tunnels

A few days ago, our ten-year-old reader began reading
Tunnels (Tunnels Books)“>Tunnels,the first in a series of British young-adult novels chronicling the adventures of fourteen-year-old Will Burrows whose archeaologist father disappears on a dig. Will and a friend, Chester, travel deep into the Earth to find his father, and instead they uncover a secret that “may cost them their lives.”

His initial excitement about the book waned as he tied up the first chapter. I urged him to stick to it–he seemed frustrated with the British “speak” and vocabulary…By the time he was set to begin chapter three in the backseat of the minivan, he had decided to throw in the towel. I let him.

There are quite literally millions of other books within his reach–why force him to finish one that is not holding his interest, or one that he is not enjoying, even if blogger Infodad calls it: ” … a real thrill ride of a book … packed with drama, a twist-and-turn-filled plot, and a genuine sense of menace … the fact that this is the authors’ first book makes their accomplishment all the more impressive” ?

I’m never one to allow “quitting” anything else, but I think it is necessary when you are dealing with kids and LEISURE reading. Reading should be enjoyable and relaxing when it is done on our own time. Allowing our children to make choices about what they read empowers them as readers and gives them some ownership of their reading activity.

Making choices is a part of growing up; making choices about reading is a part of growing up as readers.

I do wish my son would have continued reading Tunnels. I DO think he’ll enjoy the storyline of all three books in the series. I plan to suggest it at a later date, or even offer to read it along with him during read- together time.