Reading increases among children and young adults

[Brian G Turner]

According to a survey by the National Literacy Trust, more children were reading in 2014 than 2013. The BBC has the report and stats:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-32797986

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Both my kids read and one is a real book worm. It's not something we've forced although our house is mostly constructed of books...

 

[Brian G Turner]

Our kids get various books to read from school, but they do very little reading outside of that, which is a shame. Aside from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which at least one enjoys.

 

[hardsciencefanagain]

I agree,Brian,that is a shame.
It can't be the lack of good books,there's plenty of them around.

 

[MWagner]

Kids are all different. Some will get the reading bug and some won't. Best you can do is make books available and demonstrate your own love of reading and hope they follow suit. And keep in mind that some people don't become interested in reading for pleasure until their late teens.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Sometimes it's just a matter of discovering what kind of books you like—discovering that the kind of books you would like to read even exist. With some people it may take until they are teenagers or adults (or of course for some people it never happens, although I believe the potential is there).

As a child and a teenager, my husband's nephew hated reading. I've been told that if you put a piece of writing in front of him, even just some words on a piece of paper, he would turn away, he had such an aversion to reading. (Part of it might have been his father's influence, because his father thought it was hilarious.) I only met him when he was in his early twenties. At that point, my husband had not seen him in several years. In the interim, the nephew had discovered that he loved books. And just about all he wanted to talk about (on being reunited with his uncle that he knew loved to read) was the books he had read and loved.

 

[Foxbat]

When I was young, my parents used to buy me these hardbacks (I think they may have been published by Penguin). They were abridged versions of classics edited specifically for children. That was where I first read such tales as Kidnapped, Ivanhoe Treasure Island, 20 000 Leagues and many more. I don't know if they still print them but it was a good entry point into some well known literature.

Still, it's good to see reading on the increase.

 

[Vertigo]

I wonder if part of that increase might be down to ebooks; I can imagine young kids seeing ebooks as cool tech and printed books as old and fusty.

 

[hardsciencefanagain]

children like to go against the grain
if adults read E-books,paper books will look cool to kids

Wasn't there a study that showed that reading from paper increased data retention?

 

[Overread]

Sometimes it's just a matter of discovering what kind of books you like—discovering that the kind of books you would like to read even exist. With some people it may take until they are teenagers or adults (or of course for some people it never happens, although I believe the potential is there).

I found it much the same with music. Never really listened to much as a child so it wasn't till I was much older that I started actually listening to different kinds other than what was on the TV and Classic FM (because it was that we listened to on the way to school)

 

[MWagner]

I wonder if part of that increase might be down to ebooks; I can imagine young kids seeing ebooks as cool tech and printed books as old and fusty.

Could just be the quality and breadth of books available. Young Adult has been such a successful genre for publishers in recent years, and success attracts talent. Authors who may have gone into fantasy, historical fiction, or mystery have seen which way the wind is blowing. Publishers have met the demand with series of all kinds, and top-notch artwork. Then there are movie tie-ins, raising the profile of the flagship series. Any 10-year-old today is spoiled with choice.

 

[Vertigo]

Very true

 

[Boneman]

And actually, let's be honest, there's nothing on the telly... Nothing good, anyway. Okay, a slight over-exageration, but there's also talk of only making Hollywood blockbusters - just saw the trailer for the new Jurassic Park, and thought 'boring...' Formulaic, bang, crash, fear, terror, small guys comes good. Keep on making blockbusters and they will become (they already are) repetitive, relying on ever-better special effects to entice you in, at the expense of the story. Mad Max remake? Saw the trailer for that, and despite the fact I have a season ticket to the cinema, I won't be seeing that one, either.

So I'm not surprised children are reading more - though they may be (and I emphasise 'may be') easily pleased, they're easily bored, as well. So when they pick up a book and bring their own mind into the frame, because a skilful writer has allowed their imaginations to be stimulated, rather than (as in a blockbuster special-effect smogasbord fest that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination) setting everything down for them, every descriptive note possible, a child can only get more satisfaction from that. I think.


ps: edit added: just saw the thread 'Has Hollywood become too dependent on Blockbuster Films?' which speaks for itself.