The lobby of the college building echoes with the noise of teenagers milling around a table filled with books. Hands flutter over the bright covers, picking them up, flipping them over, thumbing through pages. Welcome to an Elon Academy Saturday at break time, the mid-point pause in this monthly gathering of the more than 70 student participants…

Considers how the hypertext fiction is only the next stage in the evolution of text. Discusses sites that contain an index of current hypertext fiction favorites, reviews by readers, theory and criticism and bibliographies. Presents some suggestions on what to study when using hypertext fiction. (SG)

Describes how the author was shaped by his reading experiences as a boy and young man. Suggests some of the values literature holds for individuals in various circumstances and urges that teachers work to match books to individual students and their needs and interests. (TJ)

Presents an annotated bibliography of nine books that kids think are great. Recommends the books on the basis of pure enjoyment. (SG)

Relates the experiences of students who loved to read as children, but grew to dislike reading as they passed through junior high and high school. Suggests having students compile a personal anthology of works of their choice rather than assigning them specific readings which they do not select. (PRA)

Discusses the attitudes and issues of reluctant readers by describing the author's son Jonathan, an intelligent young man who came to hate reading. Offers advice for teachers from Jonathan regarding how they can help students enjoy reading more. Presents annotations of 11 new or overlooked young adult books worth reading. (SR)

Discusses the interests and tastes secondary students have for nonfiction. Presents ways to incorporate nonfiction into read-aloud activities. Discusses 18 nonfiction books suitable for use in secondary read-aloud programs. (RS)

Explores a particular aspect of adolescents' literacy development: their growth in the interpretation and appreciation of literature. Examines how decisions about the goals of literature instruction and the kinds of literature selected can create difficulties for maturing readers. Suggests some instructional approaches that support the development…

Presents young adult literature as a solution to empower students and to make reading literacy attainable for middle and senior high school students who have not become fluent readers. Discusses the importance of accessing the student's own culture and outlines the criteria books should have to mirror the world of adolescents. (SC)

Discusses strategies that school librarians can use to help encourage reluctant readers, particularly in secondary schools. Highlights include book sharing, a more informal version of a book talk; helping students select appropriate titles that interest them; and an annotated bibliography of 35 sources of young adult titles. (LRW)

Offers eight short essays written by English teachers recommending nonfiction books that they use successfully in their high-school classrooms to grab students' interest, to provoke lively discussions, and to offer refreshing models for student writing. (SR)

Argues, from the author's experience and with supporting quotes from many teenagers, that modern retellings of classic fairy tales can be very popular with teenage readers. Discusses numerous such stories, and offers an extensive list of retold fairy tales, organized into: Cinderella stories, Beauty and the Beast stories, Sleeping Beauty stories,…

Presents annotations of 13 young adult books available in Spanish on popular topics that will appeal to adolescents with different needs and aspirations. Includes fiction, social science, myths and folklore, science, history, and recreation books. (SG)

Recommends Louis L'Amour's books to adolescents on the basis that the books will motivate them to read more, expose them to a strong advocate of the value of education, and stimulate interest in the classical literature referenced in L'Amour's works. (SRT)

Offers reasons why popular literature, such as the work of Judy Blume, and the literary "classics" do not keep adolescents interested in literature and reading. Suggests several authors and books that are especially suited to the reading needs of young adults. (RL)