Reports on five studies which investigated reading for pleasure. Finds that this reading is characterized by within-text reading rate variability, is more arousing physiologically than other waking activities, and gives readers a feeling of control. Also finds that the Fog Index of readability predicts readers' preferences and difficulty rankings.…

Describes how an English teacher in a Queens, New York, ghetto school introduced her grade nine students to Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations." Focuses on students' responses, which eventually became enthusiastic, and discusses the use of classics within the curriculum. (KH)

Explores several concepts relevant to instructional materials that emerged from seminars sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. Describes how basal readers--so prevalent in instruction--fall short of these concepts, and what can be done to improve instruction. (HTH)

Suggests there is a need for a new teaching model which will enable second-language students to integrate the formal, cultural, and informational features of the language on which competency is based. This model should be based on the use of authentic texts which reflect the values of the foreign population. (SED)

Suggests sports literature as an alternative to traditional course work in high school reading classes. Explains how best to use it. (FL)

Examines the implications of structuralism for reading and English instruction. Argues that, according to Structuralism, literature worth reading confronts readers with the gap between writing and thought and forces them to consider their own thinking and, in a larger sense, their own place within the culture. (MM)

Argues that Richard Wright's "Black Boy" is appropriate for ninth-grade students because it combines an exciting story of survival with effective prose, forces readers to try to understand their own experiences in the light of the protagonist's, and intimately involves students in such universal concerns as suffering, violence, and…

Provides a rationale for using bibliotherapy, then examines the proper way to administer it. (FL)

The author describes what future teachers should know about the quality, opinions of, developmental stages in; and the variety, use, and availability of adolescent literature in the years to come. (CRH)

Defines the term "cognitively disabled"; discusses some of the negative assumptions about the cognitively disabled found in many books, while simultaneously noting the books' positive aspects; and provides an annotated bibliography of books that deal with cognitively disabled people. (FL)

Discussion covers literature education needs, the principle underlying the selection of artistic works for the literature course, the system for the study of artistic work, and content and structure of the literature course. (ND)

This book provides a straightforward approach to finding and recommending good novels based on what sparks a reader's interest. With emphasis on award-winning fiction, the guide features more than 500 novels published between 1990 and 2001. This companion title uses the same easy-access organization used in the original "Now Read This: A Guide to…

This book for early childhood educators is a practical guide for developing literacy in children between 3 and 7 years of age. Although many aspects of literacy are addressed, such as reading, speaking, listening, and writing, the predominant focus of the book is on reading. The book is not about theory, although theoretical aspects and current…

In the mystery genre, the one characteristic that the enduring figures of Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, and Encyclopedia Brown have in common is a rational mind. The source of their strength is their ability to think and think well. A study examined some typical examples of the mystery genre in young adult literature and surveyed children and…

Serving as a preface for a position statement on adolescent literacy by the International Reading Association, this article argues that assigning adolescent literacy a higher priority in the literacy community's value system is an idea whose time has very nearly come. It briefly relates the content of two earlier articles published in "Reading…