Stoke Books to the rescue...

A few weeks ago, I was invited into a conversation that I'll never forget.  An 8th grader had cornered their reading teacher and was basically having an "Aha" moment with them.  The reading teacher was so stunned, that she called me over to offer my "expertise" as a library media specialist.  You'll understand my shock and awe after reading the script below.  Let me preface this by saying that I'm glad I was asked to join the conversation and that I'm even more excited to say that progress has been made and the student is feeling successful.  Win/win.  But that afternoon, I left work in tears.  Ashamed that he had fallen through the cracks and I hadn't noticed or cared.  (Student name changed for obvious reasons.)

John- "I'm tired of abandoning books."
Me- "Then don't abandon them.  Try to finish them.  Maybe you need to make a different choice.  Choose a shorter book, perhaps?"
John- "But I want to read what my friends are reading." 
Me- "I see.  But you realize that you have a diagnosed reading issue that keeps you from comprehending lengthy passages, right?  And this is why I've asked you to choose shorter books.  You can't handle the complex plots yet."
John- "You think I don't want to read, but I do.  You think I have a bad attitude about reading, but I'm just frustrated."
(OUCH--yes, that one hurt because it's truth.)
Me- "You're absolutely right.  Over the past two years you have developed a negative attitude about reading and coming to the library.  I don't think either one of us has paid much attention to what you've been checking out because you and I both knew subconsciously that you wouldn't finish it anyway.  And for that, I apologize."
John- "So what am I gonna do?"
Me- "You'll have to trust me.  I want you to take a look at a new batch of books I received today.  They're called Stoke Books, after the publisher.  I have all genres.  I know you like science fiction, so we'll start with that.  But, the books are short.  Shorter than any I have in this library.  75 pages at most.  And I know that's not okay with you.  So, therefor, the trust."
John- "I'll try it if you think I'll be able to remember the story.  I can't keep up with a lot of details.  I forget."
Me- "All we can do is try.  These books are designed for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and other issues that stand in the way of reading comprehension."
John- "Okay"

And so began his journey into the Stoke collection.  I purchased 13 titles and he's read about 5 of them so far.  He remembers what he's reading.  He loves them.  And he wants more.  After he reads about 8 or 9 of them, I'll run out of "boy" books and so I'm prepared to level-up with him.  He absolutely loved Chris Wooding's title for this collection, Pale. He was able to return the book and give me a book-talk that rivaled any of his peers.  That gave him self-confidence as a reader.  He's devouring them.  He's always wanted to read Poison by Wooding, so that's what I checked out for him at his last library visit.  I encouraged him to read 30 pages of the full-length novel and then come back to me and booktalk it.  Take it in parts.  Break it up.  Then, we'll put it all together.  

Here's what author Chris Wooding had to say about writing a book for this collection (taken from his blog)... 

"The hawk-eyed among you, or those who spend every free moment on Amazon googling my name (bless your little hearts), might have spotted the curious fact that, like, there’s this book out by me that I’ve barely even mentioned. Well, here’s the lowdown: I wrote PALE a while ago for an imprint called Barrington Stoke, who produce books targeted at reluctant and struggling readers or kids with dyslexia. I haven’t really talked about it much because I thought it was mainly going to be sold to schools and such, and also because I didn’t want it  to be confused with my usual output, since it’s a very different kind of book. But since it’s out there in the big wide world now, it’s time for Pale to take a bow.
Now listen y’all. This book was written for a specialist market. It’s very short, and the language and story are much, much simpler than the books you’re used to reading from me. If you’re curious, or if you’re a completist, or if there’s someone you know who’s a struggling reader and might like this sorta thing, then by all means pick it up; it’s a creepy little sci-fi tale that may tickle your fancy. But if you’re expecting something in the vein of Malice or Alaizabel, you’ll be disappointed. I wouldn’t want anyone spending their hard-earned readies and then being gutted because of the content." --Chris Wooding via http://www.chriswooding.com/pale/


I know this is not a long-term solution.  I know I haven't fixed his problem.  But I am able to offer him a few months of success at MNMS.  And his honesty and frustration jerked me up and set me back on my feet as a professional.  By blogging about it, I've preserved this lesson for myself and others.

Happy Reading everyone!
RC