Provides three responses from reading professionals concerning a question about students who cannot relate story ideas after reading. Suggests determining the students' reading interests to help them find books which they will find more enjoyable. (MG)

Contributes to cultural-studies scholarship on ethnographic media studies by examining the reception of imported romance novels among women in postcolonial urban India. Shows that romance novels were found pleasurable because they were an extension of Indian women's childhood English-language reading, and they were viewed as resources to improve…

Challenging the common image of reading as a solitary activity, this article describes the social settings in which young people participated in the print culture of a late 19th-century small midwestern town. Analysis of library borrowing records shows that both adults and youth read "low" fiction, shared titles, and engaged in a common culture,…

Muses on and explores connections between a teacher's personal history as a reader; how she thinks about literature and about reading as a secondary English language arts teacher; and her assumptions about how high school students will, can, or should read. (PA)

Notes that emphasis on the writing process has produced books on the subject of students as authors. Discusses several recent books with that theme. Suggests that teachers can encourage kids to become writers by finding books that will "knock their socks off" instead of books that promote propaganda about writing as a process. Provides…

Presents a study that looks at what students are reading, what they are required to read, what they read for pleasure, and what general categories of books students claim to like. Presents 11 tables of students' favorite reading. Notes that Young Adult books remain on the margin in both required and pleasure reading. (SG)

Tells the story of three African American children's responses to literature by and about African Americans, showing the importance of connecting literature to the lives and interests of children. (SR)

CD-ROMs and Web sites that have logical links to books on appealing topics can entice boys to read for fun and information. Research and professional experience tells us that boys are more enthusiastic technology users and less avid readers than girls are. The software and books listed are appropriate for children from kindergarten through high…

Reviews research on the development of attitudes toward reading to investigate the idea that as children get older, their interest in reading declines. Highlights include research methodology; attitudes toward recreational reading; reading at home; reading autobiographies; and the need to provide interesting books to children. (LRW)

Presents an annotated bibliography of best new fiction for ages 11 to 13, determined by a team of San Francisco Bay Area librarians, middle school teachers, and middle school students. Includes remarks from middle school readers in most annotations. Presents two additional lists of books championed by middle school readers despite adult skepticism…

A high school teacher has used a novel by Stephen King as her end-of-the-year literature unit to teach her students. She suggests how this selection helps in achieving her goals to get students to practice reading and discussing literature and to apply these skills beyond the English classroom.

This column focuses on reading engagement by first discussing the concept then suggesting ways that teacher-librarians can lead initiatives in their schools towards this goal. While the concepts: (1) reading engagement; (2) motivation to read; and (3) interest and voluntary reading are interconnected, it is important to understand their…

This paper reports on a study that examined both the concurrent and longitudinal connections between multiple components of the home environment and indicators of preschool-aged children's literacy and language development. Data were collected from 85 parents and their children at two different times. Results of structural path models indicated…

Developed by national reading experts for "reading partners" to use with children, ages birth to grade 6, this booklet presents activities that help very young children to get ready for reading and writing, and guide older children to expand their reading and writing interests and skills. The booklet has three sections, one for…

Designed to help teachers, students, and parents identify engaging and insightful books for young adults, this book presents annotations of over 1,000 books published between 1990 and 1994. The book begins with a foreword by award-winning author Jerry Spinelli that tells students why they should read. Annotations in the book are grouped by subject…