This month’s roadmap may have you traveling on lots of side streets. So be forewarned! (And if some of this road looks familiar, it’s because I accidentally hit the “publish” button before the road was ready for traffic. I couldn’t find an “unpublish” button. Sorry!😕)
One of my intentions in writing Max and Her Stacks was to encourage readers to find the type of book that makes them want to keep reading.
As I have been visiting schools this year, I have tried to encourage kids, especially those who are reluctant readers, to find their niche—to find the type of book that will keep them turning the pages.
For example, Max’s brother favors sports books like the biography of Steph Curry. His interest in reading this genre has allowed him to improve his reading comprehension, his speed, his vocabulary, and many other skills.
Max, now a junior in high school, has devoured most every genre over the years, but she’s currently reading classics for school and romantasy in her spare time.
Historical fiction novels occupy the top of my reading pile, but a few years ago I read mostly biographies and autobiographies. For even more variety, my book club serves to broaden my horizons.
As a high school English teacher, I was well-known for reading aloud to my sophomores at the beginning of every week. I called this my “Monday Story” time and often read thematic “food for thought” relevant to our particular course of study. One year I chose to read a chapter a week from Lurlene McDaniel’s Hit and Run, a YA book about two teenagers who pay the consequences for their unwise decisions. One of my students was a senior, re-taking the course for the third time because of her excessive absences in the past two years. When she returned to school on a Tuesday after being absent the day before, she asked if I had read the Monday story. When I told her she had missed it, she said, “I will never be absent again!”
Before I left for a trip to Europe several years ago, I read Ken Follett’s 1000-page The Pillars of the Earth so I could prepare myself for some of the ancient architecture I would see. I am thankful I gave myself many months to read that book because of its length, but it was worth it. This book was not my usual “cup of tea,” but it expanded my mind!
When I took an intercession course in college, we were required to read seven Kurt Vonnegut books in less than three weeks. I will not willingly read another Kurt Vonnegut book, but perhaps I could provide a Jeopardy question or two if a Vonnegut category were to appear.
While I now claim Jan Karon’s At Home in Mitford to be my favorite all-time book, it was a DNF when I first tried to read it. I was a cabin counselor at a week-long church camp; and another counselor, a librarian from West Tennessee, had recommended the book. She had brought a copy to share with me that week and thought I would enjoy reading it during our afternoon “down time.” However, my personal situation was simply not conducive to enjoying this wonderful book. Dealing with only four hours of sleep each night, hot and humid weather, teen angst, and not being in the comfort of my own home prevented me from basking in the beauty of this book. I had to put the book aside that week, but I am grateful I gave it another chance.
I do believe parents should use discernment in regard to the books their children are reading. For example, when Common Core was first promoted in my school district, I spent the summer reading recommended texts such as Love in the Time of Cholera, Death and the King’s Horseman, and In the Time of the Butterflies. I was appalled at the graphic content of these books, and I will be eternally grateful to the principal who supported me and did not require me to teach these works.
My point is this: Encouraging kids to read, whether the genre is mystery, magic, sports, sci-fi, history, or whatever, will make them lifelong learners. Encouraging them to persevere when times or subjects are tough can bring them rewards in the end. Encouraging them to share what they are reading can open up great opportunities for discussion.
Years ago I attended an NCTE conference with James Patterson as a keynote speaker. He used his Maximum Ride series to encourage us English teachers to challenge our kids to read “just one more chapter.” Smart man!
Patterson has written these Maximum Ride books (and many of his others) with very short chapters, and he purposefully leaves the reader hanging and feeling compelled to read “just one more chapter.” Yes! That’s the kind of book that can get kids hooked on reading!
Note: When I came home from that conference, I put Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment on my reading list and encouraged my kids to read it. This book and the others that soon followed it in this series became some of the most popular books in our school library.
Toward the end of Max and Her Stacks, I wanted readers to see how books could teach them lots of life lessons. From wanting good to triumph over evil to finding the true meaning of love, books have taught Max and millions of readers to see the world around them from others’ perspectives.
To use Tama Fortner’s words in her new devotional, this is how readers can “Know, Grow, and Go”!
If you’ve been following my blogs this year, you know I not only reference the books in Max and Her Stacks but also include a relevant devotional at the end of every blog. This month I’ve taken so many side streets and cul-de-sacs (and possibly some dead ends) that I wasn’t sure which devotional to include.
Unexpectedly, I received a copy of Tama Fortner’s Know, Grow, and Go (©2026 by Tyndale House Ministries) in the mail this past week. I’m positive this was God’s way of giving me direction in this blog and giving me a segue from secular books to the Best Book ever written.
From Devotion 84 of Know, Grow, and Go:
There are about a gazillion books in the world—give or take a million or two. There are adventure books packed with prison escapes and shipwrecks, mystery books where detectives search for clues, and books about love and friendship and daring to do what’s right.
Did you know that the Bible has all those kinds of stories? Adventures, prison escapes, shipwrecks, mysteries, love, friendship, and daring—they’re all in there! And did you know that they’re all 100 percent true?
There’s no other book in the world like the Bible.
YES! This devotion goes on to explain Biblical truths and promises, and it’s an awesome way for families to come together and grow spiritually!
My overall objective in writing Max and Her Stacks was to get kids excited about books—to get them to know more things, to grow in knowledge, and to share this excitement with others.
Listening to this podcast with Write2Ignite might give you a better idea about this journey:
The Write2Ignite Podcast: Ep. 16: Joyce McCullough – Write2Ignite
I encourage readers to climb every mountain, follow every stream or by-way or highway until they find their dream genre. Along the way there may be some rough roads that aren’t so comfortable to travel, but lessons can be learned, eyes can be opened, and perhaps a new favorite author can be discovered. My advice: Keep reading. With discipline and discernment, we can know and grow and, in the words of Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the places we can go!”
Note: For the month of October, I had originally planned to highlight Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries and the magic of Harry Potter. However, as you can see, I must have had Lewis Carroll on my mind because I fell into a rabbit hole. Thanks for bearing with me!
“I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.”—J. K. Rowling
“Books are the plane and the train and the road. They are the destination and the journey. They are home.”–Anna Quindlen
“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.”—Kate DiCamillo
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books.”—Roald Dahl
Proverbs 22:6; Proverbs 2:1-6; Colossians 1:9-10; Romans 12:2; 2 Peter 3:18
Reading is a skill that everyone needs to master not only for school or work, but, life. There isn’t one thing we do each and every day that doesn’t include reading somethin; a food lable, a recipe or directions to do something. One just can’t get by without reading, yet we find children that can’t read to a level where they can be guaranteed to be lead a productive life. But, that aside they are also missing out on a lifetime of fun and adventure as books, magazines, new papers or on line news take them places or learn things they have never imagined.
I was fortunate that my dad encouraged me to read at a young age and I have grown to be an avid reader. It’s benefited me in so many ways. We should make every effort to encourage kids to practice their reading skills in hopes of finding out what fun reading can be just like Max’s brother did.
Thanks for the comment, Pete! I’ve added the rest of the blog, and I’ll probably re-publish it on October 1. Thanks for putting up with my addled brain.