Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I Don't Hate Reading

Many of you read the post on October 8 with the note about I Hate Reading. The student who wrote the note, wanted to comment, but I thought it deserved a post. His new note reads:
To those who left a comment on what I typed I hate reading I do not hate reading. I am the person who typed the comment.
Drive-byThis is quite a change of heart in just a couple of weeks. So, why such a change? Part of this is due to one of the best books ever written for adolescent readers. Drive-by written by Lynne Ewing hooks reluctant readers like no other book I have ever read.
From the publisher:
Jimmy always told me there were only two kinds of gangbangers: Those who were dead and those who were going to die. Joining a gang doesn't make sense to Jimmy..." Jimmy is dead now -- gunned down in front of his little sister, Mina, and his brother, Tito. And Tito is left wondering: Was Jimmy in a gang after all?

As with any student that tries to turn things around, there are several factors involved and this book is only part of the story. What is really happening is a student is making a decision to do better. His attitude has improved. He has decided he wants to get smarter. He is working to learn more, get his work completed, and improve his grade. Much like Bradley Chalkers, in A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, he wants to do well.
Will he succeed? Only time will tell. But, I am sure proud of the effort he is making to do his best.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Mr. McGuire hopes that the kids that said they hate to read changed their minds because you can learn a lot from reading. I think that it might get boring if you just read a text book but it is really fun when you read a really good book. If you say you can't find a good book then just go out to the shelf and look for a title that pop out at you then before staying with it read the first chapter. Then you are not stuck with a book that you really don't want to read. Well hope that you have good time.
Bye Shelby Cottrill (in Mr. McGuire’s class last year.)

Mr. McGuire said...

Max,

Thank you for your comment. And, thank you for your efforts to write books that interest boys that struggle as readers. Your blog provides interesting insights into the thoughts behind writing an action book.