When you have conversations about books with 8–12s, you give your child practice at asking questions about a book. What you’ll find (although it may take some time, so don’t expect it right away) is that your child will begin to ask questions and think deeply about the books she reads on her own. This is because of the way you interact with her when you spend time reading together. You are giving her good mental habits—habits of asking questions and thinking deeply about books. Those habits will spill over to her independent reading and to other areas of her life, as well.
