Peers as Powerful Reading Tools

With a 9-year-old daughter at home it seems as if I am constantly learning new things about the growth of readers. A few weeks ago I wrote about the power Harry Potter had this summer on my daughter's stamina in reading. This week I noticed something else—the power of reading with a peer.

Earlier this month when Karina was struggling to find a new book to read I said, “Karina, let's look at the bookshelf behind your bed. You have a ton of books there that you have not read. Let's pull a few off and see what we think.”

“Okay,” she replied.

She grabbed about 7 books off the shelf and we sat on her bed and looked at them.

"How about City of Ember"? I asked. (I love this book and I knew she would if I could get her in it. I have asked her to read it at least four or five times.)

“I don’t know…” she said, "none of these look good." I looked at the pile of books we now had collected.

“You mean to tell me that none of these books are interesting enough to pick up?” I said—more than a bit frustrated.

“Okay,” she said, “City of Ember.”  She said it more to get me out of the room than because she wanted to read it. She then took the book, lay on the bed, and started to read. I left the room thinking that as soon as she got into it she would love it.

The next day she was packing her backpack for school and I noticed that she had a different book.

“Hey,” I said, “what happened to City of Ember?”

“This looked better,” she said zipping up her backpack.

I did not think much about it until the next week. When I noticed she had finished the book she had stuffed into her backpack the prior week and was now actually reading City of Ember. I also noticed that her friend Anu was over, reading the exact same thing. Anu was a few chapters ahead. But they were both clearly in the book, talking about it over their snack.

When Anu left I asked Karina why she was all of a sudden now reading City of Ember. (Although I had a hunch….)

“Well, Anu’s reading it and she thought I would like it. When she recommends a book I always end up liking it. Plus I can talk to her about it.”

“Karina,” I said, “I have been trying to get you to read that book for two months. You mean to tell me that now, because Anu recommended it, you will read it?”

“Yup,” she said giggling. “Can I have a yogurt-covered pretzel?”

Here is yet another valuable lesson I learned from my daughter. I should have known. When I had my own classroom my reading workshop always had time once a week where students gathered in small groups to share books they had finished recently that they thought others might like.

During these “book meetings” students gathered on the floor in corners of the room, each bringing a book to recommend. Each student would get a minute or two to give a mini-commercial on the book, explaining why he or she liked it. Through this, students learned who in the class had similar tastes and tended to gather in these special interest groups during these sessions. These meetings were powerful additions to the recommendations that I made during our individual reading conferences.

When motivated, kids can do amazing things. If getting a recommendation from a friend stimulates them to read and talk about what they are reading—then so be it.

I can just pass out the yogurt covered pretzels and smile.