Books

Why You Should Be "Reading Without Walls" This Month

by K.W. Colyard

Caught in a reading slump? Check out Macmillan's Reading Without Walls event to get out of your comfort zone and jumpstart your spring book goals.

Throughout the month of April, Macmillan and American Born Chinese author Gene Luen Yang want to get kids of all ages — yes, even you — to read books outside their comfort zones. Reading Without Walls has three easy ways you can find a book to complete the challenge:

1. Read a book about a character who doesn't look like you or live like you.
2. Read a book about a topic you don't know much about.
3. Read a book in a format you don't normally read for fun (a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, or an audio book).

Personally, I think you can expand that third point to include books in a genre you don't normally read, too, because there's nothing like discovering a great story in an unlikely place.

Gene Luen Yang started the Reading Without Walls program in 2016, when he was named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. He is the fifth person and first graphic novelist to hold the position, following Kate DiCamillo, Walter Dean Myers, Katherine Paterson, and Jon Scieszka.

If you're getting kids involved in the Reading Without Walls event, be sure to download the free activity kit on the Reading Without Walls website. Share your reads and activities on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the hashtag #ReadingWithoutWalls.