My boys love Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. They are a graphic novel series about American History. They are very well researched and I have enjoyed the ones I have read. My sons have read them all. Some of my sons took longer than average to be able to read independently, but we have always had a family read aloud going (or more). I feel so fortunate that my husband also reads aloud to them from time to time. He loves Tolkien’s works and he first read The Hobbit to them when they were 4, 4, and 2. Our boys have now listened to The Hobbit three times, The Lord of the Rings twice, and The Silmarilian once. My husband also reads them Tolkien’s poetry. While we alternate our evening read alouds, Lewis and Tolkien recur frequently. And lest it sound like something we make them listen to, it was my son who suggested the latest rereading of The Hobbit.
I loved reading growing up, but I only rarely had that love line up with my parents’ reading. I enjoy sharing new stories and old favorites with my children. And I am blessed that my husband feels the same way.
So good. I couldn't agree more with the role model playing a key role. Thanks for sharing!
I loved The Ranger's Apprentice as a kid, and it(along with LOTR and Narnia) jump-started my love of reading. For kids who love video games, there is also a Genre called LitRPG, which I have enjoyed as well, that blends fantasy and RPG game mechanics, which has a real chance to get boys into reading if they choose games over it.
Insightful post. Thank you! Like Rebecca below, I thought of Curdy, too (a wonderful MacDonald character). I'm trying to make the male lead in the YA series I'm writing just such a person - a nerd who also leaps to the defense of others, whose kindness is what draws the female lead to him.
There are several award winning books that are written especially for boys but that have been mostly lost to history. "Banner in the Sky" by James Ramsey Ullman comes immediately to mind - who doesn't love a good mountaineering story? Also, Scot O'Dell's "The King's Fifth" is an adventure story on par with "Treasure Island" and Joseph Krumgold's "...and Now Miguel" is a coming of age story that actually captures the longings of a young boy to be accepted as a man. There are many others, but these three especially come to mind as stories that are well worth reading even though very few even know they exist.
I feel this tension with my own boys. It's so much easier in the younger years. Teenagers are complicated. The other day my 16-year-old got home from a track meet and said he pulled out the poetry book we are going through for his creative writing class, and he and track teamates took turns reading poems out loud in between their running events. I played it cool because overreacting has a way of ruining interactions with a teenage boy, but I was so happy I could have cried. The thought of them sitting around and reading poetry in between running their hearts out! It just felt like, "Yes. This is why we homeschool." He's not necessarily a big reader at this stage of his life, but these little glimmers give me hope that those early seeds of non-stop read alouds are still bearing good fruit.
It’s so true. I’m glad we did so much family reading with our kids. I allowed a minimal amount of movement. (Like a rocking chair, a yoga ball kept within a taped square, circles around the couch or table but not all over. I allowed a kitchen towel of Legos or other quiet activities to do with the hands). We read and read. The Belgaraid series is our family series. We’ve re-read it multiple times. Along with Tolkien, Redwall, Narnia, Harry Potter and Swallows and Amazons.
Curdy comes to mind. And Peeta Melark from The Hunger Games.
My boys love Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales. They are a graphic novel series about American History. They are very well researched and I have enjoyed the ones I have read. My sons have read them all. Some of my sons took longer than average to be able to read independently, but we have always had a family read aloud going (or more). I feel so fortunate that my husband also reads aloud to them from time to time. He loves Tolkien’s works and he first read The Hobbit to them when they were 4, 4, and 2. Our boys have now listened to The Hobbit three times, The Lord of the Rings twice, and The Silmarilian once. My husband also reads them Tolkien’s poetry. While we alternate our evening read alouds, Lewis and Tolkien recur frequently. And lest it sound like something we make them listen to, it was my son who suggested the latest rereading of The Hobbit.
I loved reading growing up, but I only rarely had that love line up with my parents’ reading. I enjoy sharing new stories and old favorites with my children. And I am blessed that my husband feels the same way.
N. D. Wilson! All of his books feature characters who exhibit these qualities.
So good. I couldn't agree more with the role model playing a key role. Thanks for sharing!
I loved The Ranger's Apprentice as a kid, and it(along with LOTR and Narnia) jump-started my love of reading. For kids who love video games, there is also a Genre called LitRPG, which I have enjoyed as well, that blends fantasy and RPG game mechanics, which has a real chance to get boys into reading if they choose games over it.
Insightful post. Thank you! Like Rebecca below, I thought of Curdy, too (a wonderful MacDonald character). I'm trying to make the male lead in the YA series I'm writing just such a person - a nerd who also leaps to the defense of others, whose kindness is what draws the female lead to him.
Being a boy-mom, I really appreciated this post and insight!
There are several award winning books that are written especially for boys but that have been mostly lost to history. "Banner in the Sky" by James Ramsey Ullman comes immediately to mind - who doesn't love a good mountaineering story? Also, Scot O'Dell's "The King's Fifth" is an adventure story on par with "Treasure Island" and Joseph Krumgold's "...and Now Miguel" is a coming of age story that actually captures the longings of a young boy to be accepted as a man. There are many others, but these three especially come to mind as stories that are well worth reading even though very few even know they exist.
I feel this tension with my own boys. It's so much easier in the younger years. Teenagers are complicated. The other day my 16-year-old got home from a track meet and said he pulled out the poetry book we are going through for his creative writing class, and he and track teamates took turns reading poems out loud in between their running events. I played it cool because overreacting has a way of ruining interactions with a teenage boy, but I was so happy I could have cried. The thought of them sitting around and reading poetry in between running their hearts out! It just felt like, "Yes. This is why we homeschool." He's not necessarily a big reader at this stage of his life, but these little glimmers give me hope that those early seeds of non-stop read alouds are still bearing good fruit.
Yes yes yes!
It’s so true. I’m glad we did so much family reading with our kids. I allowed a minimal amount of movement. (Like a rocking chair, a yoga ball kept within a taped square, circles around the couch or table but not all over. I allowed a kitchen towel of Legos or other quiet activities to do with the hands). We read and read. The Belgaraid series is our family series. We’ve re-read it multiple times. Along with Tolkien, Redwall, Narnia, Harry Potter and Swallows and Amazons.