KAREN POKRAS TOZ author of “Nate Rocks the World”
asks “DO YOU HAVE A RELUCTANT READER?”
It
finally happened – my 14 year old finally said the words I had been patiently
waiting for – words that inspire me to write books for middle grade children.
Yesterday afternoon, he sat down on the couch with me as I was reading a book
on my Kindle and asked:
“Can
you show me how that works?”
What?
You mean my teen was interested in something book related? Surely, I must be
dreaming.
I had
to move fast, before something else caught his attention, so I saved my spot
and showed him how to manoeuvre around. He was fascinated. He then did
something else I never expected. He pulled out his phone and downloaded the
Kindle app along with some free books.
Wait it
gets better – he actually said, “I think I want to read more.”
Seriously
– who stole my fourteen year old? This is the kid who every year scans the
school’s summer reading list, finds a book he has already read and proclaims,
“I’m done.”
Now, he
was actually asking if he could have an Amazon gift card to purchase books.
In
reality – his actions validate something I have been thinking about for a few
months now: Kids love to read on electronic devices! And while Kindles and
Nooks are awesome, all you really need is a computer or phone to begin. The
apps are free, and as my son quickly found out, so are several of the books.
So
don’t give up parents – there is hope for your reluctant readers! Encourage
your children to read every day and prove to the children in your life that
reading can be fun!
“NATE ROCKS THE
WORLD”
by Karen Pokras Toz
OVERVIEW
Nate
Rocks can do it all: part super-hero, part all-star athlete, part rock-star…
part fourth-grader?
Ten-year-old Nathan
Rockledge cannot catch a break. After all, life as a
fourth-grader can be hazardous what with science projects to deal with and
recess football games to avoid. Everyone, including his best friend
Tommy, seems to have bad luck when hanging around Nathan. Throw in an older
sister who is a royal pain, a dad who is stuck in the past, and a mom who keeps
trying to poison him with her awful cooking, and poor Nathan’s life as a fourth
grader appears to be completely doomed.
Armed
only with his sketchpad, his imagination, and his wits, Nathan Rockledge navigates
the perils of the fourth grade in style, to emergeheroic, as Nate Rocks,
proving that even a ten-year-old can accomplish great things.
Follow
the quirky and imaginative adventures of ten-year-old Nathan Rockledge as his
cartoons come to life.
READ the REVIEWS
“Nate
Rocks the World” by author Karen Pokras Toz has 22 reviews on GoodReads. Read
it here - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11929846-nate-rocks-the-world
PURCHASE LINK
MEET author KAREN POKRAS TOZ
Karen
PokrasToz is a writer, wife, and mom. Karen grew up in the small town of
Orange, Connecticut and graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Finance.
She also attended the University of Richmond, where she studied law and
business, receiving both a JD and an MBA. Karen is a member of the Association
of Independent Authors (AIA), Independent Author Network (IAN), and The Society
of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI.) Karen enjoys
gardening, cooking, and spending time with her husband and three
children. In 2011, Karen published her first middle grade novel, “Nate
Rocks the World”. Karen recently finished writing the next book
in the Nate Rocks series: “Nate Rocks the Boat”, expected out
this spring.
AUTHOR LINKS
Twitter: www.twitter.com/karentoz
5 comments:
Thanks so much for having me as a guest today!!
Great stuff Karen! I had a similar moment when my daughter, who's not a big reader either, told me my book was, "Really cool!" Doesn't get any better than that! Congrats on yours!
Thanks Alan! Glad to hear your daughter had her moment as well!
Hi, Karen. I think we've met from Novel Publicity. *waves* I, too, have a 14 year old son who reads very well, but chooses not to. He also tries to cheat by using something that he has previously read for school projects. He's actually has started reading more often, which surprises me, but not yet quite the shocker that you had. There's still hope, right? *laughs*
Have a great week and thanks for the post. Thank you, too, Books 4 Tomorrow.
-Jimmy
http://jamesgarciajr.blogspot.com/
Hi Jimmy - that's the thing - my 14 yr old is a great reader (in that he's always placed into the accelerated reading classes at school) he just gets so distracted by video games, computers, etc - plus sports & friends & school work. Reading for pleasure never seemed to be on his free-time list before. I think combining reading with the electronics element was key to him - yup there is always hope :) Aren't teens fun?
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