Dragons,
Dragons, and More Dragons
Perhaps
because he knows dragons feature in my novels, he became interested in The Glitter Dragon Series by Maddie Mara after spotting
one at a school book fair. We read the entire series together and even made it
through several of the follow-up The Treasure Dragon Series before he grew tired of these wonderful books.
Each novel features a different young girl as the narrative voice. She and her two friends travel to the magic forest where they aren’t humans but dragons. In the forest, they go on fantastic adventures battling the evil forces bent on harming the natural environment.
On
the learning to read front, these novels are fantastic. Each is about 130 pages
and sprinkled with cute illustrations while still having many pages of only
text. When we started reading these books, my son struggled with many words and
was intimidated by the pages full of text. When we began reading The Treasure
Dragon Series, he was no longer scared, and he read smoothly.
Eventually,
he told my wife he wanted to read a book with dragon boys. Not long after, he
was done with the dragon girls. We never finished the final installment in The
Treasure Dragon Series.
Boy
Dragon Stories
We were stumped by the boy dragon
request. Searching Google and Amazon didn’t provide anything that fit the bill.
Some books looked promising but were meant for older audiences with more
advanced reading skills.
Inspiration struck when I noticed one
of the many How to Train Your Dragon cartoons on Netflix. I discovered the
cartoons are loosely based on the long-running series How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. These novels were a huge step up
for my son in terms of length and level of difficulty. However, large text and
copious illustrations help make the books approachable, even for an anxious
reader. Best of all, the potty humor inspired belly laughs, which helped him
soldier through several books.
We
haven't finished this series, but I suspect we might one day, and we are
indebted to these books. Before reading How to Train Your Dragon, my son would
never have considered tackling a novel of 250 pages or more. After reading
these books, although he still doesn’t look forward to reading a longer story,
he is willing to try.
Reluctant But Not Violently So
As you can imagine, as someone who loves books and has spent years writing them, I find it disconcerting to have an unenthusiastic reader in the family. With my son’s and his parents’ hard work, he is reading at grade level, which is a tremendous accomplishment and a relief. However, he doesn’t find joy in reading. He views reading as a task to get over with so he can go back to what he’d rather be doing, which usually involves a screen.
Here are some books he has enjoyed and why:
How
to Train Your Dragon is a fantastical series about boys and their dragons. It’s
full of lowbrow humor, sure to appeal to young ones finding bodily functions
hilarious. Some books are fairly thick, but illustrations and large text cut
back on the intimidation factor.
Books
featuring animals are popular with my son. Although we don’t have a pet, he is
obsessed with dogs, probably because his grandparents have one. Nugly by M.C. Ross is about a dog who suffers a horrible
accident that leaves him scarred. The book kept my son engaged and was the
first tale he read without illustrations.
As
I write this, he is beginning the I Survived Series by Lauren Tarshis, starting
with I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919. This
dramatization of an actual historical event engrosses him. The writing is
complex enough to be challenging for him to read without being too difficult. A
handful of illustrations also adds to the book’s appeal.
If
you have a reluctant reader, hopefully, my experiences with my son will help
light your path. We’re still on our reading journey. He’s still reluctant, but
he’s no longer violently recalcitrant when told to read and is reading with the
competency expected at his age. These are steps in the right direction. The
final march to the reading summit of finding pleasure in books will be the
hardest yet, but a worthwhile endeavor.
Dan Rice pens the young adult urban fantasy series The Allison Lee Chronicles in the wee hours of the morning. The series starts with his award-winning debut, Dragons Walk Among Us, which Kirkus Reviews calls 'An inspirational and socially relevant fantasy.' The third novel in the series, The Wrath of Monsters, releases on June 19, 2024.
To
discover more about Dan’s writing and keep tabs on his upcoming releases, check
out his blog and join his newsletter.