Wednesday, August 22, 2007
New Maine Blog
Check out the Born to Read Trainers blog, whose focus is childhood (ages 0-5) literacy, children's books, learning to read, and training of child care providers, volunteers, and parents to teach reading to young kids. Most of the postings so far are of general interest to elementary school teachers and day care providers, parents, and children's librarians.Labels: child care, children, children's books, learning to read, literacy, reading, teaching
Reading Not Fundamental to All Americans
"One in four adults read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices. ... The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous." Of those who read, the mean number of books read (half read more and half read fewer) was seven. Those who haven't read any books in the last year are more likely to be men than women, and older, less educated, with lower incomes, minorities, from rural areas and less religious. More at USA Today.Labels: americans, popular culture, reading, trends
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Unfinished Book Shame?
Guy Dammann at the Guardian's book blog takes on a topic that's oft discussed among readers and librarians: Is it OK to stop reading a book?:
"Books ... are somehow allowed to bully us, using nothing but our own reflected guilt to do so. They sit on our shelves, or in piles on our desks and bedside tables, gathering dust and issuing gentle reproaches with every glance, a literary equivalent of water torture."
He offers his strategy for deciding whether to read a non-fiction book, and how much of it to read; the reader comments that follow the essay offer lots more strategies, ideas, and opinions (some of which apply to fiction, too) and names of books they chose not to finish.
Labels: bookselling, guardian, reading
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Golden Age for Teen Readers
Seattle PI reports that teens are buying books at the fastest rate in decades:
"Like a lot of teens, Leslie Cornaby has a crowded schedule -- her days crammed with homework, hobbies and an array of techno diversions. When she's not checking e-mail, she's cruising YouTube or scrolling her iPod to tunes by Pink or Christina Aguilera."She's also reading -- just for the glorious fun of it -- and says, 'Most of my friends are readers, too.'
"The Shorecrest High School sophomore may not realize it, but she's enjoying the fruits of one of the most fertile periods in the history of young adult literature.
"It's a time of strong writing and strong sales as readers in the 12-to-18 age group rock the marketplace."
Also links to some of the best books for young adults, and trends in teen lit.
Labels: reading, teens, trends, YA fiction, young adults
