When one educator was teaching English in middle and high school, she wondered why so many adolescents disliked reading. Even teen-aged protagonists and up-to-the-minute topics were not guaranteed to be "interesting." Yet something engages these young readers, at times and in some texts. To begin to get some answers, she interviewed…

Children are naturally drawn to award-winning books. Those who work with children know that the appeal of these books often comes from the shiny gold, silver, or bronze seals affixed to the covers of these special books. Teachers and librarians, however, need to be aware of the fact that the Newbery and Caldecott, and lesser known awards, are…

This guide puts books and readers together by helping readers' advisors in libraries, bookstores, and academic institutions find the books their readers will enjoy reading. Offering a structured overview of genres, it can also be used as a textbook for courses in genre literature and readers' advisory to discuss popular genres of fiction. The…

Research into the reading preferences of boys and girls has shown that there is a difference between the two sexes regarding the type of literature they enjoy reading. These preferences begin at an early age and continue on throughout their school careers. The purpose of this study was to determine if high school teachers are aware of these…

This paper reports on an interview with a 10-year-old Black girl, in which she discusses her responses to books about strong, active Afro-American girls. The difficulty of obtaining such books is pointed out, as is the need for studies of the impact of culturally valid books for young readers. (PP)

A study of young children's use of literature during free play, of the physical design of library corners, and of teacher's literature activities found positive correlations among these elements. Observations of nursery school classrooms revealed that many lacked inviting library corners and that many teachers did not sufficiently encourage…

Concludes that the reading interests of Mexican-American students differ little from those of other American students. (FL)

Teachers can capitalize on children's interest in recent science fiction movies by using books based on the films in their classrooms. Books taken from "E. T.,""Star Wars,""The Empire Strikes Back," and "The Wrath of Khan" are summarized, and learning activities to be used in conjunction with the books are suggested. (PP)

Explains how to organize a "print laboratory," a safe, nonthreatening environment where students can experiment with all kinds of print found in the real world. Presents strategies designed to promote independent reading and comprehension. (FL)

Contributors suggest ways to (1) motivate student reading, (2) improve reading skills in the content area classroom, and (3) communicate with parents. (FL)

To determine how television viewing affected the quality of recreational reading, logs were completed on the amount of time fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students spent on reading and on watching television. Results indicated that students who watched a lot of television and who did little reading tended to choose books of lower quality.…

Analyzes the roles played by females in Judy Blume's "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret." Concludes that the book offers flat and unflattering portrayals of female characters. (FL)

Reports the findings of a study that replicated work done in the early 1970s concerning the media preferences and reading interests of intermediate grade children. Shows that the reading interests of boys remained much the same, with those of girls changing. Both groups continued to prefer television over print media. (FL)

Teachers often insist that certain "great books" must be taught, although they can seldom agree on a list of titles. But restricting students' reading to the classics only produces boredom. Students deserve widely-read literature teachers, who can bring them knowledge of and excitement about all kinds of literature. (SJL)

Describes a school district's efforts to make teachers, parents, and students more aware of the importance and fun of reading. (RL)