How to get older kids to read the books for the first time?

Sven-El

Sven-El

Well-known member
My aunt had a very wise policy with her daughters regarding the new Narnia films. They could not see them untill theyy read the books. However only one of my three cousins has read them. One has said on no uncertain terms that she prefers to read Twilight and other books like that and would never touch Narnia unless Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner were on the cover. Actually when I'm asked to describe what I like I resort to Twilight comaprisons.


So at last she has given up on them reading it. Her girls are 18, 16, and 14. What suggestions would you give for getting them to read the books?
 
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That's a little late for my strategy, which was very simple: read the books to the children as they grew up. Some of my kids are more Narnian than others, but all love the stories because they grew up with them.
 
PrinceOfTheWest said:
That's a little late for my strategy, which was very simple: read the books to the children as they grew up. Some of my kids are more Narnian than others, but all love the stories because they grew up with them.
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I was going to suggest the same strategy... Reading aloud. We still do read alouds in our family even though my son is a senior and my daughter is in 8th. But another way to sneak them in is to get them in audio versions from the library (unabridged, please) and play them when on long drives. The Focus on the Family Radio Theater adaptations are nice also, but listening to to the real books I think would be the best.
 
Sven-El said:
My aunt had a very wise policy with her daughters regarding the new Narnia films. They could not see them untill theyy read the books. However only one of my three cousins has read them. One has said on no uncertain terms that she prefers to read Twilight and other books like that and would never touch Narnia unless Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner were on the cover. Actually when I'm asked to describe what I like I resort to Twilight comaprisons.


So at last she has given up on them reading it. Her girls are 18, 16, and 14. What suggestions would you give for getting them to read the books?
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Well, my first copy of LWW was printed in 1989, and was illustrated with stills from the BBC version. Are there any similar editions of LWW and PC out recently that are illustrated using scenes from the films?

Peeps
 
Thanks all.

@ Peeps. Actually, yes, they do have editions of the Narnia books with stills from the newer films. I've alwasy been leery of using them as I'd like kids to have "their" images of Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Tumnus et all, but that's for younger ones. My cousins are almost grownup. If that has to be used, then that has to be used.

@ Beinisse. I agree on the audio books .Actually an older friend of mine was taking about them and I said go for the unabridged ( especailly since the Last Battle audio got Patrick Stewart and she was a HUUUGE Trekker.)

The only other thing I can hope is that the newer films may get them to read the books. They saw the BBC versions and as children of the late 90's early 00's they couldn't stand them.

I can only hope that the new films may do for them with the boosk what Peter Jackson's LOTR films did for me with the LOTR books. I read the books because the films came out. As such, as muuch as I'll always love the LOTR film, I'll always love the books more. Especially because at the time I was at that age where I deemed myself too old for fantasy books. I only wanted to read Left Behind and other books like it. Then I read LOTR and loved it and because of it I got back into Narnia and fantasy. Now my library of classic fantasy has grown and any time family and friends ask for gift ideas I ask for classic fantasy books.

Granted my love for fantasy had only just waned a bit. But perhaps that may work.
 
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