….Your advanced reader who just can’t. stop. devouring. books….
an advanced reader – A child who reads will be an adult who thinks….
For years, our now ten-year-old son (MBTI – INTJ) who is an advanced reader went to the library with us and got the same side-glances from so many onlookers and librarians, “you read what and you are how old?” This began our tireless quest for just one more book and one more series that he had not read.
Start by asking your child what they like. They may say purple dinosaurs or they may say mystery. The point is, to start somewhere. There is a plethora of reading material in the world. Your child will know what they like, or better yet, what they do not like. Fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi or comics, there is always a starting point for their young mind.
Find your local library:
Find your local library and dive in. The public library website and librarians are your best friends. Ask them to show you how to navigate the website so you can dive in. Tell them what your child likes and ask them to show you some of the items on the shelf that might interest your child.
Courtesy of Pexels: Nitin Arya
Expand your list:
Take those dozen or so book titles and start researching books that are similar, such as, “books like Hatchet” and “authors like Beverly Cleary” This is a game changer. You will probably find a lot of junk, but in the process, I guarantee you will find some gems.
Organize your list:
Compile a list. I know this may seem daunting, but honestly, it is going to be your saving grace because your child will devour the list and then ask for more. You have that list to say, what do you want to read next? This can be a simple Excel spreadsheet or a sheet of paper that you keep. Whatever system makes sense to you and that is easy for you to access. You can sort your list by year, style of writing, author or just the title.
Review, discover and revise:
Once you have a good list going, you can start branching out to uncharted territory and you will not have to read every single book your reader desires to try, as long as you have some checks in place and a list accumulating. Some good ways to find out if the book is appropriate and/or acceptable for your young advanced reader:
Now let your advanced (or super advanced) reader take you on the next adventure.
