Discusses the appeal of romance fiction for adolescent girls, particularly the "Sweet Valley High" series, and summarizes some research in the area. Topics addressed include reading preferences of teenage girls, sales and marketing of romances, literary criticisms, what readers gain from the books, and what constitutes good pleasure…

Concludes that high interest reading materials should be included in the reading curriculum since they may allow students to attain higher comprehension levels. (FL)

Points out some recurring ideas about the use of children's literature in the elementary reading program based on a review of 25 years of "The Reading Teacher." (FL)

Describes "Bookmatch," a computer program that attempts to match children with just the right book. (FL)

Points out that the reading customs and routines that are established in younger life continue, for the most part, into retirement years. Argues that reading teachers should examine their daily reading activities in light of what they are doing to prepare readers of the future. (FL)

Notes that major trends and characteristics of youth literature in the Federal Republic of Germany today are reflected in best selling books dealing with one of the following topics: terrorism; minorities and other outsider groups; the career world; and personal psychological conflicts intertwined with social issues. (MKM)

This report reviews the research on text-based interest, defined as those elements within texts that create interest for the majority of readers. Three issues are covered: (1) what kinds of information are considered interesting, both theoretically and empirically; (2) what effects popular strategies for creating interest have on learning…

Discusses G. K. Chesterton's views on children's literature and the importance of children reading for enjoyment. (AEA)

Cites materials in the ERIC system dealing with the importance of using good literature for children's reading materials, as well as suggestions to help teachers bring children and good books together. (HTH)

Adolescent reading interests and their relationship to the psychological predisposition of the reader and the transitional role it might provide need to be considered in the selection and evaluation of literature. (CJ)

Addresses legitimate concerns about significant problems related to the need for reading instruction in today's secondary schools. Suggests ways to use literature that appeals to students' interests while emphasizing the development of critical reading skills. Considers how to match literary interests with reading skills instruction. (SG)

The article reviews findings in research about gifted readers, instructional materials, and curriculum. Promising teaching strategies are examined including interest assessment, learning styles evaluation, curriculum compacting, and enrichment. Innovative current programs and practices are briefly described. (Author/DB)

Intended for those involved in the production and use of children's books, this report calls attention to the need to create more and better books for and about handicapped children to help them overcome some of the barriers of isolation and loneliness that often separate them from their peers and condemn them to marginal lives outside the…

Reports the results of a longitudinal study that associated reading achievement with volume of reading and the selection of a book with its content, appearance, and its popularity with the reader's friends. (AEA)

Compares the uses of multiple regression, the Automatic Interaction Detector (AID) multivariate program, and cross-tabular analysis in identifying variables associated with newspaper readership. (RL)