2. www.connectingya.com Small group exercise Have you now or have you ever been a reluctant reader? What is your reading autobiography?

3. www.connectingya.com Who Are Reluctant Readers? Literate non- readers Illiterate literates Nonreaders Aliterates

4. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading By the time many students reach high school, they equate reading with ridicule, failure or exclusively school-related tasks.

5. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Students are not excited by ideas. They prefer to experience life directly rather than through reading.

6. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Many active adolescents are unable to sit still long enough to read for any prolonged period of time..

7. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Teenagers are too self-absorbed and preoccupied with themselves, their problems, families, sexual roles, etc., to make connections between their world and books.

8. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Books are inadequate entertainment compared to other competing media such as television, video games and the Internet.

9. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Persistent stress from home and school to read constantly is counter-productive for some adolescents.

10. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Adolescents may grow up in non-reading homes void of reading material with no reading role models. There is no one to pass down the value of reading..

11. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Some adolescents may consider reading solitary and anti- social.

12. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Reading is considered uncool and something adults do.

13. www.connectingya.com Why They Arent Reading Cant find the good books

14. www.connectingya.com Small group exercise #6 Ranking and missing reasons

15. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers Cover - catchy, action-oriented, attractive, appealing, good "blurb"

16. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers Print style - sufficiently large for enjoyable reading

17. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers Format - appropriate and appealing balance of text and white space

18. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers Artwork/illustrations - enticing, realistic, demonstrated diversity

19. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers Clear writing without long convoluted sentences of sophisticated vocabulary

20. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers Acceptable literary quality and effectiveness of presentation

21. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction High interest "hook" in first 10 pages

22. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Well-defined characters and not too many of them

23. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Sufficient plot to sustain interest

24. www.connectingya.com When you write, do you think about the potential book's appeal to non-readers? R.L. Stine: Almost all of my books are designed for reluctant readers. When I wrote and edited educational magazines, I learned how to write for different reading levels. I try to keep my scary books at a 4th-grade reading and vocabulary level. In addition-- short books, fast-paced, lots of surprises and twists, cliff-hanger chapter endings to force them to go on to the next chapter, and plot-driven books with little description to slow down the action.

25. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Plot lines developed through dialog and action rather than descriptive text

26. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Familiar themes with emotional appeal for teenagers

27. www.connectingya.com Power Up With Print Young adults like fiction that: 1. Show YAs being independent from adults. 2. Reassure YAs they are "normal". 3. Present role models. 4. Demonstrate problem solving in action. 5. Allow to feel like winners/overcoming odds. 6. Display relationships of all sorts. 7. Capture intensity and uncertainty of their life. 8. Help develop of socially responsible behavior 9. Explore lives of other teenagers..

28. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Believable treatment (that does not preclude speculative fiction however)

29. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Single point of view / not too many characters

30. www.connectingya.com Qualities of Books for Reluctant Readers: Fiction Touches of humor when appropriate

31. www.connectingya.com Small group exercise Ranking and missing reasons: what are the most important and what wasnt discussed

32. www.connectingya.com 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow 1. A library card: 2. Booklists: 3. Booktalking : 4. Build relationships:

33. www.connectingya.com 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow 5. Celebrate Teen Read Week: 6. Contests: 7. Displays: 8. Follow-up :

34. www.connectingya.com 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow 9. Freedom and choice: 10. Get input: 11. Get out of the library: 12. Get over yourself:

35. www.connectingya.com 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow 13. Get them in the building : 14. Go the shelves: 15. High visibility merchandising: 16. Honesty:

36. www.connectingya.com 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow 17. Keep current : 18. Listen: 19. Non-judgmental attitude: 20. Reader's advisory:

37. www.connectingya.com 25 things to do to reach reluctant readers tomorrow 21. Samples: 22. Wave goodbye to just fiction 23. Weed the collection: 24. Zowie! Get graphic

38. www.connectingya.com Connecting Young Adults and Libraries Patrick Jones http://www.connectingya.com Consulting, training, and coaching for providing powerful youth services including library card campaigns and web projects patrick@connectingYA.com