And while I’m grateful for the books that are set at the beginning of middle school, there is a dire need for more books that take place during middle school and the beginning of high school. When I suggest books to them that have 12-year-old main characters, the typical response is, “That’s younger than me.” Like all readers, middle school students want to read about characters their own age or a bit older, dealing with the same problems they are, in every genre. In middle school, self-image is everything and kids are beginning to feel grown up. If the ultimate goal is for children to develop a love of reading and eventually become adult readers, there needs to be a concerted effort by publishers to promote and release books that acknowledge, represent, and celebrate early teenagers, those who are 13–15 years old. By the end of eighth grade, no student wants to read about a 12-year-old, no matter how compelling the story is. Students typically like to read about characters who are a year or two older than them. When I look for titles to order for my collection, I get really excited about stories with 14-year-old main characters, because they are the most difficult to find. It seems the vast majority of lists, recommendations, and even release day announcements feature 12-year-old main characters. Where have all the 13- to 15-year-old main characters gone? While there are a plethora of 12-year-old main characters who are finishing elementary school or starting middle school, we really need more stories for our upper middle school readers. Couple all of that with the lack of middle-school age characters in books, and it’s easy to see why my circulation numbers are lower than ever, too.Īs a middle school librarian, it’s tough to keep kids reading at this age, but frankly, the publishing industry could be doing more to help. ![]() Three years into the pandemic, I’ve noticed students’ desire and stamina to read are lower than ever. Middle school students have a lot of competing priorities: academics, friends, sports, family responsibilities, and the ever-present social media. However, it seems like the last few years have been an eternal spring and students aren’t reading as much as they used to. Spring is the time of year when academic work intensifies for students and reading for pleasure takes a backseat. ![]() A few browse the shelves for a new book to read while even fewer find a corner and race to finish another chapter in their latest novel before heading to class. Every morning before school starts, around 140 students show up to my middle school library for a plethora of reasons-some to finish homework due later that day, others to play games with friends or to catch a few more minutes of sleep.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |