3 Favorite Authors for Intermediate Kids that Think They Hate to Read

In over a decade of teaching, I have met many kids that try to convince me they hate to read... but it never works. When kids think they hate to read, it just means THEY HAVEN'T FOUND THE RIGHT BOOK... and I am up to the challenge! One of my favorite ways to get kids to fall in love with reading is to introduce them to some of my favorite authors.

ROALD DAHL. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! The first way I get my kids to love reading is to making it come ALIVE to them. Roald Dahl is the perfect author for this. His villains are the vilest, and we just LOVE to HATE them! I get incredibly animated when I am reading aloud, especially if I am reading aloud a Roald Dahl book. I've been known to have people poke their heads in my class to make sure everything is alright. (Oh, yes, we're alright... but we're reading Matilda and the Trunchbull just flung Amanda Thripp by her pigtails!)

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At first, my kids that "hate" to read aren't quite sure how to take me... but before long, they are the ones begging for read-aloud time! (Or maybe it's because I let them sit on top of their desks. Bribery works! Haha!)

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SHEL SILVERSTEIN. The next way I try to get kids to fall in love with reading is to show them how books can make them FEEL. The Giving Tree is probably my favorite children's book of all time. I read it every single year to my students because I love it so much. I also genuinely cry every single time I read it. My kids are always fascinated that a book can make someone cry, and it opens up a great conversation. Plus, his poems are tons of fun to read aloud. I like to put one up on my ELMO every single day for kids to practice reading during morning work time. They will practice his poems over and over because they are so hilarious! (They don't even realize how amazing this practice is for their fluency and expression!)

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CHRIS VAN ALLSBURG. Another way I get kids to fall in love with reading is to show them that books have the power to TRANSPORT them to new worlds. Chris Van Allsburg is a master at this. He often explores darker, more suspenseful topics, and kids hang on every word. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is also one of my favorite books to inspire them to write creative stories!