Culture of Children with Reading

To better develop an understanding of the reading, viewing and listening preferences of children in grades four through eight I interviewed and observed children, teachers, public librarians and school library media specialists.   I also conducted research on numerous websites and print resources for reading recommendations by children, for children to get a better understanding of where their reading interests lie.   The observations and interviews were conducted in rural, suburban and urban libraries in Michigan as well as a fourth grade classroom.   After discovering a clear trend in the reading habits of children in Michigan, I chose to interview a school library media specialist in New Jersey to see how the reading interests of children in that area compared with those unveiled in Michigan.   The results showed some areas of similarities and differences in preferences between gender and age and also produced some surprising results.
The most popularly requested items by boys in grades four through eight at the suburban library I visited included titles by Jonathan Rand, Gary Paulsen, Jerry Spinelli and J.K. Rowling.   The boys tended to reach for books dealing with sports and adventure such as Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.   In contrast, girls in this same age range most requested titles by Patricia Hermes, Kristiana Gregory, Kate McMullan, Lois Lowry, Sharon Creech and Karen Cushman.   The girls tended to lean towards books that dealt with diaries and journals such as the My America and Dear America series as well as The Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos.   Books that appealed to both boys and girls included Junie B. Jones, Michigan Chillers, American Chillers, Goosebumps, books by Louis Sachar including Holes and Sideway Stories, and books by Andrew Clements such as Frindle.   Titles that had mass appeal to all children at this age range at the library included Michigan Chillers, Harry Potter and the Spiderwick Chronicles.   Books dealing with humor such as Frindle,... [continues]

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