Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Falling in Love…with Reading: Bringing Readers of All Ages Back to What They Love by Danielle Thompson

Falling in Love…with Reading: Bringing Readers of All Ages Back to What They Love

by Danielle Thompson


Confetti flashes across my screen, Goodreads displays 50/50 for my 2024 Reading Challenge. Completing this challenge is an accomplishment I should be proud of, since it’s only May and I  have finished my goal. I check my friends on Goodreads and denote their progress… almost everyone has 100+ books so far; instantly my sails deflate. 

It’s not a competition, but I have the same reaction to reading as playing a game of bowling; I have to get at least one hundred points, or I feel like I failed myself. Due to my own intrinsic motivation, I smile, square my shoulders, and go browse my TBR (To Be Read) pile for what’s next on the menu.  

A friend recently asked me to reflect on my journey as a reader, and I hadn’t really given it much thought other than I read WAY more now that I used to. Even as I write this, I stare at the shelves now ornately decorated in my room of some timeless tales that I have found solace in. Three years ago none of these tomes called my house their home; reading was the least of my worries or interests.  

During and immediately following the pandemic I was struggling, like the majority of society, with ways to bide my time. Being able to read filled the void of losing several parts of my life in 2020. I grieved for things that wouldn’t happen, missed opportunities, and struggling friendships.  Life has a funny way of distracting us from the things we love most because of a terribly valuable word…time. Once I had time sequestered and waiting for me, I threw myself into my hobbies, one of which being reading, and enjoyed re-kindle-ing new and old parts of myself.  

How to Find Time to Read:


I would venture to say around middle school and high school I fell out of love with reading, not because I didn’t have the opportunity, but because I didn’t have the time. Being a high achieving student, juggling sports, and trying to have a social life took a toll on my reading journey. I am thankful that I read some outstanding novels during those years that kept the flame stoked, some of which were in the curriculum while others were recommended by my knowledgeable teachers:  

  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell 
  • The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 
  • The Poisonwood Bible by Barba Kingsolver 

When we get beyond elementary school, we lose the time built into our day to read “for fun”. As educators we know that students leaving primary school are no longer learning to read but are instead reading to learn. The academic demand of reading often smothers the joy we experience as readers. Some novels, like those I mentioned above, are able to bridge the gap between amazement and assessment; however this isn’t always the case. Many schools have initiatives in place to promote independent reading, such as National Reading Day (January 23rd), Read Across America Day (March 2nd), Drop Everything and Read Day (D.E.A.R, April 12th), and Freedom to Read Day (October 19th). These initiatives and incentives are effective in small spurts but generally do not encourage perseverance and priority for reading.  

Moving on in a student’s life, the struggle to find time to read only becomes more dire. Ushering into high school and college, students are inundated with texts they have to read, annotate, comprehend, and oftentimes memorize in order to find success. Academic literacy, while vital, does not produce the desired effect that reading for enjoyment does. In many cases students feel guilty reading something they enjoy when they could be studying, re-reading an assigned text, or working. As those students transition into adulthood, many people do not have time or the funds to do something as trivial as read.  How do we as a society prioritize reading and not kill the love of it? 

How to Read on a Budget:


A startling realization occurred to me several months ago when I made the connection that my Netflix was cheaper than my Kindle Unlimited. Reading a book, regardless of the format, takes a great deal of brain power and comprehension. Personally, regardless of the genre, reading calms my mind and settles my nerves. I enjoy the clarity of opening a book and being pulled from my present life to exist in something entirely else within the pages. That luxury is not for everyone, but if it is, I have compiled a list or reading sources that help maximize your book budget.  

Ways to read on a budget:

How to Model a “Love for Reading”:


Additionally, in order to break this trend where reading is a chore and encourage people, regardless of age, to want to read again, we need to normalize falling in love with books and essentially romanticize reading as a daily activity.  

As an educator I become so excited when I see my students carrying books in the hallway; almost always we end up having a chat about the plot, and I ask them to give me a synopsis of what they have read so far or predictions for the future. Other times, I have read the book already and I check in from time to time just to see if they are making sense of the story. Something as easy as asking about a book can really make someone's day. Simultaneously, a conversation about a non-academic text helps improve so many foundational skills for students including: summarizing, recall, analysis, etc.  

Often my students don’t initially get excited about reading. However, texts from authors like Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven”, have helped improve some perspectives on literature. Despite the level of difficulty of the text, we explore gothic writing and the macabre. In class we decorate to showcase some of the themes, simultaneously this fits with our study of the Salem Witch Trials and Halloween. While not every student initially invests in the story, by the end they are making connections to modern day works like Netflix’s Wednesday, rewriting parts of the story, and asking for similar story recommendations.   

Reading has been further romanticized with the use of popular social media apps including Tik-Tok and Instagram. Particularly “Booktok” has exploded with popularity in the past few years as a sub-community for books and literature. The idea of a “Blind Date with a Book” where readers can choose a genre and be surprised with a random book and various goodies (book marks, scents, annotation materials, coffee/hot chocolate, book merch, and more) have also increased as a way for readers and non-readers to dive into a story they might not normally choose. These “blind dates” are a great idea for adults and kids for any special occasion, or just because, especially when you don’t know what to read, or where to start. Who knows, you might just end up falling in love with reading again!

Ultimately, knowing your students and having a vast classroom library or school library will help encourage school age kids to read more. Representation is also a critical piece of a good library with cultural representation, multiple levels of reading (offer works a few grades above or below to meet everyone's needs), and choice of format. Some textbook and curriculum companies offer an E-Reading library for teacher and student benefit alike.  

Ironically, several of the stories I love the most are actually characterized as YA (Young Adult) or Children’s Literature. I teach in a middle school, and these are some of my favorite authors and series to kickstart a young adult’s reading journey: 


Apps for tracking your reading progress, finding reviews,  connecting with readers, etc.: 


While my shift back to reading was more circumstantial than planned, I encourage anyone who is thinking about picking up a book to start in a manageable way. It does not have to take a great deal of time for teachers or students to make a habit of reading daily. My suggestion, start by reading for 15 minutes a night or use a page or chapter requirement (the more you read or enjoy a story you will definitely move past this). You can gamify reading by participating in a “challenge” or trying to keep a reading “streak”, which can be done on your own or with friends/family. For example, simply holding everyone accountable to 15 minutes of silent reading post dinner could help improve literacy. Imagine the example parents and educators could set by putting down their devices and turning off all of the noise that consumes our existence every day in favor of a book. 

Whether you are finding joy in reading for pleasure, trying to accomplish a quantifiable reading goal, participating in a reading challenge, finding joy in a community book club, listening to an audiobook on your drive to to work, or replacing social media scrolling with digital graphic novels, “Welcome back to falling in love with reading!”

Author’s Bio: 


Danielle Thompson is the Social Media Coordinator of WPCTE. Her role includes creating a majority of the content displayed on the WPCTE Facebook and X accounts. In 2020 Danielle completed her Bachelors of Science in Secondary Education at California University of Pennsylvania, in addition to also completing her M.Ed. in Special Education in 2021 at the university. She has been teaching for six years, mainly as a Middle School Integrated Language Arts teacher at Elizabeth Forward Middle School. At Elizabeth Forward Danielle co-sponsors the school Newsletter and is the 8th grade student council sponsor. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing students take ownership of their learning and invest in their own educational opportunities. She encourages her students to share their creativity through written forms, read extensively, and always ask questions!



at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Falling in Love…with Reading: Bringing Readers of All Ages Back to What They Love by Danielle Thompson

Falling in Love…with Reading: Bringing Readers of All Ages Back to What They Love by Danielle Thompson Confetti flashes across my screen, Go...