Listen "304. Teens and Books: A Deep Dive With Dawn Smith"
Episode Synopsis
Do you ever wonder how to keep teens reading—joyfully, deeply, and on their own terms? In this conversation with Brave Writer Director of Publishing Dawn Smith, we explore practical ways to sustain a teen’s love of books: continuing read-alouds, using buddy-reading systems with sticky-note annotations, deciding when a movie should come before (or after) the book, and leveraging picture books, audiobooks, and graphic adaptations as scaffolds into harder texts. We also share a simple framework for building teen book lists—evaluating a single title, the mix across a year, and the overall “reading diet”—so families preserve joy while expanding range and rigor.Resources:Find Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook in the Brave Writer Book ShopCheck out our Boomerang and Slingshot guides for teens: https://blog.bravewriter.com/2024/05/30/2024-2025-mechanics-literature-programs/Fall class registration is open! Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates WritingJoin us at the Brave Learner Home: https://bravewriter.com/brave-learner-homeLearn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programsStart a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attentionGive your child the gift of music! Sign up for a free month of private lessons with Maestro Music and let your child discover their own musical voice: www.maestromusic.online/braveSubscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of EnthusiasmsSign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684Connect with Julie:Instagram: @juliebravewriterThreads: @juliebravewriterBluesky: @bravewriter.comFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriterConnect with Melissa:Website:
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