Author – and former reluctant reader – Jennifer Bell shares ideas on how to stop reading feeling like a ‘chore’ for some children.
An illustration by David Wyatt from the front cover of Magicalia: Race of Wonders
Jennifer Bell
After spending 15 years as a children’s bookseller and now full-time children’s author, you might think I’ve always had a passion for reading. But believe it or not, I couldn’t stand books when I was a child.
Back then, reading felt like a chore. I think this was because everyone encouraged me to read books that would challenge me. When I was ten years old, a teacher told me to read Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen over the summer to help develop my vocabulary. Honestly, getting through the first few pages felt like climbing a mountain! The language was strange, and I couldn’t relate to a corseted 17-year-old girl attending balls – I was a Spice Girls-obsessed ten-year-old who just wanted to play video games and catch Pokémon!
Everything changed in my early twenties when I got my hands on Eragon, a young adult fantasy novel by Christopher Paolini. Stuck on a long coach journey with nothing else to occupy my time, I decided to give it a try. Eragon was refreshingly easy to read and incredibly entertaining. I had never read fantasy before, but the story completely swept me away.
It made me realise that a compelling narrative can draw you along without making you feel like you’re putting in any effort. After exploring various genres at my local library, I discovered my love for books and became the reader I am today. Crucially, I learned that it isn’t just a brilliant book that gets you into reading; it’s the overall reading experience that matters. And this looks different for everyone.
Finding the right reading experiences
When I speak to reluctant readers today, I encourage them to seek out their own great reading experience. In order to do this, they need the freedom to choose books that inspire them – whatever those may be. If young people are uncertain about where to start, I always suggest they reflect on the stories in their favourite TV shows, films, and video games. With a bit of searching, they’ll discover a book that features all the same story elements they love.
Bookshops and libraries are, of course, great places to go hunting for stories. Not only do they have a wide variety of books on offer, they also have knowledgeable librarians and booksellers who can make up-to-date suggestions based on a child’s particular tastes.
Using fun reading initiatives
Fostering a love of reading for pleasure within schools can help make a world of difference, signalling to students that reading isn’t meant to be a chore. I’ve visited numerous schools that use fun reading initiatives to promote daily or weekly reading time, facilitate book discussions, and encourage peer-to-peer recommendations. While it is not always feasible, having an author visit a school is also a great way to generate a book ‘buzz’ among students.
It’s immediately apparent when I visit a school whether they have a thriving reading culture or not. If they do, classes will have usually read the first chapter of one of my books, watched one of my videos, or used an activity sheet (all free to download on my website) before I arrive.
It makes the students so much more engaged during my visit – there are more hands raised during an assembly, a wider range of questions asked in a Q&A and a higher standard of work produced in workshops. I’ve received numerous messages from parents after I’ve visited their child’s school saying that the visit had an immediate impact on them – they raced home and started drawing a character from my book or staying up later than normal trying to finish a chapter!
Celebrating the fun of reading
Ultimately, we need to show reluctant readers how fun reading can be, by giving them permission to read whatever they like, whenever they like, and wherever they like – helping them have great reading experiences.
Reluctant readers need to know that it’s perfectly acceptable to feel bored after a few pages, to set a book aside, and to start something new. Not every book suits every reader!
When I began writing for children, I always kept in mind that ten-year-old who disliked reading. I aimed to create books with accessible language and engaging narratives – stories that were relatable, exciting, and, above all, demonstrated the joy of reading for pleasure and not hard work.
The Magicalia series by Jennifer Bell, illustrated by David Wyatt, is out now.
Best friends Arthur, Ren and Cecily are swept through time and space into another mind-boggling adventure in this sequel to Wonderscape. This time, they’re thrown almost 500 years into the future to the world of Legendarium, where myths become reality and they’re not sure who they can trust.
Three friends slip through a time portal and find themselves thrown 400 years into the future, trapped in a complex virtual reality video game world called Wonderscape… but how will they find their way out?
Orphan Agnes is flabbergasted to find a shrew in a safari suit sitting on her bed one afternoon. He informs Agnes that she has been selected as a field agent for the covert organisation SPEARS, the Society for the Protection of Endangered and Awesomely Rare Species Can she rise to the challenge? Fast-paced and funny, this entertaining eco-chapter book with attractive, two-tone illustrations is ideal for young new readers with an interest in nature.
Jennifer Bell has built a wonderful new world in which readers can immerse themselves, in this pacey, magical adventure. There are twists and turns, new creatures and strange, ‘uncommon’ objects to discover around every street corner.
