Extra Credit Blog: What Are Teenagers Reading?

I just attended the "What Are Teenagers Reading?" Women's Studies Research Forum presented by Kathy Headley, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Naturally, I always loved to read while I was growing up.  At my elementary and middle school, we had Accelerated Reading points, and I always made it my priority to have the most points in our class.  Headley focused on middle school reading, and we talked about some of the reading we did at this age.  Of course, most people chimed in with some Harry Potter talk, though I myself was never a huge fan.  A few of the series mentioned I remembered reading at that age, such as The Princess Diaries.  She also mentioned that many middle schoolers are reading The Twilight Saga  and The Vampire Diaries, which was surprising to me, since I figured these were targeted to the high school age group.  She said that the classics would always be the classics, such as Where the Red Fern Grows and The Giver, but teachers should try to implement pleasurable reading with these assignments.  Research done by her creative inquiry class showed that most students this age do not like the assigned reading.  Around 44% said that they did not like the assigned readings because they weren't relevant to their lives, and 34% said they didn't like the assignments because they were boring.  I agree with Headley's remark that the classics will never be replaced, but perhaps the teachers should try to employ more interesting activities to encourage better participation, and thus better understanding of the readings.  She also discussed the books she read in a group over the summer, which included After Ever After, I Will Save You, and If I Stay.  She said that all of these books dealt with very sad and serious situations, like battling cancer, dealing with a mental disorder, and encountering a car accident.  All of these books were chosen by the readers, showing that middle school readers are not just reading fantasy books, but are also interested in literature about real life situations.  Along with this, she made the point that adolescent students are reading less than ever before, since there are so many other options of spending time.  This is a major problem, and research has shown that teachers and media specialists aren't even encouraging and recommending certain books to students nearly as much as you would think.  Reading helps learning in all aspects, and it is important for students to read in order to build their vocabulary and improve complex reasoning.  Without gathering these skills, students will have a harder time adapting to collegiate teaching styles.  This was a very insightful presentation that really put our youth's reading habits into perspective.