A small group of teen volunteers met here at Parkland Community Library last night. When asked how the library could bring in more teens, they unaminously said that most of the people at their schools did not read, except for school work. Four schools were represented in the group.
However, they admitted that teens they knew were reading magazines and blogs and series books like Gossip Girls and Twilight - oh and manga.
What I'm wondering if this. Is this a matter of perception? Is reading not seen as cool enough to talk about? If that is the case, could a lot of teens be "closet readers"? Or could reading be considered mundane and ordinary like brushing teeth, and therefore not worthy of mentioning?
Think about it. If I like to read but I believe that all my friends think reading is boring, am I likely to talk about what I'm reading?
Even in books, teens are not often pictured as reading - except in books by John Green and
e. lockhart and their ilk, that is. And by the way, everyone should read lockhart's Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, if they get a chance. Also, John Green's Paper Towns is just as good as everyone says it is. However, DO NOT TRY THESE THINGS AT HOME..
Back to my original point, I suspect that fewer teens are reading for pleasure than I want to admit. But I also suspect that more teens are reading than their peers realize.
What do YOU think?
