The research questions were: What sources of information do teachers use in their book-club discussions; and is there variability among teachers in which sources of information they use in book club discussions? Sources of information were described in four categories: (a) the Book-Club Text that is read and discussed by the book club…

Educators know that an achievement gap exists between students of low-income and middle-income families, a gap that is especially evident in fourth grade and beyond. This essay explores issues related to this gap, including primary-level children being immersed in narrative text and, therefore, unprepared for the challenges of informational text…

Readers' advisory (RA) librarians use appeal to translate between readers and books, to make connections between readers and myriad other title possibilities based on the effects of the story. Appeal addresses the elements of books that readers respond to, the features that "draw a reader into a book" and help shape a particular reading…

The purpose of this study was to explore how critical pedagogy, culturally relevant curriculum, and student centered instruction impacted student engagement in reading for struggling high school readers, including first- and second-generation immigrants. The researcher/practitioner (r/p) chose to highlight Latinas in the study to understand the…

The author identified books most often selected among a sample of economically disadvantaged Black 8- to 12-year-old participants (N = 293) and investigated reasons participants offered for choosing specific books. Participants self-selected books at a book fair providing 412 books. The most commonly selected books supplied descriptive data.…

Literary reading is in dramatic decline, with fewer than half of American adults now reading literature, according to a July 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The survey "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America" reports drops in all groups studied, with the steepest rate of decline--28…

This brief look at what today's young people are reading does much to indicate what kind of people these young adults are. The books they read reflect their intense concern with the quality of their lives and the moral quality of their society. (NH)

To identify reading materials suitable for learning disabled adolescents, teachers should determine areas of student interest, predict the student's reading level, and determine the material's readablity. Then the match between the student and material should be evaluated in terms of reading level, interest, word recognition, and comprehension.…

All public, private and parochial schools in the city of Baltimore were polled to find out what young adults were reading on their own time for pleasure. The most popular teen titles in each school, as well as the overall top ten titles for the city are given. (NH)

This report by the NCTE Committee recommends books for children in three categories--primary, intermediate, and advanced--and includes a short summary of each book. (JL)

Suggests that, in the rush to make programs literature-based and to privilege the child's book choices, reading teachers have undervalued both the contribution of easy-to-read books and the expertise of teachers who would judiciously suggest books for children to help move their literacy development along. (RS)

The ways in which Teri Lesesne, an author, selects the best book from the hundreds of books published each year are discussed. The importance of understanding the needs of the readers and the curriculum is explained.

A study examined the roles of reading in a community by describing the reading activities of individuals and demographic subgroups of individuals. After the preliminary, trial phase to determine the feasibility of the survey, 109 adult wage earners from 4 occupation groups, in a community of 6,000 households, responded to an inventory designed to…

Sixty percent of the population supposedly has the ability to read without severe mechanical problems but has little or no inclination to read except perhaps that which is required of him. A few practices that will lessen the student's disinclination to read are suggested. (Author/NH)

Urges educators to encourage the spirit of play in children's literature by reading widely, by reading aloud, and by pursuing excellence through familiarity with present and past works. Bibliography. (MD)