This paper examines the high levels of social connectedness and civic engagement between the [North] Brisbane School of Arts and the local metropolitan newspapers in their eagerness to establish and promote a reading club that would curb what they felt was the local community's preoccupation with reading popular novels. The Brisbane Literary…

Describes an individualized reading program called First Reader, which allows student tastes to be used and offers a nonthreatening environment in which to talk about a novel. (CRH)

Developed to help students learn to read for purpose as well as for pleasure, these study units involving individual novels can be used as one-month or nine-week units, depending on the number of books assigned and the ability of the students. Test items and answer keys are provided for 28 titles, which include "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young…