Illinois School Library Workers Symposium 2026

"Reading is boring." "I can't find anything to read." We've all heard it — and too often we respond by trying to convince kids reading is fun, or by handing them another book we're sure they'll love. But what if the real answer isn't a better pitch for reading? It's giving students genuine ownership over their own reading lives.
In this session, we'll dig into what kids are really telling us when they say they don't like reading, and practical conversation tactics that open doors instead of closing them. We'll also talk about why reading was never meant to compete — not with screens, not with other subjects, not with anything — and what changes when we stop treating it like something to win kids over to, and start treating it like something that belongs to them.
You'll leave with language you can use tomorrow, and a shift in how you see the reluctant reader in your room.