Games and puzzles put this book in the “activity book” section: a favorite category of reluctant readers.

What type of books are reluctant readers eager to read? Hint: They’re stashed near the encyclopedias. Here’s the story of how I discovered this powerful insight about a whole, huge category of books adored by struggling readers.

I was a media specialist at an elementary school library in San Diego. It was Thursday, the day the fourth graders visited the library. Every student was required to check out one book a week. By mid-October, I had already noticed the pattern in their behavior. The kids divided themselves into three groups, each gravitating to different sections of the library.

One-third of the kids wandered dreamily around the fiction stacks. These were the kids with advanced reading skills who treated their reading requirement like a delicious dessert. The library to them was a tempting buffet.

A maze in “The Book No One Wants To Read” gets kids playing and (shhh!) reading.

Another third of the kids hustled straight to the “series” shelves. There they’d snap up the next volume in a familiar row of books. These were the readers who had found a set of characters and formulaic plots that matched their growing reading abilities.

Then there was that final third, the kids my heart reached out to from behind the checkout counter. These kids huddled elbow-to-elbow in the reference section. We stowed the books they loved way down near the floor by the encyclopedias.

There was much jostling and bargaining over in that narrow corner.

“Aw, I wanted that one!”

“I get it now. You can have it next week.”

What kind of books were they were jostling for? The books that contained puzzles, games, and riddles. Activity books!

All by themselves, the kids in this group had figured out a pleasing compromise way to fulfill the school policy of checking out one book a week. They’d choose a book that let them play! Play was fun! Plus they could flip through the book and actually participate in what was on the pages. In addition, activity books often have big,  bold graphics. In their logic, it was way of reading that hardly requires them to read at all!

As these kids smugly placed their selections on the desk for me to process, I could almost hear the internal monologues in their happy minds: “Sure, I’ll check out a book every week—as long as it’s a book of optical illusions!”

I loved their enthusiasm—and their ability to come up with a solution that was satisfying to everyone. As the reading-averse character Arthur says in my first book, I Hate Reading: “Hey, it’s something.”

Years later, as I began writing the sequel to my first book for reluctant readers, I had those children in mind. Could I create a book of puzzles, jokes and illusions that also offered some of the benefits of literary storytelling? Could I combine a compelling protagonist with a series of games and mind-benders?

Why can’t a book play “rock paper scissors” with a child?

And thus was born The Book No One Wants To Read. The premise is simple: A lonely book is thrilled to be opened. When it realizes the child who opened it thinks reading is boring, the book makes a bargain: You just sit here and turn my pages, and I’ll make it fun!

What can go wrong? Well, this particular book is a little over-eager. It manages to bungle most of the activities it offers. Still, its mistakes are endearing and by the end, the book and its reader have become friends.

With the book’s launch this fall, I think back to my days as a media specialist in the San Diego Unified School System. Those kids are now in high school, getting ready, I hope, to apply for higher education or productive jobs.

The Book No One Wants To Read is for today’s generation of new readers. Have I crafted a story that is popular among readers of puzzle and game books… that also demonstrates how literature can convey emotions and friendships? Time will tell. I only hope media specialists in schools around the country will react like I did—pleased to see kids eagerly checking out this week’s required library book.