Dialogue with an unwilling reader

Yesterday, at one of the middle schools I tutor at, I got SO frustrated with myself and with Carlos (a pseudonym), a sixth-grade student.

I tried all I could to get him to read.

Here's our conversation:

"I don't want to read."
"I'll read with you."
"I hate reading!"
"What DO you like?"
"Video games."
I enlisted the help of Jose, an eighth-grade library guru, and found a graphic novel with lots of violence and yucky stuff. I brought it to Carlos.
"I've already read that!"
"Come on, then, and choose another one!"
"No! I don't want to read!"
*Sigh.*
I found Mrs. Wilson, my supervisor.

"Carlos, you need to read."
"I don't want to!"
"I understand that, but it's not a choice. You have 5 minutes to pick a book, and then you'll read for 15 minutes with Dahlia."

**5 minutes later**

"Hey, Carlos! Did you find anything?"
"No."
"You don't have a book to read?"
"No. I don't want to read."
"Okay, then, I'll just choose one."
He sat down, faced away from me, and put his head down.
"Carlos?"
No answer.
I picked a book at random. "Come on, let's read this book!"
No answer. No movement.
*Sigh.* I bonked him jokingly on the head with the book. "I'm not a fly on the wall to be ignored!"
No answer.
Now I was stuck. And frustrated. Almost gonna cry! So I left.

I took a walk, hoping to find Mrs. Wilson so I could ask her for advice. But I couldn't find her.
So I just kept walking. I ran into a coworker, who commented on how green my eyes were. It was silly, but it was enough of an encouragement to snap me out of my frustration.

So I went back to Carlos...
   ... and found him reading the book I had left behind!
Still hunched over, and still turned away, but reading.
I sat down, facing his profile.

"Hey, Carlos."
He flipped a page.
"I'm sorry for hitting you over the head with the book. I shouldn't have done that."
He flipped another page.
"Will you forgive me?"
He nodded, and flipped another page.
"So, can you read to me?"
He turned his body and lifted his head slightly, just enough so I knew I was welcome now.
I sat next to him, and we read. :)

He loved the book. And he even taught me a thing or two about snakes! :P

So I don't know what lesson I should have learned from this. I'm just glad everything worked out okay, and I hope the next time he needs to read, it won't be as much of a struggle.