Teachers, parents, and librarians are constantly looking for methods and materials that engage students as readers and motivate them to increase the time they spend reading. In this article we describe findings from a study of middle schoolers' magazine reading habits that gave us a close look at the power of magazines as supplemental supports for…

Research suggests that independent reading outside of school is a strong indicator of school and reading success. However, studies also suggest that student recreational reading significantly decreases in the middle school years. This article explores some of the reasons adolescent students choose to read independently or are reluctant to do so.…

The problem of this study was to determine types of books selected for recreational reading by children in grades four, five, and six in fifteen schools, how the children ranked the books according to preference after reading them, their stated reasons for selections, and their reasons for indicated strong preferences. A total of 2,765 children…

A practicum addressed the problem of a lack of reading motivation among middle grade students. An activity based program for middle grade students which integrated reading, book reports, book presentations, computer programs, and a library skills program was developed. Subjects, 32 fifth grade and 33 sixth grade students enrolled in a computer…