Oh, Emily: as a h.s. teacher, I feel this to my bones! Naming the struggle is important as it helps avoid the shame of “I’m not a reader”–and I would suggest an audiobook adventure as a possibility? One surprising series that might work is Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series: they are a mix of fantasy/adventure/historical ? fiction/great stories and they ROCK as audios. The whole family can enjoy them, too–I speak from experience!–and their feminist message is awesome.
One other mild “imagine if. . ” is to encourage her to set some time aside each day to try one of the many choices offered. Because of their addictive lure, phones will always win us away, so forcing ourselves to set aside 25 minutes (per Gretchen Rubin’s “Read 25 mins.daily in 2025” challenge) or 30 mins before bed or whatever might help support those neurological/ habit muscles.
Best wishes for this journey! Consider enlisting your local library’s teen librarian and your school’s literacy specialist for suggestions as well!
