Thoughts on picky readers

I get notes every week that start out along these lines:

I usually hate to read, but I just read.... and then she goes on to tell me how she read one of my books in one day and she loved it or whatever.

Now, I am thrilled that you read my book and enjoyed it. YAY! But I'm sad to see that you think you hate reading. Because I don't think you really do. I think you are maybe just very particular with your tastes and lots of books aren't your cup of tea.

So guess what. You have to work a little bit harder to find books you'll like. But that's the great thing about books for kids and teens today. There are SO MANY to choose from! I know it can be discouraging to have friends who can easily walk into a library, pick a book off the shelf because the cover looks cool, and be happy with it when they start reading. Oh well. You aren't like that. You might have to ask your librarian or a teacher or your parent for help in finding books that you might enjoy.

I have one child who is a very selective eater, due to sensory integration disorder. He doesn't hate eating. He just doesn't like a lot of textures found in foods, and so, he's very selective about what he eats. I think it can be the same for some kids and reading. It's not the reading itself that they hate, because when they find a book that "fits them" they'll happily read it and ask for more.

Yesterday a mother of a 4th grader wrote to me, so happy that her daughter read IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, because she said she has always hated to read. She ordered SPRINKLES AND SECRETS for her, because her daughter couldn't stop talking about the first book, and she wanted to keep the momentum going.

I told her, now you know your daughter likes realistic, girly reads, so you can help her find books "like that," and I went on to give her some suggestions.

Are you a picky reader or do you know anyone who is? I'd love to hear from you, and do you think I'm right, that it's not so much about hating to read as it is about finding books that are a good fit?