How to trick your child into reading a book…

I’ve been trying to get my son to read the How to Train Your Dragon books by Cressida Cowell for months. I knew he’d love them. Anything funny with lots of bathroom humour is right up his alley–not to mention dragons and vikings. Anytime I tried to point the books out in the school library, he’d give me the hand and run the other way, straight to the graphic novels. Then I discovered the secret. My mother gave him a copy of the first book, and he’s been reading them for over two hours a night since. He’s now on number four, How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse, and has number five ready to go when he’s done.

So, how do you trick your child into reading a book you’re sure they’ll love? Get someone else to give it to them. Books recommended by Mom, even if she’s your teacher-librarian (maybe especially if she’s your teacher-librarian?) are suspect. I shouldn’t be surprised. I shunned The Secret Garden for years while my mother got down on her hands and knees and begged me to read it. And of course, once I finally did I loved it, and read it again, and again, and again…