To be honest, without lockdown it might never have happened.
My partner and I are educators, and reading is a value in our home. We are generous with books, and model reading for pleasure. Three of our four kids are avid readers.
The youngest, diagnosed with ADHD when he was 7, would categorically refuse to pick up a book.
When the world went into lockdown, and I suddenly found myself spending all day every day with my three school-age children, well... you can imagine. You probably experienced it, too! While our two older kids managed their Zooms independently, I focused on the youngest, who was 9.
I decided we would begin each day listening to the first book of Harry Potter over breakfast.
I chose this for two reasons:
The Harry Potter effect on boys who don't read.
He had refused to read HP because of its length, but listening to audiobooks both eliminates that barrier and is equally effective at getting kids hooked on a story.
By the time we reached book 3, the bookstores opened back up. So, we went on a shopping expedition, and I told him he could choose any two books he wanted. He picked Babysitter's Club graphic novels.
When we got home, he got cozy and started reading. I'd love to end this with, "and he hasn't stopped." But... that's not true. It's still a battle. He did finish both books, though, and more since.
And now he and I both know there's a reader in him.