Keeping Tweens Connected to the Library

The process of maturing into a teenager is of monumental importance, and tweens are desperately in need of what the library has to offer. Unfortunately, most public libraries turn their back on tweens when they need help the most. Within most public libraries “space” is at a premium. Shelving space generally prioritizes children’s or young adult literature. If proper conditions are in place, tweens will continue to make use of their libraries. However, what often happens at this time is that  “tweens become less interested in the library” (Anderson, p. xxiii). Even tweens who grew up loving the library often decide when they become tweens that the library is no longer a cool space, and refuse to avail themselves of library services. “Without a positive adult influence promoting the library as a resource these tweens and young teens might turn them away from the library. Losing their patronage at this early stage can mean losing them for life” (xxiii). 

How are librarians to serve tweens with this knowledge? The transition from tweenhood to adolescence is one of the most difficult developmental stages. Tweens need all the support available to them. Public and school librarians can join together in planning programming, and extend decision making to middle-school teachers. Librarians could visit individual classrooms weekly, bi-weekly or monthly to booktalk and share upcoming library events. Teachers and school librarians could follow through with parents, reminding them of important events and programs available at the school and public library.

Anderson, S. (2007). Serving young teens and ‘tweens. Westport, CT: Libraries

 Unlimited. 

Nonfiction

Sullivan (2002) and Jones, Hartman and Taylor (2006) illustrate the importance of nonfiction for tweens. Unfortunately reviewing bodies such as School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly prioritize fiction, rarely reviewing nonfictional books. Reviewers of nonfiction mostly emphasize superficial aspects, turning a blind eye to the aesthetic qualities of the genre. Sullivan notes that many professionals are under the impression that tweens only refer to nonfiction for help with school assignments. Moreover, some reviewers, librarians, and teachers equate the reading of nonfiction as “not ‘real reading’” (p. 65). These findings couldn’t be further from the truth! Many reluctant readers prefer nonfiction books. Sullivan (2003, 2009) argues that simply including engaging nonfiction books in library collections and advertising them to boys may be enough to spark boys’ desire to read. To become inspired by books, boys need male role models and books that connect them to their fathers.

While we cannot instantly change the fictional emphasis at work in professional journals that review tween literature, we do have the power to alter how nonfiction is perceived in our libraries. When choosing tween nonfiction titles, library selectors should choose some books that supplement school curriculum and others that satisfy outside interests. Selectors need to be certain to choose high quality books, instead of books that feature "didactic and dull writing, unimaginative layout and design of text and illustrations, and repetitive use of stock photographs that do little to complement the text" (Sullivan, 2002, p.67). Booktalking nonfictional titles and advertising them in high-rent spaces within the library may attract the attention of young patrons who would otherwise choose fiction. Another idea is to include nonfiction in tween literature circles or discussion groups.

Sullivan, E. T. (2002). Reaching reluctant young adult readers: A handbook for

librarians and teachers. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press.

Sullivan, M. (2003) Connecting boys with books: What libraries can

do. Chicago: ALA.

Sullivan, M. (2009). Connecting boys with books 2: Closing the

 reading gap. Chicago: ALA.

Jones, P., Hartman M. L. & P. Taylor. (2006). Connecting with reluctant teen readers:

 Tips, titles, and tools. New York: Neal-Schuman.

The Ages of Tweens: A Wide Range

There is no clear definition of the specific ages within the tween category. Some authors include those as young as eight years, while others view nine as the starting point. As girls come to mature at earlier and earlier ages, the definition of tween is pushed far earlier than ever before. Some girls may identify as tweens at eight years, while other eight-year-olds may continue to behave as children. I define tween as between the ages of eight and fourteen years. However, the expression of this developmental stage varies from child to child. Consequently, the tween age range is only a blueprint.

Librarians need to understand that development does not come in a one-size-fits-all package. Just as collection librarians need to ensure that they include something to satisfy the majority of patrons’ tastes, so must young adult librarians remember that development varies widely. Consequently those librarians who work with youth between the ages of eight and fourteen years need to remain flexible with their recommendations. Ideally book selections should be tailored to each child. School and public libraries that serve these groups must ensure that a range of books for both young and old are available, and that collections are not overly weighted towards books for older readers. Library programming must also reflect a range of interests and developmental stages. Some tweens may prefer to attend children’s programs, while others may opt to attend young adult programs. Librarians must be prepared for any eventuality, and not pigeonhole tweens into one category.

Tween Development

There is substantial overlap between the Search Institute’s and the AACAP’S lists. Developmentally tweens are closer to teens than to children. However, by definition tweens are in between both groups. Though the word tween is of recent vintage, the experience of this in-between group goes back at least a hundred years. The expression of these physical, cognitive and emotional changes have remained constant through time and place. Tweens of the past longed for more independence, just like tweens of today. They also experienced profound cognitive changes, and struggled to understand physical changes taking place in their bodies. The onset of secondary sex characteristics is the only difference between tweens of the past and those of the present. Tween girls are maturing earlier than ever before.

In her novels, Judy Blume eloquently describes developmental anxieties common to tween girls. Her literary creations wrestle with coming to terms with getting their periods and developing breasts. They worry over what is cool and what is not, and how best to deal with the opposite sex. I vividly remember dealing about these issues as a tween. However, I don’t remember looking forward to these changes as Margaret Simon does in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Kit Pearson’s Elizabeth Chambers’ ambivalence about developing is reflective of my own experiences at that age. I would argue that the perception of these changes can be viewed along a continuum. At one end, children avidly anticipate maturing, while those at the other end detest change. I was a part of the latter group. Change was anathema to me. I wanted everything to continue on as it used to be, and I held onto my childhood for as long as possible. Most children fall somewhere in the middle, both ambivalent and excited about the profound changes that are happening to their bodies, minds and emotions. 

Reading Up

In her book blog, Jen Robinson highlights some of the issues about kids reading books that are developmentally or intellectually unsuitable for their age. In our society that is growing increasingly competitive by the minute, parents want to be able to give their children a head start on the competition. They mistakenly equate reading-up with advantages, but, as Robinson accurately notes, unknowingly these parents’ good intentions often contribute to life-long problems. Pushing kids to read books beyond their emotional or cognitive comfort zone is a terrible idea, for it disallows children from engaging with texts that speaks to their experiences and passions. Few kids that are pushed to read loftier and more difficult tomes will develop into readers. Numerous studies about passionate readers’ childhoods illustrate the importance of engaging readers with appropriate books that captures the hearts and minds of young readers. In study after study, Ross, McKechnie, and Rothbauer (2006) showcase the importance of giving children the power to choose their own books. Studies conclusively state that, contrary to popular belief, the reading of series books in childhood does not impair children’s ability to identify themselves as readers, and does not limit their ability to choose literary works later in life.

Robinson argues that children should be allowed to read more difficult fare, provided that the decision to read these books stems from the child. I agree with her logic, but only up to a point. Today children are blessed with an endless sea of appropriate fare. There is a book out there to satisfy every interest, and there are hundreds of children’s classics to choose for more advanced readers. If I was a librarian acting in a reader’s advisory capacity, and was asked by parents to choose books for advanced readers, I would gently guide them to the section of the library that houses the older tomes. In my mind, at least, there is little point in encouraging tweens to read books written for an older audience. However, I realize that some tweens may desire to read books for teens or adults and should be given the permission to do so. Tweens are wise readers, and will simply put down the book if it becomes too difficult. Hopefully they will return to these works when they are older.

Ross, C. A, McKechnie L. (E.F.) & P. M. Rothbauer., ed. (2006) Reading matters: What

 the research reveals about reading, libraries and community. Westport,

Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2010/11/reading-and-grade-levels-keeping-it-fun-a-booklights-reissue.html

Literature Circles

Middle-school teacher, Elena Aguilar (2010), outlines the potential of literature circles to motivate reluctant readers. Through a literature circle Aguilar’s six-year-old son cultivated a passion for reading. Literature circles work because they put children in charge of their learning, making them active participants. Members of each circle vote on the books chosen, and play a major role in interpreting each text. Librarians or teachers do need to be able to offer guidance to the circle, however, the onus of each literary circle is on the participants, not the teacher or librarian. Decision-making primarily rests with child members. While an adult figure can interject or change topic when members grow argumentative and the discussion runs its course, it is good policy to allow the discussion to run with minimal adult involvement. The ability to decide which books are read and how to interpret these books throws children into active roles, significantly increasing the chances that they will fall in love with reading. Moreover, literary circles work because they make the learning process fun. Viewing learning as a game instead of a chore is a major part of the battle towards making learning a life-long pursuit. Every child should be given an opportunity to participate in a literary circle.

School and public libraries can offer literature circles for children and adults. Groups can range from those structured to satisfy highly-specified interests to general topics. For example, a group of tweens girls passionate about Anne of Green Gables might decide to read not only L.M. Montgomery’s oeuvre but also comparable works of fiction by Montgomery’s contemporaries, as well as  historical and biographical texts that describe late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century life. A range of genres should be included in every group. Aguilar notes that reluctant readers and boys often prefer nonfiction, so it is imperative that circles encourage members to think outside the fiction box.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/literature-circles-how-to-and-reasons-why-elena-aguilar

Research on Boys and Reading

Ross, McKechnie, and Rothbauer (2006) summarize research on boys and reading, placing studies into three camps. Research in the first, essentialist category asserts that nature or genetics accounts for reading disparities between gender groups. Essentialist studies argue that reading preferences and learning styles are situated in the brain, and that these hard-wired differences can explain boys’ attitudes towards reading. “Identifying and providing boy-friendly reading materials and encouraging boys to interact with texts in male appropriate-ways is consistent with the essentialist approach to gender differences in reading” (p. 90-1). In Connecting boys with books 2, Michael Sullivan (2009) expands upon his earlier research on boys and reading (2003), offering that it is “not that boys’ brains can not handle reading, but that the way we teach reading does not speak” to boys (p. 5). It is important to remember that boys mature at later ages than girls, and that a lot of the differences we find between the reading experiences of boys and girls can be partially explained by brain development. The average boy is

a year and a half behind girls in reading throughout their school years. . . . 

The corpus collosum is, on average, 10 percent larger in girls than it is in boys. 

This means that boys are more likely to work with half of their brains, leaning 

toward either analytical or creative approaches, whereas girls tend to approach 

problems holistically, using some analysis and some creativity. . . . Reading. . . .

requires the use of both hemispheres of the brain (p. 25).

The gender reading gap is increasing at an alarming pace (Sullivan, 2003, 2009). Eighty-five percent of students in remedial classes are boys. Boys are more likely than girls to commit suicide, and to be diagnosed with ADHD. Moreover, as they grow, so does the reading gap. High-school boys are even less likely than those in middle or elementary school to identify as readers. When the effects of gender are coupled with race and socioeconomic class, the potential for turning boys into readers reduces significantly. Fewer African-American men graduate from college than African-American women and they are even less likely to earn a college degree than Caucasian men. Moreover, boys from impoverished households have less opportunities to engage with texts when compared to boys from affluent families;  as a result, they are significantly less likely to develop into readers.

The second category expands upon the essentialists’ arguments. Social constructivists assert that the majority of boys grow up to dislike reading, for reading is viewed as a feminized act (Ross, McKechnie, and Rothbauer, 2006). The majority of children’s librarians and reading teachers are women, and there are precious few male role models to inspire boys to pick up books. Whenever boys do see men reading, they’re reading periodicals or nonfictional literature. Moreover, compared to women, the majority of male readers view reading as a solitary pursuit. Librarians and teachers generally dislike boys’ genre preferences – nonfiction and fantasy. The majority of books which teachers or librarians choose prioritizes girls’ tastes. “Preference is given to books that are morally functional, that assist personal development and socialization. Books trump magazines; print trumps the visual; the serious trumps the humorous; fiction trumps nonfiction” (p. 91). Research has repeatedly shown that selectors invariably opt for girl-appropriate books, only carrying “one-third” of books that boys prefer (Worthy, Moorman and Turner, 1999). The reluctance of school and public libraries to purchase copies of boy-friendly books poignantly demonstrates the extent of inequalities at work within libraries. By withholding books that hold meaning to boys, libraries disallow boys from identifying themselves as readers.

The final category asserts that boys reject reading not because it is a feminized activity, but because it is tied with school (Ross, McKechnie, and Rothbauer, 2006). School-type questions differ from how boys naturally approach nonfictional texts; instead of reading about how to solve “a clear and immediate” problem, as happens outside of school, boys are asked to respond to specific questions; the central problem with this approach is that it prioritizes girls’ analytical method. I take issue with this category, arguing that all children, even girls, experience school-related angst. However, I readily support students’ right to choose which books are read. Atwell (2007), Krashen (2004), and Miller (2007) have documented the negative effects of teacher-chosen texts. One of the major reasons why boys and girls fail to identify themselves as readers is because teacher-chosen texts do not speak to them, and because reading assignments encourage the idea that reading is only useful when responding to teacher-driven questions. These negative feelings towards books, which are formed in school, bleed over into non-school reading. Books become forever associated with school.

What can libraries do to inspire boys to read and to identify as readers? Libraries need to order books that are meaningful to boys, and should offer a plethora of alternatives for boys to engage in text. Librarians need to understand the differences in which boys learn and express themselves, and need to refashion library spaces to make them equally appealing to both boys and girls. Boys need to see men reading and libraries can increase the likelihood of this by sponsoring boy only discussion-groups, read-alouds, and storytelling (Sullivan, 2003, 2009). Instead of a story-writing contest, why not encourage photo-or-drawing submissions? By creating a culture of books where boys’ reading preferences are valued, the possibilities of turning boys into readers significantly broaden.

Atwell, N. (2007). The reading zone: How to help kids become skilled, passionate,

habitual, critical readers. New York: Scholastic.

Krashen, S. D. (2004). The power of reading: Insights from the research. Westport,

Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Miller, Donalyn. (2009). The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every

             Child. San Francisco, CA: . John Wiley & Sons.

Sullivan, M. (2003) Connecting boys with books: What libraries can do. Chicago: ALA.

Sullivan, M. (2009). Connecting boys with books 2: Closing the reading gap. Chicago:

ALA.

Ross, C. A, McKechnie L. (E.F.) & P. M. Rothbauer., ed. (2006) Reading matters: what

 the research reveals about reading, libraries and community. Westport,

Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Worthy, J., Moorman, M., and M. Turner. (1999). What Johnny likes to read is hard to find in school.

            Reading Research Quarterly, 34(1): 12-27.