Reading by Right

Book excerpt: Reading is an essential life skill not only for an individual's development and life chances but for social cohesion and a developed democracy. This book focuses on the importance of reading for pleasure and the difference that it can make to a person's life chances, with a focus upon how libraries and librarians help reluctant and struggling readers: those who might fall through the net or be left behind. Reading by Right provides an edited collection of chapters covering aspects of overcoming reading difficulties or reading reluctance in children and young people from birth right through to teenage. The book examines the research into problems with the acquisition of reading and highlights some of the best practise to be found internationally, both as a practical aid but also to inspire partnership and cooperation. Content covered includes: an outline of the political and strategic framework that library and education practitioners face in trying to overcome the barriers to reading a review of the past several decades of research in this area how youngsters become 'reluctant readers' and how to improve the situation for everyone examples of successful projects from Korea and Finland, countries that consistently perform well in reading tests and international league tables a wealth of practical context, including case studies and perspectives from school and public libraries an overview of the ongoing relevance of debates and discussion around diversity in publishing and children's books, including some potential solutions. The book will be invaluable reading for practitioners and students of librarianship in both the public and school sectors. It will also be of great interest to all teachers, consultants and educators concerned with literacy and reading, and to policy makers in both the school and library sectors.