

In addition to providing a balanced collection, librarians must ensure that they are meeting the individual needs of tweens. Meeting individually enables librarians to tailor their recommendations, providing tweens with the knowledge that there is someone in their lives that cares for them, and who understands the importance of questioning values, exploring the world, and growing as a person.

Reading Logs vs. Reading Notebooks

One of the early lessons Miller (2009) notes is that students abhor reading logs. They only work for students with strong support systems, where parents actually monitor that their children read. However, even here they fail. Tweens that read nightly may feel that their teacher doesn’t trust that they are actually reading. On the opposite side of the spectrum, reading logs fail to motivate reluctant readers.

Miller no longer instructs her students to keep track of time spent reading at home. Instead, she trusts that her students are reading. “Enthusiastic readers who eagerly tell me about what they read the night before are the only evidence I need that students are reading at home (p. 144).” However, she does make use of reader’s notebooks. What is the difference between the two?

The distinction between a “reading log” and “reading notebook” may seem slight on the surface, but peeling back the outer layers reveals important distinctions. Reader’s notebooks are student-centered learning tools, which allow students to monitor their own reading progress. Students are in charge of the books they choose to read, and reading is, therefore, pleasurable. Student record the books they’ve read, even those they haven’t finished. They also keep track of books they hope to read. And they aesthetically engage with every book, writing about what they liked or disliked.

So, while both mediums allow students to keep track of their reading, the feel of reader's notebooks is very different. Reading logs are extrinsically motivated, focused on teacher demands, whereas reading notebooks are intrinsically motivated, focused on the individuality of each student. For reading to become a life-long habit, it needs to become intrinsic. With reader’s notebooks, it’s all right if students give up on a book, having only read a few pages. Noting a book that’s failed to please provides students with an opportunity of furthering their identity as readers. By clearly defining what it was about the work that disappointed, readers can hone onto their critical muscles. Making a note of the disappointing book also allows readers to return to the book at a later date.

Miller, Donalyn. (2009). The book whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Critiquing Required Reading

The classics I was forced to read in school were uniformly depressing. Thankfully reading these melancholic works did not discourage me from picking up books on my own. But how many students fall in the same camp?  Let's imagine a society where kids are introduced to books and reading only at school. None of them are read to by their parents, have books at home, or are taken to libraries or bookstores. Teachers encourage students to read only the classics. They allot no class time to free voluntary reading (FVR). Students are only allowed to read assigned texts.

Some students are lucky enough to grow up in families that value reading. These students come to school with the love for reading already in place. The teachers they come in contact with can help to inspire them to read, but their task is relatively minimal. These students will turn to books, regardless of any teacher-related action. If they're blessed with a good teacher they will read. They will also continue reading if they're stuck with an uninspiring or negative teacher.

Now, let's compare these students who love to read with those students that come to school without the reading-pump primed. Students in the latter camp arrive at school already at a loss. They desperately need to be inspired by books, yet this rarely happens. Instead of being introduced to the magic of reading via FVR, they're introduced via the world of classics or assigned texts. Not surprisingly, they fail to become inspired. Few develop into readers.  It is only when those rare teachers like Donalyn Miller do cross their paths that genuine change is effected, sparking a lifelong love affair with reading. Why should we leave reading so much to chance? Wonderful teachers are only too rare.

The opportunity to develop a taste for reading should not depend on the luck of the draw. Every student should be given the same opportunities to thrive. One way to accomplish this would be to drop "required reading" from the curriculum. I do believe that students will pick up classics on their own, especially if they've experienced a book flood. The approach Miller uses helps to push kids’ reading muscles, without giving them a negative taste for reading. School and public librarians can help teachers impart a love for reading, by providing a range of highly-engaging books, and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow readers.

A Developmentally Appropriate Approach: Awakening the Inner Reader

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child. Donalyn Miller, a sixth grade language arts/social studies teacher in Texas, provides a student-centered teaching plan to kindle reading. Unlike other teachers, who teach whole-class novels (i.e. the entire class reads the same novel), Miller argues that for reading to become internally motivated, students must have free reign over which books they read. Students are encouraged to read different genres, and class-time is allotted for kids to read. Optimally, the goal for each student is to read, at minimum, forty books per school year. 

What I love about Miller's approach is that she doesn't make excuses. The potential exists for the inner reader to be awakened in every child. All that is needed is for someone - a parent, librarian, or teacher - to spend time with the child, and show that reading is important. Choice is important here. Students shouldn't be forced to read what the teacher demands. A love of literature will come later. All that is important in the beginning is awakening a love of reading. Once that reader button is primed, books will remain a central part of life.

Both Miller and Lesesne argue that reading-rewards programs kill students’ internal desire to read. This is, of course, not new; psychological theories have proved this time and time again. What I don't understand, however, is how few teachers really grasp this concept. I'm reminded that my brother's grade two teacher used a rewards program. My brother read the most books in class that year. However, they were externally (not internally) motivated. When the external motivation was later removed, he didn't read as heavily as before. 

I’ll admit that initially I was quite skeptical of endorsing free voluntary reading.  Shouldn’t teachers and librarians encourage kids to expand their horizons, and push them to read classic fare? How can we engage culturally with others, if we haven't read the same texts? After reading numerous books on implanting a love for reading, my thoughts have considerably altered. Researchers including Teri Lesesne, Donalyn Miller, Stephen Krashen and Edward Sullivan show that it’s acceptable, even superior, to let kids choose their own reading material. Mandating that kids read certain texts before they are developmentally ready is poor policy, and is most often responsible for leading kids down the path of alliteracy. After all, if the majority of student reading is limited to teacher-chosen texts, most will leave class unmotivated to read on their own. A persuasive article on the damage caused by foisting classics on students before they are developmentally ready (“Killing Mockingbird), can be found at Miller’s “Book Whisperer” blog: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2007/11/.

Reflecting on the Opening Chapters of Lesesne's "Naked Reading"

I've spent a great deal of time this week reading and reflecting upon the beginning chapters of Terri Lesesne's Naked Reading. Here is a brief summary/critique of Lesesne's opening chapters.

Introduction

Lesesne outlines her "DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) program", which her eight-year old granddaughter follows by reading in the bathroom, naked. Thus, the title for the book Naked Reading. The main premise for the book is to uncover why children like her granddaughter enjoy reading, while others receive no such joy through the written word. Why did her granddaughter decide to spend time reading? Understanding the grand daughters story can help teachers motivate reluctant readers, having more students like her granddaughter in their classes. It will also help to uncover what is needed for "lifetime readers" to develop (i.e. those that are able to read whenever or wherever.) 

Lesesne has a genuine interest in this question, for she has worked as a middle-school teacher; currently she works as a MLIS professor, trying to implant the reading/learning bug in every student. She notes the alarming rates that students are developing a dislike towards reading. It's starting earlier than ever before. When Lesesne began teaching, in 1979, the majority of her seventh-and-eighth grade students continued to enjoy reading. Recently, however, she notes that an aversion towards books has started as early as the third or fourth grades. These students read only in school, and are known as "school-time" readers.   This is dire, for those "pleasure readers" that read outside of school are also "lifetime learners". Losing outside readers lessens the possibilities of an intelligent populace, a group of people that choose to learn. 

The purpose of this book is to find "appropriate material that is interesting to" tweens. Tweens are in-between children and adolescents, and locating enjoyable reading material for them is a difficult task; they reject children's picture books, but are not developmentally ready for YA books. 

Chapter 1

The chapter begins by introducing two types of readers: ten-year-old Brad and Andrew. Brad is already a lifetime reader. He reads whenever he gets the chance. "The challenge with Brad is not motivating him to read. The challenge is to find new books for him as he devours book after book." Here is the main message: "Brad is ten, and the books he reads still need to be appropriate for someone of his developmental level. While Brad's vocabulary far outstrips those of other ten-year-olds and he can access more difficult text, he still is not ready for books that explore topics and subjects and issues beyond his moral, emotional, and social development (p. 7-8)". Andrew is described as a "reluctant reader". He sets himself a goal of twenty-pages to read each day, but he's pickier about the books he reads. It's hard for him to become interested in any given book, though finishing is a lot easier. Several librarians and teachers have helped him. Through their collective support, he's managed to find books of interest. 

Naked, in the title, refers to "the abandoned and oblivious joy" readers "derive from the reading experience". We're told that Kylene Beers (1990) research has shown that "there is no one 'template for alliterates, kids who know how to read but elect not to join in". Lesesne uses Beers work as her jumping point. There is tremendous variation among tweens and therefore their reading will also highly vary. "Some elect not to read because their life is simply too hectic; others do not read because they cannot locate books that interest them; still others do not read because reading poses problems for them (p. 9)". 

For the purpose of this book, tween is defined as students in classes four through eight (i.e. ages ten through fourteen). Lesesne notes that it's important to address physical, emotional/mental/psychological, and social/cultural issues when selecting tween books. She provides a list of books in the Five C's - competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring - that can help emergent tweens deal

with emotional/mental/psychological issues. 

Lesesne denounces Accelerated Reader (AR) program as an ineffective means of developing lifetime readers. The AR program suffers, for it is extrinsically motivated, and limits book choice. For each book read, a quiz follows. The higher one scores on the quiz, the more points received. A perfect score is calculated differently, depending upon which level the book was from; higher books receive more points than books from lower levels.  Students are continually pushed to read books in higher point categories, not books they choose to read on their own. At this time, there is no evidence to support the idea that this program will lead kids to read on their own. Instead of using these "canned programs", Lesesne encourages her readers "to offer books and experiences that will allow. . . students to make their own progress through the stages of unconscious delight, reading autobiographically, reading for vicarious experiences, reading for philosophical speculation, and reading for aesthetic experience. (p. 16)."

Lifetime readers (i.e. those that read for pleasure) comprise only a "small segment of the population". Three statistics are reported, though she does not cite her work; my main question is where did these statistics come from? The first statistic states that ten-percent of readers in the United States are responsible for ninety-percent of all books purchased. This follows with the question: "Are you doing your part? (p.17)" Lesesne provides evidence that she is more than helping the book industry, and briefly laments the demise of independent bookstores. Moving on, we learn that the average American reads only three books per year, and that this is the highest number of books read for pleasure worldwide. To Lesesne, this statistic is abysmal: "how in the world can we encourage our kids to become 'a nation of readers' when we are, instead, a nation of television watchers? If our children do not see us as readers, what unspoken message does this transmit to them about the value of reading in the adult world outside of school? (p. 17)" The final statistic, mentions, "more than seventy-five percent of teens graduating from high school will never read another book again (p. 17)". The citation to this find is, unhelpfully missing. However, she does address a 2005 article in the Washington Post, emphasizing the difficulties in developing lifetime readers. According to Lesesne, who is blameworthy? Standardized tests and required reading; the latter make reading increasingly unpleasant, especially through the middle and high school years. 

Lesesne's answer to the above dilemma is to find appropriate books. Reading can be viewed in five stages, as described above. The first stage - unconscious delight - epitomizes those moments when we become lost in the printed page. Librarians or teachers must find suitable books, placing books in the hands of readers that uniquely speak to them. Books can also speak to us differently, through reading autobiographically. At some point in our reading lives, we search for those in books with characters or situations that are similar to ourselves, reminding us of our own lives. For some readers, however, reading autobiographically is too painful. Instead these readers search for books that can provide vicarious experiences; Harry Potter and Nancy Drew are just some examples. Reading for philosophical speculation, is the penultimate stage. In this stage, we question the way the world operates, the meaning, purpose of life. We also seek to understand ourselves more deeply, especially our identity, behavior, personality, and goals. This stage often requires children/tweens to venture to YA or adult books, in a quest for answers. As a teacher, Lesesne is cautious about the books she places in her classroom, choosing only those books that are written for tweens. With her granddaughters, however, Lesesne is more open, placing few limits on the books they choose to read. The final stage - aesthetic experience - is reading for merely the pleasure that reading brings. Books that we choose to reread are found here.