Naked Reading, By Teri S. Lesesne
Chapter 2: Books Tweens Prefer to Read
This chapter of Naked Reading, for our required reading in class, introduced the five most popular types of books that tweens are currently reading. The author, Teri Lesesne, has given book talks to many tween and teen audiences at many different schools and this is a list that she came up with from her personal experience, student surveys that she has previously administered, and evidence from her own children's reading preferences. The five most popular types of literature for students in grades 4 to 8 are: 1) subliterature: magazines, comic books, and series books; 2) non-fiction; 3) horror, suspense, and the supernatural; 4) humor; and 5) mystery. After reading the explanation for each of these types of books, I have to agree with Lesnesne's research. As a teacher, I am very familiar with children's literature ranging from Kindergarten to upper high school grades, and I witness the same findings. Tweens love these categories and most of the libraries at the schools I have worked at have a very hard time, keeping these books on the shelves. I think non-fiction is the bigger of the bunch here. Time after time, I see books such as the Guinness book of world records being read until the binding is falling apart. Books on animals, are always being requested by students for me to read aloud. I see so many books on how to draw certain things floating around the classroom, as well as how to make books, like origami, or science projects. I think the reason for this that is non-fiction is very empowering for this age group. They learn something new and not only facts but how to do something. For a young tween, this is incredible, to learn something without the aid of an adult. I find subliterature, such as magazines and comics to be a close second to non-fiction. Magazines are popular because again, they are similar to non-fiction in that the reader is learning how to do something and the visual imagery is very important for young readers. The same goes for comics. Lesesne not only makes a strong argument based on her research as a book talker, she backs up her claims, from personal experience, strengthening her argument. I could not agree more with the chapter in Naked Reading, and I found it very interesting to see how my experiences with tween literature closely parallel a professional's research.
Chapter 2: Books Tweens Prefer to Read
This chapter of Naked Reading, for our required reading in class, introduced the five most popular types of books that tweens are currently reading. The author, Teri Lesesne, has given book talks to many tween and teen audiences at many different schools and this is a list that she came up with from her personal experience, student surveys that she has previously administered, and evidence from her own children's reading preferences. The five most popular types of literature for students in grades 4 to 8 are: 1) subliterature: magazines, comic books, and series books; 2) non-fiction; 3) horror, suspense, and the supernatural; 4) humor; and 5) mystery. After reading the explanation for each of these types of books, I have to agree with Lesnesne's research. As a teacher, I am very familiar with children's literature ranging from Kindergarten to upper high school grades, and I witness the same findings. Tweens love these categories and most of the libraries at the schools I have worked at have a very hard time, keeping these books on the shelves. I think non-fiction is the bigger of the bunch here. Time after time, I see books such as the Guinness book of world records being read until the binding is falling apart. Books on animals, are always being requested by students for me to read aloud. I see so many books on how to draw certain things floating around the classroom, as well as how to make books, like origami, or science projects. I think the reason for this that is non-fiction is very empowering for this age group. They learn something new and not only facts but how to do something. For a young tween, this is incredible, to learn something without the aid of an adult. I find subliterature, such as magazines and comics to be a close second to non-fiction. Magazines are popular because again, they are similar to non-fiction in that the reader is learning how to do something and the visual imagery is very important for young readers. The same goes for comics. Lesesne not only makes a strong argument based on her research as a book talker, she backs up her claims, from personal experience, strengthening her argument. I could not agree more with the chapter in Naked Reading, and I found it very interesting to see how my experiences with tween literature closely parallel a professional's research.
So often we overlook non-fiction in the development of a reader's life. I am glad to hear you recognize its popularity.
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