Me: "What's your summer reading this year?"
My 17 year old brother: "Oh, The Odyssey and some other sh*t."
I had to laugh.The Odyssey was written about 3000 years ago, and has probably been assigned to every high school or college student to read since then. Presumably, my brother's English teacher has some good reason for assigning The Odyssey. Does that make my brother excited to jump into his summer reading? Not so much. Give him the 497 page manual for his Emergency Medical Technician training course, or Facebook, and he's perfectly happy to read. Reading about colleges holds his interest; also reading texts from friends. Should this sort of summer reading "count?"
According to Tara Parker-Pope, yes. In her article, "Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book," Parker-Pope describes the academic benefits of children continuing to read over summer vacation. According to a University of Tennessee study, a group of low-income students retained reading skills over the summer when given high-interest books to read during vacation, as compared to students who didn't have access to books. The key to the success of this project, researchers asserted, was letting students choose books that were of interest to them; books like biographies of Britney Spears and The Rock, and books connected to popular movies and TV shows like Hannah Montana. When children are excited about their reading choices, the article claims, they read more. And reading more is good.
The students profiled in the University of Tennessee study were first and second graders, but its findings have implications for tween students as well. Librarians have an important role to play in helping connect students of all ages with books and other high interest reading materials. Since teachers (who assign summer reading) and parents may have a specific type of book in mind for tweens to read. Librarians can interact with kids around books without an agenda, and we can empower them to make choices that are exciting and engaging.
Parker-Pope, T. (2010, August 2). Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/summer-must-read-for-kids-any-book/
photo credit: The Art of Manliness blog, featuring a post on the 50 best books for boys and young men
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