The great and growing number of series and sequels guarantees that children can find books to meet their interests and developmental needs from an early age. And a great number of series books are targeted to upper elementary and middle school children. This guide is designed to be an essential tool to aid young readers to find new books in the…

A survey of the reading habits of a group of older Americans revealed that reading was an important aspect in their lives, especially if the habits had been developed earlier in life. (MKM)

Describes the impact on the author of reading Harvey Cushing's "The Life of Sir William Osler," a biography of the leading American medical educator in the late nineteenth century, which stressed his reading interests. (DD)

Discusses a teen book group's discussion of "Shattering Glass," a new young adult novel by Gail Giles. Describes planning; the book's plot; the book discussion; the librarians' conversation with the author which passed along students' comments; and reflections on the experience. (AEF)

Includes three articles: Harry Potter's Family Tree; What Could Be Wrong with Harry Potter?; Why Do Children Love Harry? that discuss the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. Highlights include censorship issues; their place in children's literature; relationships to other authors; the appeal to adult readers; characterization; criticism of the…

Discusses the appeal of romance fiction for adolescent girls, particularly the "Sweet Valley High" series, and summarizes some research in the area. Topics addressed include reading preferences of teenage girls, sales and marketing of romances, literary criticisms, what readers gain from the books, and what constitutes good pleasure…

Reports on a study in which elementary level students evaluated rewards commonly used to encourage recreational reading. Finds that the most popular rewards allow students more flexibility and independence. (MM)

Interviews 195 older adults, finding that those who read for pleasure were less lonely than those who did not. Finds no association between loneliness scores and several other factors thought to have a relationship to loneliness. Finds, however, decreased loneliness strongly associated with whether the participant had a confidant. (SR)

Recommends many books for summer reading enjoyment, concentrating on historical and contemporary fiction. Different cultures clash in William T. Vollman's "Fathers and Crows" and John Demos's adventuresome "Unredeemed Captive." Other suggestions: "Snow Falling on Cedar Mountain" (David Gutterman) and "Foxfire" (Joyce Carol Oates). For professional…

Summer reading suggestions are offered for teachers and students. Brief descriptions and sources of 11 children's magazines are provided. (DB)

It was during the early 1990s that the author began to suspect that teenagers were reading less--and less deeply--than they had been 10 and certainly 20 years ago. He found this paradoxical, because it was during the 1990s that SAT scores seemed to soar along with the economy. Students talked about them constantly, like securities traders in a…

For a head start on getting great reading and writing materials this summer--just look in your mailbox. As the school year winds down and the end-of-year testing and report card frenzy nears, summer looms large. If you have the good fortune to be in a school that isn't year-round, and you aren't working on college credit or at a second job, just…

This author contends that teachers should keep children reading and writing but, more importantly, they need to be sure that children are eager to engage in these activities. Requiring rather than desiring transactions with text does not help to get children hooked on books. Further, she asserts that the words "should" or "ought to" must not be…

In this case history, the author describes how her journey as a reader evolved from a poor reader who did not like to read in elementary school into an avid trilingual reader in graduate school. Once she discovered the joy of reading, each language in which she read had its own purpose and emotional connection. She credits self-selected reading…