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Who'd have thunk giving my kid a book would backfire?
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 331577" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>It's good for kids to read. Other obligations need to be met, but the aim of school is education, and I strongly believe books help a lot there. I do think you did the right thing telling him he would have to get up early to do his homework. I'm wondering - Could you involve this book in his homework somehow? Maybe arrange with his teacher for him to do some sort of book review on the book once he's read it? Maybe he could talk to the class about it instead of handing in a written review. It would help him connect reading to schoolwork, it would also perhaps encourage other kids in his class to read it too (and as I said, anything that boosts reading). It could become a win-win.</p><p></p><p>And for another book that I think could appeal - this was used in difficult child 1's final year for the NOT top-of-the-grade English classes, it's an easy book to read with subtle hidden meanings underneath the eminently readable, valuable messages in there. It's also a brilliant example of what I call "efficient" writing. No wasted words, it all is needed. No waffle factor. The story moves fast.</p><p>It's called "Raw" and it's by Scott Monk. He was little more than a boy when he wrote it, and it quickly became a recommended text for senior high school students (from age 15-17 at our schools). However, it would appeal to younger kids too, although some of the content is, well, raw. The story is about Brett, a boy who is going bad but who gets one last chance. He gets sent to the Farm, like a reform school but set on a farm in the country where other boys like him are working out the mess their own lives are in. As we see the other boys through Brett's eyes, we see the possibilities Brett could become as well as the boy Brett was in the past. What path will he take? What choices will he make? Fairly early in the book Brett is told, "Where your life goes from here is up to you. Your choices. Nobody is doing this to you. You are doing this to yourself. You choose; but you wear the consequences of your choices."</p><p></p><p>The police aren't painted too well, but not overly badly either. At the end of the book it is still a bit up in the air - Brett has made some good choices and some bad choices, but you sense that overall, he now has reasons to face up to what he has done and to deal responsibly with it.</p><p></p><p>It's very readable. Even though it was a set school text, difficult child 1 really enjoyed it. He also "got it" (with only a little help) which was remarkable considering his Asperger's.</p><p></p><p>I always make a point of reading the books my kids are reading. That meant I read all the Babysitters Club books (as well as Babysitters Little Sister), the Ann Rice books, absolutely everything. It gave me some openings to talk to the kids about the issues uncovered in what they read. I remember discussing some Christopher Pike books with easy child, I was a bit critical of a few of them because I didn't think he "played fair" with his readers. Agatha Christie was another author who often didn't play fair - Ellery Queen was one author who was scrupulously careful about the need to not cheat the readers, I highly recommend Ellery Queen as well as Isaac Asmov to kids to read, especially the mysteries, in order to have some fun as well as exercise the brain.</p><p></p><p>Once you get your kid to read, it can open more doors. easy child 'discovered' Ben Elton's writing (he's also known for being one of the writers on various British comedy series, such as Blackadder) but is now deeply immersed in historical novels by Colleen McCullough. It's where we want our kids' reading to take them.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 331577, member: 1991"] It's good for kids to read. Other obligations need to be met, but the aim of school is education, and I strongly believe books help a lot there. I do think you did the right thing telling him he would have to get up early to do his homework. I'm wondering - Could you involve this book in his homework somehow? Maybe arrange with his teacher for him to do some sort of book review on the book once he's read it? Maybe he could talk to the class about it instead of handing in a written review. It would help him connect reading to schoolwork, it would also perhaps encourage other kids in his class to read it too (and as I said, anything that boosts reading). It could become a win-win. And for another book that I think could appeal - this was used in difficult child 1's final year for the NOT top-of-the-grade English classes, it's an easy book to read with subtle hidden meanings underneath the eminently readable, valuable messages in there. It's also a brilliant example of what I call "efficient" writing. No wasted words, it all is needed. No waffle factor. The story moves fast. It's called "Raw" and it's by Scott Monk. He was little more than a boy when he wrote it, and it quickly became a recommended text for senior high school students (from age 15-17 at our schools). However, it would appeal to younger kids too, although some of the content is, well, raw. The story is about Brett, a boy who is going bad but who gets one last chance. He gets sent to the Farm, like a reform school but set on a farm in the country where other boys like him are working out the mess their own lives are in. As we see the other boys through Brett's eyes, we see the possibilities Brett could become as well as the boy Brett was in the past. What path will he take? What choices will he make? Fairly early in the book Brett is told, "Where your life goes from here is up to you. Your choices. Nobody is doing this to you. You are doing this to yourself. You choose; but you wear the consequences of your choices." The police aren't painted too well, but not overly badly either. At the end of the book it is still a bit up in the air - Brett has made some good choices and some bad choices, but you sense that overall, he now has reasons to face up to what he has done and to deal responsibly with it. It's very readable. Even though it was a set school text, difficult child 1 really enjoyed it. He also "got it" (with only a little help) which was remarkable considering his Asperger's. I always make a point of reading the books my kids are reading. That meant I read all the Babysitters Club books (as well as Babysitters Little Sister), the Ann Rice books, absolutely everything. It gave me some openings to talk to the kids about the issues uncovered in what they read. I remember discussing some Christopher Pike books with easy child, I was a bit critical of a few of them because I didn't think he "played fair" with his readers. Agatha Christie was another author who often didn't play fair - Ellery Queen was one author who was scrupulously careful about the need to not cheat the readers, I highly recommend Ellery Queen as well as Isaac Asmov to kids to read, especially the mysteries, in order to have some fun as well as exercise the brain. Once you get your kid to read, it can open more doors. easy child 'discovered' Ben Elton's writing (he's also known for being one of the writers on various British comedy series, such as Blackadder) but is now deeply immersed in historical novels by Colleen McCullough. It's where we want our kids' reading to take them. Marg [/QUOTE]
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