"Now more than ever, parents need to be doing everything they can to get their kids' noses in books, reading about other lived experiences, developing empathy, imagination, and a thirst to read even more. As an avid reader, I hope to instill this passion for reading in my own daughter, but it's tougher for tweens, especially if reading becomes "uncool.""
"One of the best parts of Fuzzy Mud is the mixed media element. The story of Fuzzy Mud, centering around a science experiment gone wrong, is interspersed with news reports and senate hearing transcripts. Sometimes, a different type of writing copy can make a book feel less daunting and more digestible. I know that's how it goes for me as an adult, at least."
"Any tween who has felt like a fish out of water during those torturous junior high years will resonate with Mixed Feelings' main protagonist, Sara. In Sara Amini's semi-autobiographical story, navigating life as a mixed-race girl has never been more hilarious or heartfelt, with family, friendship, and fuzz all at the forefront of this laugh-out-loud and painfully relatable middle-school memoir."
Parents should encourage tweens to read to develop empathy, imagination, and a lifelong appetite for books. Short, accessible titles and graphic novels lower the pressure of reading and can intrigue late bloomers. Mixed-media formats, such as interspersed news reports and transcripts in Fuzzy Mud, break up text and make complex stories more digestible. Semi-autobiographical graphic memoirs like Mixed Feelings capture junior-high awkwardness and identity navigation with humor and heart. Immigrant-centered stories like The New Girl combine cultural transition with coming-of-age themes. These formats can redirect tweens from screens toward enjoyable reading experiences.
Read at Scary Mommy
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