It’s happened to all of us, right? A friend recommends a book, or you read about one on Amazon, or your librarian thrusts one into your hands, “I can’t believe you haven’t read this book!”
Such is the case with our current family chapter book read aloud. It was recommended to me by friend who works as an elementary school media specialist. She’s usually a reliable source for titles. The reviews on Amazon backed up Maria’s recommendation. “It has everything a book needs: excitement, adventure, a touch of romance, and a highly believable main character,” wrote one reviewer. “You’ll fall in love with this book and the three sequels, I promise!” wrote another.
Well, we’re five chapters into the book, and for us, it’s a dud. Dud. Dud. Dud. The chapters are LONG, the sentences are even longer, and the humor is so far buried in there that they’re too bored to laugh. The other humor is just really not that funny. Humph.
So I’ve decided that we’re going to drop the book. Tonight. I know my girls are bored with it, but probably figure we’ll keep plowing right through it. We’re going to recognize that it’s okay.To.Not.Finish.A.Book. Really! I hope our decision leads to some good conversation about the writing style and our own preferences. Why do we think the book is a dud? What did we like about it? What didn’t we like? Did we give it a good try? Where should we go from here?
I’ve written about ruining books before, and I want to be sure to follow my own advice! (Clearly I’m not following all my own advice; I blew it with the second criteria from this list, I hadn’t read the book myself before sharing it with the girls).
Has this situation ever happened to you? Have you ever “dropped a dud?”
About the Author
Along with her background as a professor, researcher, writer, and teacher, Joanne Meier is a mom. Join Joanne as she shares her experiences raising her own young readers, and guides parents and teachers on the best practices in reading.
Publication Date
September 13, 2010