Friday, October 19, 2012

How Danny Dragonbreath made my Reluctant Reader a Reader!


In 2010, while at the International Reading Association Conference  in Chicago, I was handed an ARC of Dragonbreath, Curse of the Were Wiener, by Ursula Vernon. Okay, so the title got me right there. I mean really, could there be a better title for a book? I think not.

So I brought this colorful ARC home to my then seven year old, who was immediately taken with the cover, not to mention the cool graphic style of the illustrations.  My son is the epitome of a reluctant reader. A book that's 10 pages long is 10 pages too many. So when he saw the ARC, he looked through the entire thing, pouring over the illustrations, then quite casually, put the 100+ page book on a shelf to let sit there for some time.

Over the last two years I've gotten him to read a few of the Wimpy Kids, small sections at a time, for school reading and my own piece of mind.

A couple months back, he had his first real book report due in school. The kids had to pick one fantasy book, talk about it in class, listing specific plot points, making a drawing of the main character, and asking the character a list of questions.

So, my son came home freaking out over his project and what he should write about. He went to his big shelf of unread books and picked up a few that were very thin and not fantasies. I pulled out the Dragonbreath ARC, told him to sit down and start reading. After a few typical moans and groans he began reading...and reading...and reading. My husband got home from work and he was still reading. He read in his bed that night and then picked up the book as soon as he woke up and read some more, finishing the entire book sitting in his bed that morning.

My son read an entire book in one day! MY SON!

These books are witty and fast paced. Danny and his cousin Wendell are always getting into some sort of trouble with ninjas or sea monsters or were wieners (of course) and the graphic novel style of these books will appeal to any kid, reluctant or not.


This is his actual book project.  

He got 100%!!

So for all you book-loving parents and teachers and librarians with reluctant readers in your midst, never fear! If my boy can change, any kid can! ;) 

My son's questions for Danny Dragonbreath:
Are you happy being a dragon?
What's it like to have a tail?Do you like school?
Does it hurt to breathe fire? 
Are Were Wieners scary?







11 comments:

  1. Hilary, looks like we both have reluctant readers! The good news is that this year, in 4th grade) mine has actually been taking a book upstairs with him to bed. It may all be a ruse to stay up late--but he did read Roald Dahl's THE BFG the other day, to the point where he could actually retell me the story. Woo-hoo for writers like Dahl and Ursula Vernon!!

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    1. That's so funny! I think we wonder for a while if our reluctant readers are really reading! ;)

      Oh, I'll have to the The BFG for my guy!

      For the record, I was a very reluctant reader, so I'm afraid my son gets it from me!!

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  2. Sounds awesome! I can't wait to tell my sister-in-law about this. She's been looking for something fun for her son. I think it is so much harder to find fun books for boys at that age. Thanks for the tip!

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    1. I love these books! They are really funny too. Ursala Vernon is great!

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  3. What an awesome story, Hilary! I've seen these Dragonbreath books around but now I definitely have to pick them up. (The illustration style is absolutely adorable.) And your boy has definite drawing skills. :)

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    1. Yahong, I LOVE the graphic, comic book style too! So appropriate for kids, especially those who don't want to touch anything that actually resembles a book! ;)

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    2. Oh, yes, my son is super creative. He makes his own comic books all the time. :)

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  4. These look most excellent! My nephew is only 6, so I'm not sure I can call him a reluctant reader yet, but he's definitely taking to it slowly for my taste.

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    1. If these books can hook my boy, they can hook anyone! :) It's never too early to turn around a reluctant reader! Go Matt!

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  5. I always love a series that gets kids reading. Thanks for putting this on my radar!

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    1. Absolutely! If my kid will only read the back of cereal boxes, then I'll start writing on them! ;)

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!