Helping a Young, Advanced Reader

by Kate Morgan

Many people think it odd that I talk so much about helping advanced readers—I am a lucky parent, they say, to have a young, advanced reader.

In many ways, I agree. My son is eight and is an advanced reader. He devours books; reading long novels way after lights out and getting so absorbed in his books that he doesn’t hear the teacher tell the class it is time to move on to the next activity. But I’m not sure that it helps him to say, “Well, he’s a great reader so we don’t need to spend much time on that.” I believe that my son needs help and encouragement with his reading, as do the students who are still working at becoming readers.

The following suggestions, ideas, techniques and tools will help readers of all levels—from beginner to advanced.
Keeping a young reader engaged is difficult. So many books are aimed at a specific genre, especially for boys. If your reader is already out of the easy and even medium-level chapter books by age seven, you will have to do some work to find books that are engaging and challenging while being age-appropriate. Certainly ask your child’s teacher to help you find books, but don’t stop there. Not all teachers are familiar with the needs of advanced readers, and most teachers are working with students at such varied reading levels that the advanced students are often left to their own devices. Go to the librarians, both in your school and in your community. Talk to parents with older children—some of their children may have been advanced readers and they may have good book recommendations.

A young advanced reader is still young. There may be material in books that is not appropriate for someone of his age. This has been the biggest challenge in finding books for our son. He still gets bad dreams and is a little scared of the dark, therefore giving him a teenager’s book is not always the solution. Many of the books targeted at older readers discuss topics and materials that are not suited to the younger reader, and that the younger reader may not understand. So finding books that provide enough of a reading challenge while still being age-appropriate requires leg work.

Encourage family members to bring books and to look for books your child might be interested in—sometimes the book an aunt brings will get read just because she’s the cool aunt.

If your child has an interest, exploit it. If they like magic then get them wizard novels and magic trick books and biographies of Houdini. If they like sports there are great sports novels as well as non-fiction, factual and how-to books.

Look for series of books. My son is a fast reader, so series give him something to sink into. The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Adventures of Narnia—these have all been big hits. Even an author who has written a number of books in the same style can be a gold mine: Gordon Korman (who has a number of smaller series, Bruno and Boots being a fun one for boys); Andrew Clements; Roald Dahl; Beverly Cleary.

Remember the classics. They are called that for a reason. Even books that aren’t “classics” but have been around for 20 or 30 years will often be a hit. These are books that contain universal messages of strife, childhood and friendship. Do keep in mind that some of the language is outdated.

Make sure to look beyond the fiction shelves. There are many well-written, interesting books in the non-fiction sections. These include biographies, how-to books, joke and riddle books, history books and true stories. Magazines and even comic books can top off the reading pile.

Keep an eye on what your child is reading. Read over their shoulder, or even pick up the book and read a chapter or two when your child is in bed. That way you can open a discussion about the book. Ask the occasional question about what they are reading—how do they feel about a character or about what has happened? Who is their favourite character? Who do they think is most like them? If your child knows that you are familiar with the book, then it is more likely that they will open up a discussion with you, asking you about the book or sharing thoughts. (Only ask the occasional question, though, as it can annoy a child if you push too hard. As my son said, “I just want to read the book, Mom!”)

Let them know they should ask you when they don’t understand a word. Explain that not understanding a word doesn’t make them less of a reader, it just means they found one word they haven’t seen before. (Even as a writer, editor and life-long book reader, I still have to turn to my dictionary on occasion!) If they know you will be understanding of this, they are more likely to ask. Don’t dwell on it, give a quick explanation of the word and let them get back to their reading. If you don’t know the word, look it up together.

The biggest thing that helps capture and keep a good reader is providing lots of choices. Many advanced young readers are quick readers as well, and often finish books before you expect them to. Having lots of material to choose from means they can quickly move into a new book. This has helped us immensely, as my son is always most eager to start a new book right after finishing one.

Don’t give up if your child says he or she doesn’t like the books you have brought home. I bring books home all the time (second-hand stores are my best allies) and sometimes they sit on the shelf for months. But then, when my son has nothing to read one day, I’ll find that he has taken the book I was starting to think he would never read and he will be absorbed in a new world. That is the beauty and the reward of keeping up with an advanced reader—watching them immerse themselves in a book hook, line and sinker.

Kate Morgan is a freelance writer and editor who is always looking for good books.