EXTRA CURRICULA

I’m the mom of a 12-year-old who is growing up awash in devices competing for his attention. This means I am super-familiar with how hard it is to get a kid to set aside the dopamine-satisfying payoff of video games, TikTok, and binge-streaming to read. Still, because I am an optimist, this week I planned to share a list of books to pass along to your t(w)een and, you know, hope for the best. 

Luckily, before I started writing, Vox published this well-timed piece from film critic and culture reporter Alissa Wilkinson about how to get back into reading; it has some crucial takeaways that apply not only to us grown-ups but also to our kids.

Will any of this net out in my kid, or yours, suddenly developing a love of reading to the exclusion of other pastimes? Probably not, but if we make even a little headway, the optimist in me will log this as a win. 

First, consider these benefits Alissa detailed in her piece and why reading is a point worth pushing with your adolescent (and, again, these apply as much to us as they do to our kids!):

• Reading fiction aids the brain’s development in understanding others and imagining the world, building empathy and crucial moral judgment skills. When I was a tween and teen, I gravitated toward fiction — from Judy Blume to Romeo and Juliet — about teens going through the same things I was: increasing angst, budding attraction (and rejection), feeling misunderstood. 
• In another win for novels, researchers have found reading fiction can retrain the brain to stay open, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to sort through information more carefully. Fiction readers are more likely to consider facts before rushing to judgment or closure, making them less susceptible to conspiracy theories or bad information.
• Researchers have found that people who spend a few hours per week reading books live longer than those who don’t read. Score!

So, how to build a sustained reading habit? 

• As Lynn Lobash, the New York Public Library’s associate director of reader services, told Alissa, the hardest part of reading is often just picking up the book in the first place. With my son Desmond, I’m trying to short-circuit that hesitancy by building in a daily reading practice for both of us. My bargain: If he sits down to read for just 15 minutes a day because I’m requiring it, the chances of him getting hooked on a book (and reading) are exponentially higher than if he waited for the mood to strike on its own. And yes, I’m in the same room digging into my book.
• Make sure physical books are easily accessible, keeping them front of mind. If your kid’s book is next to their phone or Switch, it’s much harder to forget reading is also an option when tempted to settle in for a boredom-killing session of Splatoon. 
• If you or your t(w)een are finding it hard to get into a good old-fashioned bound paper book, try another delivery method: Both ebooks and audiobooks are viable options that may feel easier to incorporate into a routine and can be free via many public libraries, especially for kids who have been socialized into a world of content mediated almost entirely by digital devices. 
• Gamify it. In the article, Alissa details how she exploited her love of task completion to build back her reading habit. A similar method works for Desmond: Each month, I create a calendar-based checklist that we keep on a kitchen counter. When he’s done his daily checklist (which includes reading, exercising, practicing saxophone, and spending time with his grandmother), he feels a sense of accomplishment that isn’t dissimilar from earning badges in games. 
• Most of all, remember what we talked about above: Books don’t have to be “important” to count as beneficial. As long as Desmond is reading, I’m not going to complain if he’s choosing to read about Minecraft hacks. Reading what you want (versus what feels “required” or strictly “educational”) goes a long way toward establishing reading as pleasurable.

—Liz Kelly Nelson

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Books don’t care how old you are. Young adult novels can be extremely satisfying reads for adults, and some kids may be sparked more by books written for adults. The list below, curated from a small group of trusted readers, contains books at multiple points along the age spectrum: 

• The Hate U Give and its prequel, Concrete Rose: Today, Explained host Noel King recommends these two reads from Angie Thomas. “Both are page-turners that center on teenagers thrust by chance into adult situations: witnessing police violence and its aftermath, struggling with unplanned pregnancy and incarceration. That might sound grim, but each book is full of insight(s) about community, family, friendship and character.”
• 5 Novels and 4 Fantastic Novels: Vox podcast producer Byrd Pinkerton says, “On their surface, Daniel Pinkwater novels seem purely absurd. In one, three teens sneak out to watch B-movies at a downtown theater and wind up roped into a quest to prevent realtors from outer space from destroying a semi-sentient avocado. As I've grown older and have continued to keep Pinkwater's collections by my bedside, I've realized that these books were also sneakily teaching me about surrealism and dadaism, about whole branches of Western philosophy — and also about how to appreciate the weird, the beautiful, and the state of New Jersey.”
• Refugee: Seventh-grade teacher Kelsea Hickman recommends this historical fiction from Alan Gratz about three children seeking refuge in different eras as, “high engagement and very plot-driven with relatable characters in extreme situations.”
• Emergency Contact: Vox editorial director Julia Rubin recommends the first (and second and third) books by journalist-turned-novelist Mary H.K. Choi. “I have had the privilege of editing Mary’s nonfiction work, and her way with words is so singular and beautiful and just plain fun. Her debut Emergency Contact is a teen romance that is swoony and cool, and largely unfolds over text. Her next book, Permanent Record, uses one of the best romance tropes out there: A (hot) normie falls in love with a (hot) celebrity.”
• Clap When You Land: Lansing State Journal executive editor Stephanie Angel called this book “a beautifully written story about two teenage girls enamored with their Papi who are forced to navigate the fallout of his secrets. It’s about love, family, betrayal, regrets, and sacrifice. Elizabeth Acevedo’s work, written in verse, is stunning.”
• A Mango-Shaped Space: My well-read 21-year-old niece describes Wendy Mass’s book as “a crash course in empathy for the reader. The book exemplifies the phrase of ‘seeing the world through someone else’s eyes’ as it follows a young girl named Mia who is living with synesthesia, a sensory phenomenon that causes individuals to perceive sounds and words as colors.”
• The End of Everything: Theoretical astrophysicist Katie Mack’s book is fun and about the end of the universe (these things are not mutually exclusive) and totally accessible for a precocious teen, says Vox science editor Brian Resnick.

Add your reading recommendations to this already healthy Google spreadsheet so we can keep it growing. And, as ever, reach out to me directly with thoughts, suggestions for a future newsletter topic, or anything else at liz@vox.com.

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