This document provides an overview of connecting with tweens through reading. It discusses what tweens are going through physically, psychologically, and socially. Physically, tweens are experiencing puberty and growth spurts. Psychologically, their reasoning and abstract thinking skills are increasing. Socially, tweens are relying more on peers and desire more freedom and independence from family. The document then discusses strategies for engaging tweens in reading, such as giving them choice in books, making reading comfortable, and having the teacher or librarian share their enthusiasm for books.

1. CONNECTING WITH TWEENS NAKED READING 1

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6. Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor' east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the "Ellie May," a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests.

7. The wind dry-shaved the cracked earth like a dull razor--the double edge kind from the plastic bag that you shouldn't use more than twice, but you do; but Trevor Earp had to face it as he started the second morning of his hopeless search for Drover, the Irish Wolfhound he had found as a pup near death from a fight with a prairie dog and nursed back to health, stolen by a traveling circus so that the monkey would have something to ride.

8. How best to pluck the exquisite Toothpick of Ramses from between a pair of acrimonious vipers before the demonic Guards of Nicobar returned should have held Indy's full attention, but in the back of his mind he still wondered why all the others who had agreed to take part in his wife's holiday scavenger hunt had been assigned to find stuff like a Phillips screwdriver or blue masking tape.

9. She walked into my office on legs as long as one of those long-legged birds that you see in Florida - the pink ones, not the white ones - except that she was standing on both of them, not just one of them, like those birds, the pink ones, and she wasn't wearing pink, but I knew right away that she was trouble, which those birds usually aren't.

10. Towards the dragon's lair the fellowship marched -- a noble human prince, a fair elf, a surly dwarf, and a disheveled copyright attorney who was frantically trying to find a way to differentiate this story from "Lord of the Rings."

11. On a fine summer morning during the days of the Puritans, the prison door in the small New England town of B----n opened to release a convicted adulteress, the Scarlet Letter A embroidered on her dress, along with the Scarlet Letters B through J, a veritable McGuffey's Reader of Scarlet Letters, one for each little tyke waiting for her at the gate.

12. Melinda woke up suddenly to the sound of her trailer being pounded with wind and hail, and she couldn't help thinking that if she had only put her prized hog up for adoption last May, none of this would be happening, no one would have gotten hurt, and she wouldn't be left with only nine toes, or be living in a mobile home park in Nebraska with a second-rate trapeze artist named Fred.

14. a sad memory from when you were 11 years old

15. an embarrassing memory from when you were 12 years old

16. a great memory from when you were 13 years old

17. a “traumatic” memory from when you were 14 years old13

18. Now take a moment to share one of those memories with the person to your right and left…. How different were your memories from the person next to you? They may have been very different or there may have been some similarities. 14

19. There are no cookie-cutter adolescent experiences. Some of these things will apply to the tweens and early teens you know and some of them won’t. 15

20. Defining Tweens Tweens is a fluid definition  meaning that different cognitive, emotional, and social developments happen at different rates in different adolescents. Some 10 year olds may have begun physically developing while others may not see these changes until they are 13. Anderson, 2007 16

21. What’s going on physically? 17

22. Some Physical Basics Tweens and early teens are being bombarded by hormones and begin to develop reproductively (i.e. breasts, pubic hair, etc.)* Many experience a growth surge. Guys get taller, and girls get rounder. Many experience a hormonal rollercoaster – becoming moody and seemingly different over night. Pruitt, 1999 18

23. What’s going on psychologically? 19

24. Some Psychological Basics Their reasoning capabilities rise to new levels of complexity. The adolescent is learning how to handle adult responsibilities. By age 12, he or she will be able to think about possibilities, consider hypotheses, think ahead, consider the thought process, and think beyond conventional limits. Pruitt, 1999 20

25. More Psychological Basics Increased ability to use abstract verbal concepts. Increased ability to engage in abstract thought to engage in issues like politics, religion and morality. During the middle school years, moral development continues to evolve as the adolescent becomes more aware the relationship between the individual and society. Pruitt, 1999 21

26. What’s going on socially? 22

27. Social Development Basics Expected increase in freedom Move away from family toward peers Likely to have best friends of the similar social and ethnic backgrounds. In 7th grade, the above holds true PLUS they want friends with similar attitudes and values. Peer approval and acceptance grows more important. Pruitt, 1999 23

28. Social Development Basics Rely on friends for everything from companionship to understanding. In middle school, the more a child is pressured by peers, the greater the chance he or she will go along or join in. Pruitt, 1999 24

29. Many tweens and early teens successfully navigate the rocky road of adolescence. Others struggle to find themselves and to fit in… 25

30. Besides being welcoming places to these often unlovable library customers without a place (self identified as too mature for the children’s section and system defined as too young for the teen books), having literature that speaks to them is one of the most important things that we do... 26

31. Anderson, S. (2007). Serving young teens and ‘tweens. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (1999). Your adolescent: Emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development from early adolescence through the teen years. New York: Harper Collins. Zuckerman, D. (2001). When little girls become women: Early onset of puberty in girls. The Ribbon,6(1). 27

32. So when I began to write a book about tweens and teens and reading…. A title Some research A late night inspiration 28

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34. The research? Vickey Giles Karen Sue Gibson Replicated study from 20 years earlier The questions? 30

35. What could someone do to make you WANTto read BEFORE/AFTER you read? The converse: what could someone do to make you HATE to read BEFORE/AFTER you read? 31

36. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?K-12 Being allowed to choose any book you want to read 32

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41. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?K-5 Reading in a comfortable place like on the floor, in a bean bag chair, or in a rocking chair 37

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45. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?K-5 Being allowed to buy your own book through a book fair 41

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49. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?K-5 Reading books for a contest 45

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51. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?K-12 Having a classroom library 47

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57. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?K-12 Having the teacher read a book or chapter a day 53

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61. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?K-12 Having the teacher take you to the library 57

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64. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?6-12 Having the author come to the school 60

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67. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read? 6-12 Seeing the movie or television production of a book. 63

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70. What could someone do to make you want to read BEFORE you read?6-12 Being allowed to read books with lots of pictures in them. 66

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76. The late night inspiration T-A-R-G-E-T 72

77. T ARGET 73

78. T is for TRUST 74

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84. A is for ACCESS 80

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90. R is for RESPONSE 86

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97. Lemony Snicketis back

98. G is for GUIDANCE 94

99. Reading ladders 95 Begin with where they are Build reading experiences slowly Move readers “up” with assistance Provide bridges between books

100. for instance… 96

101. Building, moving, growing 97 Picture book ladder

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108. Or… 104 Family reading ladder

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114. E is for ENTHUSIASM 110

115. Better books 111 Bad covers

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123. T is for TWEEN and TEEN APPEAL 119

124. Authors to trust 120 Established names

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127. familiar 123 Stories Settings themes

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136. Developmentally appropriate 132 Issues

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150. Purposeful Entertaining informative 146 nonfiction

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161. It, too, is developmental 157 humor

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169. 165 There are many ways to describe Ms. Underdorf. She was brilliant and joyous, and she believed-probably correctly-that libraries contain the answers to everything, and that if you can’t find the information you seek in the library, then such information probably does not exist in this or any other parallel universe now or ever to be known. She was thoughtful and kind and always believed the best of everybody. She was, above all else, a master librarian and knew where to find any book on any subject in the shortest possible time. And she was wonderfully unhinged… And so the Amazing Armadillo.

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172. Defying categorization 168 A few more

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182. I Need a Good Book I need a good story, I need a good book. The kind that explodes Off the shelf. I need some good writing, Alive and exciting, To contemplate All by myself. 178

183. I need a good novel, I need a good read, I probably need Two or three, I need a good tale Of love and betrayal Or perhaps An adventure at sea. 179

184. I need a good saga. I need a good yarn. A momentous and mighty Or slight one. But with thousands And thousands And thousands of books, I need someone To tell me The right one. John Lithgow 180

185. Reader's Bill of Rights By The Readers at Book Chat Central There are many versions of the list below. This one comes from Book Chat Central. Use what you like, adapt as you need. Enjoy. 181

186. You have the right to read in exotic settings. You have the right to move your lips when you read You have the right to read anything you want. You have the right never to apologize for your reading tastes. You have the right to read anywhere you want—in the bathtub, in the car (preferably at stop lights if you're driving), in the grocery store, under the porch, or while walking the dog. You have the right to read in bed. Under the covers. With a flashlight. You have the right to carry books in your briefcase, luggage, and pocketbook at all times. 182

187. . You have the right to laugh or gasp out loud and choose whether or not to explain. You have the right to read the good parts out loud to your nearest and dearest, and when you're not near your book bunch, to strangers if desperate. You have the right to read and eat at the same time. You have the right to read as many books as you want at the same time. You have the right to throw any book on the floor and jump up and down on it (the Dorothy Parker Rule). 183

188. You have the right to ignore the critics at the New York Review of Books. More importantly, you have the right to ignore all critics. You have the right to read the book spine of the person sitting next to you, even on a plane. And if you can't make it out, you have the right to ASK. You have the right to stop reading a book whenever you decide it's not worth the effort, or that you simply don't like it. You have the right to refuse to read any book anyone else picks out for you. Even if it's a birthday present. 184

189. You have the right to read the last chapter first. You have the right to read the last chapter first and then put the book back on the shelf. You have the right to refuse to read any book where you don't like the picture of the author. You have the right to ignore all of these rules and do whatever you please as long as it's civil...heehee. You have the right to buy as many books as you want despite the size of your TBR stack or what your significant other has to say!!! New Rule: when you find that you're dawdling on your way back to a book, ditch it. 185