Presents results of an in-house survey on the effects of booktalking conducted at John Oliver Secondary School, Vancouver. A description of the sample population (440 students), students' reading preferences and reading material selection, and student response to 18 booktalks are discussed. A 12-item bibliography is included. (EJS)

In the United Kingdom in 1977 a national questionnaire survey was conducted by the University of Sheffield (England) under the direction of Frank Whitehead with children ages 10-14 years old to discover the kind and extent of children's voluntary reading. In 1994/95, Whitehead's study was replicated in the context of the 1990s. This report…

Recreational reading has proved its importance in the public library systems nationwide, as confirmed by circulation records and significant consideration in library budgets, indicating the need to develop systems that bring the book and the reader together in a systematic way. This paper seeks to define the operation of readers' advisory programs…

The voices in this anthology, i.e., Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, Anthony Trollope, E.M. Forster, Franz Kafka, Frederick Douglass, Emily Post, Virginia Woolf, Bernard Malamud, and many others, describe the excitement of first learning to read and remind everyone of the unique companionship offered throughout life by books. The anthology…

The Children's Literature Research Unit at the University of South Africa, Pretoria, implemented a research project examining what young people were reading at the end of the 20th century, similar to a research project which had been carried out at Roehampton Institute in London (1996). The research began with a pilot project. Its goals were to:…

This brochure is intended to help parents support their children in reading comprehension and fluency. The brochure is divided into seven main sections. The first section addresses preparation that good readers engage in before reading the materials, including: (1) previewing the text; (2) thinking about the topic; (3) setting a purpose for…

This booklet is the third in a series designed to assist parents who are home-schooling their adolescent children and focuses on providing instruction and experiences in reading, writing, and mathematics. The articles in this booklet are: (1) "Developing a Writer's Toolkit," discussing ways to incorporate techniques used by successful writers to…

Describes a language arts teacher's work at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children, showing how the teacher established student reading habits before developing their writing. (A novel written by one of the students is included as an example of the work done in the program.) (RL)

Compares 1976-78 and 1992-94 Monitoring the Future data on high school seniors' recreational reading habits. During both periods, about half of all seniors reported reading one to five nonassigned books yearly. Those reading six or more books decreased from 37% to 25%. Those reading no books increased from 14% to 22%. Gender and college-bound…

Describes informal interviews conducted with 35 high school students in New York City to determine the relationship between their reading experiences and the gap in skills between white and minority students. Reviews seven patterns of minority students' reading experiences. Finds low teacher expectations for student reading among all students. (17…

Questions the value of classic literature in teaching secondary school students to read for pleasure. Suggests that a better vehicle for the same goal is young adult literature like "The Outsiders." (TB)

Discusses the role of the school library in the learning process and suggests it should also encourage students' reading habits. Topics include a new paradigm in the concept of a reading culture, including an individualized approach to learning to use the school library; library staff; reading and information skills; and reading materials.…

Argues that three specific areas of influence contribute to shaping the attitudes and expectations of adolescent reading in Britain: family; friendship groups; and school peer groups. Responses from 255 children reveal marked patterns of gender difference in the reading experience and identify the school curriculum's role in promoting particular…

Takes an integrative look at the correlates of newspaper school students from Dallas, Texas. Suggests that the most important predictor of nonreadership is perception of time and effort needed to read the newspaper, with nonreaders having neither time nor interest. (MG)

Emphasizes that the teacher as a role model is crucial to the success of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). Suggests that teacher modeling of sharing activities immediately after SSR is also very important. (MG)