While I feel I was a good-enough parent (to borrow the Bruno Bettelheim phrase) to my now young-adult kids, I wish I had a do-over for some things.

One of which is reading aloud to them until they had finished high school. 

Here’s a good one to read with teens. 

I had always assumed that reading aloud should wind down around, oh, fourth grade or so. But I’ve learned there are a lot of good reasons to keep the practice going. 

Here is a baker’s dozen, from “Reading Aloud and Beyond,” by literacy experts Frank Serafini and Cyndi Giorgis.

(One note: Their first reason addresses standardized test scores, but they emphasize that “Increased test scores may be a fortunate, though indirect, consequence of reading aloud, but it should not drive every instructional and curricular decision we make.” Amen.)
 

13 reasons to read aloud to older readers

1. Reading aloud increases test scores.
2. Reading aloud introduces readers to new titles, authors, illustrators, genres, and text structures. 
3. Reading aloud builds a sense of community.
4. Reading aloud provides opportunities for extended discussions.
5. Reading aloud with older readers is fun.
6. Reading aloud connects readers with content area subjects.
7. Reading aloud demonstrates response strategies (different perspectives). 
8. Reading aloud increases readers’ interest in independent reading.
9. Reading aloud provides access to books that readers may not be able to experience on their own. 
10. Reading aloud provides demonstrations of oral reading and fluency.
11. Reading aloud helps readers understand the connection between reading in school and reading in life.
12. Reading aloud provides demonstrations of quality writing.
13. Reading aloud supports readers’ development.

Serafini’s book is aimed at teachers. If you’d like a book aimed at a general audience, I enthusiastically recommend Daniel Pennac’s “Better Than Life.”

And if you’d like suggestions for books to read aloud to an older kid, see our recommendations.

Happy reading,

Jeff, Bob, and Claire …

… who believe that reading with kids can change the world for the better.

PS. If you want to see how reading aloud to teens and not worrying so much about test prep can get your kids into Harvard, check out Ted Gioia’s column, “I write a Parenting Advice Column (or How I Became Famous in My Neighborhood).” 

Introducing Davey Dobbs, who accidentally starts a stegosaur stampede 

The start of our new story. 

We’re starting a new serialized story this week, called “Davey Dobbs SHOULD NOT.”

When I wrote it, I got inspiration from at least four places …

1. I wondered what would happen if a character rebelled from the story I was trying to create for them. 
2. I wanted to see if I could write a kids book with no pictures, like, ahem, “The Book With No Pictures.” 
3. I was thinking of the dragon in Nietzsche’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” which must be slain for the hero to achieve freedom. The dragon is called “Thou Shalt.” 
4. Jetpacks. I think jetpacks are pretty great, so the story has a jetpack in it. 

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