“With so many options for entertainment, not to mention the increased amount of schoolwork in the teen years, busy and distracted teens can sometimes overlook reading for pleasure,” said YALSA President Paula Brehm-Heeger. “That’s why YALSA’s Teen Read Week national literacy initiative—aimed just at teens—is so important. It’s a time to remind teens that reading is fun, free and can be done anywhere, anytime!” A recent study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that the number of 17 year olds who said they never or hardly ever read for fun increased from 9% in 1984 to 19% in 2004. In addition, the percentage of 17 year olds who read daily dropped from 31% to 22%. The study also found that kids who read for enjoyment regularly score higher on reading tests than kids who don’t. Organizers of Teen Read Week hope to reverse that trend by encouraging teens to use their local libraries. “Librarians are working hard to create inviting teen areas and collections of materials that will draw teens to reading and to libraries,” said Brehm-Heeger. “Libraries across the country also offer teens exciting programs and activities, often planned with the input of teens, to engage young adults with books, libraries and literacy.” During Teen Read Week, kids ages 12 to 18 can vote for their choice of the best recent young adult books from a list of titles that were selected by members of teen book groups. This year’s nominees for the Teens’ Top Ten are:
Firegirl by Tony Abbott (Little, Brown and Co., 2006) Clay by David Almond (Delacorte, 2006) Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks (Chicken House, 2006) Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita (Little, Brown and Co., 2006) The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman (Clarion, 2006) Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (Viking Children’s Books, 2006) How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles (Flux, 2006) In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth (Henry Holt, 2007) The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson (Viking: Sleuth, 2006) What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles (Little, Brown and Co., 2006) Hello, Groin by Beth Goobie (Orca Book Publishers, 2006) River Secrets by Shannon Sale (Bloomsbury, 2006) Shock Point by April Henry (Putnam Juvenile, 2006) Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (HarperCollins, 2006) Born to Rock by Gordon Korman (Hyperion, 2006) New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (Little, Brown and Co., 2006) Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller (Bloomsbury, 2005) Prom Anonymous by Blake Nelson (Viking, 2006) Maximum Ride: School’s Out - Forever by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Co., 2006) Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Harcourt, 2006) Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage by Susanna Reich (Marshall Cavendish, 2006) All Hallow Eve (13 Stories) by Vivian Vande Velde (Harcourt, 2006) Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos (Simon & Schuster, 2006) The Unresolved by T.K. Welsh (Dutton, 2006) Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce (Harcourt, 2007)
