An elementary school reading-interest project was designed to overcome summer learning loss and to foster an interest in independent reading. The major strategy, "The Reading Interest Passport," consisted of nine independent reading contracts leading to "badges." This approach was selected after consideration of cost, coordination with ongoing…

Discusses the relationships between child development and children's literature, concluding that the books which succeed are those that contain identifiable stages of development, regardless of the literary quality so appropriately desired by the adult. (HOD)

An annotated list of 29 books chosen by 16- to 19-year-olds from over 400 newly-published books. (DD)

Low-achieving seventh graders scored higher on a cloze test on highly interesting material than on low-interest passages. (MKM)

Identifies strategies used by 24 tenth grade students to comprehend a short story, and relates the strategies to ability, interest, and writing style. (AA)

Relates research done with three strategies to create "text-based interest" (how interesting a text is) in order to improve children's recall of expository texts used in schools. While some of the strategies increased subjective interest, none significantly improved recall. (SR)

Presents an annotated bibliography of the 20 books found to be most popular in an annual survey of high school students' reading choices. (MM)

Describes a survey of seventh grade students' reading attitudes. Presents interviews with three of the surveyed students in which they each describe a book they have read and their response to its special meaning. (HTH)

Reviews ERIC materials pertaining to the reading interests of children. (FL)

Reveals that there are definite factors fifth- through eighth-grade students consider when choosing books for personal reading, including (1) peer recommendations, (2) movie and television tie-ins, and (3) information provided on the book jacket. (FL)

Discusses research related to the relationship between interest in reading materials and reading achievement. (FL)

Presents a study of adult reading habits based on time use. Indicates a decline in daily newspaper readership, particularly in the past 10 years, but a revival in magazine and book reading for the same period. (JMF)

If the classroom English teacher is to be given any assistance in determining the most appropriate literary experiences for developing students' literature appreciation, it is imperative that research create a clearer understanding of the factors involved in developing discrimination in literature. (RL)