Here are a few of the most telling points about teens who read:

• 31% read adult titles without reservation, while only 11% say they never read adult titles.
• Popular adult authors include Mitch Albom, Mary Higgins Clark, Michael Crichton, Janet Evanovich, John Grisham, Dean Koontz, Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks.
• Format doesn’t seem to matter: 79% prefer paperbacks while 74% said they prefered hardcover.
• Teens are most influenced by their friends’ book recommendations (83%), with teachers and librarians coming in at 47% and 36% respectively.
• The description of the book on the jacket cover was the most important factor in determining whether a teen will pick up a book to read.  91% rated this as a significant factor.  Cover presentation was second at 79%.
• 83% of the teens who responded to the survey reported that they prefer to read the book before they see the movie.
• 46% of teen readers watch book trailers on YouTube which has lead 45% of the students to purchase the title.

The article also reports that while adult books sales are down, juvenile and young adult sales are expected to increase by 5.1%.  And in the genres of fantasy and sci-fi, where the majority of teen sales occur, sales are projected to increase by 13% in the coming year.  

So the next time someone tells you that pleasure reading is a dying art, tell them they are wrong!

For a complete explanation of what a Lexile score is, how it is determined, and how it impacts students’ interaction with their required readings, watch this PowerPoint presentation entitled Using Lexile Levels and SRI Data for Improving Reading Instruction 

The following Discovery Streaming video clips discuss and demonstrate a variety of reading strategies from summarizing and paraphrasing to critically evaluating the reliability and credibility of a source. 

Interpreting History

Fighting for Information

Big Picture, Big Dig

Biased Remains