I loved reading even before I could read. I was lucky enough to have a dad who read to me every night. For a time I couldn’t fall asleep without the familiar cadence of Dr. Seuss’s The Sleep Book. It was as I got older, however, that the magic really kicked in. I still think back to the great adventure stories that made me beg for another chapter late into the night. Like many boys, I loved Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe, but my all-time favorites were Watership Down and The Hobbit.

I guess it’s because of this early appreciation of a good story that my main goal as a fifth grade teacher is to get my students to love reading. And that’s why I have such a hard time accepting the comment, “My son doesn’t like reading.” They just haven’t found the right book, I tell myself!

It’s not as simple as that, of course. Sadly, few children are exposed to consistent reading in the home, and let’s face it — most ten-year-olds would rather turn on a video game or the Disney Channel than crack open a book. But in my experience, finding the right book can make all the difference. Take Captain Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. These “visual” novels have captivated many of my more reluctant readers, particularly the boys. While no one is going to mistake them for Moby Dick or Jane Eyre, these hugely popular books can open the door to reading by making it fun and accessible.

Only there’s a catch. Over the years I’ve watched what happens when some kids finish these series. For the first time they “get it,” that reading can be a great, enjoyable, addicting experience. They’re eager for more — but where do they turn? It’s a pivotal moment and the wrong choice can dull a child’s interest in literature. Many of the current, more renowned children’s books are heavy on life-lessons and subjects that fail to interest the typical middle-grader. They may win Newbery Medals, but these books aren’t winning fans among the Cheese Touch set.

When I’ve asked my students what they like best about the visual novel, I generally hear that the book is funny and full of action. They also describe a feeling that I take for irreverence. Surprisingly, finding a “next step” book that satisfies these criteria is not as easy as it sounds. My numerous failed attempts to locate one served as the catalyst for writing How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying.

I knew I wanted to create the kind of book that would appeal to me as an eleven-year-old — something loaded with adventure and humor that kept me hooked. I wanted to include the witty heroes and nasty villains kids crave, but I wanted these characters to exist in a classic, old-fashioned, safe world…something reminiscent of Jean Shepherd’s town in A Christmas Story.

For inspiration I turned to a source unfamiliar to most kids — the great comic cowards of the past. I have always been a sucker for an old Bob Hope movie or early Woody Allen film, and one of my all-time favorite characters in modern literature is the scoundrel coward Harry Flashman. Following the tale of an unlikely hero who is afraid of his shadow never seems to get old. When I decided to put it in a children’s book, Rodney Rathbone was born — a comic coward for today’s young reader.

Writing How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying has allowed my personal life and career to overlap. Last year I read the galleys to my fifth grade class, keeping the author a secret. I was thrilled to see that some of the strongest positive reaction came from kids who were usually distracted during reading. But the real place where my life has come full circle is at home. I now have children of my own and have read them Bully before bed, just as my father read me my favorites. And while I may not be reading them The Hobbit or Watership Down, there’s nothing better than hearing your kids beg for “just one more chapter” late into the night.